I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart plummeting straight to my feet.
There, tied to a gnarled oak tree like some twisted lawn ornament, was a small dog. A trembling, skeletal shadow of a dog, whose ribs jutted through patches of matted, filthy fur that might have once been white with tan ears.
Moving closer, I could see that the dog was a girl.
My eyes darted around the empty trail, desperately searching for an owner who might materialize from behind a bush. Someone who’d left their dog here for just a minute while they, what? Took a bathroom break behind a tree?
But the longer I stared at this broken little creature, the more obvious it became. She hadn’t been here for minutes. She’d been here for days. If not longer.
A murky rain puddle near the base of the tree told the whole tragic story—it was her only source of water in God knew how long. The worn leather leash had rubbed raw patches into her neck, and dried blood crusted over what looked like bite marks or infected sores along her spine.
Someone had thrown her away. Decided she was worthless,chained her to this tree, and walked away to let nature finish the job.
My lower lip started trembling as rage and heartbreak crashed over me in equal measure.
I was already moving, dropping to my knees in the damp earth.
“What are you doing?” Ryker asked.
“Saving her.” The words came out fierce, final.
“We can call animal control?—”
“It’s okay, sweetie.” My voice cracked as I held out the back of my hand, staying perfectly still. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She cowered away, pressing herself against the rough bark, her whole body shaking. Those enormous brown eyes—way too big for her gaunt face—flicked between my outstretched hand and my face, trying to solve some impossible equation: friend or foe?
“You’re such a pretty girl,” I whispered through my tears, not caring that I probably looked like a complete mess. “You’re beautiful and sweet, and I bet you’re the best girl in the whole world.”
Her trembling eased just a fraction. She stretched her neck forward, so cautiously, so hopefully, and sniffed my knuckles with a cold, not-wet-enough nose.
“That’s it, baby. See? You’re safe now.” I kept my voice soft as honey while, inside, I was screaming. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to untie this leash. Would that be all right?”
She looked up at me, her expression still guarded but curious. I let her investigate me at her own pace, let her be the one to move closer while I sat statue-still in the cold dirt.
Finally, when her tail gave the tiniest wag, I reached for the leash.
The worn leather came away from the tree with a soft scrape that made me want to hunt down whoever did this and introduce them to my fist.How many people walked right past you, sweet girl? How many just kept going?
“I’m going to pick you up now, okay?”
She trembled again, but didn’t fight me as Iscooped her into my arms. She weighed nothing; I could feel every rib, every vertebra through her matted coat.Jesus. When was the last time you had a real meal?
Ryker’s tone shifted to concern. “Faith, what are you doing?”
“Taking her to the emergency vet. Obviously.” I stood up, cradling my new responsibility against my chest.
“We have enough on our plate right now. We need to focus on?—”
“I’m taking her.” My voice cut through his protest like a blade. “So, you can either come with me or I’ll call you when we’re done.”
Ryker dragged a hand over his face, frustration radiating off him in waves.
“You don’t understand,” I said, my lip quivering again. “You don’t know what it feels like to have people just … discard you. Like you’re garbage they can’t wait to get rid of. Like what happens to you afterward isn’t their problem.” The words tumbled out, raw and jagged. “You don’t know what that feels like, but I do. And I’m not letting her go through this alone.”
I pressed my face against the top of her dirty head, breathing in the smell of rain and neglect.
“I’m going to take her to the vet, get her whatever help she needs, and then I’m going to love her every single day for the rest of her life.”
