Kira Sinclair - Handle Me

Silence pressed in on the moment, uncomfortably filling the space between them.

Words she didn’t want to say crawled up the back of her throat. But she swallowed them down. They wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t bring her brother back. Couldn’t purge the anger and grief, frustration and accusation. Or the unwanted desire and hot memories that had been haunting her dreams for the past four months.

So, as always, she stayed quiet, bottling it inside until the emotions were one big swirl of confusing sludge sucking at the center of her chest.

After several minutes, Ty said, “I’ll go get Kaia’s things,” and turned to walk away.

Van heard the front door open and close. Kaia’s ears pricked, but she didn’t move from her sentry position beside the doorway.

God, it was going to be a very long two weeks.

3

“AGAIN.”

Ty watched frustration pinch Van’s mouth. Given any other set of circumstances, the expression might have been endearing. It wasn’t often that Savannah Cantrell struggled with anything. She was a brilliant ER doctor and one of the most intelligent women Ty had ever met.

She’d always been better, smarter than he was. Hell, too wrapped up in his own anger and shitty life, he’d barely graduated high school.

The problem was, she wasn’t the only one suffering.

Kaia, already struggling to compensate for her missing limb, was desperate to prove herself to her new owner. But Van kept giving the poor dog mixed signals. Kaia wasn’t sure what Van wanted...mostly because Van didn’t seem to have a clue what she wanted the dog to do, either.

Van’s bangs flopped against her forehead as she blew a stream of frustrated air from her mouth.

“Let’s be honest, Ty, I don’t think doing it again is going to help.” He watched her expression, now wary and guarded, flit over Kaia. “Maybe taking her isn’t such a good idea.”

Nope. He had to shut that train of thought down.

Stalking across Van’s sunny backyard, he stopped several feet from Kaia. Gaining her attention, Ty lowered his voice and issued a single command. “Heel.”

Kaia immediately obeyed. Her ears perked up and her body practically vibrated as she moved into the correct position.

“Watch her body language. She wants to obey. She needs you to assume the role of alpha and tell her what to do. Kaia lives to please. Some dogs respond to food or toys. This one laps up praise. It’s part of the reason she and Ryan had such a close bond.”

Van shook her head. “I don’t know that I can do this.”

“Yes, you can. You can’t stand there and tell me you treat the staff in your ER with kid gloves.”

“Of course not. We’re all professionals and we have a job to do.”

Ty nodded. “So does Kaia. Her job is to obey your commands. If you walked into the ER while a patient was coding and whispered, what would happen?”

Van crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing.”

“Exactly. Everyone would be too busy, upset or lost in their own thoughts to pay attention. Kaia is the same way. She’s a highly trained animal. She’s constantly evaluating her surroundings, which can be a good thing. But not when you want her attention. You have to be louder, stronger and more authoritative than anything else—including her instincts. So, try again.”

Van pulled a huge breath in. She held it for several seconds before letting it go.

A few moments earlier, her body language had been frustrated and unsure. Now she was in control—of herself and hopefully Kaia.

“Kaia, heel.”

This time, Van’s voice was low and strong, holding the bite of authority.

Kaia rolled her eyes up at him, but Ty sat unmoving. Reinforcing the command Van had just given would countermand everything they were trying to accomplish. Van needed to find her voice and Kaia needed to recognize her as the new authority in her life.

After a moment of hesitation, Kaia limped over to Van’s side. She sat on her haunches, nudging her nose against the fist Van had clenched near her thigh.

“Praise her,” Ty murmured.

“Good girl, Kaia,” Van nearly whispered.

“You can do better than that. Kaia craves affection. Give her what she wants when she does something right.”

Van held back for several seconds before turning to the dog and lavishing her with attention. The difference in both the woman and the animal was astonishing. The minute Van’s hands surrounded Kaia’s face, rubbing against her soft fur and giving sweet words, both of them began to shine.

For a brief moment, he wondered what it would take for him to get that kind of affection from Van again.

What a stupid thought since he already knew the answer—generous amounts of whiskey.

“Good, good.” Ty had to clear the tickle from the back of his throat. “Let’s try something a little harder now. Walk with her to the other side of the yard. When you get down there tell her to sit and stay. Use the hand gestures I showed you as well. And then walk back to me.”

Again, Van hesitated and that hesitation caused Kaia to look to Ty for guidance. He purposely averted his gaze and waited for Van to find her confidence again.

Finally, Van did what he’d told her. She fumbled with the hand gestures, but they were close enough that, along with the verbal commands, Kaia knew what was expected of her. And thanks to her training, she responded beautifully.

Kaia’s gaze never left Van as she slowly walked back across the yard. Van stopped several feet away from Ty. The move was intentional. She’d been putting space between them since the moment he walked in the door. For the briefest moment, he thought about calling her on the bullshit.

But that wouldn’t accomplish anything productive.

Clenching his jaw, Ty said, “Do you see how she’s watching you? Her body is strung tight. Even from here, I can see she’s vibrating with excitement and attention. That’s what you want when you’re working with her. And you’re going to need to work with her on a regular basis. She’s used to having a job. She needs that.”

Van nodded stiffly.

“All right, call her to you. And don’t forget to praise her when she obeys.”

Van did what he said and Kaia followed her commands perfectly. But it was obvious Van felt completely out of her element. He’d hoped that as she worked with Kaia, she would get more comfortable. But almost an hour and a half into their first session she was still struggling.

Apparently, he needed to adjust his expectations.

He watched Van go through the motions for several more minutes without prompting her. When he was giving Van instructions she was okay, but on her own...she was clearly uncomfortable. And that tension was translating to Kaia, who was starting to act up.

If Van didn’t get a hold of herself, Kaia was going to take over.

“Stop!” Ty finally yelled across the yard.

Kaia immediately halted, her eyes darting straight to him, her body quivering with anticipation.

Van’s shoulders slumped. She blew a frustrated breath out of her mouth, fluttering the fringe of bangs hanging into her eyes. Her skin was flushed with irritation.

Not a good situation for handler or dog. “Let’s take a break,” Ty suggested, though it really was more of a command.

“No. I want to get this. I will get this.” The determination in her voice might have been endearing if it wasn’t so destructive.

“Van, sometimes it’s better to know when to walk away. You can’t power through everything...or be perfect at everything. Kaia’s had enough for the day. She deserves a treat. Let’s go for a walk.”

* * *

THE TENSION WAS giving her a headache. Ty’s expectations weighed on her. She was used to being top of her class, but at the moment she felt like a complete idiot.