That last one didn’t sound too terrible, actually, which was why it was a good thing Bubbles chose that moment to yap and spin in a circle. Turning as one, he and Sophie shifted their attention to the puppy, the moment of easy friendliness disappearing as quickly as it had come.

“So, what happens next?” he asked, careful to keep any but the blandest of emotions out of his voice. “Training-wise, I mean?”

He was rewarded for his pains with a long, careful look and a plastic bag that looked to contain some sort of brown pellets.

She nodded toward it. “Dog treats.”

“Wait. Treats? But when I gave her that granola bar, you—”

“Table scraps and human foods are a big no-no, but treats during basic training are fine. In fact, you’ll find them necessary if you want to get any real results.”

“I will?”

“She’s a great dog, but she still needs encouragement every now and then. Most of us do.” That long, careful look became downright intense, but she moved on before he could come up with a suitable reply. “She’s ready to learn scent alerts, and we’ll start those within the next few days, but you’ll still need to reinforce rudimentary behaviors.”

When he still didn’t say anything, she added, “Sit. Stay. Heel. Down. Come.”

Despite the gentle rap of her words—or maybe because of them—Harrison felt compelled to follow each of those commands as she uttered them. Which was a dangerous thing for a lot of reasons, but mostly because those last few held decidedly sexual undertones.

When he didn’t say anything other than to grunt a noncommittal sound, she added, “I’ve been working with her on those since she arrived, but it’ll be better for the rest to come from you.”

“But I don’t know how—”

“I’ll come over to your house every day, of course. It’s part of our process. For the first few weeks, Bubbles and I will be on the job from nine to five. Once we move to more intense training, we’ll vary the schedule so it includes some nights.”

So many parts of that plan blinked red and warning in Harrison’s vision. Every day? Nights? His house?

The last one caused the biggest flash. His house wasn’t a place he’d willingly bring a woman like Sophie. Hell, he could barely stand being there himself.

“Oscar never mentioned anything about that,” he said, taking a wide step back. The distance seemed necessary. With any luck, the earth would open up between them and he could fall through to the other side. “Can’t we just do it here?”