Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Now, we were in Florida, of all places.
“Florida?” I asked.
I’d been watching the signs pass by, and my guess was that we were either going to Florida or Georgia, and now my question was answered.
“You know,” he sounded kind of happy. “I was thinking that you’d ask where we were going a long time ago.”
I shrugged. “I honestly didn’t care. It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me back there.”
I looked over my shoulder when Carmen stood up and smiled.
“One day,” I told her. “I’m going to pet you.”
Carmen, who didn’t have her muzzle on, stared back at me.
She didn’t drop her mouth open and allow her tongue to roll out. She didn’t do much of anything but stare.
But I suppose that was progress seeing as in the beginning, she hadn’t even allowed me to get close to her without her growling.
She’d been sitting behind me the entire car ride and hadn’t so much as complained one bit.
I also wasn’t scared of her anymore. I knew she wouldn’t hurt me. Other people, however…yeah, that wasn’t a given.
She didn’t like other people at all, and honestly, she reminded me of her master in that way.
Neither one of them spoke to strangers, and they were always wary of them.
When we’d stopped for diesel for Parker’s truck, he’d gone in with me to get food and hadn’t so much as said a kind word to anyone.
Whereas everyone else was throwing out ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ like it was confetti.
Carmen had gone to the patch of grass just to the right of the pumps, and when a woman and her dog got closer, a smile on her face, Parker growled. Growled.
“Stay away,” he ordered.
When Carmen was out with Parker, she wore a service dog vest, as well as a muzzle.
It was a digital camo blue and had a bunch of patches on it. One patch said: It’s a felony to interfere with a service dog. Another said: Retired US NAVY. The other was a NAVY emblem. The last said: Do Not Touch.
People saw those patches and usually stayed well away.
All but this stupid woman, who thought it was okay to touch the dog, despite seeing all the patches on the dog’s vest.
“I’m sorry, but don’t touch her,” I said, stepping in front of Carmen to block the woman and her dog.
Carmen was still about four feet behind me, but I could see the intent in the woman’s eyes.
“Why?” she asked, somewhat rudely. “It’s just a dog.”
“It’s not just a dog. She’s a retired military K-9. She’s also got PTSD and doesn’t like being touched by people she doesn’t know. So please, keep your distance.”
“Then your dog shouldn’t be in public,” she countered.
“Maybe you and your terrible manners shouldn’t be in public,” I suggested.
The woman opened her mouth, but just as she was about to say something, Carmen started to growl low in her throat.
That was because her stupid dog was creeping up to me, his ears low.
It wasn’t a mean looking dog, per se. It was an Alaskan Malamute, but I could tell that her dog had sensed the change in her master.
Well, so had Carmen.
And Carmen didn’t like the look of the dog any more than I did.
“Can you please keep your dog away from mine?” I asked.
The woman gave a half-hearted tug on the lead but didn’t do much more than that.
I took a step back and felt fur on my hand.
Carmen was now a few inches from me and wasn’t protesting me touching her. I felt like letting out a whoop but chose not to do that, or the woman would surely think that I was being a bitch and that I was crazy.
I was also tempted to push her dog away with my foot, because I could see this situation deteriorating quickly.
At least, it could have deteriorated.
Parker, however, must’ve seen what was going on from the store because he was just suddenly beside me.
Big. Intimidating.
And mine.
“Back. Off,” he snapped.
The words weren’t loud. Not really.
But they were pissed off and full of aggressiveness that would’ve literally made me run.
This woman, though? She obviously was lacking common sense.
“I just wanted to pet the dog! What’s so wrong with that? And, if the dog can’t be petted, she needs to be locked away—or better yet, put to sleep!”
“So, if I took your dog right now, tortured her, and she somehow survived, would you want to put her to sleep or would you want to help her?”
The woman made a sound in her throat.
“If you touch my dog, I’ll kill you.”
Parker laughed darkly. “If you touch my dog, I will not be responsible. She has a vest that says she’s a service dog. It’s also a felony to interfere with a service dog. Do you know what a felony is, ma’am?”
The woman didn’t reply, and Carmen nudged my hand with her nose.