care what she looked like. The man undoubtedly had his pick of women, and probably hadn’t given her a second glance.
Not that she’d welcome it.
Still, her heart rate bumped higher as she made her way down the stairs to the first level of the boardinghouse. As usual, the hum of voices and laughter was a backdrop to games in the rear great room, food preparation in the spacious kitchen and family-style meals in the dining room. The front great room was equally as roomy and inviting, but usually more quiet, and that’s where she found man and dog.
Mike, dressed in jeans and a polo-style shirt, did not look happy.
Handsome, but not happy.
Sheridan noticed her first and walked to the end of his leash, his tail wagging. He still held the pink toy in his mouth. She leaned over and gave his dark head a scratch to say hello and to calm her nerves.
“Hello,” Mike said, his voice wary.
“Hi,” she returned.
He shifted foot to foot. “I’m sorry to bother you on your day off.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Dr. Greenwood got the results back from the tests he ran on Sheridan.”
Panic blipped in her chest. “And?”
“And he didn’t find anything wrong.”
She smiled in relief. “That’s great news.”
Except Mike looked less than thrilled about it. “Yes, but…”
“But?” she prompted.
“But he’s not improving.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “And I was wondering if you’d be willing to…work with him.”
Lacey lifted an eyebrow. “Work with him?”
He averted his gaze, then looked back. “Dr. Greenwood said you have a way with dogs, that you can get through to them.”
She bit her lip. “I’m not sure what you’re asking me to do.”
His expression was tight. “You once made the comment you think Sheridan is…scared.”
She nodded.
“Can you help him get past it?”
“I don’t know.”
He frowned. “You don’t know? I thought you had some kind of special powers.”
She gave a little laugh. “You’ve been misinformed.”
“Then what do you do, exactly?”
She shrugged. “I spend time with animals and try to respond to whatever problem they have.”
He looked dubious. “No offense, but that’s a little vague.”
She gave him a flat smile. “This isn’t an exact science. I just love dogs and they seem to like me back.”
On cue, Sheridan’s tail wagged.
After a loaded silence, Mike said, “Okay, fine,” as if everything had been decided. “Sheridan’s scheduled to go through a refresher course at the training center in ten days.”
Lacey balked. “Hold on—I can’t guarantee Sheridan will be ready for training in ten days, or ever. Every animal has its own timeline…and some problems simply can’t be fixed.”
He pulled his hand down his face. “I’m running out of options here. Sheridan is the best search and rescue dog I’ve ever worked with. I don’t want him to lose his certification. Can you help him or not?”
His concern tugged on her heart, but the man was desperate, and owners with high expectations were not only the most dissatisfied, but usually the worst to work with. She looked down at Sheridan, who stared up at her with sad, hopeful eyes, his mouth full of the pink bone she’d made with her own hands. She thought of all the people the dog had saved in his career…and the people he could save in the future if he were well again.
Lacey lifted her eyes to Mike, who stood with his hands on his hips, his dark gaze guarded. “If we do this,” she said, “you have to agree to give me carte blanche where Sheridan is concerned.”
His expression cleared. “Okay.”
“That goes for you, too. You’ll have to do what I say when it comes to handling Sheridan.”
Mike looked as if a bad taste had backed up in his mouth, but he gave a curt nod.
“I’ll need to spend as much time with him as possible between my appointments. He can stay with me here—”
“No,” Mike cut in. “I’m renting a two-bedroom cabin. You can come and stay there with us.”
Lacey drew in a sharp breath and hiccuped. Stay under the same roof? With him?
“Please,” he added in a rusty voice that told her he didn’t often use the word. “Time is of the essence here.”
“I don’t think—”
“I’ll pay you, of course,” he said, then named a figure that stalled her tongue.
With that kind of money, she could buy two hydraulic grooming tables. And she could get Betsy to pick up the slack between appointments. But still… “Like I said, I can’t make any guarantees.”
“Fair enough. How soon can we get started?”
She blinked. “Well, I’d need to pack a bag—”
“We’ll