Read Say No More for Free Online

out of the crate where I slept at night and ushered me out the door to potty while he went to take his shower. By the time he finally came to get me, I had been soaked in a downpour. I didn’t mind being wet, but Lise had fussed about my muddy paws and rubbed me all over with a towel while Cam held me at arm’s length.
    Hunter was seated next to his dad, with his feet tucked under him. In between spoonfuls of cereal, he hummed to himself. I was tempted to join in, but Hunter was the only one who liked my howling. He was also the only one who seemed to be in a good mood that morning.
    “Hunter, you’re going to choke if you keep singing,” Lise said tersely. “Eat.”
    “Oookay, Mommy,” Hunter replied. A moment later, he peeked under the table and grinned at me. He held his hand out. In his palm lay three glistening nuggets of sugary cereal. I snarfed them down as fast as I could. This was Hunter’s gift to me every morning: a few bits of cereal, a corner of toast, a piece of bacon fat. Sometimes when he had pancakes, he’d dip his fingers in the syrup, then dangle them beside his chair for me to lick clean.
    “Hunter!” Lise scolded. Usually he was good about making sure she wasn’t watching, but sometimes, I think, he just plain forgot.
    Hunter dropped the edge of the tablecloth. “Just saying hi to Halo.”
    “Halo’s fine. You go get ready to go to Grandma’s. It’s supposed to stop raining soon, so she said she’s going to take you to the zoo today so Mommy can get some work done around here, okay? If you’re good, she might even let you pick out a stuffed animal.”
    “Can I have the kangaroo?”
    “It’s up to her. And you have to be good. No wandering off. Now go.”
    Hunter jumped to the floor and hopped out of the kitchen, his hands folded over at the wrists at chest height. It was tempting to follow him, but I figured Lise wouldn’t appreciate me running through the house as wet as I was. Humans were unreasonably obsessed about cleanliness.
    Lise tapped her foot on the floor, then stomped it abruptly. “Really, Cam? Couldn’t you take today off? I was thinking after you dropped Hunter off, you could come back here and we could ... you know, spend some time alone together? You start your new job tomorrow and —”
    “All the more reason for me to be there today,” Cam said. “Look, maybe if I can help him get through this harvest, he and Mom will realize it’s time to retire. He even said it’s getting to be too much for him to handle by himself.”
    Again, bile splashed at the back of my throat. I laid as still as I could, hoping my stomach would settle.
    Lise set her cup down so hard it jarred the table. “You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
    Cam’s foot slid from underneath my chin. As he stood, I clamped my teeth on to his pants leg. I didn’t want him to go.
    He shook me loose. “Stop it, Halo.”
    I balked at the sternness in his tone. Confusion tore at my conscience. Yes, we dogs know right from wrong, although our ideas of such often differ from those of the human species. Obedience wars with instinct constantly. If we are hungry, the trash can is fair game. To eat is to survive. A scolding is small punishment for a full belly. In this case, however I couldn’t explain my need to deter him. Cam went to work every weekday, at least until recently. He went to his parents’ farm frequently, as well. Why should his leaving now be any different? Flattening myself to the floor, I acquiesced.
    Cam walked over to the sink, rinsed his cup and set it on the counter. “Told him what?”
    “Cameron Scott McHugh, you know what I mean. About the transfer to Florence if the new company’s contract gets renewed. We talked about this. You better not be having second thoughts. We’ll be closer to my mom then. Ever since Dad went into the nursing home it’s been rough on her. She needs me there. And we won’t be so far away that we can’t visit your parents on weekends.”
    Cam