* *
Evan knew he should be more outgoing, talk about all his experience and what he could do here, rather than walking behind the two women as if he only wanted to be in contact with the dogs. Which, in some ways, he did.
But he ought to make small talk, thank this gorgeous and sexy woman who’d communicated with him online and invited him here to possibly teach dogs and other trainers and, most important, to also train police K-9s and their handlers, and perhaps eventually service or therapy dogs, too. He’d have some learning to do himself to accomplish it all, but it was still his ideal situation.
He at least thought his audition had gone well.
Even so, was this a bad idea?
He’d been wondering that before, particularly as he’d driven here from Los Angeles. That was where he’d hung out over the last months, to be near its veterans’ facilities, as well as police K-9 units and instructive handlers. He’d taken some classes himself, and eventually landed jobs teaching others how to train dogs.
But he hadn’t felt comfortable there.
Well, here he was. This sounded like the perfect long-term job for him—working with dogs and some human trainees, way off the usual grid of stress and having too many people around.
And Bear was with him. Dear Bear. They’d saved each other’s lives in more ways than one...
The two women reached the front porch of the main house on this vast piece of property. They stopped, turning to look at him.
“Come on in,” Amber said. Before, when he first introduced himself, he had looked her straight in the face only long enough to see how pretty she was, with smooth skin and full lips, and wavy hair that was a pretty reddish color. He’d also noted how intense her deep brown eyes were as they regarded him. That was why he’d quickly looked away.
He’d observed the rest of her then: Amber was curvaceous in her casual clothes.
Her mother, Sonya, who resembled her, was an older, shorter version. Again without looking her straight in the face, Evan had observed her. He knew she had recently lost her husband, had suffered pain.
He identified with that, though the circumstances were very different.
Now Amber had invited him into their house so they could chat for a while. Discuss a possible job offer.
And maybe interrogate him.
Well, she would be his boss if all went well. He had to deal with it. Once, he would have considered how to lure someone as gorgeous as her off to bed. Now, he had to decide only if he could put up with her giving him orders.
“Fine,” he said. “Is it okay if Bear joins us?”
The amazing shepherd, at his side, heard his name and snuggled against Evan’s leg. Evan couldn’t help smiling down at the wonderful dog.
“Sure. I’ll bring Lola in, too.”
Evan stopped briefly behind the women as they walked up the tiled stairs to the wide porch at the front of the ranch house. It was a two-story home, its facade made of long slats that looked like redwood, with decorative lighter wood arching over the door and around the windows at either side and on the second floor, as well as framing the entrance. The sloping roof was covered with contrasting black shingles. In all, it was a nice place and fit the rural, sparsely populated surroundings Evan was seeking.
Once they were inside, Amber led them into the moderate-sized kitchen, where Sonya started bustling around, brewing coffee. Amber gestured for him to sit at the round wooden table, and put a plate of cheese and crackers in front of him. She seemed like a nice person. An attractive woman...a very attractive woman. A welcoming woman. He started to relax, at least a little.
“Okay if I leave Bear loose?” he asked. It was.
Soon all three humans sat at the table with coffee in front of them. Bear lay down on the tile floor beside Evan, and Lola settled near Amber.
Then the fun began... Not.
Amber started with easy questions. How long had he liked dogs? How long had he worked with them? Where had he worked with them? He could answer those without much angst.
But then she began asking about the military experiences he’d had while working in the K-9 unit in Afghanistan.
It was all he could do to remain sitting there, answering, not looking at her...while the pain throbbed inside him.
Even so, he remained honest. Yes, he’d enjoyed what he’d done...but, yes, he had been wounded overseas. Bear had been there for him. Had saved him, bringing help when he had been injured by an improvised explosive device. And then...
Evan cringed. He saw again the IED’s explosion. Heard the concussive blast. Felt the pain. Watched Bear bring the other human member of his team who saved him...and saw Bear as he was shot by an unseen sniper.
Never mind Evan’s own injury, his agony. He’d stood and found a way to lift his dog and get him into the armored vehicle his comrade had driven there.
“Evan, are you all right?”
He hadn’t noticed Amber rise and rush over to him. Now she stood at his side. Bear, too, was standing.
He glanced toward the area around Bear’s hip where he had been shot, where his coat had grown back over the scar. Then Evan closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep, calming breath. For the first time, he looked up and stared deeply into Amber’s brilliant brown eyes and managed a smile.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just a touch of PTSD. But working with dogs? That’s what I do. Did you say you wanted to discuss a possible job offer?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice cracking. “I do.”
* * *
Was this a mistake? This man she’d considered handsome and sexy and more, apparently had a messed-up mind.
PTSD. She was aware of it, of course, without really knowing how it worked.
It wouldn’t make a difference if this guy truly could train dogs and handlers the way he’d claimed.
He’d certainly looked good at it. And hopefully, with his experience, he’d do much better than the others.
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I’ve been thinking.” She knew her smile wavered a bit. But before she pulled her glance away she felt gratified that, for the first time, Evan Colluro had actually looked her straight in the face for more than a nanosecond.
His PTSD might be why he hadn’t before, but his stare at her now, his wry grin, made him appear different: vulnerable, sad, damaged, yes, but also even sexier.
He listened as Amber told him that the first classes he would teach would be to a core group of her father’s students from this area who’d been helping each other with their pet dogs to keep the skills they’d already learned here fresh. They would be at the ranch tomorrow afternoon, and Evan could start right away by working with them.
“But we’ll want you to
