Josh nodded and stretched his arm out, his fingers splayed in invitation.
Forcing herself to breathe steadily, she accepted his hand and almost forgot how to walk.
“While you two are checking the breakers, I’ll call Clint.” Alice reached for her cell phone. “Make sure the barn’s okay and the water tanks are still working.”
As if summoned by sheer will, the back door opened and Clint came in. “Glad to see the house generator is working.” Stepping softly, he sidled up to Alice and gave her a quick peck on the lips, softly speaking, “You okay?”
Alice smiled up at him, her face softer than it had been with them. “Not my first blackout.”
“No.” He chuckled and kissed her on the tip of her nose.
“We’re on our way to check the breakers.” Josh gently squeezed her hand and Katie would have sworn in a court of law that all reasonable thought, including her own name, just leaked out her ears.
“Great. I’ll grab a flashlight and head out to make sure the barn generator is working and check the water pumps. If it turns out to be the breaker box, I’ll be back.”
With one more quick kiss, Clint turned and walked out the back door as they walked down the rear hall. Content to have her hand held tightly in Josh’s, Katie didn’t mind admitting that if it meant getting to hold Josh’s hand, she’d be perfectly happy if the lights never came back on. This was so not what she had expected from her visit to ranch country—seriously not what she’d expected.
Chapter Fourteen
The heavenly silence in the kitchen this morning was a welcome reprieve from the loud hum of the generator most of last night. Though Josh did need to thank whatever power company had blown the grid long enough for him to be able to walk hand in hand with Katie in search of the panel box. It was absolutely ludicrous how completely at peace and at home he felt with her hand in his. The warmth, the smallness enfolded in his large palm, the rhythmic sway of their arms with each step. He couldn’t remember feeling so… good, so right, about… everything.
Leaning against the counter, Josh pulled out his cell phone. Alice and Clint had taken the truck into town early to pick up some much needed supplies. Maybe the tendency for all things ranch and all things military to start so blasted early in the morning was why being here had come so much more easily than he’d expected. From the corner of his eye he spotted Katie coming down the stairs. Then again, maybe early morning ranch life had nothing to do with his good mood.
“Hey man, what’s up?” Kade’s voice dragged his attention away from his love life, or potential love life, and back to the matter at hand.
In only a few minutes, he’d brought his buddy up to speed on yesterday’s events at the pharmacy. “I’m telling you, Kade, hedidn’t even flinch. Luke had his arms wrapped around that dog’s neck for so long I lost track of time. The kid was rocking and squeezing him tight. Raider just laid there and took it.”
On the other end of the line, Kade let out a low whistle. “That’s the restraint test, Josh. Most military working dogs fail that one because they see being held down as a threat. If he cleared that with a stranger—and a stressed-out kid at that—he’s already ahead of the curve.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Josh straightened, testing his balance. Solid. No spin. “So, what’s next? If I want to prove to whoever matters that he’s therapy dog material, what do I need to determine?”
“Therapy dogs isn’t my specialty, but there are some basics that you should check. First, recovery from startle. Drop a metal pan behind him. See if he recovers or goes into defense mode. And obedience transfer. He listens to you, and he listens to me, but a therapy dog has to listen to the handler in charge, even if that person changes.”
“Got it.”
“Most important is to stay aware of him. He may have been great with Luke yesterday, but he’s trained to bite bad guys. Don’t set him up to fail.”
“I won’t.”
The floorboards creaked and Josh turned to find Katie stepping into the kitchen. Dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, her hair pulled back in that messy ponytail, she somehow managed to look better than any woman he’d ever seen.
She smiled, pointing to the coffee pot.
“I’ve got to run, Kade.” Josh watched her pour two mugs. “I’ll call back later to keep you posted.”
“Roger that. Stay safe.”
Katie turned, extending a mug. “Black.”
“Thanks.” He smiled. Their fingers brushed briefly, reminding him once again of how right it felt last night in the dark. “That was Kade. I was picking his brain about Raider.”
“Does he agree with us about therapy work?”
“Could be.” Josh set the mug down on the counter. “Kade gave me a list of how to test his suitability for the job. We’ve already unintentionally done the hug test with Luke.”
Katie sipped her coffee, looking over the rim, and nodded.
“The testing is a two man job. Care to help me run him through his paces?”
