Just a Touch Away by Chris Paynter

Author:Chris Paynter [Paynter, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781942204176
Publisher: Companion Publications
Published: 2019-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The next day, Lindsey hollered, “Ready for our walk, Fred?” She grabbed her lightweight backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Fred did what could only be described as a doggy happy dance at the door. “It was the ‘w’ word, wasn’t it, boy?” She clipped the leash on his collar. “We’re going on a little longer trail today. Does that work for you?” He looked up at her with his light-brown eyes and gave her his best imitation of a grin. “Guess it does.” On the way to the door, she snatched her cell phone off the arm of the recliner.

She walked Fred to the Jeep and opened the passenger side door. She helped him onto the seat, but he didn’t stay in place as he followed her progress around the back of the Jeep. She dropped her backpack behind the driver’s side and got into her seat. They drove down one of the roads leading to a trail that ended at the base of the lake. She pulled into the lot, happy to see only one or two other cars. Good. She needed a little time to herself.

She grabbed her backpack and secured it over her shoulders. When she opened the passenger door, Fred immediately hopped down. He circled around her feet and whined. She grabbed his leash and quickly untangled her legs. “I know, I know. You’re raring to get down that trail, huh? We haven’t been on this one in a while.” Soon, they made it to the entrance of the trail.

As they walked, she tried not to be anxious that she hadn’t heard from Sylvia yet. She needed to take into consideration that the package just got there an hour ago. She checked her tracking number, and it showed it as “delivered” and signed for. She pulled out her cell phone and double-checked she had enough bars. At times, the service got sketchy when she walked down the trails.

Fred trotted beside her, happy to be out in nature. She often wondered how he kept up with his stubby legs. But he never lagged behind, at least not until they were climbing up the hill on the way back to the parking lot. Even she sometimes struggled to make the last several yards, her quads straining at the effort.

A squirrel skittered across their path, and Lindsey had to hold onto the leash extra tight when Fred barked and lunged. Chipmunks seemed to fascinate him. Squirrels? Squirrels were an arch enemy.

“Whoa, Fred. Even if I let you loose, they’re always too fast for you. You haven’t learned that yet?” He looked up at her as if to say, “Give me another chance.” She leaned down and patted his side. “It’s okay. You’re not the only dog who thinks he can catch one of them.”

They continued on the path, not encountering any other hikers. Lindsey inhaled the fresh scent of the forest around them. The only sound heard was the soft crunching of her hiking boots and Fred’s paws in the underbrush.

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