Ultimate Courage

by Piper J. Drake

  She nodded. “But you work with both breeds?”

  “They tend to have the traits we’re looking for when we’re training working dogs.” He leaned against the door frame and waited. She didn’t seem to be trying to delay, but she wasn’t rushing to pick a dog to meet, either. “But we would work with other breeds if the dogs themselves had what it takes for the job they need to do. We do assessments when we acquire the dogs.”

  She looked at each of the dogs, her face a strange play of expressions. “They’re all pretty intimidating.”

  True. He considered how to address that, though, because he wouldn’t soften what any of the dogs were and it didn’t have to be a bad thing. “The dogs we train go on to perform very specific duties, some in active combat situations. Aggression, prey drive, intelligence, and other traits are absolutely necessary to the survival of their human team and to them. That said, we’re also careful to socialize them. We teach them the difference between friend and foe, when they’re on duty and when they’re not. Our dogs aren’t vicious, indiscriminate killers the way some can mistake them for.”

  She shook her head. “None of them look…crazy or anything. They’re just intimidating.” She let out a shaky laugh. “Honestly, getting to know dogs like these would go a long way toward making me feel safe, if they liked me.”

  He’d take that. It was actually a fairly positive attitude. At least she wasn’t afraid, and wary was smart. “I can’t promise they’ll like you, but I’ve found dogs are generally good judges of character.”

  “Huh.” She drew in a breath and let it out. “Then they’ve got better instincts than I do.”

  There went her confidence again. Not too long ago, she’d been determined to give herself a chance to judge people correctly. The moment he thought he had a solid read on her, she shifted gears.

  “I don’t know about that.” He didn’t go closer, but he did lean in until he caught her attention and drew her gaze back to him. She had to look up through long lashes to do it, and if she’d lifted her chin, she’d have been within easy reach for a kiss. But he was not going to think about that and focused instead on how she was making eye contact more readily now. Good progress for a day. Bad manners on his part, thinking about totally inappropriate things, no matter how pretty the curve of her lips was. He tried what he thought might be an encouraging smile. “You gave this job a shot and survived the day. It could be a good fit.”

  She gave him a small smile in return, her sweet lips curving even more temptingly. “We’ll call it a work in progress, then.”

  Someone or several someones had done way too much damage to this woman. Whether she decided to stay on for the job or not, he wanted to offer at least one reassurance that she’d believe.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure about one thing.” He tried for every drop of articulate skill he had. “What comes next is your choice and no matter what you decide, it’ll be the right thing for you.”

  Chapter Four

  Elisa stared at him as his words sank in.

  He hadn’t tried to convince her to trust him, or even any of the people she’d be working with. And somehow, it made her want to. Trust him, at least.

  Alex Rojas had no way of knowing what she’d escaped from, but she wasn’t delusional enough to imagine a perceptive person like him couldn’t figure it out. She hadn’t had enough time to work through her reactions and get them under control yet. Too little time and too many experiences fresh in not only her mind, but her muscle memory.

  Perceptive, intelligent men were a threat to her. She should leave before she was too tempted to stay. This was how she’d gotten into trouble in the first place.

  Practicality made her grab that reaction and get a handle on it. Well, that and a hint of courage. She was standing in the middle of the most unpredictable place she could think of. She needed a job, and this one had a lot of benefits to it. It was a veritable sanctuary if she had the protection of these employers and their dogs. And her hands itched to dive into their paperwork and put some organization into the way this place was run. She could always leave if it started to go down the familiar path.

  My choice.

  Steadied, she returned her attention to the dogs. One in particular stood out to her. He hadn’t come right up to the kennel’s door, wagging his tail, but he was watching her. His eyes had tracked every movement she made, and it might’ve creeped her out but he’d just been lying relaxed in his kennel. He gave her the impression of polite interest. Not too scary and not too friendly, either. Reserved.

  “I’d like to meet this dog, please.” She stepped toward the kennel. The way the big dog’s ears came up was encouraging, a good sign in dogs like him. At least, she thought so. Eyes and ears focused in her direction. Not dangerous, just…intense. The impact of being the center focus of his attention hit her in the chest. Wow. He still hadn’t risen from his relaxed spot on the cool kennel floor.

  Alex joined her, standing close but not crowding her. “Okay. Can you step back so I can bring Souze out?”

  Souze. It was an unusual name. She did as asked, mulling over the dog’s name as she did and moving a few feet away.

  Alex took a long leash off a nearby hook, and she noted that every kennel had a similar hook with a leash handy. When she’d first come in, she hadn’t noticed them, but she guessed it was a lot more convenient than storing them all at one end of the row of kennels or another.

  Opening the kennel’s door, Alex murmured a few words. His tone was calm, firm. Not sweet or coaxing, the way she’d heard some people talk to their dogs in public parks or stores. And Souze’s attention was completely on him, where other dogs in her experience were too busy looking at everything around them to pay attention to their owners.

  Souze rose to his feet and crossed the few steps to Alex, then sat in response to another quiet command. The big dog even turned his head slightly so Alex could easily hook the leash to his collar. A moment later, Alex was leading him out into the hallway area.

