Rules of the Ruff

Lang Heidi Lang

Description

A girl learns how to walk dogs-and walk tall-in this charming, coming-of-age novel Twelve-year-old Jessie is in for a long, lonely summer at her aunt and uncle's house. Her uncle is clueless, her aunt is downright frosty, and worst of all, her cousin Ann thinks Jessie isn't cool enough to hang out with anymore. But Jessie is industrious, and-not content with being ignored all summer-she convinces Wes, a grouchy neighborhood dog walker, to take her on as his apprentice. Sure, dog walking turns out to be harder than she expected, but she has Wes's dog-walking code, the Rules of the Ruff, to guide her, and soon, she's wrangling her very own pack like the best of them. But when Monique, a charming rival dog walker, moves to town, she quickly snatches up most of Wes's business-and Jessie decides she isn't going to take this defeat with her tail between her legs.

Informations

• Publié par: ABRAMS BOOKS
• Date de parution: 14 août 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781683354055
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

For Sean, who taught me to seek adventure. I m forever grateful that I get to explore these strange trails with you.
PUBLISHER S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Lang, Heidi, author.
Title: Rules of the Ruff / by Heidi Lang.
Description: New York: Amulet Books, [2018] | Summary: Jessie, twelve, copes with what promised to be a long, boring summer with relatives by becoming apprentice to Wes, a grouchy neighborhood dog walker, who is facing new competition. Identifiers: LCCN 2017054250 | ISBN 9781419731372 (hardcover with jacket) | eISBN 9781683354055 | audiobook ISBN 9781419741289 | paperback ISBN 9781419735189 Subjects: | CYAC: Dog walking-Fiction. | Dogs-Fiction. | Summer employment-Fiction. | Cousins-Fiction. Classification: LCC PZ7.1.L3436 Rul 2018 | DDC [Fic]-dc23
Text copyright 2018 Heidi Lang Illustrations copyright 2018 Julia Bereciartu Jacket and book design by Alyssa Nassner Jacket copyright 2018 Amulet Books
Published in 2018 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
Amulet Books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact [e-mail] or the address below.
Amulet Books is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
ABRAMS The Art of Books 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 abramsbooks.com
WHOEVER SAID DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL S BEST FRIEND NEVER OWNED A DOG.
-Author unknown
CHAPTER 1
Jessie knew persistence was the key to getting anything she wanted. She liked to picture herself as a trickle of water, slowly and endlessly dripping, wearing down stones and filling oceans.
How many times have I told you no, you irritating child? Wes asked her. His tone was gruff and discouraging, but at least he d opened his front door again at her knock. That was a good sign.
I don t keep track of things like that. Jessie smiled her best smile, the one she d seen her dad use whenever he needed something. I only focus on the positive. And right now, I m positive that you re getting tired of telling me no.
Wes ran two fingers up and down the deep groove between his eyebrows, as if he thought he might be able to smooth it out. He was a funny-looking man, what with those bushy eyebrows and that too-wide nose, his gray-blond hair long enough that it brushed his shoulders and floated around his head. I work alone. Alone , he said, drawing out the word.
You can still work alone. I d just come along and help out.
Do you even understand the meaning of the word alone ?
Of course I do. But in this case, I think I could be a huge asset to you.
Asset, huh? His scowl twitched around the edges. That s a pretty fancy word for a kid. How old are you?
Jessie s heart leapt at the question. Usually, he d have slammed the door in her face by now. Twelve, she said.
And what s your name again?
Jessie. Jessie Jamison.
He winced. Terrible alliteration.
My dad s name is James Jamison.
Then he should have known better.
That s not a very nice thing to say, Jessie said.
Yeah, well, I m not a very nice man. And frankly, you re not a very nice child. A nice child would have gone away by now. A nice child would have listened when I said no the first, oh, seven hundred times.
Jessie nodded slowly. OK, she said. OK, I m probably not nice. But I m a hard worker, and I really, really love dogs. And I m not even asking you to pay me. Just take me on, just for a week, and see how it goes. She needed this job. Without it, her summer would be an endless stretch of desolation, a desert island with nothing to do and no one to do it with.
A week, eh? Wes hooked his thumbs in the elastic of his hip pack and studied her. Don t you have friends to bother? Or video games to play? Or whatever it is you kids do these days?
No.
No? He raised his bushy eyebrows. Elaborate.
Jessie took a deep breath. I m visiting my cousin for the summer, and right now, she hates me. I don t have any other friends out here. And I don t really like video games; it s too much sitting around.
I ve noticed you have trouble staying in one place.
