Summer Grace (Angel Paws) Read online

  Summer, however, would not eat. She kept looking to their left, at Frank and his Aussie, Bracken. Bracken had her head on Frank’s knee, gazing up imploringly, though Frank was not eating or even paying attention as he laughed at something Mason said.

  As Grace finished her s’more, Summer jumped off her lap and trotted to Frank, staring at him the same way Bracken did.

  Frank glanced down at her. “Hey, cutie.” He smiled, then went back to talking with Mason and Kimberly.

  Summer whimpered. Bracken glanced at her, stood up, shook herself, then nudged Frank’s fingers. Frank absently rested his hand on her neck, still not looking at her.

  Summer started around Frank, sniffing as if she’d never seen him before, but her leash stopped her.

  “Summer, here.” Grace started to pull her back.

  Summer planted her tiny paws and did not move. She wouldn’t even look at Grace. Only staring and staring at Frank as if he dangled a pork chop over her nose.

  “Summer,” Grace said, sharply this time. “What’s wrong with you?” She pulled the Papillon back to her as if reeling in a fish.

  Still, Summer would not take her gaze off of Frank.

  Soon, Frank stood up and stretched, wishing them goodnight. A few others had already departed. Grace soon followed. Summer still seemed agitated, glancing from Grace to the cabins through darkness where Frank and Bracken disappeared.

  Grace got ready for bed, hoping to be asleep before Katie and Max came in. When she returned from the separate bathroom to Summer, closed in the cabin, she heard muffled yips and barks inside.

  “Summer.” Grace pushed open the door, ready to give a scolding. “It’s bedtime. No—”

  She stopped as Summer burst past her evening flip-flops, a white and red blur streaking into darkness.

  “Summer!” Startled, Grace only stood for a second, turning to see where her dog had gone. Then she followed at a run.

  What if Summer had smelled a bear after all? What if she went after a coyote? A skunk?

  “Summer, come!”

  Summer raced along the lit rows of cabins to the last one on the northern end. Reaching the door, she barked wildly, throwing herself at the wood, scrabbling with tiny claws as she dug and ripped, bouncing on her back legs.

  Grace wasn’t shouting anymore. The cabin looked bright inside, though curtains were drawn. Grace knocked, calling out a hello.

  “I’m sorry to bother you. Is everything okay?” She wasn’t even sure who’s cabin this was.

  All the time, Summer went on barking and clawing the door. The noise had attracted attention and Kimberly, along with camp counselor Victoria, was running toward them.

  No answer from within. Summer grew more and more agitated: panting, yelping, making sounds Grace had never heard before.

  Grace tried the knob, shouting back to Kimberly and Victoria that something was wrong.

  The door opened. Summer bounded inside, barking. Grace took in the scene in an instant: lamps on, suitcase open to pack for the next day, clothes folded on one bed. Beside the bed, the tall Frank lay stretched out on the floor, rigid, his head jerking back and forth, banging into the wood floor. Bracken stood over him, licking his cheek, turning one way, then another, pawing his face and chest, whining and shaking almost as much as Frank.

  “Get help!” Grace shouted to Kimberly and Victoria, her voice shrill with panic. “Call 911! He’s having a seizure or something!”

  Victoria raced for the main building, calling to Anita, while Kimberly hurried into the cabin with Grace.

  “Get the dogs back,” Kimberly said, grabbing a stack of shirts off the bed beside Frank.

  Grace scooped Summer up under one arm, seized Bracken’s collar in her other hand, and pulled her away.

  Kimberly knelt beside Frank, pressing the folded shirts around his head to protect it from pounding on the floor. She gripped his shoulder, holding him in place. The jerking and thrashing were already subsiding, giving way to rigid trembling.

  Bracken clawed forward, trying to pull away from Grace, back to Frank.

  “It’s okay,” Grace whispered in the shepherd’s ear. “Everything will be okay. Good girl, Bracken. Good dog.”

  Bracken stood, panting and shaking, gaze fixed on her person.

  Summer quieted, also watching Frank.

  Grace pressed her face into her dog’s silky coat, whispering again, “Good dog.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Ready, Summer?” Grace zipped her bag and stood back, looking around the little cabin to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. How incredible that five days ago she had asked the same thing as they arrived. It seemed like months. And it seemed like seconds.

  Summer jumped down from the bed, wagging her tail, dancing around Grace’s feet.

  Yes, the same path they walked to come in, the same bag, the same harness and leash, the same pair of bluejeans. But not the same people or dogs.

  “You can’t go without a hug,” Katie said, running into her in the doorway.

  After the hug, Katie knelt to rub Summer under the chin with one finger. “You are a really smart dog, you know that? Last night was like an old episode of Lassie.” She looked up, smiling at Grace.

  Grace smiled back.

  “Have you heard anything about Frank?”

  “He’s going to be fine. Already up and talking according to Anita. But they’ll probably keep him in the hospital one more night.”

  “And I know she’ll take good care of the sweetie until he’s back.” Katie stood, gesturing over her shoulder to Anita saying goodbye to the guests, Bracken on leash beside her.

  Bracken kept looking around, as if expecting Frank to emerge through the crowd. She, too, Grace knew, would be fine.

  “Bye, Katie. Good luck with Max.”

  Katie laughed. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

  There were more goodbyes on their way out, some handshakes, a couple of business cards exchanged. Anita had already personally thanked Grace, Kimberly, and Victoria for their quick thinking and fast action. All three told her it was Summer who deserved the thanks.

  There was no fanfare as they all parted ways. No awards ceremony or confetti. No brass band or Key to the City presentation. There was something much, much better.

  As Grace and Summer started for the car, Grace saw it in faces turned to them, felt it in the air around them like electric current, heard it in their voices:

  “That is one smart dog you’ve got.”

  “Good dog, Summer.”

  “She’s quite the hero.”

  A summer camp for dogs.… Exactly what they needed.

  About the Author

  Jordan Taylor has been a professional dog trainer for over ten years, working in a variety of areas from private consultations to agility and entertainment—training dogs for film, advertising, and live theater. Her first book, Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films, traces the history of German Shepherd Dogs in movies from the 1920s to modern times. Jordan continues to merge her love for writing and dogs at home in the Pacific Northwest.

  Stories in the Angel Paws series celebrate the unique bond between canines and humans with heartfelt, moving, and insightful tales for anyone who has ever loved a dog.

  If you enjoyed Summer Grace, please leave a review on Amazon and find more Angel Paws stories on Jordan’s author page: https://amazon.com/author/jordantaylor.

  You can find Jordan tweeting on twitter.com/JordanTaylorLit, updating her website at www.jordantaylorbooks.com, and being delighted to hear from readers through [email protected].

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Start

  About the Author

 

 

  Jordan Taylor, Summer Grace (Angel Paws)

 

 

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