It didn’t take much for the locals to turn around and pop an animal like that to ensure that it became a nonissue before it ever got bad. He understood that sentiment in theory, but, at the same time, it was hard on the animals because they didn’t get themselves into that situation on their own. Human intervention had picked up this poor female and put her into this crazy world. Kurt had no idea what the hell had happened to her, and may never find out in full, so he needed to trace her movements back to her.
The truck stop was about another ten miles from a small town where the family who’d originally adopted the dog had lived, and then the brother was another six miles approximately past that—and he was the one now in jail, the one who apparently knew nothing about the dog. How convenient for everybody. Kurt just shook his head, thinking about what Sabine had probably been through all this time. Most of the world would probably just say, Forget it, shoot the dog, and move on.
Kurt wasn’t built that way. Every one of the animals on this earth deserved a chance, particularly when it was a human who had messed them up in the first place. Still, Kurt could only do so much, and the first thing was to see if he could find that dog.
As he drove by familiar places, memories plagued him. He’d had a girlfriend off and on throughout high school, but, since he was headed down a dark and windy path back then, he knew he needed to break away from her. Her parents had been totally against their association, and, even though the teens had snuck around as much as they could, it had been hard to continue their relationship. Yet it had also added to the danger and the joy.
He shook his head as he turned onto the main freeway, heading toward the truck stop. It didn’t make any sense to even have these memories at this point in time. He didn’t know why Laurie Ann’s voice popped into his head. It’d been thirteen years since he’d seen her. He had gone to her the night before he was due to leave, and she’d pushed him away. She had been indifferent, almost antagonistic, and he’d been heartbroken. But still he had hidden behind the tough skin that he’d been known for and had walked away from her.
Thinking about it now, he felt it was the best thing he could have done. For him. For her. Besides, he was a completely different person now. Kurt wondered if she was still around. She’d had a huge potential to become something. She’d planned to go into med school, but he didn’t know whether that dream had panned out or not. She had the smarts. He could have had the smarts too, but that would have meant applying himself. She was a good girl, and he was a bad boy from across the tracks. They didn’t stand a chance. They’d met often—at least as often as they could—but definitely a huge gap existed between them.
He liked to think of her as his foray into the good side of life that had made him go into the navy. And, although she didn’t want him to go, she did not stand in his way. He appreciated that about her. But thirteen years later? Well, that was a long time. She probably had a half-dozen kids and could be anywhere at the moment.
He kept driving, now discovering the truck stop was farther away than he’d thought. He checked his GPS and noted it had been moved out of town when the city itself had enlarged. He certainly didn’t remember the truck stop, but, as he finally came upon the location that he was looking for, it was twenty miles out of town. He’d passed by a couple smaller clutches of homes, and now he was pulling into a huge truck stop. It made a lot more sense to put it way out here, but, at the same time, this fact threw off his distance and timing calculations.
He pulled up, hopped out, and stretched his legs. That was the thing about injuries; the one thing he had to do on a constant basis was stretch. Otherwise his muscles would cramp, and stiffness would set in very quickly. The place was busy here, huge semis parked on the left and lots of other traffic. The truck stop had what appeared to be close to fifty individual gas pumps; it was a sight to behold. More and more of these bigger stations popped up all across the states. He walked slowly toward the restaurant, as he eyed the area. He stepped inside; the din from the patrons rose all around him. A waitress stepped up in front and asked if he wanted a table. He nodded slightly and said, “Yes, just for coffee though.”
She nodded and brought him to a small booth by the window at the back. It was a perfect location. He smiled, thanked her, and sat down. He pulled the menu that she’d given him closer. He didn’t really need food, considering he’d just eaten a couple sandwiches. But a piece of pie? Well, that would never go wrong. She brought him a mug of coffee almost immediately. He thanked her and ordered a piece of apple pie to go with it. She laughed and asked, “Ice cream or not?”
“Not today,” he said with a smile, and the waitress disappeared.
Just then a woman in the booth ahead of him with her back to Kurt said, “What’s apple pie without ice cream? Isn’t that like a kiss without the squeeze?”
He froze and stared at the waves of auburn hair before him. “Laurie Ann?”
She turned in her booth and gave him a droll smile. “Well, you’re not somebody I ever expected to see again.”
He just stared. She still had the same heart-shaped face, huge blue eyes, long lashes, and that damn dimple in the corner of her cheek that set him off every time. He shook his head. The older Laurie Ann settled in front of him was still as beautiful but had matured into something completely different.
“I literally just arrived,” he said, as he motioned at the booth seat across from him. “Join me?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “No time. I’m late.” She checked her watch, looked at him, smiled, and said, “Another time. Maybe thirteen more years?”
“Or in the next few days?” he asked.
She hesitated as she stood, and she was still the same tall slim beauty that he’d known before. “How long are you in town for?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m looking for a missing K9 War Dog,” he said.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you still in the navy?”
“No,” he said.
“Well, must have been something major to take you away from that,” she said. “Absolutely nothing would deter you back then.”
“And yet you never asked me to stay.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he hadn’t said anything, but the surprised look on her face told him that she had never thought that he’d noticed or cared.
“No,” she said gently. “It was something very close to your heart, and I didn’t want to ruin that.”
He nodded slowly. “It was the making of me,” he said. “It really straightened me up, and I became a very different man.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“I know,” he said with a sideways grin. “A lot of room for growth.”
She chuckled. “You were a good person,” she said. “I don’t know who you are now, but I’m happy for you if you’re happier with you.”
It was a little convoluted, but he understood.
Just then her phone rang, and she winced. “I’ve really got to go,” and she turned and raced down the aisle.
His waitress came back, bringing his pie. He looked at her, smiled, and said, “An old friend I wasn’t expecting to meet,” he said, motioning at Laurie Ann.