Flash Read Online Free Page B

over at the Barclays’.”He sighed, turning to Mrs. Peterson. “You’ve seen that place, right? The one at the other end of the road, where the sheep are always getting loose?”
    Charles realized that Stephanie was probably right. Uncle Stephen would never agree to adopting a dog — at least, not this one. He watched Stephanie and Becky petting Flash. They looked so sad! Charles noticed Mom looking, too.
    “Stephen,” Mom said carefully. “You should give it a chance. I didn’t think our family was ready for a dog, either. But we just love Buddy.”
    Uncle Stephen shook his head stubbornly. “Fine for you,” he said. Suddenly Charles realized something funny: His mother was Uncle
Stephen’s
bossy older sister!
    Charles looked at Mom. “So?” he asked.
    “Oh, no!” said Mom.
    “Oh, yes,” said Charles. “Can’t we foster Flash? Just until we find out —”
    Lizzie interrupted, “Just until we find the right home?” She gave Charles a glance.
    He knew she was warning him not to tell the grown-ups about Murray and Dot. That would just complicate things. Anyway, they wanted to solve the mystery themselves.
    “He’s a great puppy,” Charles finished. “And he’d make a great friend for Buddy.”
    “Uppy!” shouted the Bean, struggling to get down and pet Flash.
    “But … we don’t even know if Buddy and Flash will get along!” said Mom.
    “Let’s take them outside and find out!” said Lizzie. She winked at Charles, and Charles winked back. He and Lizzie both knew that Mom was going to agree. They were going to have a new foster puppy.
    Sure enough, by the end of the afternoon it was all settled. Not only did Flash and Buddy get along but Flash loved the Bean, too. The border collie would be riding back to Littleton in the van with the Petersons. Not only that, Stephanie and Becky were coming to visit the very next weekend!

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Back at home, Charles and Lizzie helped Flash get used to things. Before long, he seemed to feel completely at home. He and Buddy played together for hours in the backyard, and Flash herded the Bean all over the house. The week went by almost before Charles knew it, and soon it was time for Becky and Steph’s visit. On Saturday morning, Charles and Lizzie and their dad went to meet their cousins at the Littleton bus station.
    “So, where’s Flash, and when are we going to the mall?” Stephanie asked, about one second after she and Becky stepped off the bus that had brought them from their country home. “I have all my birthday money with me, plus a gift certificate for the Gap. I cannot
wait
to shop. And Ican’t wait to see Flash. I brought him a rawhide bone. I bet he misses me.”
    Whoa! Charles looked over at Becky, and Becky shrugged. Was Stephanie going to be like this all weekend? She was just as bossy as a visitor as she was at her own house. He had been looking forward to seeing his cousins and doing some more detective work, but now he wasn’t so sure.
    “Flash is at home with Buddy,” Charles told Steph. “They’re real pals already. They play together all day long.”
    “That Flash is so smart!” Lizzie boasted. “He’s already learned all kinds of tricks. Wait till you see how good he is at shaking hands. I taught him in about five minutes.”
    “He’s smart all right,” said Dad as he carried his nieces’ backpacks over to the van. “Maybe too smart for his own good. It only took him about an hour to figure out how to get out of our yard through the one tiny hole in the fence.”
    “Uh-oh,” said Stephanie.
    “Yes, uh-oh,” said Dad. “That dog absolutely
lives
to run and chase things. I’m afraid he’ll start chasing cars if he gets the chance.” He started up the van and, after making sure everybody was settled in, turned toward home.
    “We’ll keep him from running off,” Charles promised his father. He turned to his cousins. “Flash is great at chasing balls, too. He could do it all day. As long as you keep