of diseases or fleas-'
'No, Spare Paws always gets its dogs clean and healthy before it lets them go,' Cindy contradicted him gently but firmly.
'Do they also make sure the dogs are friendly? Suppose this creature is vicious? No, darling, it's too chancy. You can choose a puppy from a breeder-'
'I don't want to,' Cindy said, sticking her bottom lip out. 'I want a dog that nobody else wants, one who's old and ugly, and blind in one eye, with a leg missing, and-and lots and lots and lots of fleas. And if I can't have that I don't want one at all.' She got up and ran away before Garth could reply.
A choke of laughter from behind made him look up to find Faye regarding him. 'If you'll pardon the pun, you made a real dog's breakfast of that,' she told him.
'Thank you,' he said, chagrined.
'Cindy doesn't care about bloodlines. She wants a dog who needs her love.'
'Isn't that true of any dog?'
'Yes, but it's more true if they're abandoned. And that matters to her.'
'The whole idea is impractical. I'm sorry. She can have a dog, but not like this.'
'We'll see.'
'I'm not going to change my mind.'
Faye took a deep breath. 'Well, it doesn't matter whether you do or not, because you don't make the decisions in this house,' she said calmly.
He scowled but she met his eyes.
'You're trying to make me sound unreasonable when I'm just being sensible,' he argued. 'That's very unfair tactics.'
'Well, if we're going to talk about unfair tactics, what about you barging in here?' she said indignantly.
To her surprise his manner held a touch of sheepish- ness.
'I used any method that would work,' he admitted.
'Anything that would get your own way,' she said lightly.
He grinned, and for a moment there was a touch of the old, boyish charm. 'It's what I'm good at.'
'Not as good as your daughter. I can't think who she gets it from, but she could give you lessons. Go and do your arguing with Cindy. My money's on her.'
CHAPTER THREE
Cindy was far too generous to exult over her victory but when they set off to Spare Paws, on the day before her birthday, there was a skip in her step.
They were met by Kelly, a pleasant woman in her late thirties, who greeted Cindy as an old friend.
'Cindy often helps us raise funds,' she explained. 'We're a charity, and we only exist through people's kindness.'
'Then perhaps this will help,' Garth said, scribbling a cheque.
Kelly's eyes widened at the sum. 'That's very generous, Mr Clayton.'
Cindy squeezed her father's hand gratefully. 'Can we buy some dog biscuits?' she begged, indicating a table where small bags of biscuits were on sale for a nominal price.
'It's hard to stop people feeding the dogs,' Kelly explained, 'so we provide these. Then we know what they're getting.'
Garth stocked up on biscuits. A very young kennel maid called Jane came to fetch Kelly to the phone, and take over her job of conducting the visitors.
'It's my first week here,' she confided to the children. 'I love them all so much that I'd like to take every one home with me.'
The place was overflowing with dogs, in cages that stretched in all directions. Smiling kennel maids passed down the lines with bowls of food. A tall woman in jeans;ind sweater appeared with six leads in her hand, calling, 'Who's next for walkies?'
'Some of them are never going to leave us,' Jane said with a sigh. 'They're too old, or there's something wrong with them. So we try to make this a home for them.'
The atmosphere was cheerful. Every dog was an individual to be called by name with a friendly pat and a smile. But they were unwanted by the world. Most still had the desperate eagerness of those who clung to hope, and they barked and bounced to attract attention. Others sat in the resigned silence of creatures who'd been passed over too often.
'I want them all,' Cindy said plaintively.
'I know,' Faye sighed. 'It's heartbreaking, isn't it? But we can only have one, darling.'
Jane took several dogs out of their cages to be properly introduced. Cindy hugged them, but none seemed to be exactly what she was looking for.
'I'll know when I find it,' she said in answer to Garth's query.
'How?' he persisted.
'I'll just know.'
'I remember hearing you say that in exactly the same tone,' Faye reminded him. 'You'd just got your first builder's yard and you were choosing a foreman. You picked the strangest looking man because you just knew he was ideal.'
'And I was right, wasn't I?'
'Oh yes,' she said with a smile. 'Your instinct was always right.' She spoke amiably because the sun and the pleasant atmosphere were affecting her mood. Garth was behaving well, holding Cindy's hand and attending to her. Whatever his motives, Cindy was so happy at this moment that Faye would have forgiven him much.
He'd done something else, too, that had put him in her good books. Seeing her come downstairs in her buttercup-yellow shirt and fawn trousers he'd observed, 'You've lost weight. About twenty pounds I'd say.'
'Only fourteen,' she said regretfully. 'But I'm fighting for another seven.'
'Go for it! You look terrific.'
Since she'd struggled and fought for her weight loss, she appreciated this more than she would have admitted. Kendall's reaction, 'But you were fine as you were', though kindly meant, had been lacking something. Now she knew what it was.
'Oh, Daddy, look!' the little girl said suddenly. 'Poor doggy! He's so sad.'
The biggest St Bernard Faye had ever seen was regarding them soulfully. His great jowls hung from his face, and his eyes were those of one who carried weighty burdens with dignity. When Cindy called to him, he came eagerly to the wire of his cage.
'I want to hug him,' she told Jane earnestly.
'Is that wise?' Faye asked as Jane unlocked the cage. 'He's ten times her size.'
'Don't worry, he's the gentlest dog we've got,' Jane assured her.
'St Bernards are always gentle,' Adrian said. 'They're docile and obedient, and veiy intelligent. That's why they're used for mountain rescue.'
'Where did you get that?' Garth asked, for it was clear the boy was quoting.
'From Ken,' Adrian said. 'He knows a lot about them.'
Garth's face clouded but he said no more. Cindy was hugging the huge dog, who received her caresses eagerly. Benevolence beamed from his eyes, and he uttered a bark of approval that almost deafened everyone.
'His name's Barker,' Jane said, uncovering her ears, 'because that's what he is.'
As if in confirmation Barker promptly boomed again.
'His owner died six months ago,' Jane told them. 'He didn't have any family, and it's hard to find him a new home, because he's so big.'
'He's lovely,' Cindy enthused, burying her face in the thick, brown and white fur.
'Yes, he is,' Adrian said, stroking the huge head gently.
'Hey, kids, come on,' Faye said in alarm. 'He's too big for us, as well. We can't have him in our little
