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Kaia immediately obeyed. Her ears perked up and her body practically vibrated as she moved into the correct position.
“Watch her body language. She wants to obey. She needs you to assume the role of alpha and tell her what to do. Kaia lives to please. Some dogs respond to food or toys. This one laps up praise. It’s part of the reason she and Ryan had such a close bond.”
Van shook her head. “I don’t know that I can do this.”
“Yes, you can. You can’t stand there and tell me you treat the staff in your ER with kid gloves.”
“Of course not. We’re all professionals and we have a job to do.”
Ty nodded. “So does Kaia. Her job is to obey your commands. If you walked into the ER while a patient was coding and whispered, what would happen?”
Van crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing.”
“Exactly. Everyone would be too busy, upset or lost in their own thoughts to pay attention. Kaia is the same way. She’s a highly trained animal. She’s constantly evaluating her surroundings, which can be a good thing. But not when you want her attention. You have to be louder, stronger and more authoritative than anything else—including her instincts. So, try again.”
Van pulled a huge breath in. She held it for several seconds before letting it go.
A few moments earlier, her body language had been frustrated and unsure. Now she was in control—of herself and hopefully Kaia.
“Kaia, heel.”
This time, Van’s voice was low and strong, holding the bite of authority.
Kaia rolled her eyes up at him, but Ty sat unmoving. Reinforcing the command Van had just given would countermand everything they were trying to accomplish. Van needed to find her voice and Kaia needed to recognize her as the new authority in her life.
After a moment of hesitation, Kaia limped over to Van’s side. She sat on her haunches, nudging her nose against the fist Van had clenched near her thigh.
“Praise her,” Ty murmured.
“Good girl, Kaia,” Van nearly whispered.
“You can do better than that. Kaia craves affection. Give her what she wants when she does something right.”
Van held back for several seconds before turning to the dog and lavishing her with attention. The difference in both the woman and the animal was astonishing. The minute Van’s hands surrounded Kaia’s face, rubbing against her soft fur and giving sweet words, both of them began to shine.
For a brief moment, he wondered what it would take for him to get that kind of affection from Van again.
What a stupid thought since he already knew the answer—generous amounts of whiskey.
“Good, good.” Ty had to clear the tickle from the back of his throat. “Let’s try something a little harder now. Walk with her to the other side of the yard. When you get down there tell her to sit and stay. Use the hand gestures I showed you as well. And then walk back to me.”
Again, Van hesitated and that hesitation caused Kaia to look to Ty for guidance. He purposely averted his gaze and waited for Van to find her confidence again.
Finally, Van did what he’d told her. She fumbled with the hand gestures, but they were close enough that, along with the verbal commands, Kaia knew what was expected of her. And thanks to her training, she responded beautifully.
Kaia’s gaze never left Van as she slowly walked back across the yard. Van stopped several feet away from Ty. The move was intentional. She’d been putting space between them since the moment he walked in the door. For the briefest moment, he thought about calling her on the bullshit.
But that wouldn’t accomplish anything productive.
Clenching his jaw, Ty said, “Do you see how she’s watching you? Her body is strung tight. Even from here, I can see she’s vibrating with excitement and attention. That’s what you want when you’re working with her. And you’re going to need to work with her on a regular basis. She’s used to having a job. She needs that.”
Van nodded stiffly.
“All right, call her to you. And don’t forget to praise her when she obeys.”
Van did what he said and Kaia followed her commands perfectly. But it was obvious Van felt completely out of her element. He’d hoped that as she worked with Kaia, she would get more comfortable. But almost an hour and a half into their first session she was still struggling.
Apparently, he needed to adjust his expectations.
He watched Van go through the motions for several more minutes without prompting her. When he was giving Van instructions she was okay, but on her own...she was clearly uncomfortable. And that tension was translating to Kaia, who was starting to act up.
If Van didn’t get a hold of herself, Kaia was going to take over.
“Stop!” Ty finally yelled across the yard.
Kaia immediately halted, her eyes darting straight to him, her body quivering with anticipation.
Van’s shoulders slumped. She blew a frustrated breath out of her mouth, fluttering the fringe of bangs hanging into her eyes. Her skin was flushed with irritation.
Not a good situation for handler or dog. “Let’s take a break,” Ty suggested, though it really was more of a command.
“No. I want to get this. I will get this.” The determination in her voice might have been endearing if it wasn’t so destructive.
“Van, sometimes it’s better to know when to walk away. You can’t power through everything...or be perfect at everything. Kaia’s had enough for the day. She deserves a treat. Let’s go for a walk.”
* * *
THE TENSION WAS giving her a headache. Ty’s expectations weighed on her. She was used to being top of her class, but at the moment she felt like a complete idiot.
How could she manage her ER staff with authority and ease, but not be able to command a single dog with any sense of confidence?
The more she floundered the more frustrated she became.
And the confusion she saw every time she looked into Kaia’s eyes wasn’t helping.
She had no idea what she was doing, and the more time she spent with Ty and Kaia, the more that was becoming obvious. While Ty commanded the dog with calm efficiency, Van was out of her element.
She didn’t like that sensation at all.
Anxiety coursed through her body, an electrical current crackling across her skin.
And it didn’t help that every time Ty came close, that energy doubled back on her, zapping her like she’d touched metal to a light socket.
She wanted him to touch her. She also wanted him to go away.
He did neither.
“I’ll only be here a little while, Van.”
She didn’t need him pointing out the obvious, especially when it made her stomach feel like a hollow pit.
“I saw a park a couple blocks over when I drove in yesterday. Why don’t we get a change of scenery? It’ll be good for both you and Kaia.”
