Healing Hearts

by Margaret Daley

  “When was your dog down here?” Chad tipped his cowboy hat back on his head.

  “A while ago. You weren’t here.”

  Dominic snuck a glance at Abbey. Worry knitted her forehead. Then she peered at him, her eyes staying a few seconds before she returned her attention to Madi and Chad. His gut knotted. He’d missed her these past couple of weeks, even though he had been busy with work. He’d caught himself thinking about her at odd moments. He’d almost called after he visited his dad and Susie’s graves, but he didn’t know what to say to her.

  “Cottonball might be between here and the house. We’ll look there first.” Abbey turned to leave.

  “She’ll need help.” Madi nodded toward Abbey disappearing through the double doors.

  Dominic backed away a few steps, something nagging him. Then he swung around and went after Abbey. Madi had acted upset in the house, tears and all. But now she seemed relaxed. As attached as his sister was to Cottonball, she should be howling. Outside he slowed his pace, stopped and watched Abbey trekking toward the backyard.

  He decided to return to the barn and have a word with Madi first. When he approached the entrance, he heard Chad ask, “What’s going on? You and that dog are inseparable. She wouldn’t go off without you.”

  “I had to get them talking again. Abbey is perfect for us, but something happened between them.”

  “You need to tell your brother what you did. You know better.”

  Dominic entered the barn. “Tell me what?”

  Madi fixed her gaze on him but remained silent.

  “Madi, what’s going on?” Dominic asked in a stern voice.

  She lowered her head and stared at her lap. “Cottonball isn’t missing. She’s in my room at the house.”

  “You lied to me and Abbey. I’m disappointed in you. Next time you come to me for help looking for Cottonball, I might not believe you. Worse, Abbey drove all the way out here because she cares about you and knows how much Cottonball means to you.”

  Madi’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

  Dominic put his hands on his waist. “You need to tell Abbey that, then go to your room.”

  Madi lifted her head, chewing on her bottom lip. “Do you think she’ll be mad at me?”

  “You should have thought about that before you concocted this scheme.”

  “But you two should be together, like before my birthday.”

  “What Abbey and I do is none of your business.”

  “Yes, it is. We’re family.”

  “Let’s go find Abbey.” Dominic indicated the entrance into the barn.

  * * *

  Abbey made a full circle in the middle of the backyard, trying to figure out where Cottonball would go. She loved Madi. Why would she leave her? To chase a squirrel or rabbit? Maybe. She kneaded the tight cords of her neck and looked toward the barn.

  Where had Dominic disappeared to? Not that she wanted to see him. When she was near him, her common sense fled.

  The faster she found Cottonball, the faster she could leave. She took a few steps toward the pool area, stopped and stared at the back door. If Madi and Cottonball had become separated somehow, Cottonball would go to the back door and bark until someone let her in. What if Mrs. Ponder had done so and Madi didn’t know?

  Abbey marched toward the house, but halfway there, she noticed Dominic and Madi heading her way. She waited, taking in Madi’s scared expression and Dominic’s solemn one.

  “We’ll find Cottonball, Madi. I won’t leave until we do,” Abbey said to reassure the child. She’d been doing so well. She didn’t want the child to have a relapse and the nightmares to return.

  “Madi has something to tell you.” Grim lines sculpted Dominic’s face.

  Abbey’s heartbeat accelerated. Had they found Cottonball hurt?

  “I’m sorry, Abbey. Cottonball isn’t missing. She’s upstairs in my room.”

  Abbey folded her hands across her chest. “Then why did you call me and tell me she was gone?”

  “I wanted you to come over when Dominic was here.”

  “I had to cancel the nursing home and disappoint a lot of folks.”

  Tears filled Madi’s eyes. “I’m sorry I lied. I’m...”

  “Going to your room,” said Dominic. “And while you’re there, I think you should write a letter to the residents of Shady Oaks apologizing for what you did.” Dominic gripped the handles on the wheelchair and rolled Madi up the ramp and into the kitchen. At the door, he looked back at Abbey. “Please stay.”

  She nodded and took a chair on the back deck. No matter how hard she had worked the past few weeks, she couldn’t get Dominic out of her mind. The bottom line was she loved him. Seeing him today only reinforced that.

  Lord, I can’t do this. See him and act like nothing ever happened between us.

  The door banged closed, and she glanced toward Dominic bridging the distance between them. Nothing in his expression indicated what he was thinking. She started to stand, but he waved her back down.

  “We need to talk, Abbey.” He took the chair across from her.

  “About Madi?”

  “No, about us. I respect what you said to me two weeks ago. I understand why. But I’ve missed you.”

