Free Payback (The Canine Handler Book 1) by Maria Hillegas

the starboard side of the boat with his hind end standing erect on the seat near his handler. With his nose already searching the air, he alternated between scenting low to the surface of the lake and stretching and testing the air above him. Sarah could tell he was working. He was hunting for an unknown human scent—a scent that didn’t belong to the humans who were already in his scent picture.
    As they rounded the cove and came to the start of their work area, Kellee pulled out her GPS and marked the start location coordinates. She radioed in to base to let them know they were starting their task and jotted down a few notes on her waterproof pad. The ranger slowed the motor and positioned the boat to grid east toward the dam and parallel to the shoreline where base camp was set up. Starting from the center of the lake, they would work their grid lines east to west, slowly making their way south toward the shoreline. Sarah stood up and reeled out more of Gunner’s long line to allow him added freedom within the boat.
    “Okay, buddy. All up to you now,” she told the dog. It distracted him and he wagged his tail heartily looking at her for a moment before returning to sniff the water and air. Sarah really hadn’t needed to bother. Gunner had already begun to work. He didn’t need a boost from her to do his job.
    Sarah pulled the baby powder from her BDU pants pocket. She stayed downwind of everyone in the boat and squeezed off a few puffs. The talcum powder formed a small cloud at first. She watched as it wafted on the wind, the direction it went and how it dissipated. It lifted up slightly, widened and shot toward the southern shore in the prevailing northerly wind. Perfect, she thought, the wind is still pretty much blowing toward the southern shoreline. This will put Gunner in a great position to follow up on Sam’s indication from earlier.
    Even though Sarah had complete trust in both her dogs, her stomach was in a knot. This search had turned into a much tougher situation than anticipated. Feeling as though she was carrying the whole weight of her team and their reputation on her and Gunner’s shoulders, she knew they couldn’t fail at this task. Why is everything such a struggle! Always having to prove myself, she thought . She felt a small spark of anger rise up. As if reading her emotions, Gunner turned back to look at Sarah, locking eyes with her. “Get to work,” she said in a high-pitched voice. Be positive or I’m going to blow this whole assignment.
    “Everything good?” Kellee asked. She stood beside the ranger at the console. The two had been discussing water levels, temperatures and increased vegetation that had grown so well this year in the lake due to how clear the water was and how much sun had been able to penetrate deeper into the lake’s waters. Sarah’s mood hadn’t gone unnoticed.
    “Just tired, it’s been a long day with only a few hours of sleep. I’ll be fine.” Sarah mustered up a smile with her reply as she looked up. She knew Kellee was reprimanding her. Sarah turned away to concentrate on her dog and the surroundings. Day was turning into early evening, giving way to longer shadows falling across the glistening water. The sun’s rays bounced and reflected off the casual rising and falling drifts the boat forged in its wake. The wind had dropped down in strength, but still had a nice steady breeze flowing south. Sarah spied her teammates working across the lake nearer the northern shore. Gunner caught their scent, identified and cataloged it and went back to his task at hand.
    The ranger finished the fourth long grid from west to east. He throttled back on the motor preparing to turn around near the dam and head west toward Round Island. Suddenly, Gunner’s head snapped like he had slammed into a solid wall. Jumping from the bow of the boat, he leaned over the side with a closed snout forcefully sucking in the air over his more than 220 million olfactory receptors. The