I rescued an abandoned dog off the street, and he ended up saving my life
CHAPTER 1
The rain started just after nine that night.
By the time Ethan Miller reached the edge of Amarillo, visibility had dropped to almost nothing.
He slowed his truck.
The road was nearly empty.
Then something moved beneath a broken highway sign.
Ethan lifted his foot from the gas.
At first, he thought it was a pile of trash.
Then the shape lifted its head.
A dog.
Large.
Dirty.
Soaked through.
It stood shakily beside the road, one front paw lifted from the ground.
Ethan pulled over.
He grabbed his flashlight.
“Hey, buddy.”
The dog flinched.
Ethan crouched.
The animal had a deep scratch across one ear and a faded black collar around its neck.
“No tags?”
The dog stared at him.
Not aggressively.
Just tired.
Ethan opened the truck door.
The dog didn’t move.
“Come on.”
Another car passed.
Water exploded across the shoulder.
The dog backed away.
Ethan sighed.
“You know, buddy, neither one of us looks like we’re having a great night.”
The dog took one step toward him.
Then another.
Finally, he climbed into the truck.
Ethan grabbed an old blanket from behind the seat and wrapped it around him.
The dog immediately curled into a ball.
Ethan drove to the nearest twenty-four-hour veterinary clinic.
The vet examined him.
“Dehydrated. Bruised ribs. Nothing broken.”
“Is he somebody’s?”
The vet checked the collar.
“No tags.”
“Microchip?”
“Nothing.”
Ethan looked at the dog sleeping under the examination table.
“Can I keep him here tonight?”
The vet smiled.
“He’s already decided you’re keeping him.”
Ethan laughed.
“I don’t even know his name.”
The dog opened one eye.
Ethan looked at him.
“How about Scout?”
The dog’s tail moved once.
The vet laughed.
“Looks like he approves.”
That night, Scout slept on the passenger seat of Ethan’s truck.
When they reached Ethan’s house, he carried the dog inside.
He put a bowl of water beside the couch.
Scout drank.
Then he walked to the front door.
Turned around.
And looked at Ethan.
Almost as if he wanted to make sure Ethan was still there.
Ethan smiled.
“Relax.”
“You’ve got a home now.”
He didn’t know it yet.
But that decision would change both their lives.
