by Jenna Brandt
Sneak Peek of The Girlfriend Rescue
Ted Hendricks pulled his beanie cap down over his sandy blond hair to cover the edge of his ears. Even though spring was approaching, the Colorado mornings still held that crisp, cool air that made layers a necessity.
“You ready for your next search, Titan?” Ted asked his unofficial K9 partner, removing his leash and let him sniff the sock in his hand. “You’ve done great on the last two; let’s make it three.”
Titan sniffed several times, inhaling deeply. He turned and took off in the opposite direction. Ted followed, pleased that his partner was headed in the right direction. Every time he wondered if the K9 was going to underperform, Titan proved to Ted that he was the most capable search and rescue dog out there. It still shocked Ted that no one wanted to work with him after his police officer partner in Boulder was killed in a car accident. When the police bulletin went out to the county offering adoption for the dog, Ted immediately seized the opportunity. Not only was he a big animal person because he grew up on a farm just outside Clear Mountain, but he knew it was the perfect way to prove he could be a great additional K9 handler for the Clear Mountain Search and Rescue team.
Titan continued up the dirt trail, moving along the edge, stopping occasionally to take another whiff of whatever was driving him forward. About twenty yards further up the trail, Titan found the spot where the other matching sock had been hidden earlier in the day by Ted. He barked and sat down next to a bush on the side of the path.
Ted jogged up and dug inside the bush. He plucked out the sock with pride. “Great job, Titan, you did really good,” he said, pulling out a treat from his cargo-pants’ pocket and giving it to the German shepherd.
Titan barked a second time, wagging his tail with joy. Ted ruffled his partner’s fur, laughing at how happy he was at his work. Ted had been worried whether or not they would bond and make a good team; however, the moment he picked him up from the Boulder County police kennel, there was an instant connection.
“You ready to head over and get Deanna?” Ted asked, as he re-attached the leash to Titan’s collar.
He barked again, wagging his tail even faster at the mention of Ted’s girlfriend. The only person Titan liked more than Ted was Deanna, and he couldn’t blame his K9 friend. Deanna was amazing. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous with curly red hair and bright green eyes, she was smart, funny, and one of the kindest people he knew. Even though he had worked with her for years, he had purposely never gone after her. He saw how it bothered her when the other men at the station hit on her, and he didn’t want to be that guy. Plus, he didn’t think he had time for a relationship when he was so focused on his career. When Deanna asked him out on a date, her pursuit was the first time he thought about the possibility of making room for anything other than his job and his family.
Once back at the parking lot of the Clear Mountain Resort, they loaded into Ted’s truck and headed down the main road back into town. He drove to the east side of town and pulled up to a set of townhomes.
“Wait here, Titan. I’ll be right back.”
Ted hopped out of his truck and headed up the walkway. He reached the top of the steps and knocked on the door of the left unit. A few minutes later, Deanna opened the door. She was pulling on her last heel. “Just give me a quick sec,” she said, moving over to grab her purse and jacket from the coat rack behind the door.
Ted grinned, repressing the chuckle that wanted to escape. It was so like Deanna to be late. She was as easy-going as they came in her personal life. This was probably her way of off-setting the need to be tough-as-nails when she was at work trying to keep up with the cops.
“Are we going to make it on time? I don’t want your parents to be upset with me.”
“We’ll be fine,” Ted promised, as he helped her into her black jacket. He hated covering up her blue blouse and jeans—which hugged the curves of her body perfectly—but he knew it was still a little too chilly to go anywhere without a coat. “Besides, they love you. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Good, because I know how important this is to your mom,” Deanna said, locking the door behind her before they took off.
Saturday brunch was a tradition Ted’s mother started for the family when his first brother moved out on his own four years ago. As the youngest of the three brothers, Ted decided to move out two years ago. His mother complained all the time about having an empty nest now that they were all gone. It was probably why she liked Deanna so much. She thought it meant Ted would be settling down soon and giving her lots of grandchildren. His oldest brother, Phil, enjoyed the single life. Ken, the middle son, had only had one daughter from a previous relationship and swore he was done. This was the main reason their mother pinned all her hopes on Ted.
A few miles outside of town, they reached a dirt road that led to Ted’s family’s ranch. Set back and surrounded by trees was a rambling farmhouse with a wooden barn next to it. There were also two large silos and, next to the barn, a corral filled with horses.
Ted climbed out of the truck and came around to help Deanna climb down, then kept the door open to let Titan out as well. They made their way to the front of the house, but before they could even knock, the door swung open. “Uncle Teddy!” his six-year-old niece, Maggie, yelled with a giant grin on her face. “You ready to play Minecraft with me?” All of a sudden, noticing Titan, she pushed past Deanna and Ted to wrap her arms around the dog’s neck. “Never mind, I want to play with Titan instead. Come on, boy,” she said, gesturing for the K9 to follow her.
Ted and Deanna trailed after them into the dining room where the men were sitting around the table and his mother was putting out the last of the dishes.
