A Daring Rescue Read online

That was true. Abby, Daddy, and Rachel had talked about calling their new business the Barnaby Key Family Resort. That was the name on the website Rachel had set up to advertise the business. But they still weren’t sure they liked the name. Daddy thought they should use something catchier—a name that would make people really want to visit.

  Rachel’s next words chased any thoughts of the name out of Abby’s head. “I don’t know,” she said. “But if we don’t get more reservations soon …” Her voice trailed off.

  Abby gripped the staircase’s polished wooden handrail. If they didn’t get more reservations, then what? Would the resort have to close? Would they all end up back in that cramped apartment on the mainland, miles from the sea, with no beach or frogs or dolphins anywhere in sight? She couldn’t stand the thought.

  We have to book more guests soon! she thought. We have to! How could anyone not want to come here?

  Just then Sofia bustled out of the kitchen. She spotted Abby standing on the stairs and waved. “Darling! Can you come help me bring out the fruit bowls? Harvey was supposed to do it, but he’s still messing around with the eggs.” She shook her head. “That boy … ,” she muttered, then lapsed into annoyed Spanish.

  “Coming,” Abby called back, hurrying down the last few steps.

  After she set a bowl of fruit on the big breakfast buffet table in the dining pavilion, Abby looked around. The honeymoon couple were sitting by themselves in the far corner, holding hands over their coffee and toast. Bella’s parents were helping themselves to tea, while her aunt and uncle hovered at the far end of the buffet exclaiming over Sofia’s homemade pastries. Bella had just finished loading a plate with scrambled eggs and was heading back to her table.

  “Hi,” Abby greeted her, hurrying over. “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Sure.” Bella returned her smile. “It’s really nice and quiet here.” She giggled. “Well, except for the birds. They’re louder than my alarm clock at home! They woke me up so early I snuck out and went bird-watching before breakfast.”

  Abby laughed. “Yeah, it took me a while to get used to hearing their calls first thing in the morning. But I love seeing them flying around everywhere. Did you see anything interesting this morning?”

  “Anything interesting?” Bella said, blinking. “Um, what do you mean?”

  “Birds, silly! What do you think I mean?” Abby grinned. “You went bird-watching, right?”

  “Oh! Right.” Bella looked sheepish. “Sure, I saw lots of cool birds.” She tilted her head, looking shy. “I could show you after lunch, if you want.”

  “I’m in!” Abby said eagerly. “Why don’t we go before lunch, though? It won’t be so hot then.”

  “Um, I can’t,” Bella said. “I told my parents I’d do something with them this morning.”

  “Oh, okay.” Abby shrugged. “After lunch is fine. I’d better go help Sofia with the rest of the buffet now. See you after lunch!”

  When all the guests had finished their breakfast, Abby and her father helped Sofia and the others clean up. Rachel was busy helping the maid tidy the bungalows. That was one thing Abby had already learned about running a resort. Everyone pitched in!

  While her father scrubbed the egg pans, Abby wondered if she should ask him about what she’d overheard earlier. Was the resort already in trouble? But she decided to stay quiet—at least for now. She was sure that more and more people would want to come to Barnaby Key once they heard how nice the resort was.

  Soon the breakfast dishes were clean. Sofia and her helpers started chopping vegetables for lunch.

  “Can I help?” Abby offered, picking up a cucumber.

  Sofia waved her hand in a shooing motion. “Run along and have some fun, darling,” she said. “We’ve got it covered in here.”

  Abby’s father nodded. “If you want to help, you could check on the guests,” he told Abby. “Make sure they don’t need anything.”

  “Okay, I can do that.” Abby said good-bye to her father and the kitchen staff. Then she headed outside. She could hear voices from the direction of the beach, so she walked that way.

  The honeymooners were taking photos of each other in the surf, giggling and striking funny poses. Watching from some beach chairs nearby were Bella’s parents, aunt, and uncle. But Bella was nowhere in sight.

  That’s weird, Abby thought. Bella said she promised to hang out with her family this morning.

  She was about to go over and ask after her new friend. But then she noticed Rachel struggling to pull a loaded laundry cart over the shell path nearby. “Hold on!” Abby called. “I’ll help you.”