Van nodded. What else could she do?
She’d lived in the neighborhood for almost three years now. Driven past that park thousands of times. But couldn’t remember visiting once. It wasn’t her kind of place, full of people and kids. Dogs. Women in their little running shorts and matching sports bras.
When she needed stress relief she preferred a nice, clean gym to exercising in the elements. Climate-controlled and structured. That’s what she liked.
Whatever.
“Let me change my shoes.” If they were walking, the sandals she’d slipped on weren’t very practical. Sitting on the end of the bed, she pulled out her running shoes and stared at the laces as she tied double knots.
The rumble of Ty’s voice reached her, not enough to understand the words, but the tone was clear. He was talking to Kaia. She could hear the animation in his voice, inflection that wasn’t present whenever he talked to Van. At least not today.
Four months ago...
The memory of him looming over her in the dark, whispering words against her skin, assaulted her. Dirty words that made her blood sing. Sweet words that had her body melting. Nonsense that actually made all the sense in the world—at least, it had at the time...
Shit.
Screwing her eyes shut, Van pushed the thoughts away. They weren’t productive or helpful. In fact, if she couldn’t get them under control they were going to sabotage her.
A cold nose against her bare leg startled her. Her eyes popped open and looked straight into the warm brown ones staring patiently back at her.
“Good girl, Kaia,” Ty said. He filled the doorway to her bedroom, his wide shoulders pressed against the jamb and his thick arms crossed over the expanse of a muscled chest.
Double shit.
“What are you doing in my bedroom, Ty?” The words came out much more harsh than she’d wanted, tinged with the fear that she wouldn’t be able to control herself with his close proximity to her bed.
“Kaia was getting impatient. Hurry up.”
His dictatorial tone made her want to snap at him, but she bit back the instinct. She would not take the bait.
Growing up, Ty had delighted in making her react. It was a game he liked to play. How quickly could he get her to lose her temper? Back then, the answer was very.
Now, she prided herself on her self-control and no one, especially Ty Colson, was going to make her lose that.
Standing up, she rested a hand on Kaia’s head and spoke to the dog instead of the man. “Well, then, let’s get this show on the road.”
Ty turned and headed back down the hallway ahead of her. Kaia gave a little whimper, her gaze swinging back and forth between the two of them, unsure as to whom she should follow, but finally settling on a position between them.
A plastic bag swung from Ty’s hand, a leash twined between his fingers. At the front door he paused long enough to reach back and clip the end onto the harness Kaia was wearing.
She tried to stay behind Ty and Kaia as they hit the sidewalk in front of her house, but Kaia kept turning around to look at her. Eventually, Ty slowed down, matching his gait to hers and placing Kaia directly between them.
The dog seemed much happier with that arrangement, so Van let it be.
They walked in silence, but that didn’t stop her mind from whirling ninety to nothing.
She could feel him...the masculine vibe that emanated from his entire body. He didn’t even have to try, it was just there.
He was a man. Always had been. Even as a gangly teenager, there’d been something about him...something older than any kid deserved to be.
Van racked her brain for something to talk about, but nothing seemed safe. She didn’t want to discuss her brother, which meant just about every memory, friend and acquaintance they shared was off-limits. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to discuss their interlude in the tree house.
Kaia’s shoulder brushed against her thigh. She watched the dog’s limping stride, and not for the first time felt awed by how completely she compensated for the loss of her limb.
Guilt swamped Van. She should have been paying more attention to Kaia instead of worrying about her own bad mood, and should have walked slowly so the dog wouldn’t have to put in so much effort. Not that it seemed to bother her.
“She’s completely healed?” Van found herself asking, although she hadn’t planned on going there. Thoughts of Kaia’s injuries inevitably led to thoughts of her brother’s death.
“She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. She had to be medically cleared and then psychologically evaluated to ensure she could make a safe pet before the military would consider adopting her out.”
“Oh.”
He’d said something about that before, but Van hadn’t really thought about the process. She knew it had taken some time, but just assumed most of that had been for Kaia to heal from her injuries.
“Are there any residual medical issues? Any medications? Therapy? How can I help her?”
Ty turned, his gaze spearing into hers. She got lost in those stormy-blue eyes for a second, her mind emptying of everything but him...and how he could make her body hum.
Shaking her head, Van tried to pull herself back to reality.
“Nope, she’s fully healed. Nothing you need to do except love her.”
Love her. Why did that thought cause nerves, grief and longing to mix uncomfortably in her belly?
They reached the park. From several feet away, someone called her name.
“Savannah! Hey, Savannah!”
She looked over to find one of her neighbors waving frantically.
Nadine lived two doors down. The week Van had moved in she’d shown up at the door with a plate of brownies and a big smile on her face. She was sweet, nosy and—it didn’t take Van long to realize—the self-appointed neighborhood gossip.
“Did you hear about Mr. Macintosh? Poor thing. He shouldn’t have been trying to clean those gutters himself, though. My son Eric would have been happy to help. I didn’t know you had a dog. And who’s this tall drink of water with you?”
Nadine finally paused, staring up at Van expectantly from where she’d crouched down to pet Kaia’s head.
But before Van could answer, Ty stepped forward. “Ma’am, you should never approach a dog without permission from the owner.”
“Oh.” Nadine blinked and then scrambled up. “I’m sorry. I suppose you’re right. I’ve just never met a dog I didn’t like.”
There was something about the mega-watt smile Nadine flashed that set Van’s teeth on edge. Along with the neighborhood gossip, she was also known as the neighborhood flirt.
“What happened to the poor thing?”