  Emotions she dared not feel leaped into her throat. She tried to swallow them down but couldn’t.

  “The past couple of weeks I’ve done a lot of thinking. I know I was holding myself back because I was afraid to take a risk. But not anymore. Not taking a risk on us is far worse.” He clasped her hands in his. “Can we find a way for this to work? I love you, and I want to give us a chance.”

  Abbey cherished the feel of his hands around hers, but she wasn’t sure it would work. “Have you come to terms with Susie?”

  “Yes.”

  Hope flared in Abbey. “I did with Peter, too.”

  Dominic rose and tugged her to her feet. “Give me a chance to win your love.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  He frowned.

  Abbey quickly said, “Because I already love you. But let’s give ourselves a chance to see where this goes. We can date—”

  “After the last time we went out, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said with a chuckle.

  She relaxed against him, his arms enveloping her. “Then we won’t call it dating.”

  “In case Madi asks, what do we call it?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think Madi will care so long as we’re seeing each other.”

  He settled his mouth over hers. The touch of his lips made her feel as though she’d come home. As he deepened the kiss, Abbey gave her heart totally to him.

  When he broke the kiss, he said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she murmured, and kissed him again.

  Epilogue

  “I’ve put everything in the car, including Gabe and Cottonball. You ready to go?” Dominic asked, coming into the foyer, decorated almost as much as the living room for Christmas.

  “Yes, but Madi is still upstairs getting ready. She’s been fussing about looking her best for everyone.” Abbey turned toward her husband, marveling at the changes that had taken place in the past five months.

  He snagged her hand and drew her to him. “Good. That’ll give us a few minutes to decide how best to tell her about the baby.”

  “I say we tell her tomorrow morning when we’re opening presents. We have a lot to celebrate this year. Our first Christmas as a married couple. A baby on the way. Madi walking and doing great in school. Your factory built and running well.”

  “And don’t forget about the Caring Canines Foundation.”

  “How can I? I’m going to be busy planning the training fac
ility for the dogs.”

  “I hope you didn’t mind me giving you your present a little early.”

  She laughed. “Mind? No way? The piece of land for the facility at the ranch is perfect. I can walk out of my house and go a few hundred yards to work. I have a feeling Madi will be spending a lot of time there.”

  Abbey caught sight of Madi at the top of the stairs, dressed in a dark green velvet dress with white stockings and black leather shoes. She slowly descended the stairs, grasping the banister. With a huge smile, she held her cane in her other hand. Only until recently had she used the stairs. Abbey’s chest expanded with all the love she felt toward this little girl and the man next to her.

  “What do you all think?” Madi made a circle.

  Dominic put his arm around Abbey and drew her against him. “Beautiful. Both of my gals are. We’d better get going. We have to go by Shady Oaks before we go over to Abbey’s parents, then on to church.”

  “Knowing Mr. Johnson, he’ll be calling to see why we’re late.” Abbey placed her hand over her stomach where a new member of their family was growing.

  “And we can’t be late for church. I need to get there early and practice my lines with Brandy.”

  “We have plenty of time for all three places if we leave now.” Dominic let Madi go first out the door, then snuck a quick kiss from Abbey.

  “Please, you two can kiss later. We need to get going now.” Madi giggled. “You would think you’re newlyweds.”

  Dominic scooped Madi up into his arms. “We are still newlyweds.”

  Abbey hugged them both and laid her head on Dominic’s shoulder, amazed at how God had healed their hearts and given each of them a second chance.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Soldier's Sweetheart by Deb Kastner.

  Dear Reader,

  Healing Hearts is the first book in my Caring Canines series about service and therapy dogs. As a teacher of students with special needs, I dealt with service dogs in my classroom and saw firsthand how special these animals were. Throughout my life, various pets have brought me much pleasure and comfort. What service and therapy dogs can do is amazing. In the series I hope you’ll see just how much they can change a person’s life.

  I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at margaretdaley@gmail.com or at 1316 S. Peoria Ave, Tulsa, OK 74120. You can also learn more about my books at www.margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.

  Best wishes,

  Questions for Discussion

  Dominic’s past ruled his life because he couldn’t forgive his ex-fiancée for betraying him. Has something like this happened to you? How did you get past it?

  Dominic didn’t think God answered his prayers. He thought the Lord had given up on him. Have you ever thought that? What did you do?

  Madi was depressed over yet another operation and a long recovery period. She was sick of being in a wheelchair. Have you dealt with depression? What has helped you overcome being sad and depressed?

  Abbey lost her daughter three years before the book opens. She is still dealing with her child’s death by trying not to dwell on memories of Lisa. Can you escape grief by ignoring your pain? What are some things you can do to help yourself work through your grief?

