“Well, good night then.”Maggie walked over to the tent.She looked down at him.“Ready for bed, Walker?”
He didn’t need to be asked twice.He walked into the tent and made a couple of spins before settling down on the bottom of the sleeping bag.
Maggie zipped the tent closed and crawled into the sleeping bag.It didn’t take her long before she fell asleep.
Walker rested his head between his paws and smiled to himself.
Maggie.A road trip.Sleeping outdoors.
Life didn’t get much better than this.
Chapter21
Maggie pushed herself up on her elbows and yawned.Walker had moved several times during the night and was currently positioned with his head draped over her legs.
She had a restless night of sleep and was in desperate need for coffee.
She eased Walker’s head off her body and crawled to the tent opening.Unzipping the opening, she clamored out.
Early morning light, purple and blue, filtered through the trees.In a few more minutes the sun would be rising.
Maggie looked longingly at the van.She desperately wanted a cup of coffee but didn’t want to wake up Cindy.
She heard a rustle in the tent and spotted Walker poking his furry head out of the opening.
“Want to go for a walk?”
Walker climbed out of the tent, sat and gave a toothy grin.
Maggie grabbed his leash and snapped it to his collar.
They made their way toward the nearby trail.Walker happily took the lead as he sniffed all the smells of the forest.
A squirrel stopped in the middle of the trail and looked at Walker.The furry animal lifted his back leg and scratched his ear.
Walker stopped and his ears perked up.Maggie tightened her hold on the leash.But Walker didn’t move.
Walker lifted his nose in the air and inhaled.
It occurred to her that Walker couldn’t see the squirrel ten feet ahead of them.But he could hear and smell the animal.
Her heart tugged for him.
“You smell him, don’t you, Walker?”she said softly.
Walker sniffed the air.
A twig snapped in the woods and Maggie turned her attention to the sound.
A small deer lifted his head in her direction.
Walker must have sensed him too because he turned his head toward the sound, the squirrel quickly forgotten.The deer looked almost magical against the soft dawn filtering through the woods.
Walker took a step, and the deer bolted back into the safety of the thick woods.
She looked down at Walker and rubbed his head.“Let’s head back and get some coffee.Hopefully Cindy is up.If not, we’ll have to be quiet.”
She led Walker back to the campsite.An early morning camper was milling about their camp drinking coffee and checking on their hookup.Kids were playing games on their phones and taking random pictures of the campsite and local wildlife.
