Page 26 of The Journey of a Lifetime (Tiny Homes and Happy Tails #2)

W alker could barely contain his excitement as he walked between Maggie and Cindy in the old western town.

Maggie said they were heading toward the barn where they kept the horses. He’d never seen a horse in real life, only on TV.

The scent of musty buildings and dirt tickled his nose. While the image of buildings was not as crisp as it should be, he could see enough to know what they were.

He stopped walking to sniff the dewy grass and some daisies. He bit off a blade of sweet grass and chewed.

“Come on, Walker. We are almost to where the horses are,” Maggie encouraged.

He spit out the grass and trotted beside Maggie.

A strange scent had him lifting his head in the air to investigate further. He heard a whinnying, and knew he was close to these large animals.

“Aww, they are so gorgeous.” Cindy’s voice was full of awe.

“Come on, Walker. Let’s walk over to the fence so you can get a better look.

Two large beasts, their images blurry, stomped their hooves. The scent he was smelling was stronger now. He realized it was the musk of the horse’s flesh he’d been smelling.

He edged closer to the fence and poked his head through the gap. The horse’s large head bent down to meet his and their noses touched.

He pulled back at the strong scent, and the horse snorted as he pawed the earth.

Walker slowly poked his head back through the gap in the fence and touched his nose to the horse’s. His scent was strong but pleasant and his nostrils soft as velvet. He liked what he smelled. He nudged the horse’s nose with his and gave him a lick.

Salty.

Maggie and Cindy laughed, and he looked up at them. He didn’t know what was so funny. How else was he supposed to make friends?

He looked back at the horse. The horse blinked its long eyelashes, bent his head and gave his a long lick across his snout.

This time the girls laughed even louder.

“Aww, Walker. I think she likes you.” Maggie bent down and rubbed his head.

Walker looked at her and wagged his tail.

He was glad. He liked making new friends.