“Can I help you with anything, Mrs. Hendricks?” Deanna offered.
“How many times do I need to remind you to call me Tamara?”
“I guess it’s just a habit from my job. I tend to call everyone ma’am or by their last name,” Deanna explained.
“Well, I suppose Mrs. Hendricks is better than ma’am. That would make me feel so old.”
The men around the table chuckled.
“We wouldn’t want that,” Ken said, elbowing their brother Phil in the side. “Mom wants to pretend she’s still twenty-two.”
“Stop that,” she chastised, patting her blonde mane. “Can I help it that I don’t have a single gray hair on my head.”
“Dying your hair will do that,” Phil pointed out with a wry grin.
“I don’t appreciate the accusation,” she said, giving her son a withering look of anger. Turning her attention to Deanna, she added, “I don’t need to dye. I have great genes. Just remember that, dear, when you and Teddy decide to finally get married and have children together. They’re going to be blessed with the same great genes.”
“Let’s hurry up and eat before the game comes on. I want to find out who is going to make it to the state finals,” Ted’s father, Bill, said as he gestured to the empty seats next to him. “Sit down.”
“Come on in here, Maggie,” Ted’s mother called out towards the living room. “It’s time to eat.”
Deanna and Ted did as they were directed just as Maggie came running into the room with Titan behind her. She took the last remaining chair at the table, and Titan laid down on the floor beside her.
His father said a prayer over the food before they passed the dishes of mashed potatoes, fried chicken, green beans, and bread around the table. The family laughed and talked about their week. Maggie kept slipping pieces of food to Titan. Ted knew he should probably stop it; it wasn’t the best idea to feed him from the table, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop it since it made them both so happy.
Just as they were finishing up the meal, Ted’s cell phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw it was a call from work. “I have to take this.” He answered the call only to be informed he was getting called in for a missing hiker. He wished he could take Titan with him and prove how great of a team they were, but he
hadn’t gotten up the nerve to seek the captain’s approval yet. It would just have to wait until next time.
“Ken, do you mind giving Deanna a ride home for me?” Ted asked, standing up from the table. “I have to go to work. We’ve got a missing hiker.”
“What about Titan?” Maggie asked, looking down at her K9 friend.
“Can you keep him here until I can pick him up later?” Ted asked.
“We can watch him, can’t we, Daddy?” Maggie begged. “Please, Daddy, please?”
He shrugged. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
Ted leaned over and gave Deanna a quick kiss. “Sorry about this. I’ll call you later.”
“I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to date a search and rescue cop,” she teased with a smile. “Go find that missing hiker.”
As Ted took off, he was grateful for his wonderful family and girlfriend; however, part of him still longed for the one thing he didn’t have that he always wanted. He wanted to be a K9 handler. He knew he needed to finally just go for it, but in the back of his mind, he worried that it wasn’t going to work out. Pushing that troubling thought away, Ted focused on what he needed to do next. He sped towards the station, ready to meet his team, and start their search.
Grab your copy of The Girlfriend Rescue!
Sneak Peek of The Billionaire Rescue
Christian Perez stood sternly in front of the group of fire search and rescue trainees that had made it to the final days of training. He was impressed that so many had successfully made it through the intense eight-week course at the Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy.
The eleven men and three women stood in a row at attention, exhaustion clearly written across their faces, etched in the heavy layer of grime, soot, and dirt that covered them from the rubble testing grounds. Their K9 partners sat proudly by their sides; ready for their next assignment. As their final assessment, Christian, along with his fellow fire instructors, had put their teams through a massive fire simulation that was tied to a mock arson investigation. Though all of them had passed, it hadn’t been an easy test by any means. The flames were real, along with the ignitable liquids used to set them. There had also been various decoy accelerants used to throw off the dogs, as well as fake dead bodies and live victims scattered amongst the debris.
“All of you have beaten the odds. You’ve been tested through the rigorous process and your true grit has been proven,” Christian praised. “A third of your fellow trainees quit or washed out, but those of you that remain have shown that you are the best of the best. Today, on these training grounds, you’ve put out the worst type of fire and cracked the hardest type of arson case. For this reason, it is my pleasure to announce that all of you will be graduating from the academy.”
The trainees’ tired expressions shifted to ones of pleasure as they patted each other on the back and congratulated one another. Once they settled down, Kristi Kimiko addressed the group next. “Tomorrow, you will join the most elite, most prestigious group of first responders in the country. Firefighters who can proclaim to the world that they are DCSRA graduates.”
“Tonight, go out and celebrate; you’ve worked hard to earn the right,” Derik Cruise announced to the group.
“But don’t overdo it,” Christian added quickly, giving his fellow instructor a disapproving look. “Graduation is at 10 AM sharp.” Then, turning back to the trainees, he added as he gestured towards the exit. “Dismissed.”
The trainees, along with their K9 partners, filed out of the area, leaving Christian with Derik and Kristi.
