by Dale Mayer
She froze.
“Solo, sit,” and this time he used a firm tone but still gentle.
As if the movement was rusty and unused, she slowly sat down.
He gave her a treat. “Now, Solo, just lie down and relax.”
And, without hesitation, she lay down. He gave her yet another treat and then crouched beside her. Gently working his hands up and down her back, giving her some cuddles, some love, at the same time he took this chance to check her over. She was bone-rack thin; her fur was thickly matted and missing that healthy glow, but there was a light in her eyes. She rolled, gave him her belly, and he knew her life would be okay now. He gently took the time to love her, to check her over, to inspect her paws. He saw one pad was cut and bleeding, and she was badly scratched on another. Overall she wasn’t looking too bad, just in need of some love and some care. More than that, she would need time to adjust to people, time to adjust to a new life. Although from her earlier actions she’d likely already connected to Camilla. They both just needed to spend time together. He stood, grabbed the leash and said, “Sit.”
Although slowly, she moved back into a sitting position, and then, with her at his side, he led her out of the woods and back into the world.
He stood at the edge of the road in the woods—crouching beside her again, putting an arm around her neck and gently hugging her—and said, “It’s okay. I’ve been alone without a family for a while too. So I can help you with that. This is a whole new beginning for both of us.”
He led her to his truck and helped her up into the front seat. He drove slowly around to the back of the rec center. There he could see Camilla standing at the porch railing, watching him. She clapped both hands over her mouth when she saw the shepherd at his side.
She waved an exuberant wave, and he said to Solo, “Okay, so it’s a new beginning for all three of us.” And Solo barked a soft bark, but it was full of hope, full of promise and full of welcome.
Epilogue
Geir sat down in the boardroom beside Jager and Laszlo. “Well, another success,” he said. “I just heard from the grapevine that Blaze has found Solo.”
“Not only found Solo,” Jager said with a chuckle, “but he also found a woman named Camilla, and apparently we’re having almost as much luck with our relationships as Levi and Mason are with their groups.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to become a matchmaking service,” Badger said, walking in. “But, with Kat around, it’s hard not to be.”
“She does want to see everybody as happy as she is,” Geir said, “and that’s kudos to you.”
“No, it’s kudos to all of us,” Badger said. “So we’re four to the good. Eight more to go. Anybody got any suggestions about who or where to next?”
“I was flipping through these files,” Geir said. “The dogs are everywhere, even one up in Canada.”
“That will make it a little more difficult getting the right person, someone with a home base already to cut down on expenses,” Jager said. “So far we’ve been lucky with the men having a connection to where the dogs were. Blaze mentioned going back to Kentucky, so, when I saw Solo was from that same area, I figured that was a perfect match. But I don’t know any other matches for the remaining K9s on Commander Cross’s list.”
Geir shuffled through the files and picked up one. “Tophat. Love that name.” The enclosed photo showed a shepherd with lighter coloring, but his neck was all dark. Geir smiled as he looked at it and then tapped it. “Every time I see this dog’s name, I think that shepherd has got to be in a circus or something.”
“Hardly. Tophat had an aggressive ability that was hard to control,” Badger said. “He’s the one that worries me. Because chances are he’s been put down already.”
“I don’t know about that,” Geir said. “These dogs are survivors. I can’t imagine they’ll give up now.”
“Maybe not give up,” Jager said, “but it doesn’t mean it’s easy for them to adapt. We need the right person for this one.”
“Tophat,” Badger said, “was somehow shipped with a large group of rescue dogs into Medicine Hat, Alberta.”
“Which is miles and miles of wheat fields and not a whole lot else,” Geir said. “And just because he was shipped to Medicine Hat, it doesn’t mean he’s still there.”
“That’s true enough,” Badger said, “but do we know anybody with connections up there?”
“Lucas Creighton does,” Geir said. “His sister married a Canadian.”
“But let’s get real,” Jager joked. “Canada is massive. Just because some guy’s sister married a Canadian doesn’t mean the dog is anywhere close by them.”
“True,” Badger agreed. “But it also doesn’t mean he isn’t. We’ll get some further intel and try to find out where the dog ended up.” He looked over at Geir, who was grinning at them like crazy. “Okay, what do you know that we don’t know?”
“Lucas’s sister is in Medicine Hat, Alberta,” he said.
“See? What did I tell you?” Jager said, rolling his eyes.
“It doesn’t mean Lucas wants to go,” Laszlo argued, “and it doesn’t mean Lucas gives a damn about dogs.”
“No, maybe not,” Geir said, “but Lucas was search and rescue for years. Whole family is heavily involved in it. I think his brother-in-law trains dogs for search and rescue.”
“Wow,” Badger said, rubbing his hands together. “It sounds like we have our next success story.”
“Is Lucas married?” Jager asked. “Because that will completely change things.”
“Was engaged—and to a Canadian, no less,” Geir said. “Something blew up between the two of them, and they separated. I know it’s been eating at him.”
“Oh, interesting,” Badger said. “Even more reason for him to go back and settle this. Either to finish things or to get back together with her.”
“I don’t think getting back together is an option,” Geir said, “but one never knows.”
This concludes Book 4 of The K9 Files: Blaze.
Read about Lucas: The K9 Files, Book 5
The K9 Files: Lucas (Book #5)
The world of dogfighting is an ugly place …
When Tophat, a missing K9 dog, is accidentally sent to Canada as part of a group of rescued dogs looking for adoption, Lucas knows he’s the natural pick for this job. Plus he has another reason to be in the country. His sister lives there, and … so does his ex-fiancée.
But when he arrives, Lucas finds Tophat was handed over to a trainer who deals with aggressive dogs. The news isn’t good, especially after Lucas arrives at the trainer’s property and is thrown into the dark underworld of dogfighting.
Tanya used to share her home with her two best friends, until one was killed in a hit-and-run and the other badly injured. Now living alone in a small apartment, Tanya realizes how much she’s lost—including Lucas. Unexpectedly seeing him flips her world once more …
As Lucas digs deeper into Tophat’s disappearance, the dogfighting ring rises up to protect their own …
Book 5 is available now!
To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Blaze: The K9 Files, Book 4! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.
Dear reader,
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Cheers,
Dale Mayer
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About the Author
Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).
She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!
To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.
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BLAZE: THE K9 FILES, BOOK 4
Dale Mayer
Valley Publishing Ltd.
Copyright © 2019
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1-773361-62-8
Kobo Edition
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