  “Why don’t we all walk over to the training field?” Alex jerked his head, indicating a direction over his shoulder. “Plenty of room, no distractions, and the others won’t get jealous.”

  So considerate. It hadn’t even occurred to her that the other dogs might be jealous of seeing attention given to one of them and not all of them. But then, her mom’s friends had a pair of little Dachshunds that spite-peed any time a person picked one up and not the other. It was probably wise not to inspire such behavior in bigger dogs.

  Had to be a lot of pee.

  She followed Alex out of the kennel hallway and across a yard. There was another fenced area, probably the training field. It was a wide open expanse of grass, clear of trees and shrubs. The fence took her by surprise, though. “I’m guessing having a fenced-in field is important when you’re training dogs—maybe to let them off their leashes or something—but it’s taller than me. Why build the fence so high?”

  Alex walked a few yards into the training field and grinned at her as she closed the gate behind her. “Any of these dogs could jump a normal fence.”

  Wow. “So you’re keeping them from running?”

  He shrugged. “None of the dogs would run from a trainer so much as decide to go after something. They’ve got really strong prey drives. Spotting a squirrel or rabbit on the other side of the fence is a big temptation, especially early in their training when they’re still working on discipline.”

  “So having a fence that tall will stop them from going after whatever caught their attention?” There was something else she was missing. Alex was grinning too wide for it to be that simple.

  “You’re close, but it’s easier to show you than tell you. Besides, Souze could use the easy exertion after being in the kennel all morning.” He bent and whispered something to the dog. One big ear swiveled to listen. Alex reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a tennis ball. The dog’s gaze locked onto the tennis ball, and a fine tremor passed through the dog�
�s entire body. Suddenly, the dog was eager and ready. “Just stay where you are and watch.”

  Then Alex removed the leash. Souze stood still, his complete attention on the trainer. Alex drew back his arm and tossed the tennis ball over the fence then uttered a single word. “Brrring.”

  Souze exploded forward. He was a black-and-tan blur, covering the ground to the fence in seconds. When he reached the fence, he gathered his hind legs under him and launched upward, catching the chain link in his paws. Perched high up on the fence, the dog proceeded to climb the rest of the way to the top. Once he got there, he dove from the top of the fence to the ground on the other side and snatched up the tennis ball. He looked back at Alex and returned the same way he’d come.

  Once Souze was back at Alex’s side, Elisa let out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding.

  Alex looked at her. “Climbing the fence takes them longer than jumping straight over. We’ve got a little more time to react if one of them gets over excited and decides to go up and over.”

  “Does that happen a lot?” It’d been exciting to see, actually. She wondered if all of their training was as interesting.

  “Not once they’ve completed obedience training.” Alex cocked his head to one side. “Mostly it’s the puppies and their attention span. They all learn quickly, though, so as early as six months, they’re solid with obedience and already have a decent foundation in some of the more advanced training.”

  “How old is…Souze?” Remembering the dog’s name wasn’t hard, but her tongue tripped over it as she tried to say it. Besides, she wasn’t sure how the dog would react to her saying his name.

  The dog in question remained unconcerned. His attention was on Alex, or possibly on the pocket in which Alex had stowed the tennis ball. She tried not to follow the dog’s gaze since staring at her potentially new boss’s groin didn’t seem like the best of ideas.

  “Good question.” Alex motioned for her to approach. “He’s about a year old, closer to thirteen months.”

  Elisa took a few steps closer, standing where Alex pointed. “Is he full grown, then?”

  “I’ll answer in a second. Hold your hand out in a loose fist first and keep talking to me,” Alex instructed. “Let him make the choice to close the space between you and sniff. Don’t lean in on him.”

  Okay, then. She gazed up into brown eyes the color of caramel and realized her mouth was hanging open. Suddenly, her brain blanked, and she had no idea what line of conversation she’d been following with her previous questions or how to continue. “Wh-what were we talking about again?”

  Great. Fantastic.

  Her cheeks burned as she snapped her mouth shut on her own inane question. Belatedly, she remembered she’d been the one asking questions.

  Thankfully, Alex didn’t laugh…out loud. Humor shone in the crinkles around his eyes and at the corner of his mouth. He was fighting not to grin. Of course, if he had one of those lopsided grins maybe his amusement at her expense would be worth it. She was a sucker for a hot guy with a lopsided grin.

  Which was not anything she should be considering right now. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up with a man, and why, oh why was she constantly wandering back to considering bad ideas?

  When a cool, slightly wet nose touched the back of her hand, she almost jumped out of her skin. As it was, she managed not to jerk her hand back, but she did gasp and look down, locking gazes with Souze. The big dog had jerked back a few inches and was looking up at her with a wary expression.

  She gulped and really hoped she hadn’t blown it. This was probably the first job interview where her ability to make friends was part of the job description.

  “I’m sorry.” She directed her apology at Souze. “I messed up, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to flinch. My brain wandered, and I completely forgot you’d be deciding whether to say ‘Hi.’”

  Souze’s ears didn’t relax from their alert, upright position, but he rose up out of the subtle crouch he’d been in and his nostrils flared. She left her hand out for him.

