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Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. Acknowledgments
  62. About the Author
  63. Books by Bobbie Pyron
  64. Back Ads
  65. About the Publisher

and before Ree can say a thing,

before Jewel can open her eyes,

Baby leaps from the darkness inside

Ree’s coat

to the bright light

outside

and into

Jewel’s arms.

Baby doesn’t care about the tubes

and wires

and the smells on her body

that are not his Jewel.

Her arms are around him.

Her hand is stroking him.

Her voice,

the voice that has been his compass for seven years,

says over and over like a heartbeat, “Baby. Baby.”

Everything is as it should be. Jewel and Baby

a pack of two.

Later,

after Ree takes Baby from Jewel and

tucks him back in her coat,

after Baby realizes that he is leaving Jewel,

not staying,

and his heart breaks,

Baby curls up deep inside the duffel bag

and shivers.

Baby can still smell Jewel’s hands

on his fur.

He can still hear her voice saying over and over

“Baby, my Baby,”

like a heartbeat.

The wind rushes through the leafless trees

tossing branches in a wild way.

Snow is coming.

Baby can smell it,

can feel it.

He whimpers.

He rises from the nest of Jewel’s things.

They are just things.

They are not Jewel.

They are not home.

She is his home.

He knows this now.

Without a backward glance,

Baby strikes out

away from the park,

away from Jewel’s things,

away from Ree and Ajax

Linda and Duke

Jerry and Lucky.

Judy, Trooper, and Doc.

Away from the girl,

the girl who holds a corner of his heart.

But a corner is not a whole.

He pauses on the sidewalk and lifts his nose.

He sorts through rivers and threads of scent

until he finds the one he’s looking for.

Without hesitation,

Baby goes in search of Jewel.

26

Gone

I can tell the minute I wake up, something’s different. It feels so still outside, even though we’re inside, like the world is wrapped up tight. At the same time, I can feel something happening.

I slip from the covers and tiptoe over to the big window. I push the thick curtain aside and gasp. The world is completely white! The buildings are white. The sidewalk and streets are white. You can’t tell where one begins and the other ends. The benches beside the bus shelters are just lumps of white. The air and sky are white with snow coming straight down.

“It’s something, isn’t it?”

Daddy stands beside me, practically pressing his nose against the glass. His eyes are big with wonder.

“Had you ever seen snow before we moved here, Daddy?”

He shakes his head and touches one finger to the glass like maybe he can catch a flake on his fingertip. “Just wish it didn’t have to be so dang cold for it to snow.” I know just what he means.

“Maybe we’ll get used to it,” I whisper.