Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change Read Online Free Page A

cookies in the oven and set the timer, then pushed the first batch off the cookie sheet and handed the scoop to Andrew. “Here, you know what to do. I’m going to start cleaning. What color is her hair?”
    He scooped some cookie dough and looked at Polly with a glint in his eye.
    “Don’t you dare,” she warned. “You’ve already had two. Your mother will kill me if you aren’t hungry for supper tonight.”
    “Her hair is kind of brown. Not dark like yours. More like Henry’s.” He pursed his lips and dropped the dough on the cookie sheet. “She’s taller than me.”
    “What color are her eyes?” Polly asked.
    “I dunno,” he said and dropped more dough on the sheet. “What color are my eyes?”
    “They are a beautiful green. Sometimes when the light hits them just right, it looks like the leaves of a tree in summertime.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes, really. You have nice green eyes.”
    “What color are Jason’s eyes?”
    “His eyes are a darker green and when he gets mad, they light up like there is fire inside.”
    “How do you know that?”
    Polly laughed. “I don’t know that. I know that they are a little darker than yours. They are closer to the color of your mother’s eyes.”
    “Why did you say that about the fire?”
    “Because I was being creative in how I described them, just like I was with the color of your eyes. Can you think of something to compare my eyes to?” She bent down and peered at him.
    “They’re blue, but not like the sky.”
    “Think about what kind of blue they are like. That’s your assignment for tomorrow afternoon. You have to come up with something really cool to describe the color of my eyes.”
    “This is because I want to be a writer, isn’t it?”
    “You got me!” She nudged his shoulder with her elbow. “Every time you look at something, you should think about cool ways to describe it. Maybe you can tell me what an object is without using its real name.”
    “You sound just like Miss Albert.”
    “Then I’m in good company. Now tell me more about Rebecca.”
    “She wants dogs just like me. We’re going to grow up and live in a big house like this and have a yard for lots of dogs and cats. But we aren’t going to have horses because they’re too big.”
    “How about donkeys like Tom and Huck?”
    “They’d be okay if they need a place to live. Rebecca said her neighbors have goats and they aren’t too bad either. She likes watching them play.”
    The front door opened and Obiwan bounded across the room, sliding to a halt in front of Polly. His fur was filthy.
    “What have you been doing?” she asked and glanced at Jason, who looked a little sheepish.
    “I tried to stop him before he got here, but he played with the horses and got muddy. Eliseo didn’t want to wash him down at the barn because it was too cold between there and here. Do you want me to give him a bath?”
    Polly laughed. She was thankful for wood floors and rugs that would shake out. This wasn’t the first time her dog had come in filled with dirt and mud and it wouldn’t be the last. She usually tried to bring him up the back steps though.
    “Are you done in the barn?” she asked.
    “Yeah. We got everyone settled in for the night. We had to brush the horses’ legs down. They were dirty, too. Tom and Huck weren’t done playing, so Eliseo said he’d take care of them tomorrow.”
    Obiwan tried to shake and she stopped him by putting her hand on his collar. “Let’s get this bath started. Jason, would you mind listening for the timer and take the cookies out? Use the hot pad. There’s just a minute left. Come in when the cookies are done.”
    Andrew watched as she crossed the room.
    “Are you coming, Andrew?” she asked.
    He ran to open the door for her while she led Obiwan into the bathroom. When they got inside, she said, “You should talk to your brother about Rebecca,” Polly said. “He’s pretty good with that stuff, isn’t he?”
    “But he might tell