Scott, on the other hand, was one of her salvage projects. Undercover operatives often had a miserably difficult time trying to fit back into even normal law-enforcement routines. Scott had suffered the double whammy of an extraction from a tough undercover situation just after the breakup of his marriage. Surly and feeling sorry for himself, he’d had almost gotten himself kicked out of K-9 training the second day.
Yardley smiled to herself. Handsome and used to getting his way through charm or intimidation, Scott would not allow anyone in close enough to help. Yardley understood about wounded warriors. What he needed was an intimate relationship, though not the sexual kind. He was the kind of man for whom sex was as easy as entering a room. Part psychologist and part dog whisperer, Yardley personally paired her dogs and handlers and so chose Izzy for Scott. Izzy, calm, sure of herself, and yet absolutely attuned to the world around her, was Scott’s perfect K-9 partner. The fact that they worked bomb squad duty allowed Scott to stay part of SWAT, work dangerous situations, and still bond with a partner who doted on his every action. Of course, Yardley doubted Scott realized that pairing them was her idea, not his. The reports she was getting back on them reinforced the appropriateness of her choice.
Now she was saddled with partnering a team of four, who at the moment weren’t making eye contact. She did like a challenge, though.
The slight smile on her face betrayed her decision. “I’m told this undercover pairing requires you to pose as a married couple?”
“Significant others.” Cole rushed to supply the answer. “I—we thought it might be more believable if we’re just a couple. In case it’s obvious to others that we won’t, you know, work out.” Oh, God. She sounded like a teenager.
Yardley folded her arms. “From where I’m standing, this mission is already flirting with failure.”
“We just need a little adjustment time.” Cole reached down to pat Hugo and remind herself she was a police officer who had chased down badass criminals. “Hugo’s really good at warming up to people.” She glanced at Izzy, avoiding Scott’s eye. “I’m sure Izzy will do the same. With time.”
“Right. Hugo and Izzy are the problem.” Yardley pushed her hat back on her head. “So here’s what’s going to happen. First we’re going see what Hugo can do on an Agility course, or this mission is a nonstarter. Cole, take him out behind the kennel barn. We’ve set up a course for you to use. Warm him up for me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cole hesitated. “Alone?”
“Do you need help working your dog?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Dismissed.”
Cole didn’t look at Scott as she moved away. She knew her face must be hot to the touch. She’d been sent to detention.
She couldn’t believe that she’d allowed Hugo to get so out of control in front of the one person who could send her back to the Montgomery County Police Department with a black mark against her K-9 skills. But then, she’d never seen any dog excite Hugo the way Izzy had. Other dogs seldom caught his interest, unless his alpha position was being challenged. Besides, Izzy was female. Female.
She glanced sharply down at her partner. “Don’t tell me you fell for that chocolate-brown hussy?”
Hugo looked up at her, his jaws slack in a pink-tongued Bouvier smile.
“You dog!” She chuckled. “She is cute. But I’ve got news. She’s fixed. So it would be an exercise in futility. Let’s go exercise off some of that excessive energy.”
Cole took a deep breath as she surveyed the Agility course that had been set up on the other side of the kennel. It had been more than ten years since she’d been in the ring with a dog. But something about the familiarity of the course kicked up her heartbeat with pleasure.
Dog Agility was one of several dog sport competitions. In Agility, the handler directed his or her dog through a complicated obstacle course. The judges gave points for both time and accuracy. Winners were determined by the dog that made the most accurate and rapid path around the numbered obstacles. The dogs were always off leash and handlers could use only voice cues and hand signals to direct them, no toys or food or other incentives. It was a team effort, which was what she loved best about it. The dog ran the course while depending on his human partner to point out which obstacle was next and the quickest path to it. No two courses were ever the same.
Cole let out a slow breath as she mentally ran this course. The jumps of various kinds would be no problem. She and Hugo often practiced jumps and Hugo liked to show off by leaping higher than necessary. The A-frame and Dog Walk were about negotiating ramps. No problem there, either. K-9s were trained to go into buildings with stairs and, more rarely, climb over barriers between a suspect and itself. It was the officer’s responsibility to judge if there was probable danger on the other side. One of Cole’s favorite trainers liked to say, “If I can’t see what’s on the other side, I ain’t sending my dog over that wall.”