walk away and then turned back. "You will be coming with us, Lyssa, won't you?"
"Of course," she said.
"Good."
"We can take my truck," Beau said.
Cody clamped down the sudden irritation running under the surface of his skin, deciding it was irrational. Riding together with Beau would give Cody a chance to get up to speed on what had been happening since he'd been away from the sport.
"That sounds like a good plan."
He headed back to the house with Otis by his left side, still annoyed that his big brother just killed any chance of him getting Lyssa alone this weekend.
Damn big brothers.
* * *
Lyssa didn't want to question the reasons for Cody's about-face. She just decided that victory was sweet and the biggest victory of all would be Cody's in the end. She thanked Beau and then headed out of the arena in search of Cody.
He'd retreated quickly, not bothering to ask if she wanted to come with him. Instead of feeling slighted, she chose to take that as a good sign that Cody was finally seeing his independence again.
She caught up with them as they were climbing the front porch steps.
"I was a little nervous about picking a dog for you without having met you first. But after watching you work together these past few days I see that Otis was the perfect choice for you,"
she said in admiration.
Otis was a tall dog and matched perfectly with Cody's height and arm extension. He responded well to the deep timbre of Cody's voice. Otis' first handler had been elderly. They'd been together for two years before his handler suffered a fatal stroke. Otis had stayed by his side for two days until he was found.
When Otis was brought back to the school, he appeared to be depressed, his spirit broken in a way that tore at Lyssa's heart. She'd recognized that same torn spirit in Cody when she'd first arrived. Otis was a proud dog and seeing him work with Cody was enough to convince Lyssa that choosing Otis for Cody had been the right move.
They walked through the door and Cody immediately put his right arm out to feel his way through the room.
"After a while, you'll become more comfortable with Otis walking through the room and giving you enough clearance so you won't bump into anything. You won't feel the need to extend your hand for guidance."
"Something smells good. It must be time for dinner. Or close to it."
Lyssa had ignored the rumble of her own stomach because training had been going so well. But now that the aroma of good food assaulted her, her hunger pangs began to grow stronger.
"I understand the need to take Otis with me pretty much everywhere I go. But what about on a date?"
She was thrown by his question, although she couldn't figure out why. It was a perfectly normal question that she'd answered hundreds of times for her students.
"Of course, if that's what you want. Again, it's your choice."
"You mean he won't climb up on the sofa and snuggle up between me and my date?"
Lyssa's insides suddenly burned. Since that first day in the field, when she'd thought Cody was about to kiss her, they'd danced around something, but always stopped short of any confession. Getting involved with a student in any way other than professionally wouldn't be right. But hearing Cody talking about dating turned her an ugly shade of green. Instead of letting the sudden pang of jealousy get the best of her, she gave the standard answer.
"He'll stay by your side. You can snuggle with whomever you please and he'll behave properly. He's trained not to go on furniture. He's very well-mannered, so you don't have to worry about him not behaving when you take him to someone else's home.
He'll stay by your side and sit by you, even by the dinner table. He won't beg for food."
"Really? So he's my shadow from now on."
"More like your eyes and your best friend."
Cody nodded, his lips just short of a smile, Lyssa noticed.
"Do you like to dance?"
The abrupt change in subject caught Lyssa off guard once again. "Excuse me?"
"Dancing.
"Of course," she said.
"Good."
"We can take my truck," Beau said.
Cody clamped down the sudden irritation running under the surface of his skin, deciding it was irrational. Riding together with Beau would give Cody a chance to get up to speed on what had been happening since he'd been away from the sport.
"That sounds like a good plan."
He headed back to the house with Otis by his left side, still annoyed that his big brother just killed any chance of him getting Lyssa alone this weekend.
Damn big brothers.
* * *
Lyssa didn't want to question the reasons for Cody's about-face. She just decided that victory was sweet and the biggest victory of all would be Cody's in the end. She thanked Beau and then headed out of the arena in search of Cody.
He'd retreated quickly, not bothering to ask if she wanted to come with him. Instead of feeling slighted, she chose to take that as a good sign that Cody was finally seeing his independence again.
She caught up with them as they were climbing the front porch steps.
"I was a little nervous about picking a dog for you without having met you first. But after watching you work together these past few days I see that Otis was the perfect choice for you,"
she said in admiration.
Otis was a tall dog and matched perfectly with Cody's height and arm extension. He responded well to the deep timbre of Cody's voice. Otis' first handler had been elderly. They'd been together for two years before his handler suffered a fatal stroke. Otis had stayed by his side for two days until he was found.
When Otis was brought back to the school, he appeared to be depressed, his spirit broken in a way that tore at Lyssa's heart. She'd recognized that same torn spirit in Cody when she'd first arrived. Otis was a proud dog and seeing him work with Cody was enough to convince Lyssa that choosing Otis for Cody had been the right move.
They walked through the door and Cody immediately put his right arm out to feel his way through the room.
"After a while, you'll become more comfortable with Otis walking through the room and giving you enough clearance so you won't bump into anything. You won't feel the need to extend your hand for guidance."
"Something smells good. It must be time for dinner. Or close to it."
Lyssa had ignored the rumble of her own stomach because training had been going so well. But now that the aroma of good food assaulted her, her hunger pangs began to grow stronger.
"I understand the need to take Otis with me pretty much everywhere I go. But what about on a date?"
She was thrown by his question, although she couldn't figure out why. It was a perfectly normal question that she'd answered hundreds of times for her students.
"Of course, if that's what you want. Again, it's your choice."
"You mean he won't climb up on the sofa and snuggle up between me and my date?"
Lyssa's insides suddenly burned. Since that first day in the field, when she'd thought Cody was about to kiss her, they'd danced around something, but always stopped short of any confession. Getting involved with a student in any way other than professionally wouldn't be right. But hearing Cody talking about dating turned her an ugly shade of green. Instead of letting the sudden pang of jealousy get the best of her, she gave the standard answer.
"He'll stay by your side. You can snuggle with whomever you please and he'll behave properly. He's trained not to go on furniture. He's very well-mannered, so you don't have to worry about him not behaving when you take him to someone else's home.
He'll stay by your side and sit by you, even by the dinner table. He won't beg for food."
"Really? So he's my shadow from now on."
"More like your eyes and your best friend."
Cody nodded, his lips just short of a smile, Lyssa noticed.
"Do you like to dance?"
The abrupt change in subject caught Lyssa off guard once again. "Excuse me?"
"Dancing.
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