The Tube Tunnel and Collapsed Tunnel obstacles were about maneuvering through tight and dark spaces. Dogs instinctively don’t like tight spaces but K-9s were trained to navigate them because suspects often chose dark, restrictive spaces like closets, under stairs, or even a drainpipe to hide in.
Cole stopped short as she spied one obstacle they had never done: the Weave. The Weave was like a slalom for dogs, requiring a series of in-and-out motions between upright poles placed close together. This was not something a K-9 team trained for. It was also, unfortunately, the most difficult obstacle to master.
Cole looked quickly away. She didn’t want Hugo to get wind of her nervousness about the Weave before he’d even tried it. Maybe she’d wait until tomorrow to introduce it.
Cole glanced back over her shoulder, expecting to see Yardley rounding the corner of the building at any second. She would be expecting perfection. So far, no one was watching them.
She bent down and unclipped Hugo’s leash. “I know you don’t understand most of what I’m going to tell you but this is important. We have work to do. Important work.” She pulled a ball with a jingle bell inside, his favorite toy, from her pocket. “You get this if you try very hard.”
Hugo sat up and barked. He sounded ferocious but she recognized that this was his happy bark. She gave him a pat. “Gute Hund. Come on, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Hugo bounded a few steps away from her and barked happily.
Cole was sweating by the time she and Hugo had cleared the A-frame, the Ring Jump, and the Pause Table, and not from exertion. She kept expecting Yardley and/or Scott to pop up. Where could they be and what were they doing?
*
Yardley and Scott had been watching Cole and Hugo from a viewing space inside the kennel barn. Yardley didn’t want to spook Cole but she needed to access the younger woman’s ability to handle her K-9 in the ring.
To her credit, Cole was working Hugo through the course with the skill of someone who was familiar with ring work. Hugo, in turn, seemed to be delighted by the challenge. Though it was obvious he wasn’t familiar with every obstacle, he seemed game to try. With concerted effort, they just might pull off their end.
So now, to kick-start the other half of the team.
She turned on Scott suddenly. “What the hell were you thinking? Agreeing to work with your ex? How many kinds of stupid are you?”
That backed him up, as it was meant to. He had been staring out the window at Cole with every thought in his head reflected in his expression.
But he switched effortlessly to good cop mode, and smiled. “Officer Jamieson and I are professionals. It’s about the needs of the task force. Nikki’s very talented. I’d not seen her work Hugo in the field but I can tell—”
Yardley held up a hand. “You can’t tell me about what you don’t know, Agent. As for the rest, you need to shut it down. Or have you already told her?”
Scott’s charming smile faded. “Told her what, ma’am?”
“The reason for that dopey look on your face every time you gaze at Officer Jamieson?”
His eyes narrowed. “Nikki’s not in the mood to listen to me at the moment.”
“Cole’s a good K-9 officer. In a few years she’ll be great. You undermine her confidence in herself. You’re the reason she’s not at her best today.”
Scott looked like she’d thrown a bucket of ice water over his head. But, again, he recovered quickly. “Okay. Maybe we’ve still got unresolved issues.”
“That maybe and a dollar won’t even buy you a cup of coffee these days. You hurt her once. You’re capable of doing that again. That’s why she’s put you behind her.”
Scott looked away, genuine anger tightening his jaw this time. “Right.”
Yardley was silent for a moment. If she didn’t set this up properly, she’d destroy any chance of them pulling off their assignment. “The first relationship was on your terms. Don’t bother to deny that. You know how that turned out. What would be different this time?”
Scott sent Yardley a glance that had nothing to do with attraction. It was a “get the fuck out of my face” reaction. But he didn’t act on it. “I’ve changed.”
Well, damn and good for him. But she couldn’t let him off the hook on one step forward.
“Take a second and feel nice about yourself, Agent. And then realize everybody changes. Before you make another mistake, be certain you like the woman Officer Jamieson has become—not the person you think you remember.”
Scott’s jaw worked for a moment. She decided not to give him the chance to ruin his admirable self-control. “I don’t like being in the middle of anyone’s personal business. But you brought this hot mess to me. So suck it up and tell me. Can you two work this out in a week?”
His anger suddenly dried up, reshaping into concern that softened his expression. “Whatever happens, Nikki’s not to blame. I pushed for this. I’ll take the weight for making it work.”