Chapter 11
Noah’s truck tires squealed as he skidded between the lines and shuddered to a halt in the parking lot at the training course near his house. It was probably time to replace his tires, which he had to do about every six months the way he drove, but oh well.
It was finally Saturday, Sabrina’s day off. And she’d be here for her first SAR training session in exactly fifty-seven minutes.
Yeah, his steps might be a little lighter than normal because of it. So what?
The sun wouldn’t make an appearance for a while yet, so Noah shoved a headlamp over his ball cap. The beam caught chunks of ice crystals in the frosted grass, making them sparkle like someone had scattered diamonds across the field.
It was like a fairy world. Perfect.
Jacob’s unsolicited, unwelcome and one hundred percent not wrong advice had been pinballing around in his chest, looking for a place to land since the NPS office ambush the other day.
It was times like these—when he wanted to believe that something mystical and maybe a little implausible might happen—that he wished he could push everything his brother had said out of his brain.
But then he remembered the string of women he’d dated over the years, all of whom had run screaming for the hills when he laid it on too thick. He was a romantic. Why did everyone have a problem with that?
Well, Sabrina hadn’t proven to be one of them. Not yet. And he needed to spend time with her to find out if they were on the same page.
He wanted to spend time with her. So it all worked out in the end.
Dancer sat at perfect heel position while Noah laid out basic equipment—long leads, training bumpers, scent articles. This would be the first test of Sabrina and Ripley’s partnership. And his skill in matching them.
They’d all pass. He had no doubt.
Headlights swept across the field and his pulse kicked into overdrive as Sabrina’s USFS vehicle pulled in five minutes early. Looked like someone else had been eager to get here too.
She emerged in black workout leggings and a purple fleece jacket that hugged her athletic body.
The blue dress had been his favorite look on her until now.
The sun chose that exact moment to peek over the mountain ridge behind her, creating a halo effect that belonged in one of those Renaissance paintings of angels.
It was a sign. This thing between them had the blessings of the heavens. Who was he to ignore that?
“Officer West, I hardly recognized you in your civilian clothes,” he joked as she jogged over, Ripley bounding at her heels with enough enthusiasm to power a small city. “Ready to start your SAR journey?”
“Oh, I already started. I’ve been up since four.” Her smile took on a glittering edge. “Fair warning. I studied everything. Stand back for the best trainee you’ve ever seen. Ripley and I are gonna tear the place up.”
She bounced on her feet like a prizefighter, throwing fake punches, and it would not surprise him at all if she did sock him in the gut.
“Whoa, there. Let’s leave the violence to the professionals,” he said, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. “There’s no first day test. This is just a warm-up until you get accepted into the SAR program.”
She slanted him a look. “Are you telling me to reel it back in?” She said it like she’d spit out the nastiest phrase on the planet.
All at once, he felt precarious, as if he’d wound up on the edge of an abyss, only to realize at the last second that he’d almost stepped out into nothingness. “I would never say that to you.”
“It sounded a lot like you were.” A fine thread of indictment ran through her tone.
Mayday! He needed to wave a white flag, pronto, but with style and enough sincerity that they didn’t have to go through this again.
“Hey,” he murmured softly and held out his hand. “Come here.”
She eyed his outstretched hand. And then eyed him, giving him serious vibes as if she might leave him hanging. But then she rolled her shoulders and slid her hand into his, fingers tangling.
Pulling her close was easy. She fit up against him, even as bristly as she was, which needed to go, like yesterday.
Noah brushed a thumb across her cheek, his other arm firm in place at her waist, letting his smile communicate exactly how much he’d been looking forward to getting her in exactly this place, her heat warming him nicely on this frosty morning.
“This is me,” he told her. “You want to ace this course your first time out? Do it. You want to beat every time me and Dancer have ever put up? I’ll hold the stop watch.”
Her gaze still snapped with challenge. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t look away. And wouldn’t, no matter how hard she tried to freeze him out with her icy blue eyes.
It was important to him that she knew he could take it.
“Because it sounded like you were saying the opposite.”
“Rookie mistake,” he countered easily. “It was meant to relax you so that you didn’t put so much pressure on yourself. Ripley is new. She might be a disaster the first time and that’s not a reflection on you.”
