Huckleberry Summer Read Online Free PDF

barely knew him. “He seems a very nice young man.” Her heart did a little skip when she remembered his good looks. “He has a scar on his eyebrow and a dog as big as a bear and he wants to save the planet for . . . something. That’s all I know.”
    Dat chewed slowly and thought for a minute. “He must not be right in the head.”
    Mama clasped her hands together and looked exceedingly worried. “Maybe you shouldn’t work for them, Lily. Being so near the grandson all day is sure to make you nervous.”
    Estee shook her head. “It will be a great adventure. This boy is one of God’s children. We shouldn’t shun him simply because he’s different.”
    Lily frowned. “I see the way people avoid Treva, and it breaks my heart. Because she’s not as smart as everyone else, people don’t see her beautiful spirit. They won’t look past her handicaps.”
    “You always had a soft spot for the downtrodden,” Mama said.
    Dat buttered another slice of bread. “But you say Aden is not handicapped.”
    Lily looked to her father, the last word on everything. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Dat.”
    Dat leaned back in his chair. “If he has come to Bonduel to mend his ways, we shouldn’t let his past hold us back from doing our Christian duty.”
    “So I should take the job?”
    Dat took another bite of stew and nodded thoughtfully. “You may work at Helmuths’, but stay away from the young man. He isn’t right in the head, and I don’t want you bringing strange notions into our home. Who knows where they could lead?”

Chapter Five
    Lily trudged up Huckleberry Hill, panting all the way. She’d get some good exercise working this job. In the past, Lily’s dat would have driven her all the way to the top of the hill out of concern for her safety and health, but he had told her that he had decided to quit being so anxious and let her spread her wings a little.
    Halfway up the hill, she found a stick, about four feet long, that she could use to fight off any dogs that decided to attack her. She didn’t plan on hitting the beast, only on using the stick to keep it at arm’s length, or stick’s length, as the case may be.
    She walked up to the porch, keeping a sharp eye out for dogs slinking in the shadows. She breathed a sigh of profound relief. Maybe Aden had remembered she was coming and locked his dog in the barn. She leaned her stick against the porch railing. She’d probably need it if she came outside to do chores.
    When Lily got no answer from knocking, she decided to walk in. The Helmuths expected her, and they were probably too old to hear her knock.
    To her horror, that dog stood inside the door waiting for her. She caught her breath.
    He smiled.
    Dogs couldn’t smile.
    Well, he looked positively cheerful in a dog sort of way. He barked once, jumped up, and plunked his paws on her shoulders. This time, Lily had nothing to prop her up. Grunting in surprise and fright, she toppled to the ground and landed on her backside. That dog still had his paws firmly planted on her shoulders as he leaned in to lick her face. Resisting the urge to burst into tears, she balled her hands into fists to keep from trembling.
    “No!” Lily squealed. “Don’t you dare lick me.”
    The dog immediately backed away and cocked his head to one side.
    Lily laced her voice with authority. “Sit, Piecrust, sit.”
    To her relief, the stupid dog took two steps backward and sat down. He gave her a little whine of contrition and looked at her like a naughty schoolboy caught doing mischief.
    “And stay there.”
    Now Aden decided to show himself. He ran down the hall and into the kitchen. “Pilot,” he growled, but he didn’t sound mad at all as he gave the dog’s head a quick pat. “What did you do, Pilot?”
    He bent down, gave Lily his hand, and pulled her to her feet as if she weighed no more than a feather. “I’m real sorry about that. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, really. I brought him in the house so he