Page 32

THE SNOW HAD stopped by evening, leaving the fields at K-9 Ranch glittering under the floodlights. Daniel steered his truck past the main house into the gravel lot, headlights sweeping over the barn and kennels before he parked near the training yard. A chorus of barks greeted their arrival. Pirate barked once from the back seat, and Luna’s eager yips answered him.

Polly laughed softly beside Daniel, tugging her knit cap lower over her ears. “She knows where she is. I don’t know if it’s the treats or the friends she’s made here, but Luna loves going to school.”

“Not sure what Pirate’s thinking,” Daniel muttered. “I think he was excited about a playdate, but now he’s probably on guard against all the other dogs he doesn’t know yet.”

“Don’t worry,” Polly reassured him. She reached into the back seat to scratch Pirate around his perked-up ears, soothing him, too. “All the dogs are kenneled except for the ones having a lesson. Except for the family pets who are generally inside the house, and Rex. He’s a big Anatolian shepherd who guards the property. Chances are, he’ll take a look at us, see we’re not a threat and head back into the barn where it’s warm.”

Daniel’s gaze took in their surroundings, from the other vehicles parked in the lot to the lights blazing in the apartment built above the barn to the familiar broad-shouldered silhouette of the man striding out from between the kennel buildings. He shouted an order to the long-legged tan dog standing at the open door of the barn. The big guard dog cocked his head as if figuratively rolling his eyes at just who was in charge here. He uttered one deep-pitched woof, then turned and sauntered back inside.

“That must be Rex,” Daniel observed.

“Uh-huh.”

“Guess we’re not a threat.”

She chuckled. “I think it’s more that he relies on whatever Ben tells him to do.” Polly unbuckled and turned in her seat to face him. The hint of her smile was still there, but her eyebrows knit together as if she wasn’t sure he’d like what she was about to say. “I usually work with the ranch’s owner, Jessie Caldwell. But I asked if Ben Hunter could be our trainer this evening since you know him from your veterans’ group. I figured you’d be more comfortable working with him.”

He would. He’d interacted with enough strangers today at the clinic—none that had proved to be any kind of threat—many who had been quite taken with Pirate hanging around doing the job of an emotional support animal. Daniel had been fine as long as he could keep his back to the wall and focus on watching the steady flow of people in and around the clinic. But he imagined he’d always be more comfortable being around smaller groups of people. He reached out to squeeze Polly’s hand where it rested on her lap. “That was considerate of you. Thanks.”

The tension in her expression vanished and was replaced by a full-blown smile that hit him like a ray of sunshine poking through a cloudy sky. “Good.” She squeezed his hand in return before reaching behind her to open her door. “Let’s go.”

They got out together, their boots crunching on the thin crust of ice. Daniel opened the back door, and the dogs jumped out, Pirate deliberate and perhaps a little unsure, Luna a bouncing blur of puppy energy as they hooked their leashes on them.

Ben Hunter approached the truck. His long, trimmed beard revealed a smirking glimpse of a smile that reminded her of another veteran she knew. He wore his camo jacket open despite the cold, the hook of his prosthetic arm hanging from the end of his sleeve. “Miss Cooper. Brought reinforcements, I see.” His grin widened. “Glad you both made it.” He held up his gloved hand in a fist and uttered a single word. “Hold.”

Pirate froze at the sharp command and relaxed into a sit position beside Daniel. Luna continued to dance around, until Polly tugged on her leash. Her girl immediately stilled, but it wasn’t until she saw Pirate’s reaction that she sank back into a sit, too. Goofy girl. Full of pure joy, not unlike her owner. Daniel tightened Pirate’s lead, proud of his own dog, impressed that the mutt obeyed so quickly.

“I’ll go run some energy off of this one,” Polly offered, “while Ben introduces you to the ranch and explains the process to you.”

After Polly and Luna trotted off toward the barn, Ben extended his hand to shake Daniel’s. “Welcome to K-9 Ranch, Daniel. You look better than the last time I saw you at St. Luke’s. Less uptight. Less like you’re about to blow your top.” He flicked a glance at Polly before returning it to Daniel. “Not sure if it’s the dog or the woman with you—but whatever it is, keep it up.”

Daniel shrugged, but the words caught him in the chest. “Maybe both. I don’t feel like the world’s all gloom and doom tonight. Feel a little less like such a runaway train plowing through everything.”

Ben’s grin softened. “That’s good to hear.”

“Where’s Rocky?” Daniel asked. It was rare to see the retired Delta Force sergeant without his black German shepherd.

“I left him upstairs with my wife.” He thumbed over his shoulder toward the apartment. “He’s a little intense for working with a puppy. Shall we get started?”

They moved into the training yard. Ben put Pirate through a calmness test first, tossing a ball across the yard while he had Polly and Luna walk past with squeaky toys and a treat bag. Pirate didn’t flinch until Daniel gave him the release word. He trotted out, retrieved the ball, wheedled a reward out of Polly and then sat neatly, tail wagging.

“Solid foundation,” Ben said with a nod. “I can tell he’s had some training. This guy’s therapy material. Just needs a little polish.”

Next, Luna squirmed through a sit-stay, wiggling her hindquarters until Polly crouched to steady her. At Ben’s direction, Polly worked recall—backing twenty feet away with a treat, calling, “Luna, come!” The puppy barreled across the snow, sliding into Polly’s arms with such gusto that Polly laughed and praised her until Luna wriggled with pride.

Daniel found himself grinning at the sound. He’d seen Polly calm and shy, professional and kind. He’d seen her cautious and afraid. But seeing her laugh like that—open and bright—did something to him. It woke something inside him that he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel again. Hope. The ability to forget about his own shortcomings and to smile. He was beginning to think he’d give just about anything to be part of Polly Cooper’s world—not just as her protector, not just as her friend—but as her man. Her partner. He wanted to be hers just as much as he wanted Polly to be his.

For the next half hour, they worked through exercises, alternating commands and play. Pirate impressed Ben with his patience, while Luna improved with each recall, even if she still plowed into snowbanks and came up sneezing.

Finally, Ben blew the whistle to end the session. “Pirate could easily get certified with a little more training, specific to what you need him to do. Wake you when you have a nightmare. Lean against your leg or touch you with his paw to keep you hooked to reality when a flashback hits. Always sweep to your blind side so you don’t feel like the enemy is sneaking up on you.”

“He does some of that naturally.” Daniel praised his sidekick, releasing Pirate from his last Stay command and throwing a snowball for him to chase.

Ben shook Daniel’s hand and clapped his shoulder with his prosthetic. “I’ll talk to my boss, Jessie, about getting him in the next program cycle.”

“Appreciate it,” Daniel said.

Ben tipped his head toward Polly and Luna. “And keep at it with her. She’s got the commands down. She just needs to work through some of that puppy energy to concentrate and be consistent.”