Healing Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page A

said next.
    “Dominic, are you all right?” Samuel said, an urgency to his voice.
    “Yes. My mind has been elsewhere. Call me when you know what’s going on in Costa Sierra.”
    He placed his cell phone on the couch next to him and leaned back, wondering what he would do if the operation didn’t really fix Madi’s legs. He was ill equipped to deal with this situation. He’d wanted to be a father years ago. He’d even thought he had found the perfect woman to marry and start a family with. Then he’d made the mistake of bringing her home to the ranch to meet his father. Six months later she’d married his father and a year later Madi had been born. He loved his sister, but he’d had a hard time letting go of what Susie and his dad had done to him. His father had been grooming him to take over Winter Haven Ranch at the same time he was moving in on his fiancée. It was after that that Dominic had left Oklahoma and headed to Houston.
    Now, after ten years of hard work, his company was finally what he had always envisioned it to be. He hadn’t depended on his father for anything. When Dominic had taken his inheritance from his maternal grandparents and started Winters Clothing and Textiles, he had broken all ties with his father and stepmother. But it was little Madi who brought him back to the ranch occasionally.
    When the door opened, Ms. Harris entered and looked at him, concern dulling her brown eyes. “Is something wrong with Madison?”
    He schooled his features into a neutral expression, not used to sharing himself with others, even a beautiful woman who had allowed him the use of her office. “No. I haven’t heard anything yet. I was just thinking.”
    “Everything okay?”
    He must be losing his touch. He usually could prevent his emotions from appearing on his face. That ability had served him well in the business world. But for the past six months nothing had been the same for him. And he was discovering Abbey Harris was quite perceptive, which was an asset as a social worker. “Problems with a work situation,” he said when he realized she’d moved closer, concern growing in her eyes.
    “Your three missing employees in Costa Sierra?”
    “How do you know about that? They were supposed to keep it quiet.”
    “It’s all over the internet this morning.”
    “Great. I really shouldn’t be surprised.” Why hadn’t Samuel told him? Probably trying to protect him while he was dealing with his sister’s surgery. He would let his second in command know that he wasn’t fragile. He needed to be aware of everything. That was the problem. He wasn’t doing his job adequately, and he wasn’t being a brother to Madi adequately, either. He didn’t tolerate failure in anyone, least of all himself, and right now he was letting everyone down.
    “Sometimes when life comes crashing down around you, you have to step back and regroup. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Do you have someone handling the situation in Costa Sierra?”
    That was his problem. He had a difficult time asking anyone for help—even the Lord. When all his plans with Susie had fallen apart years ago, he’d worked hard to make sure he never had to suffer through that kind of pain again. And yet he had—with the death of his dad and Susie. “Yes, my second in command is handling it,” he answered when he again realized she was waiting for a response.
    “Then let him.”
    “It’s my company, my employees.”
    “What about your sister? If the operation is successful, she’ll be having intense physical therapy and will need someone there to cheer her on. It’ll be a long road for her until she walks again. And if the surgery isn’t successful, you’ll have a whole other set of problems, teaching her to deal with living in a wheelchair.”
    “You sure know how to cheer me up.”
    “I don’t take you as a guy who avoids problems. I have a feeling you like to meet a challenge head-on.”
    That was a good description of how he