Slowly, her spine had started to relax and the ice in her vibe got a little less arctic. “Isn’t it? You picked her for me. She’s already got the seal of approval. I’m the untried one here.”
Was that what this was about? He resisted the urge to kiss away the slight downturn to her lips. Though he knew he could if she’d let him, she needed to hear his words, not be distracted.
“If you want to prove to yourself that you’ve got what it takes, I’m gonna release you and stand back so you can crush it. I’ll take lots of pictures. But there’s nothing for you to prove to me. I already think you’re amazing.”
She blinked, confusion and a billion other emotions battling across her face. “You do?”
Man, she was killing him.
This was Sabrina West in full vulnerability mode, and he did not mistake it as anything other than a huge gift that she’d let him see this glimpse into her soul.
“I do,” he murmured and that’s when he brushed his lips across her forehead.
That turned her polar ice caps into puddles. Her whole body just…unspooled, going slack against him, her lithe frame feeling like heaven against his as he took her weight, hefting her even closer with the arm she’d never removed from her waist.
He counted that as much of a win as the rest.
Because what was this but another sign? Jacob’s warnings had some merit, sure, but Noah had never felt like this with another woman.
As if he could fly. As if he could help her fly.
That’s what he’d seen his whole life between his parents—two people united in everything, supporting each other, loving each other, understanding each other.
“Sorry,” she murmured against his heavy fleece pullover. “I forgot for a second that you’re not normal.”
He had to laugh at that. “I’ve never felt so oddly complimented in my life.”
“Are we going to like, do any dog stuff or stand here all day?” she asked him, her own arms tight around him. “Because I’m trying to figure out which one I’d pick, and right now, it’s stand here.”
He rested his head against hers, enjoying their height difference. “Standing here is very nice, I completely agree. But I already know you’re a champion hugger. I want to see what you do with Ripley.”
“Kay.” She levered her face up to his and pressed a long kiss against his lips that he had to fight to keep chaste.
This was her show. He was just here for the moral support.
Finally, she stepped back. “All right, crisis is over. Show me everything.”
That was it? Their first fight and it was just…done? Man, he could get used to this. And how well he’d handled it, if he did say so himself. Before he could get busy patting himself on the back, he had more important things to do, like dog stuff.
“First things first.” He gestured to where Dancer sat demonstrating perfect form, patiently waiting for the humans to get their act together. “The foundation of SAR work is the bond between handler and dog. Everything builds from there.”
Sabrina nodded, her gaze on him in that way she had that made him feel like the only person in her world. “You and Dancer have that. I noticed it right away.”
“We’ll start with proper heel position.” He demonstrated with Dancer, explaining how the dog should stay on the left side, shoulder aligned with the handler’s leg. “Consistency is crucial in the field. It builds trust, creates a rhythm between you. That’s how you create a bond.”
She summoned Ripley to her side and the dog pressed against her leg instantly, looking up with complete adoration. Yeah, he’d made the right call. Ripley needed someone extraordinary, who could match her drive, her enthusiasm, her fierce heart.
And vice versa.
“Like this?” Sabrina asked.
“Exactly like that.” He moved behind her, his hands settling on her hips to adjust her stance slightly, his fingers lingering because, man, she felt good. “You want your weight balanced, ready to move in any direction.”
She glanced over her shoulder as his fingers traced up her sides, her sharp intake of breath telling him that she’d noticed his position. And how nicely it worked. “Is this a training session or an excuse to get your hands on me?”
“Both?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek, just because he could. “I’m excellent at multitasking.”
She laughed, the sound skating across his skin. “I see how you are. This is a ploy, isn’t it? To keep me from learning so I can’t beat your times.” She snapped her fingers. “Less flirting, more training.”
“Yes, ma’am.” But he kept one hand on the small of her back as he moved beside her to demonstrate the hand signals. “These commands need to be crystal clear and consistent. Your dog has to trust that you’ll always give the same cues.”
“Trust,” Sabrina repeated, something flickering in her expression. “That’s not something I have a lot of experience with. Giving it or accepting it.”
“It’ll come in time. The right partner will be patient with you.”