Model behavior, p.5
Model Behavior, page 5
That made my heart go all soft around the edges, which must have shown on my face. “Are you ready for another dog, Olive? Cassie’s been gone for a while now, and Iris will need a home, plus I know nine puppies that will be looking for forever homes in the next eight to ten weeks.”
I shook my head. “Rescues never have problems placing pups. I’m not ready yet. Cassie was such a huge part of my life. Without her, I wouldn’t know any of you. I’ll admit that I hate coming home to an empty house, but I still see her there, you know? I’m hoping that being around the rescue and the training center more often will help me move past it.”
“Mmm. This is why I always have two dogs. It’s easier when you lose one because you have the other.”
“How has Boops handled losing Buster since the divorce?”
At the sound of his name, Boops let out a hound dog bay that rattled the windows.
“Ahh, I love that sound,” Gina said, fondly. “He misses his brother. He wanders the house looking for him and he’s started pottying in the house and tearing stuff up. I’m going to have to get another dog since the Basset in him won’t do well as an only dog. Not that I’m ready. I miss Buster as much as he does. I love those dogs so much I had a two-year custody battle over them, for Christ’s sake. What I wouldn’t give to still have them both.”
“Divorces, man. They’re hell on the kids.”
Gina chuckled without humor. “You know, Hayes spends a lot of time at the rescue. He’s there at least three times a week cleaning kennels, giving baths, washing laundry. He loves that old Boxer with her white face. I don’t know why he doesn’t adopt her.”
“Hah.” Whoops, I hadn’t meant to blurt that out.
Gina shot me a side-eye.
“From what I know of Hayes, it might be best. He can be wonderfully considerate, but also impulsive and not always reliable. He never thinks much about how his actions affect others.”
She turned her head to look at me. “You’re speaking from experience?”
I nodded, and Gina shook her head in disgust. “What the hell is wrong with men?”
“I don’t even know.”
When we walked into Will Rogers Arena, the smell of air-conditioning and dirt permeated my nose. It was a great place for an agility trial because it was generally used for cattle and stock shows. The dirt was easy on the dogs’ joints, and they kept it cold as hell in here. Though it had always been a little hard for Cassie, given her nose and prey drive. She’d had a mind of her own, and when she’d thought better of it, she’d much rather chase rats than run obstacle courses.
Lily wasn’t planning on running her dogs today, so I was surprised to see her warming up with her Australian Shepherd, Jet, outside the first ring while another group ran in a second ring.
“Hey, Boops! How are ya, buddy?” Brody’s smooth-as-silk bass turned both mine and Gina’s heads, and Boops let out his hound dog Ahhhrrooooo! as Brody bent to pet him. “Wasn’t expecting to see him today. You running, Gina?”
She shook her head. “Just watching today.”
With a last pat for Boops, Brody stood, nudged my shoulder.
“I didn’t think Lily was running today either.” I nodded in the direction of his fiancée.
“She couldn’t resist. Came to watch me and CC and got sucked into a demonstration during the break in Ring One. She’s gonna run Mack, too. You know, show her students what an open-level dog looks like when competing.”
Gina stuck her arm up and waved at someone in the distance. “I see Kate and Carrie with Jasmine and Sasha. Boops and I are going to wish them luck before their run.”
Brody barely waited until she was out of earshot to grill me. “So, you and Hayes...” Lily told Brody. I should have told her to keep it to herself.
“There is no me and Hayes, big guy.”
“Oklahoma University, huh? You guys were a thing?”
He was fishing. I hadn’t told Lily how I knew Hayes, just that I did. Gina was the only one that knew we’d been a couple. Once. “It was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, that’s what Hayes said. He has a different inflection in his voice, and what looks like hope in his eyes.” Brody crossed his arms over his expansive chest, leaned in. “He’s not been doing so great since he lost his spot on the team, Olive. He’d never admit it, but he’s not been in a good headspace. You know, I’ve known him for a few years now, and he doesn’t talk about women with the kind of reverence he did when he told me about you. There was a light in his eyes I haven’t seen in the last few months. I know Hayes does occasional one-nighters, but he never brought those women up or bragged about them like some of the other guys. When he talks about you, though, it’s different. He’s a regular Chatty Cathy. Said you two were joined at the hip at one time, and then he went on about how great you are. How smart and strong and beautiful.” Brody sent me a pointed look.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Should he get a medal for that?”
