BooksBarbecue
Back The Orchardist's Daughter
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

After Max went home, Leon felt the full extent of his error. As soon as he took the pup inside, she peed on the floor without looking the slightest bit guilty. Luckily Leon didn’t have carpets but his heart sank. He mopped up the wee with paper towels, realising just how uncomfortable he was with this new situation. Was this how people felt when they came home with a new baby? A small thing became a big thing, then your life changed and you couldn’t go back?

He tipped some kibble that Max had given him into a bowl, then set it on the floor with a pot of water. While he made coffee, Bonnie worked her way through the kibble, crunching it with little sharp teeth. Then she lapped water, splashing it everywhere. Leon wiped up and threw down a rug for her to sleep on.

In the lounge room, he turned on the TV to watch a replay of last night’s footy. He was just beginning to relax and forget about the dog when she started whining. Didn’t she have what she needed? The whining grew louder, so he took her outside and she had another wee. Maybe that was the problem. Dogs liked being outside.

He tied her to the back door with a piece of rope then slipped inside, but she started whingeing again and scraping at the door. Leon tried to ignore it, but the whining turned into a howl so he let her back in. She sat on his feet and looked at him and licked at his jeans while he watched TV. He pushed her gently away with his foot, but she came straight back, shoving at his hand with her wet nose. Next thing she was flinging herself at his legs and scratching to get up, but no way was he going to let her on the couch. He deflected her again, but she took no notice and returned for more, still whingeing. Leon turned up the TV and refused to look at her. She paced the room restlessly then took a run-up, hurled herself up on the couch and crawled onto his lap. Leon shoved her off again. No dogs on the couch. On, off, on, off. Finally, the pup gave up and curled in a circle on the floor.

Leon looked down at her. He knew nothing about dogs, but he’d promised to give it a go for the boy’s sake. He sighed. He could go online and search up advice for new dog owners, but he was already feeling tired.