Chapter 7 #2
Reynolds studied her for a long moment. “You understand the commitment involved? SAR certification isn’t a weekend course. It’s months of intensive training.”
“I understand, sir.” What was she if not committed to her place in the world? “I’ve actually been considering joining a volunteer SAR organization.”
That got his attention. “Have you?”
“Yes, sir.” She straightened her shoulders. He didn’t have to know she’d only started thinking about the next steps after certification this morning while waiting on Noah to show up.
Reynolds’s expression shifted slightly. Was that approval? “The department has been looking to expand our K-9 capabilities. Budget’s always been the issue, but a certified volunteer handler within the ranks would be great.”
Hope fluttered in her chest. Maybe she hadn’t screwed everything up after all. And maybe her late-night research wasn’t just wishful thinking.
“I can put together a training schedule,” Noah offered. “One that won’t interfere with her regular duties.”
Reynolds nodded slowly. “Have you started the application process?”
“Not yet, sir.” Sabrina met his gaze steadily. “But I will. Today.”
“See that you do.” Reynolds’s tone carried a warning, but his eyes had softened slightly. “And, West? Next time you want to investigate something off your assigned route, clear it through proper channels first.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Reynolds walked away, Sabrina sucked in a lungful of air. Noah’s hand brushed her lower back so briefly she might have imagined it, but the warmth of that touch spread through her whole body.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
“Better than okay.” And she meant it. For the first time in her career, she felt like she was choosing a path not just to prove something but because she genuinely wanted it. “Though we should probably actually do some training now that we’ve committed to that story.”
The evidence team finished their collection, carefully bagging the cap while Noah filled out his portion of the chain of custody forms. She should probably be heading back to her regular patrol route, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to walk away.
“I have some training scenarios mapped out,” Noah said as the last police vehicle pulled away. “If you’re interested in getting started right away.”
Reynolds had drifted toward his own vehicle but still stood within earshot. Interesting that he hadn’t ordered her back to work yet.
“I’m not big on waiting once I decide to do something.” She caught Noah’s answering grin, and heat crawled up her neck.
“I’ve noticed that about you.” His voice carried that same edge that had drawn her in from the beginning. The one that said he saw right through her professional facade to the woman underneath who craved adventure as much as he did.
“When’s your next training session?” Reynolds called, his meaning clear. Get back to work, but not without sorting out the details first.
“Tomorrow morning,” Noah answered smoothly. “Assuming Officer West is available.”
“She’ll be there.” Reynolds strode to his vehicle. “Keep me updated on your progress, West.”
She watched Reynolds walk away, knowing she’d dodged a bullet.
If he’d really wanted to make an issue of her overstepping into police jurisdiction, he could have written her up.
The fact that he’d accepted Noah’s explanation and even supported the SAR certification idea felt like a gift she’d better not waste.
She was really doing this.
She watched Noah interact easily with his dog, her mind spinning with possibilities.
The things she’d been reading about SAR work suddenly felt more real, more achievable.
And the career advantages weren’t lost on her either.
She mentally tallied the points in her favor—her wilderness experience, her physical conditioning, and now potentially SAR certification.
Bonner wouldn’t know what hit him when the selection committee met.
Still, something tugged at her. Noah and Dancer’s seamless partnership spoke to a part of her she usually kept locked away. The part that sometimes got tired of doing everything alone, of being fiercely independent because she had no other choice.
Sometimes it sucked to never have anyone.
But it also sucked to have someone and then find out he couldn’t handle it when she brought the thunder. So she’d gotten used to counting on one person—herself.
“Hey.” Noah’s low voice skated across her skin. “What’s going on? You seem distressed.”
His gaze hooked hers, warm and not the slightest bit intrusive. He brushed back a strand of hair as if he did that kind of thing often, both paying enough attention to notice hair out of place and casually touching her.
She liked both.
“Just thinking about what Reynolds said. About the commitment involved.” She hesitated, then decided to be honest. “I guess I wasn’t sure I was ready to take that leap before. It’s not just the training. It’s—”
Well, that she could barely spell commitment, let alone fathom the requirements for it.
“Learning to rely on a partner?”
“Maybe.” She matched his steady gaze, daring him to make something out of it. Hoping he would, if for no other reason than to give her an outlet for the steam building inside.
He just shook his head. “You’re already aces at that. If I thought you’d have a single lick of trouble bonding with an SAR dog, I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
Jamming a hand down on her hip, she eyed him. “What are you babbling about? How do you know I’m already good at working with a partner?”
“Because you work with me, Sabrina,” he told her gently, drawing her hand into his and raising it to his mouth in a gesture that should have been weird but felt so natural, as if his lips had been made for that hollow near her thumb. “We’re a good team. Don’t bother to deny it. You feel it too.”
Her face did a thing without her permission that probably looked like agreement to him. She might have even nodded against her will.
Oh, who was she kidding? It was dumb to pretend she didn’t know exactly what he was talking about, even if she couldn’t quite reconcile the truth herself. “Yeah. Okay. You might have a point.”
“Faint praise.” He laughed, totally unfazed. “Obviously I have some work to do to get you to see it my way. Challenge accepted.”
Good grief. This guy.
“Maybe less than you think.” She tilted her head, studying him.
“If any other man had stepped in like that with my commander, he’d be on the ground bleeding out.
Since you’re still in one piece, we’re gonna chalk that up to whatever this thing is going on between us.
I don’t hate it. You had my back when it counted. ”
“That’s what partners do. Dogs and human ones.
” The words carried weight, even though his tone stayed light.
“I’m a totally separate package from the SAR cert training, by the way.
You have my offer to help regardless of what happens between us.
But I’m selfish enough to hope that you take me up on everything I’m offering. ”
“What’s that?”
He spread his hands wide with a flourish. “You see it, it’s yours.”
That sounded remarkably like a label. “Can I write Sabrina across your forehead with a Sharpie?”
His brow lifted. “No. Too public. What goes on between us is no one else’s business. Pick a spot I can cover up and the answer is yes.”
She’d been kidding. But there was something so elemental about his total willingness to be claimed that she couldn’t quite dismiss the idea from her mind.
All of this heaviness should have given her pause. Instead, she found herself taking a step closer. “Maybe we’ll save that for next week.”
“It’s a date,” he said, his voice rasping deliciously.
“Does that mean you’re going to teach me all your SAR secrets?” she asked, trying to lighten the suddenly charged atmosphere.
His answering grin did funny things to her insides. “Every single one. Your next day off. It’s mine.”
“I’ll be there.” The promise came easily now, weighted with possibility.
She had no illusions about what she was getting into. SAR certification would demand everything she had—physically, mentally, emotionally. It would mean long hours, brutal conditions and learning to be a permanent part of a team.
That she could handle.
But could she handle everything Noah would demand of her? She had a feeling she’d barely scratched the surface of what the man was capable of, and not just the stuff that was SAR-related.
He had depth he’d only barely begun to show her, of that she had no doubt. The roller coaster still had screamingly steep drops visible on the horizon, and the train had barely left the station.
Good thing she liked thrill rides.