Hunted

Chapter 2

                                                                                  Chapter 2

Harper frowned as she stared at the long aisle filled with different brands of dog food with different flavors in different packaging sizes. Biting her lip, she hesitantly walked down the isle while pushing her shopping cart and debated what to get. She crossed from one end to the other and back to the first end of the isle, still not knowing what in the world she was supposed to pick up for her new friend.

"Can I help you?" A perky young woman stepped up with a curious smile on her face.

"Actually, yes. I think I'm rather in need of your expertise." Harper shrugged sheepishly.

"Okay, what kind of dog do you have?" The woman asked as she scanned the different bags of dog food.

"That's a good question." Harper murmured more to herself than to the woman. Nonetheless, the woman heard and turned to face her with a curious expression.

"Well the thing is, the dog happened as a total surprise, and I mean literally leaping out of the bushes in the dark of the night surprise, and I have never had a dog so I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"You aren't from around here, are you?" The woman looked at her strangely. "This town isn't exactly small but it isn't so large that you don't recognize an odd face out of the bunch when you see one."

"Oh right, no, I'm not from around here." Harper nearly whispered, not certain whether the woman was being informative or snide.

"So tell me about this dog that you have? Is he big or little? Does he have a thick coat of fur or is it more delicate? Is he an older dog or is he still a puppy?"

"Well he's definitely a large dog and I hope to God he's not still a puppy because I can't imagine him growing anymore." Harper chuckled and was put at ease a little more when the woman smiled at her lame attempt to make a joke. "He's a very...masculine dog. If that makes any sense to you. Rugged fur, large body, kind of scary."

"I think I know what you mean." The woman smiled and turned toward a brand of dog food that was at the end of the isle.

As the woman started explaining the nutrition facts and serving sizes to her, a figure at the opposite end of the isle caught her attention. A man in a rough pair of denim jeans that had probably seen better days was heading their way. His dark hair was cropped close to his head and a beat up brown leather jacket adorned his torso. Black sunglasses hid his eyes but nothing could disguise the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones. This man was definitely gorgeous. Not so much in the high fashion catalogue way but more in the outside and rugged manly man kind of way.

Looking down, Harper noticed for the first time that the man carried a leash and hooked to the end of the leash was a large dog. The dog looked just as dangerous as its owner. Her eyes widened as they came closer and she could see more features of the dog. It looked remarkably similar to her dog. It was huge with black fur and a large body. Before she had left the house, Harper had made sure to carefully lock her new friend inside the house so that he wouldn't run away until she could get him proper equipment like a leash or harness. However, staring at the dog she suddenly wondered if he had somehow escaped.

An unwelcome thought entered her mind in that moment. What if the dog she found had an owner and he was just lost for the night. Even though she hadn't planned on getting a dog when she moved here, Harper had found a slight comfort in knowing there would be a companion with her as she settled in.