How to (Almost) Ruin Your Summer by Taryn Souders Page A

my hand through my hair. “What am I going to do? I can’t lose the goat on my first day as his caretaker!”
    â€œDoes Doc know?”
    I shook my head. “Maybe I can find King Arthur before anyone notices.”
    I grabbed two lead ropes hanging on his door and shoved one into Charlotte’s chicken-free hand.
    â€œPlease, please, please help me find him,” I begged.
    â€œLet me put Barbecue away first.”
    â€œYou go that way,” I said, pushing her toward one end of the barn, “and I’ll go this way. If you find him, use the rope and bring him back. If anyone sees you, tell them you’re taking him out for a walk.”
    â€œDo people walk goats?”
    â€œDoes it matter? Just go!”
    I turned and headed toward the campfire area. I didn’t see him there or at the nurse’s station, the Reg st ation Off ce , or the mess hall. Hopefully, he wasn’t climbing around in the ravine—Doc did say that goats love to climb. Since we weren’t allowed near there, I decided I would check the ravine as a last resort. I walked down toward the cake decorating kitchen and the lake.
    â€œNaa.”
    King Arthur! He sounded far away—and not happy.
    I looked around. The sun glistened off the lake and blinded me—but not before I saw him.
    In the middle of the lake.

Sunday, June 20
    Row, Row, Row Your Goat
    â€œNaa! Naaa!”
    King Arthur had eaten through the rope that kept the floating dock tied to the pier. To complicate things, he was still on the dock and was now stranded in the middle of Lake Minnehaha.
    I could run back to the kitchen to tell Ms. Jacqueline, but what could she do about it? She was petite and dainty and could no more rescue a goat from the middle of a lake than she could win an arm wrestling match against Coach Fox. There was Coach Fox, but he’d be at the playing fields. The barn was too far away for me to get Doc Mulholland—and I didn’t know if goats could swim. What if King Arthur got so scared he fainted and fell off the dock and drowned while I was away getting help? Actually, my life would be a lot easier if he did fall off and drown. Maybe everyone would feel so sorry for me that they’d let me pick any elective I wanted—even if it was already full.
    Or…they’d all blame me for his death, I’d be charged with murder, and go to prison for the rest of my life. Better to rescue the idiot goat than spend my life in prison.
    â€œNaa!”
    He sounded pitiful, all alone in the middle of the lake. I tossed my hands up in surrender, walked over to where the life vests hung, and grabbed a couple. I wasn’t sure if he’d wear the life vest (or how I’d even get one on him), but I didn’t want him to drown if he fell in.
    â€œYou’d better appreciate this,” I muttered, climbing into a canoe. The canoe glided across the lake as I paddled for the dock. Moments later, I pulled up alongside King Arthur. He clip-clopped over to the edge of the dock and looked down at me.
    â€œNaa.” His eyes were huge and all four of his legs were spread wide to help him keep his balance. The dock rocked back and forth.
    â€œStay calm—please don’t faint,” I begged.
    With one hand, I grabbed the dock and slowly stood in the canoe. “Come here, boy, come on,” I coaxed. “The only way you’re getting back to the barn is if you get in the canoe.”
    I tried several times to get him to jump into the canoe with me before giving up.
    â€œOkay, it looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”
    I bent down and grabbed the floating, chewed-up rope that was still attached to the floating dock and tied it in a knot around my seat. The dock was too heavy for me to tow back to land. Plus, King Arthur might fall off once the dock started moving. When I was sure the dock and my canoe were firmly attached, I looked around to make sure no one was