  Abbey went through a period where she felt sorry for herself and Madi is going through the same thing. What can you do to help yourself when you’re having a pity party? What can your loved ones do to help?

  Abbey believed in the power of animals to help people when they are in pain. Do you have a pet? Have you ever felt cheered up by your pet? Has your pet ever sensed you are hurting and tried to comfort you? Explain how.

  Madi suffered nightmares after being in a plane crash. Did you ever suffer from recurring nightmares? Why? What did you do to stop them?

  Dominic knew something was missing from his life because his work didn’t bring him the joy it did when he first started building his company. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do to change it?

  Dominic felt pulled in two directions. He needed to be in Oklahoma with his sister and in Houston for work. Have you ever felt this way? How did you solve the problem?

  Abbey thought it was important that the nursing home allow animals in, and she fought to make that happen. What is something you have fought for? Did it end well? What made you fight for it?

  Abbey’s ex-husband left her because he couldn’t handle his daughter’s serious illness. He left Abbey to do it all by herself. Have you ever had to be the sole caregiver for someone sick or gravely ill? Discuss.

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

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  Chapter One

  Sell Sam’s Grocery?

  Samantha Howell snorted in outrage and crumpled the fancy-shmancy letter, written on white-linen paper, in her fist.

  Over her dead body.

  Her stomach tightened into uncomfortable knots, the same as it always did when she heard the name Stay-n-Shop. Didn’t these people know what the word no meant? Just because they were a large corporation didn’t mean they could walk over the little people, did it?

  Actually, it kind of did. In fact, that was exactly what it meant. And unfortunately for Samantha, she was the “little people” in question.

  Fury kindled in her chest as she flattened the note with her palm. As much as she wanted to toss the missive in the nearest trash can, she knew she needed to keep it. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard from this giant bear of a company, but if they had their way, it would be the last. Stay-n-Shop had taken out a ninety-day option on land just inside the southern border of Serendipity. If she didn’t sell to them, they’d “have no choice but to pursue permits and zoning” and begin building a store of their own. In short, the big-box store would drive Sam’s Grocery out of business.

  She chewed absently on her bottom lip as she reread the letter once again, her thoughts buzzing through her head like a swarm of angry wasps.

  What was she going to do to save her store? What could she do?

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  The bell rang over the door and a moment later, a man’s deep, unfamiliar voice registered in her ear.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m looking for Samantha Howell. I was told I might find her here.” His tone was as smooth as honey, with just the hint of a Texas accent.

  “I’m...” she started to say, frantically sliding the crumpled letter under the nearby dry-goods inventory. Her breath hitched as she met the stranger’s uncompromising brown-eyed gaze. She swallowed hard, trying to recover her composure.

  “...Samantha Howell.”

  Having lived her whole life in the small town, it was a rare event for her to not recognize someone. Very few visitors ever came through Serendipity, Texas. The town wasn’t even on the state map. She knew nearly every customer who frequented the store by name and could recount their lives down to the most current events.
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  Even more peculiar, she surmised the man was military, despite the fact that he was in street clothes. The severe set of his shoulders, his trim blond hair and the way he clasped his hands behind his back were dead giveaways. And his tan T-shirt was ironed, with a sharp crease lining each sleeve. Only military guys ironed their T-shirts.

  She wondered which branch of the service he was in. Before leaving for Fort Benning for Basic Combat Training, her brother, Seth, had tried to enlighten her on the differences between the branches. At the time, she hadn’t really been paying attention. Her brother was always talking about Army this or Army that.

  To Samantha, military was military. She appreciated their service to the country, and she hung up her flag every Memorial Day and Fourth of July just like any other homegrown patriot would do, but it had all been lip service, without any truly meaningful connection to her real life.

  Once Seth enlisted, that changed.

  Now every newscast about the American troops, every update on the radio, was personal. It was frightening. It was family.

  Seth.

  In a matter of milliseconds, Samantha went from being curious about a handsome stranger to completely panicked over a brother living in consistently deadly conditions. She felt as if she’d been zapped with electricity from an open socket. All thoughts of Stay-n-Shop and her own problems instantly fled.

  Was this man here about her brother?

  Oh, dear Lord. Not Seth.

  As the man’s solemn gaze held hers, fear and adrenaline jolted her pulse. Her stomach rose into her throat in stinging, nauseating waves, then plunged back down again like a giant, out-of-control roller coaster.

  The stranger’s expression was grim, his mouth a thin, straight line slashing across hard, angular features. She could read nothing reassuring in his eyes and horrible scenarios spread like wildfire through her mind.