  She stayed busy all morning, first helping Rachel and then showing the honeymooners how to use the kayaks. Abby didn’t think about Bella again until she saw her stepping into the dining pavilion for lunch.

  “Hey,” she said then, hurrying over. “There you are! I looked for you on the beach this morning.”

  “Oh.” Bella bit her lip and looked away. “Um, I had a stomachache. I think I ate too much for breakfast. So I went to lie down for a while.”

  “Oh no!” Abby felt concerned. “Are you okay? Should I ask my dad to call a doctor?”

  “No, no, I’m fine!” Bella said quickly. “I feel great now.”

  “Good.” Abby was still a little worried. Bella must have felt really sick to stay in the cabin all morning! “Do you want to do our bird-watching walk another day?”

  “No,” Bella said with a little frown.

  Abby was surprised. Did Bella mean she didn’t want to change their plans to a different day—or that she didn’t want to hang out with Abby at all?

  Before she could ask, though, Bella laughed. “I mean, yes, let’s go bird-watching another time,” she said. “But not because I feel sick or anything. It’s so hot, though—why don’t we go snorkeling in the lagoon instead?”

  Abby was relieved. “That sounds great—let’s go!”

  The two of them had a great time snorkeling. Even though Bella was shy, once she started talking, Abby realized how smart and funny she was. Abby was glad that she and Bella would be going to the same school in Key West in the fall so they could still spend time together even after the Garcias left the resort.

  After dinner that night, Abby’s father announced that there would be a campfire and sing-along on the beach. “Everyone’s invited,” he said. “Meet us there in half an hour!”

  Abby helped her family and the staff clean up, as usual. When they arrived at the beach, the guests were already there waiting.

  Well, most of them were, anyway. “Where’s Bella?” Abby asked Mr. and Mrs. Garcia.

  “She’ll be along soon,” Bella’s dad said. “She’s changing her sandals, I think.”

  But fifteen minutes later, Bella still hadn’t shown up. Feeling a little worried, Abby decided to check on her. She headed to the Silver Palm Bungalow, but it was empty.

  “That’s weird,” Abby whispered, standing on the cabin’s little front porch and wondering what to do. Where could Bella be?

  She returned to the beach. Daddy had the bonfire going, and Rachel was leading the group in a funny song.

  Abby tapped Mr. Garcia on the arm. “I just checked, and Bella isn’t in your bungalow,” she said.

  “Really?” He looked a little surprised.

  But Mrs. Garcia just laughed. “I imagine she saw a pretty bird and took off after it to try to get a photo,” she told Abby.

  Abby nodded. Bella’s parents knew her better than anyone. If they weren’t worried, Abby guessed she shouldn’t be, either.

  Still, she couldn’t help watching for the other girl to arrive. Finally, just as it was getting dark, Bella stepped onto the beach. She was wearing sneakers and carrying a camera.

  Abby hurried over. “You’re finally here!” she exclaimed. “Where were you?”

  Bella looked startled. “Nowhere,” she said. “I mean, in the bungalow getting my camera.”

  “But I came by,” Abby said. “You weren’t there.” />
  Bella frowned. “Why were you checking on me? I was fine.” She pushed past Abby. “Excuse me, I want to sit with my family.”

  Abby watched her hurry away, feeling confused and a little hurt. She hadn’t meant to make Bella mad, but she’d kind of sounded that way just now. Did she want to be Abby’s friend or not?

  That night, Abby dreamed about being a dolphin. She swam around, breathed through a blowhole, and did jumps and leaps through the waves. It was fun!

  Then Dolphin-Abby saw Bella snorkeling nearby. She waved a fin at her, but instead of waving back, Bella opened her mouth and let out a loud, terrified cry! Dolphin-Abby tried to tell her she just wanted to be friends, but Bella kept on squawking and squawking …

  Abby suddenly woke up and sat up in bed. It had been a dream! But then the screech came again—from right outside her window!

