“That dog attacked me! I’m putting it down!”….

He chose a booth near the wall.

Ranger slid beneath the table automatically, positioning himself with his body angled toward the door.

The waitress arrived with a coffee pot before the man had even opened the menu.

Her name tag read Janet, and the smile she offered carried the warmth of someone who had spent years serving travelers who appeared and vanished along the highway like passing clouds.

“Afternoon, sir,” she said gently. “Coffee?”