He shook his head. “Not saying that. He didn’t tell me about the breakup, and I’m not asking, but Walker has always had a lightness to him that’s been missing since he got cut from the team. The only other time I see it is when he spends time with Sadie at the rescue.”
Eyeing him, I made sure he heard my next words clearly. “Brody, I am planning fundraisers with Hayes because I’m the best at my job and I believe in the rescue. No less and no more. There is a lot more history behind mine and Hayes’s breakup than you, or even he, knows. I appreciate that you care for your friend, but whatever he thinks, or that you’re trying to deduce, might be between Hayes and me—whatever stroll down memory lane he’s hoping for—it’s not going to happen. If I were you, I’d discourage him from those thoughts every chance you get.”
Brody snorted, wrapped one of those big arms around my shoulders. “Never say never, Ollie. Look at me and Lil.”
I wanted to tell him to take a flying fuck but looking into warm brown eyes as they danced with mischief, and at his kind smile, I couldn’t be mad. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Shaw.”
“Lily tells me that all the time. Hey, I’ve got a favor to ask. Lil wanted me to talk her students through her demos, but CC and I won’t be able to carry out our pre-game rituals if I do. If I introduce you to them, can you walk them through it?”
Football players and their superstitions. “Sure, lead the way.”
Chapter Six
The Long Shot
Hayes
Glorious. It was the only word I could use to describe watching Olive explain the agility classification system to the group of Lily’s students. She had on Kelly green and black yoga pants that stopped just below the knees, and a matching green jacket that had the Unruly Dog Training Center’s logo on the back. Her warm brown mane was pulled up into a high ponytail, and her makeup-less face made her look younger. When I noticed the dark smudges under her eyes, I wondered if she’d lost as much sleep because of me as I had with her in my thoughts. Huh. Wishful thinking. I wasn’t stupid—it was a steep hill to climb if I wanted back on Olive Russo’s good side. You know the cliché “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”?
Yeah, that.
“They’re going to do a Gambler’s course. Then Lily’s going to run her open-level dog, Mack, for you to see where you would start out.”
Olive’s sultry voice poured down my spine and set my dick to stirring in my jeans. Down, big fella. But trying to will it away was having zero effect.
“See the ribbon on the ground? The handlers can’t cross those lines to get their dogs to take the obstacles behind it. Each dog and handler team will get points for every obstacle they take, but some are worth more than others. Then the dog must take a set sequence of obstacles from behind the ribbon where the handler can’t go. They can take the first part of the course in any order, but handlers have to strategize to get the most points. Since Jet is a MACH dog, Lily has more obstacles behind the ribbon than most would.”
“What’s a MACH dog?” I asked, watching her for a reaction. She didn’t so much as flinch, but some of the smile fell from her face as those big dark eyes met mine. Seemed Olive had regained her famous Russo composure after she’d left yesterday. I’d never seen her so thrown off before, but that air of complete competence she’d always had was back in place.
“Masters Agility Champion. It’s the highest title a dog can attain in agility.”
“So, it’s like baseball. Single A, double A, triple A, major league.”
“Yes, but agility is Novice, Open, Excellent, and Masters. The AKC has a Premier class, too. It’s open to all levels but the courses are difficult even for highly experienced dogs,” she said to the group in general. “USDAA, the sanctioning body for today’s match, doesn’t have a Premier class.”
As Olive turned back to the ring, Lily took a lead out on her dog while Jet vibrated with energy. “Jet, break!” When Lil gave the magic word, the dog was off and running, dirt flying into the air behind her. They took tunnels and the A-frame, the dog walk and jumps as Lily’s students oohed and ahhed at Jet’s speed and skill, and the handler/dog teamwork. But what was really impressive was when they came to the obstacles behind the ribbon pinned to the ground. Lily stopped with her toes an inch off the line while Jet kept going into the special section. Lil began calling out commands to the Aussie as she moved back and forth the length of the ribbon without ever crossing it. “Teeter, Jet. Weave. Go, go, go, go, go,” Lil encouraged before pointing to a jump sequence and tunnel, yelling out which way she wanted the dog to turn, and yes, Jet knew her right from left.
