Panther Park If I made it too hard for you, maybe you should've changed it

The bark made her freeze and turn. And what she saw made her heart stop. For a split second, she thought the stranger standing in the distance was her daughter. But immediately she knew she was wrong. His build was too masculine, his eyes the wrong shade of orange. Wariness instantly replaced her shattered hope and she moved forward a few steps, confidently meeting his gaze if there eyes were to lock. He looked like he could be from her home up north, which was intriguing, but she would not let that distract her. What if he had been the one watching her. 

She studied him shrewdly. Why are you here? she asked bluntly. Her gaze remained on his face as she waited for an answer, glued to his expression to search for any signs that what he said did not match his actual intentions. He could just be passing through like she was, searching for something lost or something to take his mind off of whatever troubled his life. But she had no way of knowing that yet, so she remained guarded, even if she was interested to know more about this northern-looking stranger.