Jessie paused, her weight on her left foot. She realized she d been hopping from foot to foot this whole time and carefully lowered her right foot to the ground. I can stand still if I need to. If it is important for the job.
Wes sighed. Look, kid, the whole reason I became a dog walker was so I wouldn t have to deal with people. And you are a particularly irritating person.
Jessie couldn t argue with that. Still, she wasn t ready to give up, not when they d just had their longest conversation yet. He was definitely weakening; she just needed to give him one more good push.
He started to close the door in her face.
Wait! Jessie moved fast, sticking her foot in the way. You at least have to admit I ve been doggedly determined.
He stared at her, the door falling open again. Please tell me you did not just say that.
If you give me a job, I ll stop hounding you.
Please stop. He kept his mouth in a firm upside-down U , but his blue eyes twinkled, and Jessie knew he wanted to laugh. If I take you on, will you stop these terrible dog puns?
Absolutely. I ll put them on paws .
He rubbed the groove between his eyebrows again and muttered, Can t believe I m doing this. Dropping his hand, he looked Jessie up and down. Fine. Fine, irritating small person, I will take you on.
Triumph surged through Jessie. She d done it. She would get to meet not one, not two, but probably a dozen dogs. Maybe more. How many dogs did Wes walk? It didn t matter; she would love them all, and they would love her back. They wouldn t abandon her or give her that look like her very existence was too annoying for words. Thank you, thank you-
He held up his hand, stopping her. I ll take you on . . . but only on one condition.
Jessie swallowed. Yes?
Wes smiled, and suddenly Jessie was filled with a sense of foreboding, like she d just stepped in a deep sucking pool of mud. He leaned toward her. You ll have to master the Rules of the Ruff.
Wh-what are those?
They are the code I live my life by. You ll learn to think like a dog, to act like a dog, to be a dog. He straightened. Come back tomorrow morning. Seven sharp. Your training starts then. He disappeared back into his house, closing the door with a final-sounding click.
Jessie stared at that closed door, her eyes tracing the peeling white paint.
Seven in the morning, in the summer. Did he have any idea how early that was? She slowly walked down the three steps to the sidewalk and turned left. Maybe Wes was just trying to discourage her. Well, it wouldn t work. She could get up early, if she had to. She could learn to be a dog, too. She would master these Rules of the Ruff if it was the last thing she did.
As she followed the sidewalk, she pushed her bangs off her forehead, glad she d chopped her thick, curly hair short before coming out here to Elmsborough, Ohio, for the summer. It was almost ten in the morning now, and the day s heat had already begun to build. She imagined the heat as a large, soggy blanket that someone was holding just above her head. Even though it wasn t touching her yet, she could feel the threat of it being dropped on her.
Jessie made another left. Up ahead was Elm Park, her favorite part of this whole place. She loved how big it was, so huge she couldn t see the circular pond at the far end. Most of the park was flat and grassy, surrounded by a winding trail lined with the elm trees that gave it its name. In the far corner stood a swing set and jungle gym that she and Ann used to play on, back when they were kids. Back when Ann was still fun. Back when she was still Ann and not Ann- Marie . Jessie scowled as she passed by the swings, then decided she d wasted enough time thinking about her stupid cousin.
Her soccer ball was still crammed under the bushes where she d hidden it. Jessie crouched low and dug it out, then tossed it from hand to hand. If she wanted to be a starter when school began, she needed to keep her skills sharp. It was hard, though; all her favorite drills required at least two people. If only Ann would . . . but no.
Jessie dropped the soccer ball, enjoying the sound it made as it crushed the grass, that crinkly noise, so full of promise. She rolled her shoulders and did a few quick lunges and stretches. Then she picked up the ball and started juggling with it. She eased into it, hitting the ball first with her feet, working it up to her knees, and then finally bouncing it up and off her head.
Not bad.
Jessie whirled around. The ball fell from her head, bouncing to the ground and rolling until it was stopped by a sneaker-clad foot. Jessie s eyes traced that foot up. White sock. Brown shin. Black shorts.
A tall boy with huge brown eyes smiled down at her.
What do you want? Jessie demanded.
His grin slipped a little. Well, I guess I was hoping you were looking for a partner.
A partner?
You know, for soccer drills.
Soccer drills. Jessie eyed him. He looked like he was in good enough shape. Still. How do I know you don t suck? I mean, I don t want to be saddled with someone terrible.
I don t suck. Watch this. He took off his faded baseball cap. His thick black hair was even curlier than Jessie s, and he shoved it back from his face and stuffed his hat over it backward, then scooped up her soccer ball.