He didn’t need to.
If I didn’t oblige like a good boy, he’d call the cops. That couldn’t happen. “Fine. I’ll get my shit.”
It took all of five minutes to load up the truck, glaring at him and all the other guests who were now watching the spectacle closely. When I slipped into the cab of the truck, I hated that my hands were sweating.
“That’s alright, buddy. We’ll find another place. Don’t worry.”
But we didn’t.
It would seem the beautiful mountain town was all the rage for the Fourth of July. There was no place to stay. Not one room left.
Either that or the asshole had called ahead.
I had no idea what to do, rage building deep within. I wasn’t going to give up Sailor. He was all I had. Damn it.
I’d pulled over on the side of the road, fighting the same anger I’d felt years before, the emotion exactly the reason I was in this place.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!” I smashed my hand on the steering wheel until it ached. Then I realized I’d likely terrified Sailor. When I snapped my head toward him, I could see in the light of the convenience store his concern, but there was no fear.
He trusted me.
Why was it that I couldn’t trust myself?
As I leaned over the same steering wheel I’d just tried to crush, Sailor scooted his butt closer, laying his head on my arm. I didn’t need bright sunlight to see how soulful his eyes were. Just hearing the way his tail swished back and forth on the cheap, torn vinyl seat meant the pup trusted me.
To feed him.
To keep him safe and warm.
To love him.
I was an asshole and a dangerous man, but that’s something I would take seriously. “Okay, bud. Let’s go find us a place to park so we can get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow I can figure something out.”
However, I wasn’t a betting man. My odds weren’t looking too good and I honestly knew in my heart being tossed from the motel had nothing to do with having a dog in the room. And why?
Because when I’d been checking in, I’d seen the sign saying pets were allowed.
Twenty minutes later, I found the entrance to a park and pulled in. Damn, it was dark outside, my headlights creating eerie shadows in a dense path of woods. For a couple of minutes, I was dragged back to a time that I shouldn’t even think about.
Same kind of forest.
Same ugly trees.
Same dark night.
Fuck.
The gravel parking lot was empty, so I had my choice of spaces. Once settled in, I grabbed the blanket from the tiny backseat. “Let’s try and get some sleep, Sailor.” As soon as I turned off the headlights and the darkness settled in, I took a deep breath.
Not that it made me feel any better.
My life was shit and that wasn’t going to change because I’d been graced with the presence of an angel.
With the windows cracked and a light breeze, maybe the pup wouldn’t get too hot. As I settled in, another vision of Grace’s face when she was chastising me popped into my mind. She was one formidable woman with a mind I wouldn’t mind continuing to explore.
Her body as well.
At least after I closed my eyes, a sultry vision of her face crowded out the images that I’d tried for two years to forget.