When they finished, and Jet ran through the laser timer on the last jump, Lil called her. The dog jumped into her arms with a look that said, I’m a total badass and I know it.
It was something to see, but what was even more interesting was watching Ollie out of the corner of my eye. The woman was beyond competitive. Always had been, and there was both a fondness and longing in her eyes, but also a hint of sorrow.
“Hey, Olive?” Out of breath, Lil placed Jet back on the ground.
“Yeah?”
“I tweaked my ankle. Do you think you could take Mack on a standard run for me? I promised I’d show my students what agility looks like for their dogs, and that not even the coach’s dogs are perfect.”
A sweet smile slipped over Olive’s face. “Absolutely.”
“Awesome, I’ll pull up the ribbon.” Lil met my eyes. “Hayes, can you put Jet in her kennel and grab Mack?”
I took the Australian Shepherd with me to where I’d seen CC kenneled earlier and swapped Jet for Mack. Mack was my bud. The Staffordshire Terrier was aptly named—he was built like a Mack Truck. Short legs, blue-gray coat with that bully-style head. Scars all along his thick body thanks to the puppy mill he escaped from. But he was the sweetest little dude, and so damn goofy you couldn’t help but love him. Half the class grinned at his rolling gait and lolling tongue as I handed his leash to Olive. Mack looked like the kind of dog you wouldn’t want to get cornered by, but truth was he was a total marshmallow.
Sitting him down between her feet behind the first jump, Olive pulled his collar and lead off, pitching them to me while Lily talked to her class. “Mack is an open-level dog, just barely... I still don’t know how we ever moved up from Novice. Blind luck, maybe?” The group chuckled. “Your doggos would start in Novice as well. Mack doesn’t have a lead out like Jet does. If Olive doesn’t stay with him, he’ll take off and make up his own course. He likes to do that, but with standard runs, you have to take the obstacles in order.”
It hadn’t escaped me that several people had gathered in the bleachers near the course, and it was quieter than it had been when Lily ran. Everyone was watching Olive.
I felt Brody walk up beside me. His voice was low and a little out of breath. CC sat quietly at his feet, her watchful Cane Corso eyes missing nothing. “Olive’s agility dog passed away a year ago. She hasn’t gotten another dog, yet. It really tore her up. Most of these people running today knew her and Cassie.”
Nodding, I watched as Olive leaned down and whispered something into Mack’s ear before she took off running on her long, strong legs. Mack followed, taking the first jump, and the clock started its count while Lily narrated for her students. Mack was not Jet, but he was having a blast as Olive ran him to a tunnel and yelled, “Tunnel, Mack. Go!” The first tunnel he made perfectly, then cut back into a second tunnel according to Olive’s hand signal. But when the Staffy turned and popped back out of the same end with that big bully grin, everyone laughed. It was precisely why Lily wanted her students to see Mack run. To show them agility could be fun for dogs and handlers at any level. “Go, go, go!” Olive shooed him into the tunnel and goosed his butt.
As he emerged from the tunnel at the correct end, she made for the next obstacle. “Mack, jump!” But the dog simply stood there directly in front of the bar. Olive stopped. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go!” Her face was beyond animated.
Brody leaned in. “Eh, he’s not gonna take the jump unless she makes kissy noises.”
As if he’d spoken directly to her, Olive made loud kissy noises and Mack jumped over the bar, catching it with his back foot and knocking it down. When they got to the teeter-totter, the little fireplug did something astonishing. He went up the side of the plank that was on the floor but slowed to a stop right at the teeter’s fulcrum. Then he just...balanced there, both ends in the air as he rocked on the fulcrum only slightly while he stared at Olive with his doggie grin. Lily’s students scrambled to get pictures. “Mack, touch!” Ollie pointed to the end of the board, but he didn’t budge. “Mack Truck! Let’s go! Touch, buddy.” It took a little more coaxing and a lot of laughter on Olive’s part to finally get the dog to descend. When they got to the A-frame, he did it all over again, scrambling up to the top with his short little legs, only to stand there like he was king of the hill. Long after the timer buzzer went off, Olive and Mack crossed the last jump. Olive heaped attention and scratches on him just as Lily had with Jet.
