Rising Storm Read Online Free PDF

death trying to get onto our property. He had managed to crawl halfway through the fence before getting stuck. I rushed him to Katelyn, I mean, Dr. Jacks. It took her three hours of surgery to stop all the bleeding."
    "Wow. What caused it?"
    "Dr. Jacks believes the dog was a loser in a professional dog fight. I thought as Sheriff you'd want to know."
    "I do. Thank you. I didn't know we had any dog-fighting rings around here. I'll contact the humane societies and some of my cop friends and see what I can find out."
    "I'm running an investigation of my own on the farm. If we find any evidence you'll be the first call I make. But, I’ve got to say, Dr. Jacks is something else. I'm glad I saw that stupid Bachelor/Bachelorette list and remembered she was here. I don't think old Doc Truett would’ve been able to save Zoticus."
    "Zoticus?"
    "That's the name I picked for the dog. Dr. Jacks was so focused during the surgery. She was amazing," Ahmed said with reverence.
    "I'm sure she was," he said dryly. That damn list. He didn't want anyone else thinking she was amazing. That was his secret.

Chapter Three
     
    Katelyn's eyes shot open. Grrr. She was too wired about the surgery to fall asleep. She always was when her patients were still in the woods. She rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. Three minutes past three in the morning. All of two minutes had passed since she last looked at the clock.
    She kicked the covers off and found a new pair of scrubs. She slid her feet into a pair of sneakers and put her long straight hair into a ponytail without looking in the mirror. She walked quietly down the hall then down the old squeaky steps. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well check on Zoticus instead.
    The drive to the clinic was a short one. She loved seeing the small building all lit up, even in the middle of the night. She had made the right choice in hiring Rebekah on as night staff. She just felt better having someone there with the animals. She parked near the front door. Bekah's car was parked around the building in the staff parking lot, but there were no lights back there and Katelyn had learned the hard way to use the front door. She had tripped over a root and fallen into a tree. She felt brilliant for that.
    She opened her car door and headed past the dog walk area towards the front door. She unlocked the front door and unarmed the alarm.
    "Bekah! It's just me," she yelled as she made her way through the waiting room.
    "Back at the cages," she heard Bekah yell.
    Katelyn made her way through the exam room and the area behind them to the cages and runs.
    "How's our boy doing?"
    "He's doing pretty well. Mr. Ahmed called already to check on him. His color is doing well and he's perking up more. He's very scared and subsequently somewhat aggressive."
    Katelyn looked in at the dog and was relieved to see him so alert. By the way his eyes were darting around she could tell he was scared and unsure of his environment. She went over to the dog food bins and pulled out a handful of food.
    She kept her hand closed and slightly outstretched as she confidently approached the cage. In low, soft tones, she talked to the dog and presented her hand to the wire separating them. The dog raised his head and sniffed the air, never taking his eyes off of her. She reached over and unlatched the run and stepped inside. The dog continued to eye her and tense in fear as she approached, but didn't make any other moves. She bent down and paused, allowing the dog to get accustomed to her.
    She took a kibble of food and rolled it over to him. The dog's tongue greedily shot out and ate it. She rolled another kibble of food and watched it vanish. She came closer and repeated the process until he was scarfing food out of the palm of her hand. He was now relaxed and the excitement of meeting someone new was obviously wearing on him. She did a quick exam and, happy with the results, pulled the blanket back over him and let him go to sleep after