Page 61 of Keeping Knight

Daisy looks at me for a second, almost like she’s judging me. Do I want to give this woman my toy? I imagine her thinking. Can I trust her to give it back?

But a beat later, she drops the Kong into my hand. A surge of pride hits me. It’s just a small thing, but still, it’s a victory. “Good girl,” I tell her, trying to emulate the same enthusiastic tone that Evie used before. “Good Daisy. Good girl.”

“You can pet her,” Micah says. He gives my shoulder a little squeeze. “We’re just playing now. It’s okay.” Then he crouches and gives Daisy a scratch between her ears.

Following his lead, I kneel on the floor and stroke my hand down Daisy’s back. “Good girl,” I repeat. “What a good girl.”

From his bed, Sampson lets out a soft woof. “You too,” I add while glancing in his direction. “You’re such a good boy, Sampson. The best boy.”

Daisy nudges the toy, making it clear that as much as she likes pets, playing is better. So I toss the toy again. “Bring, Daisy. Bring.”

After another half-dozen sprints across the living room and back, Daisy finally flops onto the floor with a sigh. She rests her paws on top of the toy, making sure everyone knows it’s hers. Then she sighs again.

Micah puts his arm around my waist as I rise back to my feet. Then he leads me over to the couch and sits down beside me. Evie takes a seat in the armchair adjacent and flashes me a quick smile. “So, what do you think of Daisy?”

I glance at the puppy. Her eyes are already at half-mast. “She’s really cute. And so smart.” Pausing, I add, “I mean, I’m not an expert or anything. But she seems smart to me.”

“She is,” Micah agrees. “Of course, there’s no guarantee when you start training a dog. Some take to it. Some don’t.”

“How do you pick the dogs?” I ask. “Are there tests for the puppies? Or does it have to do with who the parents are?”

“It’s a combination of things,” he replies. “First, the parents are tested for common health issues. Heart problems, hip dysplasia… it depends on the breed. We talk to the breeder, as well. They can give an idea of the personality of the puppy. Then we do testing. Temperament, trainability, stuff like that. We also have to take into consideration what we’re looking for.”

“What if the dog turns out not to be a good fit? Then what?”

“Then we see if one of our employees is looking for a pet,” Micah answers. “That’s how Jamie, one of our security guards, ended up with his dog.”

“Wilson,” Evie adds with a smile. “He’s a great dog. Just a bit too friendly.”

“Too friendly?” I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of a dog being called too friendly.

“Wilson’s a lab,” Micah explains. “They can be really good at tracking and detection.” He laughs. “But Wilson was more interested in detecting people he thought would give him attention. Every time he’d see a person, he’d get distracted.”

“Distracted is an understatement,” Evie adds. “He’d launch into this grand performance. Sitting up on his haunches, paws in the air, flashing everyone these pleading, pay attention to me looks…”

“He’s happier with Jamie,” Micah finishes. “And ultimately, that’s what’s most important. We all love the dogs, and we want what’s best for them. Whether it’s working for Fox & Falcon or not.”

I glance at Daisy, who’s not quite asleep, but appears to be close to it. “She seems happy.” Then I glance over at Sampson, curled nose to tail on his bed. “So does he.”

“That’s the goal.” Micah gives Sampson an affectionate smile. “Especially this guy. After all the years of hard work, he deserves it.”

“How many dogs do you have again?” I ask him. “I thought you said five?”

“Yup. Five. There’s Sampson, of course. Then we have Cooper. His speciality is detection, and he works with Dan. Burke specializes in security, like Sampson. That means protecting his handler and apprehending suspects. Burke works with Kendra. Thiago works with Fluff. Fluff specializes in tracking. And Evie’s working with Daisy.”

“It’s so interesting,” I say, “how the dogs are trained to do different things. I’ve always known about police and military dogs. I just never thought much about what they actually did.”

“It is really interesting.” Evie smiles. “I feel really lucky to have found such a great job. I get to work with dogs and help people at the same time. Plus, I really like the people I work with.”

“Even though your boss is a workaholic?” Micah teases.

Evie cocks her head. Her lips twitch. “Maybe he was. I’m not sure about that anymore.”

Micah glances at me. His hand comes to my leg, and he gives it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe I’ve discovered there’s life outside of work.”

Tingles race across my thigh where he touches me. A burst of happy warmth expands in my chest.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Evie says. “Which reminds me, I should probably get going.” She rises from the armchair. “Dart league starts at six. And I still need to walk Daisy and give her dinner before that.” She glances at Micah with her eyebrows raised. “Unless you need anything?”