“I wish I had your outlook on life, Walker.”She pressed her head against him.
Her phone buzzed in her jeans pocket and she looked at the message.
It was from Mason.
What time should I come over for dinner tonight?
She gripped the phone in her hand, wanting to tell him exactly where he could shove his dinner.
She sent back a text.
I’m not going to be home tonight.
She waited a beat to see if he would follow up but he left her on “read.”
Walker let out a bark.She looked at the direction he was barking toward as a park ranger walked toward them.
Maggie stood.
The ranger gave her a stiff smile.“Hello, ma’am.”He glanced at Walker.“We just had to close one of the trails due to storm damage.”
Maggie frowned.“Storm damage?”
He nodded.“A large tree has fallen across the trail, making it impassable.But our other trails are open.Just make sure to pick up after your dog.”
She nodded.“Of course.”She glanced at the visitors’ center.“Do you know if there are any camping sites available for tonight?”
He cocked his head.“We don’t have sites for camping.But there are a couple of nearby campgrounds that are posted inside the visitors’ center.They shouldn’t be too booked up this time of year.”
She nodded and gave a gentle tug on Walker’s leash.“Thank you.You’ve been very helpful.”
He tipped his hat and headed to his truck.
Maggie made her way to the entrance of the visitors’ center and checked to make sure it was okay for Walker to enter.
Once inside, a blast of cold air-conditioning hit her and she glanced around.There were two female park rangers manning the desk.She walked over to the bulletin board.She found the numbers for several campgrounds and pulled up their websites on her phone.When she finally decided on one, she called and made a reservation for the night.She grabbed a map of the park on her way out the door.
“Okay, Walker.Let’s pack some water and snacks and hit the trail.”
Chapter12
Maggie sighed with relief as she backed into the campground site.She grabbed Walker and began hooking the van up to electricity and water.Thankfully it was still light and, unlike last night, she could enjoy sitting outside with Walker.
Once the van was hooked up, she took Walker for a quick walk.
Back at the campsite she looped Walker’s leash to the picnic table and opened the van door.
She grabbed the burger meat, buns, platter and bag of chips.She set all the ingredients for their dinner on the picnic table.Walker lifted his head and sniffed.
There was an inground grill with a stack of wood left over from the previous campers.She headed back in the van and scrounged around in the cabinets.
After a few tries, she managed to start a fire in the grill.
Maggie opened the package of ground beef.She began to mold the meat into patties.There was enough for three burgers.
She grabbed a spatula from the van and set the burger patties on the grill.She kept a close eye on the hamburgers while they cooked.
She opened the photos on her phone and swiped through all the photos she had taken of her and Walker on their hike.