“Do you always have to be a stick in the mud when it comes to work, Christian?” Derik asked with an irritated look. “You’re one of the coolest guys I know when we’re outside Disaster City, but the moment you put that blue uniform on, you instantly become a robot.”
“Being professional, and expecting the same out of everyone around me, doesn’t make me a robot, Derik. Just because you have an easy-breezy attitude towards everything in your life, doesn’t make me a stick in the mud.”
Derik shrugged, running his hands through his brown hair. “I guess I should be used to it by now, considering we’ve worked together for over two years. I just wish my friend showed up to work sometimes.”
“Okay you two, cut it out. Don’t make me break this up,” Kristi sighed from the side. “We’ve got a lot to do before graduation tomorrow.”
“Hey, I didn’t start it,” Christian protested, “Derik’s to blame.”
“Some would say it was your winning personality,” Derik countered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m your guys’ mother rather than your co-worker,” Kristi said with irritation. “Good thing I love my job so much, or I’d be tempted to leave without a second thought.”
The men stopped glaring at each other as they turned to face Kristi.
“You wouldn’t really do that, would you, Kristi?” Derik asked with a hurt tone. “We’re not that bad.”
“We can work on it, honestly we can,” Christian added in a plea. “You know how much we need you on the team.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said with a small laugh. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”
The fire instructors made their way out of the training grounds and hopped into the waiting black SUV. They drove the short distance to the DCSRA veterinarian hospital where they dropped their K9 partners off for their end of assignment check-ups. Next, they made their way to the staff villa where the group parted ways.
“I’ve got to meet up with Aspen,” Derik explained as he jumped out of the vehicle and glanced at his watch. “She’s probably already waiting at the restaurant.”
“I’ve got to go, too,” Kristi said as she climbed from the back of the SUV. “Axel texted me to let me know he purchased movie tickets. I’ve got forty-five minutes to get to the theater.”
“Have a good time,” Christian shouted out through the vehicle window to both his fellow instructors. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That would mean everything, since you don’t have a girlfriend. Maybe you should correct that,” Derik teased back through the window. “I’ll see you at church on Sunday,” he added before turning around and sauntering off.
Sometimes it was hard to be the only single instructor in his department. It wasn’t that Christian hadn’t tried dating; it was that every time he did, it never managed to work out. He’d tried all the usual ways: blind dates set-up by friends, joining the singles group at church, even the online dating apps didn’t work for him. It was just easier focusing on his career, rather than continually putting himself out there and getting disappointed.
Christian parked the SUV and made his way to his apartment. After changing out of his uniform, he decided to go see if Jesse Dixon was free. Considering that the urban terrorist instructor was also single, and just as dedicated to his job as Christian was, he was fairly certain his friend wouldn’t have plans tonight. Sure enough, only moments after Christian knocked on the other man’s door, Jesse opened it.
“What’s up, Christian?” he asked, leaning against the door frame. “Are you wanting to go to the gym before heading to the cafeteria for dinner?”
“Am I that predictable?” he asked, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
“Let’s just say, you’re a routine guy, which is fine. I am, too, probably from all my years in the bureau,” Jesse said before taking a drink from his water bottle. Jesse was a former FBI agent who specialized in urban terrorism. He was recruited to Disaster City because of his expertise and excellent track-record at stopping domestic terrorism threats. “I’ve got my gym bag right here.”
Jesse exited his apartment. They made their way to the neighboring building where the gym was housed in between the trainees’ dormitories and the staff villa. The cafeteria and training center, with staff offices and classrooms, was across from there. With on-premises kennels, a medical clinic, and an auditorium, DCS
RA was a full-fledged mini-city.
The men arrived at the nearly empty gym, ready for a hard workout. Christian liked that Jesse pushed him; he was an excellent workout partner.
“Where do you want to start? Squats? Presses?” Jesse asked, setting his bag down.
“My left shoulder has been stiff. I think we should start there.”
Jesse nodded, heading over to the bench with the appropriate equipment, and Christian followed behind him. They were only a few minutes into their workout when Ben Miller, the assistant commander of the DCSRA, showed up in the gym. He made his way over to them.
“Glad I tracked you down, Perez. Sarge needs to see you in his office right away.”
“What about?” Christian inquired, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bench.
“I’ll let him explain,” Ben said, gesturing towards the exit. “Follow me.”
Christian grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his neck, then stood up and grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you later, Jesse.”
“Sure thing, Christian,” his friend said as he took his vacated spot on the workout bench.
“How long is this going to take? I’m supposed to pick up Cinder from the vet,” Christian said, glancing at his watch.
“I’ll call over and ask the doctor to stay until you can pick her up later,” Ben offered.
“Thanks,” Christian said as they entered the administrative section of the training center. The Commander’s office was the largest in the building and set towards the back. They passed several closed doors before they reached the corner office.
Ben pushed the door open and moved inside, holding the door open for Christian so he could enter behind the senior instructor.
“Sorry to intrude on your time off, Perez, but this couldn’t wait,” the commander said as he looked up from his desk.