  She got up and looked outside. Dawn was just breaking over the eastern horizon, and all sorts of birds were chirping and singing. Then a couple of small birds suddenly darted past and dove into the bushes at the back of the cleared yard. Abby gasped as a larger bird flew up and let out another squawk.

  “A parrot!” she whispered. The bird had a blue back, a yellow front, and a long tail. It let out one last loud cry and then flew off into the woods with the smaller birds diving after it.

  Abby yanked on some clothes and rushed downstairs, hoping for another glimpse of the colorful bird. Was it the same one she’d spotted on the nature walk with Bella’s family? And why were the smaller birds chasing it?

  She stopped on the porch, glancing around for movement. Instead of the bird, she saw Bella tiptoeing across the grass toward an untamed section of forest beyond the volleyball court. A second later, Bella disappeared into the thick underbrush.

  Abby blinked, wondering if she was still dreaming. It was very early. Sofia hadn’t even started breakfast yet. Why was Bella wandering off into the woods all by herself?

  Feeling curious, Abby kicked on a pair of Rachel’s sandals that were by the door. They were a little too big, but she hardly noticed. She couldn’t help thinking back on the times Bella had disappeared. First after breakfast yesterday, then again after dinner. Was she about to find out where Bella had gone—and why?

  For a second, Abby felt guilty. She didn’t like the thought of spying on her new friend. But what if Bella was in trouble? There was no good reason for her to sneak away into the wild forest. At least not one that Abby could think of.

  She hurried across the grass. It was easy to figure out which way Bella had gone—there were a couple of broken branches and footprints in the soft ground at the edge of the woods. Once she pushed through the first tangle of vines and brush, Abby found herself on a narrow but well-worn dirt trail.

  Bella didn’t make this herself, she thought. It must be an animal trail. I wonder if there are Key deer here after all.

  Abby kept an eye out for paw or hoof prints. But the sun wasn’t all the way up yet and the light was dim. She did spot a few more human footprints, though.

  The trail wound around some big trees and a couple of rocky spots. Soon Abby lost track of which direction she was going. Luckily, there were no forks in the trail, so she knew it would be easy to find her way back.

  Back from where? she wondered, once again feeling curious. Where is Bella going?

  She got the answer to that question just a few minutes later. The trail suddenly ended in a large clearing—at the rocky shore of a cove Abby had never seen before!

  “Whoa!” she exclaimed aloud, so surprised that she forgot to be quiet.

  Bella stood at the edge of the water. She spun around at Abby’s voice.

  “Hey,” Bella said. “What are you doing here?”

  Abby stepped out of the shady forest into the clearing. “I was about to ask you that,” she said.

  Bella scowled. “Did you follow me? That’s not very nice.”

  “Sorry,” Abby said. “But what difference does it make? This place is cool!”

  She looked around. How had she and her parents missed this cove? She guessed it opened into the sea on the far side of the island, opposite the beach and lagoon. They didn’t take the boats that way very often, since the water was a little rougher over there. But the cove itself was quiet and sheltered, with only a narrow channel leading out and lots of big rocks and trees protecting it from the wind and waves.

  Bella took a step toward her, still looking unhappy. “You should go back,” she said.

  “Why?” Abby blinked at her, a little annoyed by how secretive the other girl was acting. “Look, if you don’t want to be my friend, that’s fine. But this is my family’s island, and I can go anywhere I—”

  She cut herself off with a gasp. Because several gray snouts had just poked up out of the water a few yards from shore.

  “Whoa,” Abby exclaimed. “Dolphins!”

  The dolphins quickly disappeared, but a moment later, one leaped all the way out of the water, her skin gleaming gray under the rising sun. Then another dolphin jumped into view, and another …

  For a second, Abby couldn’t move or speak. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at the playful dolphins leaping and chasing one another around the cove. “They’re so beautiful,” she blurted out at last. “Did you see them?”

  Bella’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I know,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been coming here. I followed a big parrot this way yesterday morning before breakfast and found this cove. That’s when I first spotted them. It’s a pod of bottlenose dolphins. I think they come here a lot.” She shrugged. “At least, they were here when I snuck back after breakfast, and again before the bonfire.”

