Did you know August 2nd is Friendship Day? I have friends...real life ones and online buds. Honestly. But I swear I spend more time with man's (or woman's) best friend than any of the human kind. Ginger hangs with me while I write then forces me to take breaks to take her for walks in the woods. Lately, she's been having an issue with her paw. Licking one of her toes until she has a raw spot. After two rounds of putting a sock on her until it heals, she'd still at it. Sigh. Trip to the vet, and tomorrow she gets to have minor surgery to get whatever's bugging her out of there. Neither of us will be having a great day...
In my most recent release, Every Step She Takes, I decided my tough heroine, Grace, needed something to soften her up a little--besides the hero. He does a pretty good job of that, too, but I digress. So, I decided to give Grace a stray on her hike through the wilds of Alaska. How she acquires her soon to be best friend is a fun scene...
The trail climbed more steadily than
she did. Grace wiped sweat out of her eyes, pausing occasionally to drink from
her water bottle or eat a handful of the trail mix Berta French had provided.
Shaking the last of the snack into her hand, the light breeze sent the empty
bag sailing off her fingertips. She turned to grab it and saw a streak of brown
shoot into the bushes.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she
backed slowly away. The handful of nuts, pretzels, and dried fruit rained down
onto the trail. The bush shook, and a long brown snout inched forward.
If the animal didn’t get her, surely
she’d die of fright. After the monster in the bush finished with her, they’d
need dental records to identify her remains. Blood roared in her ears as she
pictured the headline.
Careless Journalist Devoured by Rabid Wolf
Wary brown eyes and long, floppy
ears appeared. The giggle that escaped her lips held an edge of hysteria. She
clamped a hand over her mouth as the dog froze. Not a vicious woman-killer
after all. Trembling, the stray from the lake belly crawled to the spilled
trail mix and gulped it down.
Mindful of the pack, Grace squatted
and held out her hand. “It’s okay, baby. I’m not going to hurt you.”
The dog sniffed her fingers and
backed up a step. Ribs showed beneath matted fur with each breath the poor
animal took. Mostly brown with patches of dirty white, the dog was probably
some sort of spaniel mix. If it wanted to follow her, she didn’t mind having
company. In fact, she welcomed it.
“Time to get moving, baby. Let’s go.” Standing,
she trudged up the trail. Her new companion followed at a cautious distance.
“Good boy.” She glanced back at the scrawny animal, tongue hanging, brown gaze
focused on her backpack. He reminded her of the coyote in the old roadrunner
cartoon. “I’ll call you Wylie. How does that sound?”
So, if you have a dog, hug your furry pal an extra time for Friendship Day. If you don't, maybe you could give your next heroine a dog to love. Neither of you will regret it! I hope you all have a happy Friendship Day!
Pick up Every Step She Takes at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo. Find blurbs for all my books on my Website.
