Mine Read Online Free PDF Page B

animal shelter that gave dogs like Rex a chance. There was a strict no-kill policy. He could stay here as long as necessary and Rachel would pay for it herself, if need be.
    His nose got closer to the treat. Rachel didn’t move it. He sniffed, glancing up at her every couple of seconds as he stretched his body as far as he could, ready to spring back to the corner at the slightest provocation.
    “It’s okay, Rex. You can have it. Go ahead.”
    He was close enough now. He nibbled at the treat, but Rachel held on, forcing him to stay close. He was surprisingly gentle and she smiled at him, reassuring him with soft words until she was able to scratch under his chin. He didn’t pull away, but let her touch him as he chewed, still watching her closely.
    She spent close to fifteen minutes stroking him and talking to him before she clipped the leash to his green Happy Acres collar and stood. “What do you say, buddy? Want to feel the sun? It’s damn hot, I’ll tell you that. You probably won’t want to be out there long.”
    He fell into step at her left in a perfect heel. She did a double take at him, surprised by his obedience. Rex’s owner had obviously spent time with him. That just made his situation seem even sadder to her.
    She took him out the back door and into the blazing early morning sunshine. This was how Rachel Hart started her day. She woke up early, had her coffee and ate breakfast as she read the newspaper. She went through her list of the day’s appointments, which generally didn’t begin until mid- to late-afternoon. Then she dressed in comfortable clothes and drove out to Happy Acres where she walked dogs for two or three hours, rain or shine. It was the best way she’d found to clear her head, organize her thoughts, plan sales strategies. The other volunteers there said she had a way with the animals, that she was somehow able to reassure them and earn their trust. She shrugged those comments off regularly, saying she was just nice to them, that was all, it was no big deal. They just shook their heads and smiled knowingly.
    The grass was barely dewy at all this morning. The temperature had only dropped to the low seventies last night, and people were starting to get cranky. The heat didn’t bother Rachel much, but she knew the forecast end to the heat wave would bring welcome relief to western New York. There were people who’d never left this area their entire life who would still complain about the weather. Rachel’s mother was one of them.
    She willed the thoughts from her head. It was too early in the morning to deal with thoughts of the woman who’d brought her into the world. Instead she focused on Rex as he sniffed at a nearby clump of grass. Thinking of him and his situation of loss logically brought her mind to her newest client.
    Rachel wasn’t impressed easily, but Courtney McAllister had impressed her. Not that Rachel had let on that she thought so. Frankly, she was still annoyed that she’d been made to feel like such a moron, but she’d get past it. She did feel, however, that it had taken some balls for Courtney to call and apologize and ask her for a second chance. Rachel had a hard time imagining what it must be like to lose a partner. It was difficult to look at somebody like Courtney—young, vibrant, very attractive—and think of her as a widow, but that’s exactly what she was. What Rachel had suggested she do in order to better sell her house must have cut through her skin like a razor. She shook her head in disgust, annoyed at herself for not being better prepared, for not having that vital piece of information.
    The thing that surprised her the most, though, was the seeming lack of bitterness Courtney showed. Her smile seemed genuine. She was friendly. Granted, Rachel knew nothing at all about her relationship with her late partner—for all she knew, they might have been miserable together. But here Courtney was, no older than her mid-thirties, and she was now forced