Page 5 of Serving my Dragon
“A dentist. Wow!” She clasped her hands. “That’s so cool. I loved mine growing up. Dr. Philips said I had perfect teeth.” She flashed her pearly whites.
She did have a very nice set.
Of teeth.
My gaze didn’t stray any lower no matter how her bosom heaved and strained the buttons of her blouse.
“Listen, Mrs. Carmichael?—”
“It’s miss, actually. Never married.” Her lips pursed. “That I remember. Which reminds me, what day is it? Last I recall, it was August twenty-first.”
“I regret to inform you that we’re almost in November.”
Her eyes rounded. “You mean to say I’m missing two months? Oh dear.”
Either a great actress or she truly had lost her memories. “Sounds as if you should see a doctor if you’re missing that much time.”
“Agreed. Will you help me find one?”
While something still seemed off about the situation, I nodded. My mama hadn’t raised me to abandon a damsel in distress “If you’d care to follow me, I was heading out of the canyon.”
“That would be awesome,” she gushed. “Lead the way, my hero.”
I didn’t hate the sound of that, even as I suspected she hadn’t been entirely truthful. I’d seen her casting a few glances over her shoulder as if worried someone would appear. Perhaps a coconspirator. They’d be disappointed if they tried robbing me. For one, I had nothing, and for another, my tíos hadn’t raised me to meekly roll over to thieves. My father might have passed while I was but a boy, but my uncles stepped in to ensure I had male influence. Which meant I knew how to fix basic engine problems courtesy of Tío Santiago, could box thanks to Tío Diego, and cursed eloquently—to my mother’s annoyance—because of Tío Juan.
We began walking with Kayleigh babbling the entire time, detailing everything she did recall: her apartment in Sugarcreek, the Volvo she drove, the fact she’d been thinking of adopting a cat. I only paid half attention, more focused on a possible ambush. Having hiked this canyon many times, I’d never heard of such a thing happening. My hitchhiking reptile remained hidden in my pack. Every break we took, I checked on the lizard who would blink at me with those big eyes.
Unfortunately, my acquired companion slowed my pace quite a bit, her stride not as long as mine given she stood at least half a foot shorter than me. A lack of stamina required us to stop often where she drank most of my remaining water. All that combined meant we didn’t make it out of the canyon before dusk fell. At this rate, it would be a few more hours of hiking. Doable but for the fact Kayleigh huffed, “I don’t think I can walk anymore.” To stress her statement, she plopped onto the ground and removed her hiking boots to rub her feet.
My lips pursed. Was this when the attack would come?
“If we keep going, we can still make it out tonight.”
“I can’t,” she sighed. “I’m so tired.”
“Why don’t you stay here and I’ll go find someone who can return to fetch you with an all-terrain vehicle?”
“You’re going to leave me alone in the dark!” The whites of her eyes practically gleamed.
“You’ll be fine. It will just be a few hours.”
“Hours? But what if something eats me?” She clasped her hands together and glanced around nervously.
I would have liked to claim she worried for nothing, however, large cats did roam these parts and while attacks were rare, they could happen.
My turn to sigh. “I guess we could camp here for the night and head out in the morning.”
“Can we? Oh, thank you,” she gushed. Then more shyly, “I don’t suppose you have anything to eat? I’ve not had anything since I woke in the dirt this morning.”
“I don’t have much left,” I admitted, sliding the pack from my shoulders. As I set it on the ground and widened the zippered opening, Pollita poked her head out and hissed at Kayleigh.
“What’s that?” Kayleigh cried, recoiling. “Is there a snake in your bag?”
“Not a snake. Lizard,” I stated, plucking the little reptile from my knapsack, causing crumbs to fall from her body. It appeared she’d been munching while I walked.
So much for something to eat.
“You have a pet lizard?”