  “He’s not quick to make friends,” Alex mentioned offhandedly.

  Great. “You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”

  “You chose him, and I wanted you to be comfortable meeting any dog you chose. He’s safe.”

  Somehow, she couldn’t take her gaze away from the dog’s. She should, though. Alex had told her to look at him. But the trainer hadn’t reiterated the instructions. She decided to compromise. “Is he a full-grown adult? Is that why he’s safe?”

  Souze’s nostrils flared again. This time his sniffing was audible, and he began to stretch his neck as he approached the back of her hand again.

  “Not quite.” Alex didn’t seem to mind the current progression of things. “In terms of physical growth, he’s about as tall as he’ll get, but he’ll fill out significantly over the next year or so.”

  “So he’s going to be a hefty dog.” Maybe it wasn’t the right way to put it, but to her, Souze was already a big dog. Now that Alex mentioned filling out, she could see how Souze’s legs seemed slightly long and awkward for the rest of his frame and his paws seemed disproportionately big.

  For his part, Souze continued his approach millimeter by millimeter.

  “Mmm, I wouldn’t describe it as hefty.” Alex paused for a moment, considering. “He’ll be heavier through the shoulders and chest, but his overall lines will still be sleek, and he’ll be trim through the waist and hips. The Belgian Malinois might be smaller, but they’re boxier through the frame.”

  “I think I’d have to see a side-by-side comparison to get what you’re saying there.” Her patience was rewarded as Souze’s cool nose touched the back of her hand again. Elated, she smiled as she looked back up at Alex.

  Alex returned her smile. “A comparison can be arranged. You think you can get comfortable with the dogs here?”

  Souze was still sniffing her hand, but he didn’t shove his head under her palm the way some dogs did when she’d met them in the past. She didn’t think it’d be a good idea to try petting yet.

  “Is this about as friendly as any of the dogs get?” The lack of jumping and slightly uncomfortable tongue baths could be a relief.

  Alex shrugged. “Depends on the dog. Some of them are more open to petting and play. Souze here has some history, though.”

  Instantly, her heart cracked open. “Was he abused?”

  Alex gave a slight shake of his head. “Not technically, no. He and other GSDs were acquired for a specific purpose—to guard. Their owners invested a lot of money into obedience training and as much Schutzhund as the dogs could absorb. But they were intended to be outdoor security, so they were never socialized with humans on any sort of friendly level. They worked with their trainers and chased people off private property. That’s it. No affection, no friendships, no human pack. When the owners got divorced and liquidated their property, they ditched all of the guard dogs into the shelter and didn’t spare a thought for what would happen next.”

  Souze had moved forward to sit between them, his head turned away from her but his shoulders right next to her hand. She took the hint and gently ran her fingertips through the thick fur of his shoulder. The big dog acted as if he wasn’t aware of her touch at all.

  Alex regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

  She bit her lip and tried not to smile even wider than earlier. “How did he come to you?”

  “I wish I could say it’s a standard practice for the shelter to call us when they have a dog with as much potential as him.” Alex frowned. “But it was dumb luck. One of the volunteers working that week called us. Souze and two other dogs had been taken in and determined unadoptable. The shelter just didn’t have the resources to rehabilitate dogs like them. If it hadn’t been for that volunteer knowing us, and having a fairly good idea of what we could retrain, the dogs might have had no future.”

  Elisa ached in response to the genuine sadness in Alex’s voice. The man truly cared.

&
nbsp; “There’s a lot of hard realities out there.” She withdrew her hand from Souze and let it fall to her side. “As many people as there are trying to help, there are some things volunteers and shelters just can’t handle.”

  People had tried to help her. And they had, in small ways. It’d taken a long time and a hundred tiny gestures before she’d gathered the courage and resources to leave. A dog like Souze didn’t even have that option.

  No wonder he was slow to open up to meeting new people.

  “This place is made for second chances.” Alex was looking out over the grounds. “Forte and me, we met overseas. He was an Air Force handler with a military working dog attached to my SEAL team. We stayed in touch over multiple deployments and I was out there a lot, too much probably. Relationships are hard with that kind of life. He was there through my marriage and my divorce. When I came back from deployment for the last time, I needed a place to raise Boom and get back into civilian life again. He invited us here.”

  She didn’t know what to say, but she looked around her with new perspective. This place, these people, there were stories here. And not just what had happened, but what they were creating for themselves moving forward. It was…tempting.

  “Thank you for the introduction.” Whether she was talking to Souze or Alex, she wasn’t even sure herself, but she left it to both of them. “But I should be going now. It’s getting into evening.”

  Maybe this wasn’t the right place for her after all. She could see herself caring too much about the people and animals here. Becoming too attached. She’d promised herself she would be self-sufficient, and more importantly, ready to move on at a moment’s notice.

  Too much of a good thing would make her comfortable, complacent. She didn’t ever want to be there again.

  Souze turned and looked up at her. Dark brown eyes, deep and sad and fierce all at the same time. It never ceased to amaze her how expressive a dog’s eyes could be.