Page 51 of Dark Roads
She spun around—and screamed. A black, furry shape wasmoving around the firepit. It lifted its head and stared at her. One blue eye. One brown.
She exhaled. A dog. She’d almost had a heart attack. Where was his owner? She looked down the center road. The campground was quiet. Maybe someone had let him out so he could pee. He looked like one of those dogs who herd sheep. He could be from a nearby farm.
The dog was just standing there and watching her. Beth didn’t know anything about dogs—her mom had never wanted one—and she wasn’t sure if he was waiting for food or getting ready to attack. His tail wasn’t wagging, but he wasn’t growling either.
She whistled and held out her hand. Dogs were supposed to sniff you, right? His nostrils twitched but he didn’t come closer. She frowned. He sat on his haunches. Great. Did he think he she was going to make him breakfast? How was she going to get rid of him?
“Shoo!” She clapped a couple of times.
He rose and stalked deliberately toward her.
“Stay!” She held out her palm, but he’d already stopped and was nosing around in the firepit, getting ash all over his face. He licked at the eggs. “You’re hungry?” She moved around the side of the site, still holding her hand out as if that would actually keep him in place.
She was at her picnic table. She glanced around. Where was the bear spray? Something to make noise. The gun seemed excessive. Unless he lunged at her. Then all bets were off.
The dog moved away from the firepit and was now sniffing around in her cooler, which she had left open. Crunching sounds. He swallowed something. Licked his lips. Her eggs.
“Hey! Scram.”
He glanced at her and put his head back down. She took a step toward him and clapped louder. He didn’t flinch. Instead,he lifted his paw and pushed down on the side of the cooler until it toppled forward. The water ran out. He pawed at her remaining food, sliced open a package of bacon with his toenails, and delicately tugged a few pieces out.
She watched him with her mouth half open. Thenerveof this dog. He wasn’t gulping at the food and he wasn’t skinny, at least not that she could tell under all that fur, but he didn’t look well brushed. He was shedding in clumps and his white parts were dirty, his underbelly muddy.
She took a few steps toward the dog with her hand outstretched. This time she would try a different approach. “Hi, baby. Can I pet you?” Her voice was sweet and crooning.
The dog eyed her warily and glanced toward the edge of the forest, his ears pricked in one direction, then the other. He had so much fur around his neck she couldn’t see if he was wearing a collar. He circled around the back of the cooler, staying a few feet away from her.
She relaxed. He was leaving.
Nope. He paused in front of the picnic table with his nose up in the air, sniffing in a back-and-forth pattern. Her bag of cereal. It was still out in the open.
“No!” She made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Go away!”
The dog glanced at her, slowly lifted a paw, then placed it on the bench seat.
“Don’t even think about it!” She took a few steps toward him.
He leapt onto the table, snatched the bag in his mouth, and jumped off the side. He landed so quietly he barely made a noise, then bolted for the woods.
She stared at the spot where he had disappeared. It was as if the trees had swallowed him. She couldn’t even hear a branch snapping. Maybe she’d ask around the campground and makesure no one was missing a dog. Then she’d firmly suggest they keep better control of him.
The guys at the other site had emerged from their camper and were drinking coffee out of stainless-steel flasks, laughing in low voices. They looked young. One was cooking bacon and eggs on a grill. The smell made her mouth water. Why wasn’t the dog botheringthem?
They gave her curious smiles when she walked over. She spoke to the black-haired one who looked the friendliest. He also seemed familiar. She must have seen him around town.
“Don’t suppose you have an extra coffee? My stove’s broken.”
“Sure,” he said, filling a mug and handing it to her.
“Thanks.” She smiled. “Do you have a black dog?”
“Nope.” He shrugged and gave her a curious look. “Don’t you work at the diner?” Now she realized how she recognized him. She’d seen him with Jonny. “I thought you were living at the motel.” News really did get around fast. She wondered what else he knew about her.
“Yeah, it was getting expensive.”
“I’m Andy.” He held out his hand and she gave it a shake, then glanced at her watch.
“I better get going. Okay if I return the mug later?”
