Page 13 of Surge

Two hurdle jumps. Of course. Then the A-frame. Simple up and down for Surge. Weave poles. Surge was superfast weaving between the poles. Dog walk. Up one side, across the bridge, down the other side. She’d have to sprint to keep up with him on that one. And lastly, his favorite—the tunnel run.

After what had happened at the middle school, she had to restart his counterconditioning. Okay, the double-combo jump was fine, but the point was to ensure Surge’s compliance and focus on her. Simplified, this course would be a good bounce-back for them.

Before Heath found out about Surge’s nonresponse yesterday and fired her for doing the scent demo without asking him.

“Surge, stay.” Delaney jogged to the double combo and finished dragging it off to the side. She hustled back to the beginning of the agility course and patted her left leg twice. “Surge, heel.”

His silky body rippled with taut muscles, his eyes and ears trained on the hurdles. She held his collar, barely restraining the raw power of the Malinois, who barked excitedly.

Praise God for eagerness.

Delaney chuckled. “Surge, go!” Releasing him, she was already moving with him. She signaled Surge to the hurdle and ran beside him as he flew over. Then the next. She rushed to keep pace with him toward the A-frame. He raced up and down it.

She signaled him to the weave poles, and he wove through them as fast as ever. They headed to the dog walk. He ran up one side and started across the bridge. Happy he was doing so well?—he enjoyed it as much as she did—she trotted backward, grinning as he sailed off the bridge.

“Send him through the double combo . . . the tire, not the window.”

Delaney’s breath hitched at the intrusion of Heath’s voice from behind her. Great. She probably should’ve added it to her course. Why had she doubted herself? Heath knew the Mal preferred the window side to the tire side. But they’d be okay. Surge was paying strong attention to her today.

Surge raced down the other side of the dog walk, and she signaled him to the double combo off to the side of the yard. She was throwing in a wildcard here. Would he do it?

Don’t think about it. Don’t stress. Just keep going.

They approached it, and she signaled him through the tire side.

He correctly ignored the tunnel but, thick-skulled, he started for the window half of the double combo.

No! Please please please.

She held her breath. At the last minute, he diverted—and sailed right through the tire. Though she wanted to reward him with a “good boy,” it was important for him to learn to obey without verbal commands in the middle of a course.

That’s right, buddy. Let’s finish this thing.She signaled the opening to the tunnel. He shot through it, then spun back around, dropped down to his belly in the grass. Lying there, ears straight up, pink tongue dangling by a mile, Surge stared into the tunnel.

Her stomach fell.What the . . .Why was he signaling a hit? Wait . . . With her nerves bouncing, knowing Heath was watching, she jogged to the tunnel and peeked in.

And smiled. She pulled out a scent tin from the tunnel and lifted it in the air so Heath could see.

“Good job, Surge! Good job.” She held out her arms.

Surge leaped into them, then hopped down.

She tugged out his KONG.

His head swiveled around, and he was in motion even as she sent it sailing. He jumped up and snagged it from the air. Proud of himself, he trotted around the yard, then came back to her as she produced the KONG tug. He ditched his other KONG and pounced on the tug. He jerked her shoulder so hard she flipped around to see Heath just outside the gate. With someone else.

Crew. Of course.

But they’d seen this—right? They’d seen that Surge had made the course even with the change-up. That he still had it in him, right?

Oh, wait. There was a third guy she didn’t know—and he was watching her. Lifted his jaw in greeting to her. She nodded in kind.

Who was this guy with the scruff beard?

Delaney started to walk over and see who it was, but Heath entered the yard like an incoming storm. Ballcap shielding his eyes, he parked himself right in front of her.

“You found out,” Delaney said, thinking about what’d happened at the school as she clipped the lead onto Surge. “I?—”

“Yep.”