They had sat on a large rock halfway through their hike on the trail while she snapped a selfie with Walker.
The dog leaned into her looking off to the side with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Maggie swiped through the photos, smiling at the sunset she’d captured as they came off the trail.
Suddenly there were raised voices nearby.
Walker lifted his head and let out a small growl at the sound of a loud male voice.
Maggie frowned and glanced across the road at the young couple standing outside their camper.
“Can’t you do anything right?”the man yelled.He threw a beer can down on the ground and stormed off to the back of the camper.
The woman shoved her hands in her jeans and glanced around.She met Maggie’s eyes, and her face went red with shame.She ducked inside the camper
The man came back into view and, for a moment, Maggie thought about walking over to make sure everything was okay.But, by Walker’s low growl, she figured it would only make things worse.
She’d keep an eye on him while she cooked.Once he went back inside the camper, she relaxed.
Chapter13
Walker’s whole body ached from their long walk.Not that he minded.It had been a while since he’d been out in nature.There were so many new sniffs that he wasn’t used to.
It was a lot better than the depressing garage Maggie’s mom put him in.
His sight was not as clear as it once was.But his smell was getting keener by the day.
He smelled the squirrel on the trail before Maggie saw it.She had to hold tight to his leash to keep up.
Of course, the yard rat got away.They usually did.
Lying next to Maggie as she cooked dinner was the best end to their day.
He smelled the anger and fear somewhere close.He lifted his head and growled.
Maggie rested her hand on his head.He didn’t stop growling.He now heard the man’s raised voice.
He didn’t like the way his voice sounded.He could tell from his smell the man was bad.
He let out another growl to let the man know he would protect Maggie.
When the man’s voice went quiet, Walker felt Maggie relax.
She rubbed the top of his head and spoke in a soft voice.“Let’s go inside for a bit, Walker.”
He followed her inside the van.
Once the door shut behind him, he sat beside Maggie on the bed.He rested his head in her lap and closed his eyes.
Chapter14
Maggie woke up and stretched.Walker lifted his head from where he was snuggled against her legs, blinked, and went back to sleep.
She grinned and climbed out of bed.She prepped the coffee the night before so all she had to do was turn it on.
Slipping her sneakers on, she grabbed her pink zip-up hoodie and stepped outside.
It was surprisingly cool this early in the morning.Back in Mississippi it would be twenty degrees hotter.