Clapping started, more people than just Lily’s students, but from all around the ring. Olive looked around.
“The clapping isn’t for Mack.” Brody joined in, letting out an earsplitting whistle. When I glanced at Lily, her eyes were watery. “Everyone here knows how hard it is to lose a dog, and this... It’s the beginning of the healing. You should know she’s not seeing anybody, Hayes. I don’t know the full story, and after talking to her today, I don’t think you do either. The universe is trying to tell you two something here.” Slanting a peek at Brody, I noticed his eyes were a little wet as well. “Don’t ignore that, my man.”
He’d always been a bit of a crier.
But it was Olive’s face that held me captivated. Mack danced around her feet as tears fell down her sweet round cheeks and she cupped her hands over her mouth in awe.
“There’s plenty she doesn’t know about the breakup either, but I do still care about her.” I knew it the moment I saw her again. The weight on my shoulders lifted, if only briefly. As much as I wanted to give it another shot with Olive, was that even fair to her? I hoped to get contracted with another team. I’d have to move if that happened. Still, I couldn’t get my heart to cooperate with my head on the matter.
Brody clapped me on the shoulder, and I let out an earsplitting whistle of my own.
Once people started going about their business again, I made my way over to Olive and Lily just as their hug broke apart and Lily walked away. “Hey,” I said, hesitantly.
“Hey.” Her voice was a little rougher than normal.
“I don’t know much about agility, but I’m fairly sure that run isn’t going to win any titles.” I let a grin slide over my face.
As beautiful as I’d ever seen her, with red, puffy eyes, Olive let a laugh burst from her lips. “No, definitely not, but Mack is so much fun.”
“Brody told me about your dog, Cassie. I’m sorry you lost her. We always had strays around my house.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “My mom would get pissed when I’d take them leftovers or whatever and she’d never let me have one of my own. But seeing Brody with CC, I can’t imagine how hard it would be on him to lose her.”
Nodding, she didn’t meet my eyes, choosing to stare at the dirt floor instead. “Thank you. Cassie was the little bit of chaos in my otherwise well-ordered life. Kind of like you were years ago.”
As the next round of handlers began walking the course to plan their runs, Olive settled in with her weight on one hip to watch. I could see her formulating her own run in her head. I noticed several people in the ring with arms out, practicing their cues. “Why are so many of them spinning in a circle there?” I nodded at them.
“Huh?” She looked up. “Oh. After the set of jumps, they’ll want to pick up the dog on the outside for the next set of tunnels.”
“Why not just cross paths with the dog?”
“That works if you’re faster than your dog and you can stay ahead of them, or if you have the ability to send your dog to the tunnel sequence without going with them, but if you don’t have a send or can’t stay ahead of the dog, you run the risk of the two of you running into each other. That’s dangerous for both handler and dog. The dog’s safety always comes first. They can accomplish the same goal with a quick one-eighty on their feet at the edge of the jump.”
“There’s a lot more that goes into this than I realized. It’s not just teaching your dog to take obstacles, is it?”
She grinned as she continued to watch the handler’s walkthrough. “No, it’s a little more complex than that. Dogs read body language. There’s a lot of subtlety in running an agility course that laypeople don’t notice. For instance, see what she’s doing there?” Olive pointed to an older lady turning a one-eighty at the edge of a jump. “That’s called a post turn. Because the dog has to double back at that jump going in the opposite direction for the A-frame, the dog will read the handler’s motion, which way her shoulders are going, and follow her handler’s lead. See how she’s using her palm with a push motion toward the A-frame? It’s called a push. She’s using the motion to signal to her dog to push out to the obstacle without having to go with the animal. Instead, she can move to the next obstacle and let the dog take the A-frame on its own. Shoulder placement, hand signals, voice commands, where your feet are pointed, staying in motion without signaling the wrong thing to your dog. It can get quite complicated. Often, when a dog misses an obstacle or gets off course, it’s the handler at fault.”
