The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) Read Free Page A

really? One where everywhere she went, everyone she saw, reminded her of her biggest mistake. Where living in a town house meant for two, then inhabited by one, festered like an open wound. She fingered her left hand, empty for the past two years—two years filled with changes and new directions—and knew she’d made the right choice.
    She wasn’t going back. She would make this work. What choice did she have? Olivia was tired of being a failure. Failing at her marriage. Failing at her previous job. Failing at taking risks. She had changed careers, finally pursuing her degree in physical therapy, and the day had come to put all this education in practice. She had a new job, a new start. This time, she was going to plow forward and not let anything get in her way. Even this . . . mess. She couldn’t do anything about the house right this second, but she could start with the dog.
    “Come on, honey.” She patted her thigh. “Let’s get you out of there.” Olivia kept up an endless soft stream of soothing words as she moved an inch at a time, slow, easy. She kept her hand splayed and her tone low, cheery. “You hungry, puppy? Thirsty?”
    The dog’s gaze darted from her to the dense, overgrown shrubbery on the right, then back again. Olivia closed the gap to five feet. The dog tensed, the fur on its back rising in a Mohawk of caution. The dark chocolate eyes grew rounder, filling with fear. “It’s okay, sweetie,” Olivia said. “It’s okay. I want to help.”
    Wary eyes flickered, and distrust gave way to hope. An ear twitched. The tail raised, lowered, then swished slow against the ground.
    “Let’s get you something to eat. Would you like that? I bet you would.”
    The dog shifted, rising on its haunches, then dropping again to its belly with a high-pitched whimper. Dark crimson blood, dried, crusted over, smeared against the animal’s side. All that beautiful golden hair matted in painful bunches. The dog had moved so fast, Olivia couldn’t tell if the injury was new or old, or the extent of the damage. Whatever had happened, this poor thing needed a human, even if she didn’t know it.
    Olivia had to get this dog to a vet, but if she got too much closer, the wounded animal might panic and run. Or worse, bite her. The dog could be feral, scared. Either of which could make it react with its teeth.
    In the car, Olivia had dog treats. Maybe if she got a couple of those, the dog would let Olivia get close and evaluate its injuries. She pivoted back to the Toyota and unlatched the rear passenger door, careful not to let Miss Sadie out. Just as Olivia snaked a hand into the bag that held the treats, Sadie bounded over the seats, pounced on the bag, and knocked it to the floor. Olivia opened the door a few inches more, scrambling for the spilled dog biscuits.
    A flash of white zipped past. Oh damn. “Miss Sadie!”
    Too late. The bichon darted into the yard, barking hellos. The golden started, hips raised, ready to run. Damn, damn, damn. “Sadie! Quiet! Stay!”
    The bichon heard the command in Olivia’s voice and stopped running. She turned back, noted the displeasure in her mistress’s face, and dropped to her haunches. Too late.
    A glimpse of yellow fur, disappearing under the picket fence dividing her property from the house next door. A flick of a tail—
    The dog was gone.
    Olivia called the bichon back to the driveway and ordered her to sit. “Stay. I’ll go look for him.”
    Miss Sadie sat, her pixie face filled with disappointment at missing the great adventure.
    “I know you want to help, but you need to stay. Stay. ” Olivia grabbed a handful of treats out of the car and headed for the hole in the wooden fence.
    Hole was a generous description. Two boards were missing, a third broken in half. Olivia bent down and stepped one leg through—straight into a thick, green shrub. She pulled her other leg through and shoved past the jumble of green leaves and spiky branches that tangled in her hair,