Linda O. Johnston - Trained To Protect

“Okay, then, non-valuables. Whatever you own or keep here.”

She had a sudden urge to explain herself to this man, this cop who had traveled a long distance to try to help her. For a variety of reasons, mostly involving how she had been brought up by her frugal family, she tried to save more of her nursing salary than she spent—though that didn’t always work. The extra income from her new part-time gig at the K-9 Ranch was bound to help a little.

But mostly, she liked helping people and using therapy dogs was one of her favorite ways to do so.

All she said now was, “I’m not really into bling, and I don’t keep cash around, so whoever was here probably didn’t find anything to take.”

But she’d keep checking, just in case. Still, she couldn’t help wondering why her house had been a target. Had others around here been broken into, too? She didn’t know many of her neighbors well, but she’d have to ask them.

“Well, the person who broke in might not have known that.” But Doug’s expression, when he turned to look at her, suggested that he somehow wanted to dig inside her head for some answers.

Answers she didn’t have.

“Possibly,” she said.

“Okay, then. I’ll let Hooper take another swing around the place and see if he reacts to anything else. And by the way, I will speculate now that the scent he reacted to was fear—fear of getting caught as an intruder. After Hooper’s done this time...well, do you have any friends you can stay with tonight?”

She had made friends in the years she had lived in San Luis Obispo, though not that many, and none particularly close.

With the vocation and avocations she had, even she found that a bit surprising. But as much as she liked to help people, she’d learned the hard way that getting close to anyone, even friends, wasn’t always a good idea.

“No,” she said lightly, “but I’ll be fine here. Whoever broke in is unlikely to do it again. They already know there’s nothing here worth stealing. And they’ve already been inside, so why try it again?”

“But—” Whatever he’d started to say, Doug seemed to catch himself. “Okay, let Hooper and me do our thing. Then we’ll talk.”

Why did even the mention of a talk with this man make her feel uneasy? He’d come here to help her, and so far he really had. Whatever they’d talk about, it would have nothing to do with the fact that she found him attractive. More than attractive. A truly brave and genuinely kind man who clearly took his job of policing, helping people, to heart.

“Sure,” she said, trying to act completely nonchalant. “Let me know when you’re ready. Peace and I will wait in the kitchen.”

For the next ten minutes Elissa sat at the square kitchen table sipping on a bottle of water she’d taken out of the small but adequate fridge that had come with the house. She’d get a bottle out for Doug when he joined her. She had already set out a container of shortbread cookies that she occasionally brought along to her therapy sessions with kids. The sweets sometimes made them smile and become even more receptive to interacting with a caring dog.

After checking Peace’s water bowl on the scratched yellow linoleum floor near the door to the hall, she’d also retrieved some healthy dog treats. She gave her smart, caring dog a few, partly in gratitude for her having let Elissa know about the intruder in the first place, and partly because she just wanted to keep her companion happy.

But why had there even been an intruder...?

In a few minutes Hooper came into the kitchen followed by Doug, who still held the end of the leash. After the two dogs traded nose sniffs, Hooper went to the bowl and started lapping up some water. Elissa rose and got Doug a bottle of water, which she placed on the table near the seat across from her.

“Here,” she said. “I’ve got some treats for both Hooper and you.” She tried to sound like a good hostess, as if his being there was because she’d invited him—not because she’d needed him and his cop senses.

“Thanks,” he said, taking a seat. He picked up the water, removed the cap and took a swig, as if it were something stronger, which sort of amused her. Or maybe she’d be attracted to anything this kind man did while in her company, particularly here at her no-longer-private house. Then he looked at the table in front of her, at the dog treats and the packaged cookies, and asked, “Which ones are for me?”

She laughed. “Whichever you want, though I’d suggest these.” She pushed the shortbread container across the table to him. “Is it okay if I reward Hooper with some of these?” She gestured at the dog treats.

“Sure it is, right now. Not when he’s searching, though.”

Both Hooper and Peace seemed happy when Elissa gave them treats. “Good dogs,” she said, and they both were.

When she had given them each their share, she looked back up at Doug, who seemed awfully quiet. He was watching her. She couldn’t read the expression on his handsome, craggy, all-too-intense face, but it made her shudder inside. What was he thinking?

As if she’d said something aloud to prompt him, he asked, “Do you know of anyone who might want to harm you—or even just intimidate you?”

She blinked. “No. Not at all.” But the idea seemed to increase her internal shivers. “Is that what you think it is—someone who wants to scare or even hurt me, not just try to steal from me?”

He didn’t answer directly, at least not at first. “Before I leave here, I’ll contact the local PD, communicate to someone there about what happened and request they send a crime scene team over right now—which they might do more as an accommodation to another cop than because of their concern about the alleged crime. They’ll then probably start patrolling your street every hour or so, although if you don’t have any ideas who it might be, maybe they won’t. In any event, I’ll make sure that the vulnerable area where whoever it was got in before is sealed up.”

“Thank you.” Elissa did feel a lot of gratitude to this determined police officer—that and some highly unwanted attraction. He’s just doing his job, protecting a civilian , she reminded herself. Even so... “Is there anything else I should do?” Besides scream and run away.

She would do neither.

But she would, as usual, keep Peace by her side. Her dog might not have the same kind of training as an official police K-9, but she would protect Elissa to the best of her ability. Elissa was sure of it.

There seemed to be something else on Doug’s mind, though. He was studying her, watching her face as if he could see inside her brain.

For a long moment he said nothing, which made her even more uneasy. Then he said, “I’d like for you to keep thinking about whether anyone has suggested or even hinted that they have issues with you or what you do—or don’t do.” He reached into his pocket, brought out a business card and handed it to her. “I want you to stay in touch, let me know if you see or hear anything that seems suspicious. In any case, I’ll talk to you on Monday after you come back to Chance and we’ll see how things are going then.”

“Okay.” She wanted to disagree, to tell him she’d be fine and that there was no need for him to worry about her—but she somehow felt a little less stressed that he seemed to give a damn, just because he was a good cop, of course, and not because he seemed at all attracted to her.

And she’d have to make sure her own silly attraction disappeared.

But there appeared to be something else on his mind. He was looking so intensely into her eyes...

“What?” she asked.

“Like I said, think hard about whether there’s someone who might have something against you. A neighbor or coworker who’s mad at you. A driver you cut off. Whatever.”