Page 20 of A Snowy Escape

Where the hell is Echo?

Hopefully he tied her leash to a pole or something. She will run off if she spots something exciting. She can usually be coaxed back with treats or by repeatedly calling her name, but she’s unfamiliar with this area. I don’t want her to get turned around and lose her way.

Hopping off the couch, I pull the door open and peek outside.

Lawson is headed back down the stairs, and Echo waits at the bottom with her tail wagging.

That freaking traitor.

If I was the one on the stairs, she would have barreled up past me, knocking me into the railing. Then she’d run back down, probably loop around the parking lot, and come back up all over again, all before I had the chance to get to the landing.

Before I bought her the harness she has on now, Tommy had her in a collar. That thing was miserable for both of us, but the harness makes walking her much easier. Even then, she’s strong as hell, and she has been known to drag me around Tommy’s neighborhood. Anything from seeing a cat to a squirrel to another person would get her excited to the point that I was running behind her to keep her from getting away.

Maybe once I get a job, I’ll get her behavioral training.

* * *

Lawson and Echo are covered in snow as they come back inside the apartment. He doesn’t step off the small tiled area right in front of the door, but he does hit a knee, wiping her legs off with a small hand towel he pulls from his pocket.

“She did great,” he says, smiling as he unclips the leash from Echo’s harness. “I have to run back down to the restaurant, but it shouldn’t take me too long. Do you eat burgers and fries? How about chicken tenders?”

“I eat everything,” I say. “Thank you so much.”

He nods and disappears back out the door. The cold air that comes in even during his quick trip out makes me shiver, and I frown.

I don’t know how I would have survived in my car.

There’s every possibility that I wouldn’t have.

People freeze to death in this kind of weather.

Damn.

That’s a sobering thought.

I’m so damn lucky I decided to sleep in Bryant’s parking lot. I’m not sure what would have happened to us if I had taken a different exit.

Chapter Seven

Lawson

Abby meets me at the door as I carry in the pans of food. “Can I take those from you?”

“You can,” I say, handing them over. “Just be careful. The bottom is hot.”

Echo follows her to the breakfast nook, but circles back to me as I toe out of my boots. It’s hot in the apartment, and I want to get out of my heavy coat.

I still take the time to squat down, giving her scratches.

“Did you look after your mom while I was gone?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “You did, didn’t you? That means I owe you a treat.”

Echo’s tail wags, and her body slides from side to side.

She’s a good dog, but she’s also desperate for instructions and a job. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s mixed with Belgian Malinois, though that’s just a hunch based on her temperament and physical features. It could be that she’s still an adolescent.

It’s hard to tell.

She’s nowhere close to as confident as Shadow is when taking a command.