Rounding toward the inlet that connected to the Potomac, Tank started pulling hard. “Yo! Tank. Hey. This isn’t the charity race, you’re not on a bungee,” Dakota called.
Tank looked back tongue long, panting hard, sending Dakota the signal that he should pick up the pace.
Dakota scanned for something that would have excited Tank, maybe some birds gliding low over the path.
The only thing of interest Dakota could spot was the two women, one in a yellow kayak and one in a red kayak, paddling to shore. The air filled with their laughter as they stepped out in water shoes, with dry-bag packs on their backs over bright turquoise life vests.
And that’s when Dakota felt the zap that floated distance between his atoms.
That was Rylee Jones. It had to be.
At the same time, Jasper backslapped Dakota. “That’s Neesa Meesang. Come on.”
Rylee held something up in the air, and Neesa fell against her friend, laughing.
Tank barked a look-at-me bark that pulled the women’s attention around.
“Tank!” Neesa called out, squatting with her arms wide.
When Dakota dropped the lead and signaled a release, Tank shot off like a rocket toward the women as the men jogged to catch up.
It was interesting that Tank briefly greeted Neesa, whom he knew from the search the other day, but he was full-body wiggling and whining as he circled, greeting Rylee.
As they closed the distance, Dakota’s heart pounded in his chest, and butterflies rioted in his stomach.
“Hey!” Neesa called. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“This is right outside my office,” Jasper pointed behind them, then brought his hands to his hips. “Beautiful spot.”
Both men were breathing heavily from the sprint, catching up to Tank.
Tank was fine. Tank was standing there with his eyes half-shut as both women massaged and patted and scritched his fur.
Ah, the life of a dog.
“Hi, I’m Dakota Kayne,” Dakota said as he reached out a hand to Rylee.
Dakota was expecting an electrical shock, but it was quite the opposite sensation. Despite being wet from the river, her hand was delicate and warm in his. There was strength and certainty in her grip. But he read confusion in her eyes.
“This is Tank,” he said.
“Tank, the amazing sniffer.” Rylee had a warm, inviting smile that brightened her face. Her intelligence shone in the depth of her chocolate brown eyes.
For a moment, Dakota forgot to breathe.
He hadn’t released her hand.
“And this is Jasper Lee.”
Rylee nodded his way with “Jasper,” as a greeting, then she tightened her hand on Dakota’s. “Dakota, we know each other, don’t we?” She squinted her eyes and tipped her head, taking a step closer to him. “You are so familiar to me.”
She let her hand drop.
Neesa turned and, with a flourish like she was presenting a work of art at an auction house, said, “Gentlemen, this is Rylee Jones. You all keep missing each other, but now you finally meet.”
“Rylee Jones,” Jasper said, “we are indebted. I’m sorry things turned shitty last night. We wanted to invite you for a drink to toast your heroism.”
Rylee suddenly stumbled forward into Dakota. With Dakota steadying her by her elbows, she spun to see that Tank had pushed her forward. When she pulled back, she swiped her hands over his chest, where her life vest had left two wet splotches in his T-shirt. “I am so sorry.”