  Abby’s eyes widened. So that was why Bella kept disappearing!

  “You mean during the bonfire,” she corrected Bella with a smile. “You missed most of the sing-along, you know.”

  Bella frowned again for a second, then laughed. “Sorry about the way I acted last night,” she said. “I wanted to tell you about the dolphins, especially since I know you like them, too.” She glanced out at the frolicking animals. “But I sort of wanted to keep it a secret, too, you know?”

  Abby didn’t really know why she would want to keep something like that a secret. But she was glad that Bella was acting friendly again, so she just nodded.

  Then she turned to watch the dolphins. “How many are there? Can you tell?”

  “I’ve spotted at least five, maybe six,” Bella said. “There—that one, the big one that just jumped? I call him Rascal. He’s super playful.”

  Abby laughed. “I like it!” she said. “What about the rest? Do they have names, too?”

  “The smaller, more slender one over there is Graygirl.” She shrugged. “That’s all I’ve come up with so far.”

  “Those are good names.” Abby stepped closer, watching for another dolphin to appear. She smiled when one poked his head up and let out a sharp cry. “That’s a talkative one,” she said. “Let’s call him Echo.”

  She and Bella watched the dolphins for a few more minutes. At first it was hard to keep track of which one was which. But before long Abby saw that they were all a little different. There was a big, stout dolphin they decided to call Neptune. And a bossy one they named Nana, after Bella’s bossy grandmother.

  “What about that one?” Bella pointed as another dolphin appeared above the water. “He has a few little spots on his back, see?”

  “Yeah.” Abby thought for a second. “What about Domino?”

  “Perfect!” Bella giggled. “You’re really good at thinking of names.”

  “Thanks.” Abby watched as Domino dove out of sight beneath the surface. “I can’t believe all these dolphins were right here all along, and I didn’t even know it. I’m glad you found them.”

  “Well, I’m glad my family decided to come here,” Bella said. “I’ve never seen dolphins so close-up before. It’s amazing.”

  Abby smiled at her. “Yeah.” Just then Rascal poked his head out of the wate
r, seeming to grin at the girls. “Look,” she said. “Rascal says to come on in, the water’s fine.”

  Bella laughed. “Sure—if you’re a dolphin!”

  “No, really.” Abby took a step closer. “The water’s really calm in this cove. Let’s try going in. Maybe the dolphins will let us swim with them!”

  “Are you serious?” Bella sounded nervous. “We can’t do that. They’re wild animals! Besides, our parents wouldn’t want us to swim with no adults nearby.”

  Abby bit her lip. Bella was right—the rule on the island was that kids couldn’t swim unless there was an adult within eyesight.

  “Okay,” she said. “But look, the water’s really shallow at the edge. We could just wade in a little bit.”

  “I don’t know …” Bella still sounded nervous, but she was watching the dolphins with a longing look in her eyes.

  “Come on, it’ll be fine.” Abby kicked off Rachel’s shoes, then fished her phone out of her pocket and set it carefully on one of them. After that, she stepped into the water. The rocks poked her feet, but she didn’t mind. “We won’t go in very far—promise,” she said.

  Bella hesitated. But when Abby took another step, Bella slipped off her own shoes and followed her in. “I hope we don’t scare them away,” Bella said, watching the dolphins.

  “We won’t.” Abby took another step. The water had almost reached her waist now. “Look! Rascal just swam closer.”

  Bella gasped. “You’re right! I guess he really is the bravest, just like I thought.”

  Abby held out her hand. “Here, Rascal!” she crooned. “It’s okay, we won’t hurt you.”

  The dolphin stayed where he was for a moment, watching them with his wide, curious dark eyes. Nana and Echo surfaced right behind him. Nana let out an anxious squeak, but Echo crowded up right behind Rascal.

  “It’s okay, you guys,” Bella said softly. “We’re your friends.”

  Rascal chirped uncertainly. Abby held her breath as he drifted forward a little more. Closer, closer …

  Then, with a sudden burst of movement, he zipped right past the girls! Abby reached out and felt his slick, rubbery skin, which somehow seemed warm and cool at the same time, sliding under her fingers.