Even though he had a history of being blissfully ignorant at times, in that moment Kyle was able to recognize the abrupt change in Angie’s demeanor. His heart sank as he realized that he had done something really wrong. Even though he wasn’t sure exactly what he did, Kyle instantly felt terrible about the situation. He glanced over at Angie and responded with an apologetic look.<br/><br/>“Of course,” he said without hesitation, glancing in all of his mirrors before doing as she requested. There weren’t any other cars around them and they were traveling slowly so it only took a moment for him to pull over. As he did so he lifted his arm from her shoulder, assuming that the unrequested contact must have been part of the problem.<br/><br/>He was not the only one who noticed the difference in her. Alex had a knack for sensing distress in people around her. The dog’s eyes widened and ears shot up as it looked about for any sign of trouble. While Alex didn’t know Angie very well, the dog sensed that she was part of Kyle’s pack and therefore deserved protection. The well-trained dog was silent as it rapidly glanced from one window to the next unable to make out any sign of danger.<br/><br/>Kyle turned off the engine and opened his door as soon as the truck was safely stopped on the road’s grassy shoulder. He figured that doing so might help by giving her a little more space and some extra air.<br/><br/>“Would you like to get out and walk around a little?” he asked in a concerned tone. “If it’s OK I’d like to let Alex out, too – it’s been a while for her.”<br/><br/>Assuming Angie didn’t object Alex calmly stepped out of the truck and opened one of the rear doors to let the dog out. Alex, her shepherding instincts kicking in, did a quick transit of the truck looking for trouble. By the time she had completed sniffing around the road dust had cleared. The three of them and the truck were all alone on the side of the road.<br/><br/>The dirt road cut through a dense grove of acacia trees on either side. The sun was shining in the late afternoon sky and everything seemed quiet except for the ever-present sounds of insects. Kyle walked Alex into the edge of the forest to answer the call of nature and let her run around for a minute or two, giving Angie a few moments alone. He was sure to not let Angie out of his sight, though, just to be on the safe side.<br/><br/>Kyle returned with a sheepish expression on his face, walking to within a few feet of her in order to offer her some space.<br/><br/>“Are you feeling OK?” he asked. “A little carsick, maybe?” he asked with genuine concern. Before Angie could reply he gave Alex a few commands to keep the dog from getting close and possibly bothering Angie.<br/><br/>“Sit, stay,” he said firmly. The dog immediately sat down on the ground as requested.<br/><br/>“We went to obedience school together,” Kyle explained as he gave Alex a pat on the head. “She passed with flying colors. Me.. well… not so much.”<br/><br/>It was true that Kyle had taken the dog to obedience school. Mainly he did this so that she would be safe around all the subcontractors and other people who needed to work on Kyle’s sites. Kyle almost didn’t get a certificate, though, since he briefly dated the dog trainer – but all that ended poorly. “The trainer asked me to stop coming at the end,” he explained without getting into the details. “She said I was a bad influence on the other owners.”<br/><br/>Kyle smiled, hoping that the expression would be contagious. Following that he then slowly reached out both of his hands as a gesture of support, giving her the option to take them or not. Either way he looked deeply into her eyes as they stood on the side of the road, hoping to reassure her that he meant her no harm. On the contrary, he wanted to help her in any way he could.