Search and Rescue by Valerie Hansen

Author:Valerie Hansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Sophie wasn’t a bit surprised when Ryder took Lily to her babysitter’s early. Between the radiating heat and the excitement, both good and bad, they were all wrung out.

She ducked under the colorful canvas canopy of a booth where a friend from church was selling cookbooks. “Whew! Shade.”

“Here, have a seat. I need to stretch my legs.”

Sophie gladly collapsed into the folding chair. “Thanks, Hazel. It’s sure a scorcher.”

The elderly woman laughed and patted her own brow with a tissue. “Honey, it’s always hot here. I’d move up to Flagstaff in a flash if it wasn’t for my aching bones.”

“I guess there are advantages,” Sophie agreed. “And it does cool off at night pretty well.”

“Want more water, dear? I’ve got a cooler full.”

“In a minute. First, Phoenix needs a drink.” She bent over, gave the proper command and slowly poured water from her own bottle into her palm so he could lap it up.

“Smart pup you got there. I see he’s one of them police dogs. It always surprises me that they don’t all look like Rin Tin Tin. You know, German shepherds.”

“A lot of war dogs are,” Sophie explained. “We like to use a variety of breeds for their specialized skills. I never turn down a dog that shows promise.”

“What about them other dogs, the ones that help folks? You know, Ms. Ellen’s.”

“Companion dogs? For the most part they have a different temperament. They’re more owner oriented and less outwardly concerned. It’s hard to get a dog to open a door for you if he’s more interested in barking at what may be on the other side.”

“True.” While Sophie relaxed and momentarily closed her eyes, Hazel turned away to wait on a customer for a cookbook. When she finished she asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

Sophie straightened. Tensed. “Who?”

“Your dog. See?”

Phoenix pressed against her calf and stood as rigidly as a show dog in the judging ring. His ears perked, his body quivered.

Following his line of sight, Sophie saw nothing unusual. But clearly the dog did. Was he picking up vibes of danger or sensing something familiar? If she had worked with him longer she’d have had a better idea. Since his specialty was search and rescue, she wondered if Ryder was back. That was a possibility. So was the idea that another rookie officer and dog had come closer. Most of the animals got along pretty well with the exception of the ones trained for attack and apprehension. By necessity they had to have an edgy temperament.

Phoenix growled.

Sophie rose slowly, deliberately and stepped away from her friend, just in case.

“What’s got his hackles up?” Hazel asked.

“Beats me. I’m going to walk around a bit. Thanks for sharing your shade.”

“Anytime.”

It would have pleased Sophie greatly to have spotted Ryder in the crowd. Not only was his presence comforting, he had their radio. Without him, she was cut off unless she chose to use her cell phone.

“What a great idea.” She whipped it out and paged down to his name and number.

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