Healing Hearts Read Free Page B

having an operation, and I want to check on her this morning.”
    Abbey quickly left before her father found another animal for her to take home. In spite of her protests, she loved giving them a place to live. Along with the Lord, it was her dogs, especially Gabe, that had gotten her through Lisa’s death and her husband’s abandonment. But no pet could totally replace the emptiness in her heart.
    Was that why she couldn’t shake Dominic Winters and his sister from her mind last night? She’d even dreamed about the pair. And she’d relived the grief and pain in their expressions in that dream. She’d seen that in herself when her daughter had died—and it was still there locked deep inside her. Seeing Madison yesterday had brought it rushing back to the surface.
    When she pulled into her parking space at the hospital, an idea started forming in her mind concerning the Winters family. She knew what might help Madison, and perhaps even her older brother. Abbey had promised her dad she would find a good home for the bichon frise. What if the abandoned animal could replace the dog Madison lost?
    As she strode toward her office, she remembered Dominic’s reaction to Gabe yesterday. Now all she had to do was convince him a pet would help Madison in her recovery.

Chapter Two
    I n the surgery waiting room, Dominic sat in a corner, spreading his work out on the small couch so no one would sit next to him. A crowd packed the area, taking every seat and making him unable to focus on the folder opened on his lap. The wall of people pressed in on him—had done so for several hours. But slowly, family and friends left when the nurse announced a patient’s name.
    Dominic scrubbed his hands down his face, his eyes stinging from lack of sleep. No matter how hard he’d tried to sleep last night, he couldn’t forget what Madi would face today—a long operation that could make the difference in her life. He was also waiting for any news about his three employees in Costa Sierra.
    Before his life had gone haywire six months ago, he would have flown to Costa Sierra personally to handle getting his people back safely. Although he felt he’d let his workers down, there was no way he could be in two places at once, and his sister needed him right now.
    Dropping his head, he kneaded the tight cords of his neck. He’d stared at the same piece of paper for the past fifteen minutes and had only read a few paragraphs. He closed the folder, deciding he couldn’t work with everything in turmoil. When he looked up, he caught sight of the woman who’d been in Madi’s room yesterday with the dog. Abbey Harris. She saw him and grinned, then headed toward him. At least she didn’t have the dog with her.
    When Madi came back from her tests yesterday, she’d wanted to know where the black Lab was. He hadn’t said anything because he still wasn’t certain that having a dog around would help Madi heal. Losing Zoe had been so hard on her. In fact, she’d reacted more to Zoe’s death than anything else, which concerned Dominic. His sister wasn’t dealing well with her parents’ deaths. He sometimes wondered if Madi thought her mom and dad would return from a long vacation. Even the counselor had remarked about Madi’s silence when it came to her parents.
    His gaze fixed on the lady dressed in bright yellow pants with a yellow-and-white shirt. Miss Sunshine flashed him a smile, which reached deep into her warm brown eyes. He slid his folder on top of his briefcase and rose.
    “Hi, Mr. Winters, as I told you yesterday, I’m Abbey Harris and I work here as a social worker.” She stuck her hand out.
    As he shook it, he asked, “Is there something the hospital needs from me?”
    “No. I just wanted to find out how Madison is doing. Have you heard anything about her surgery?”
    “About twenty minutes ago a nurse told me everything is progressing the way it should.”
    Ms. Harris glanced around, spied an empty chair nearby and dragged it