Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Following a bend in the road, when I came around, there was a dog right there, standing still like a statue. Swerving, I went off-road a bit, sliding on the blacktop, which was wet from the slight drizzle, and came to a stop. What had really scared me was that the pit bull was standing there frozen, and I was certain the very next car around the same turn would probably kill him.
Jogging over close, I called the dog to me. Instead of moving, he just stood there and shivered. It wasn’t a particularly busy road, but still.
“C’mon, buddy,” I pleaded, crouching down, and he took several steps forward but stopped. At which point I remembered I still had the peanut-butter crackers the marshals had bought for me before we took the red-eye out of New York. I hadn’t eaten them, dozing instead.
I pulled one out of the breast pocket of my jacket, unwrapped it, held it up for the dog to see, then tossed it close. He gobbled it up like it was a cheeseburger. I threw the next one closer, then the next, getting him to safety just in time, as a minivan came around the corner a moment later. It would have hit him easily, traveling far faster than I had been, but they were probably locals, whereas I was still learning the roads.
When I held the next one in my hand, he took it from me. “You’re so pretty,” I soothed the dog, reaching for him. “What do you call this color, brindle or something?”
The pit bull must have liked the look of me and moved into arm’s reach so I could pet him. When I rose to my knees, he didn’t bolt, just eyed me, at which point I noticed the open cut on his rear thigh, near his hip. I knew knives, knew it had been made with one, so I very gently bent over and lifted him into my arms. When I was carrying him to my car, I heard a pitiful howl from my right.
Putting him in the back seat, wishing there was a blanket for him to lie down on, and promising myself I’d get one, I told him to stay before I closed him in and walked toward the brush. It took me only a minute to find a smaller dog, probably some kind of Australian Shepherd mix since the hair was shorter than on others I’d seen. It had a wound in the same place as the first dog, and a broken front leg. Amazingly, even though the dog had to be in pain, it was wagging its tail in the dirt—which was quickly turning to mud as the sky opened up.
“Oh, love, what happened?” I asked as I lifted the dog into my arms—a girl, I saw—and carried her to my car. When I got the back door open on the passenger side, and put her down beside the pit bull, he licked her face and she whined. Clearly, they were happy to see each other.
Getting in behind the steering wheel, I pulled from the breast pocket of my coat my brand-new, shiny iPhone with its very durable, very not-me-looking case—I normally went in for sleek and stylish—and searched for a veterinarian. There was only one in Rune, which I was closer to now than Gearhart, so I checked Google Maps and headed that way.
The center of town was sort of sweet. There was a square with a gazebo in a grassy area with many pine trees and junipers. It was beautiful. It only went in one direction around the center, and people slowed down to make turns. The vet’s office was toward the end of the circle, after a diner called Starfish and a place I was guessing was a coffee shop, given its name was the Daily Grind.
Pulling into a spot right in front, I hopped out, went immediately to the back seat and picked up the Aussie, cradling her gently in my arms, and had the pit bull jump down since none of his bones were broken as far as I could tell. He was a very good boy and stayed right with me. I was thankful that someone inside saw me and came out to hold the door for me.
“Hey,” I greeted her once she closed the door and faced me. “We need some help.”
She nodded quickly. “May I ask what you’re doing with Viola Berry’s dogs?”
“I don’t know who that is. I found them both on that turn right before you drive down the hill into town.”
She squinted at me. “Are you new here?”
“Yes, ma’am, arrived just now.”
Her smile came quickly and made her dimples pop. “I’m Shannon, nice to meet you. Please bring them on back, and I’ll give Viola a call.”
“Thank you.”