Page 14 of The Unbuttoned Ranger
CaDee tucked her head under the hood of her car and looked at the engine. She could have easily been looking at the underbelly of a spaceship because she had no idea what she was looking for. She’d heard a loud popping sound and then squealing before the car became undrivable.
Tired from the long drive, she had little patience. They’d stopped at a motel overnight and she hadn’t slept more than a few hours. Every noise outside the room put her on high alert. She’d taken great precautions to make sure Dante wasn’t following them, but no matter how safe she thought it was it would never be safe enough.
She craned her neck to see that Carsen remained in the front seat playing with his plastic dinosaurs, a dime store find she’d bought him when they’d stopped to grab some clothing and necessities.
While she couldn’t sleep last night, she’d counted and recounted the money that Albert had given her. Filling up the gas tank, buying food, and the clothing had taken a chunk. If she needed more financial help she could call Mark, but she wouldn’t. The last thing CaDee wanted was to be indebted to anyone, even her best friends.
Carsen waved and she waved back. He’d handled the long trip superbly. More than anything she wanted to give him stability.
When they’d driven across the state line into Texas, she’d felt a sense of relief and apprehension. Albert had called her to settle her fears somewhat, letting her know that his aunt was expecting CaDee and Carsen. That had been a few hours ago, back when she had service.
She heard rustling in the weeds by the road and noticed the reeds swaying—something big was moving. Standing as a barrier between her car and the weeds, she gripped her phone, knowing it wasn't much of a weapon. Her only other choice was a half-eaten candy bar.
They were in the middle of nowhere.
She raised her phone higher to use as a weapon if needed.
The predator jumped out of the weeds in one leap, and she let out a squeal.
“Mommy, it’s a dog!” Carsen had joined in at this point. He jumped out of the car and she held him back.
“Get back in the car. It’s a strange dog.”
Thankfully, Carsen listened without hesitation.
The dog stared at her, and she stared back as if they were in a contest to see who’d blink first. He was a bit ragged, and she could see his ribs under his shaggy fur. She leaned in to see if he had some identification. Nothing but a collar of burs in his fur. His tongue lolled out to one side of his mouth and his big brown eyes seemed to tell a silent story.
“What do you want?” she asked as if the dog might respond.
He did. He lifted one leg.
“Fine. I’ll get you water, but then you need to leave.” She backed up toward the car. “Carsen, give me my water and a cup.”
She poured water into the cup, set it down halfway between herself and the dog.
He lapped up the cool water in no time. Then he continued to stare.
Before she could get a word out, Carsen jumped out of the car and was wrapping his arms around the stray’s neck. “Carsen,” she lunged forward but stopped. The dog was licking Carsen’s hand.
“He’s friendly, Mommy,” Carsen said through peals of laughter.
“Step away for a minute, son.” She knelt in front of the dog and scratched behind his ears. He was panting heavily. The sun rays were hot, and the poor thing was alone.“You’ve been alone for a while, haven’t you, fellow?”
He whimpered.
“I don’t have anything to give. No food. No shelter.”
A rumbling noise in the distance grabbed her attention.
She stood and looked up and down the gravel road, then she saw the dust cloud a second before the truck. It was speeding.
Because this was the first vehicle they’d seen on the road, she couldn’t take the risk that they’d pass by.
Running into the middle of the road, she threw her arms up and made big waving motions.
The truck came to a grinding halt, kicking up rocks and a squealing of brakes in protest. A plume of dust rose as the driver exited the truck.
She took a step forward to greet him.“I’m so glad to see you—” His scowl underneath the wide brimmed hat steadied her in her tracks.
