Unhurt Read Online Free PDF

out.”
    “What?!”
    “I’m just kidding. She’s great with kids. We volunteer together at the children’s hospital doing dog therapy. She’s certified and everything.” He did the half-smile thing, to encourage me I guess, and proceeded to open the door for his massive German Shepard, who apparently along with her owner was the kindest spirit to ever walk the face of the earth. Dog therapy? Children’s hospital? Seriously?!
    “Down, Mommy. Down.” Wyatt was tugging at my arms, not at all satisfied with the air-born prison he found himself in. Seeing no reason not to, I gave in and lowered him back down to the ground to meet Hattie face to face.
    My worries were for naught as she licked his face gently and stood completely still while Wyatt ran his little hands all through her thick fur. After all of the tension I’d been experiencing all week, I could suddenly feel my insides coming undone. The anger and hate. Everything was crumbling away at the sight of my sweet boy falling in love with this warmhearted dog.
    Derek’s hand reached out to touch mine. “Are you okay?” The concern in his eyes was frighteningly genuine. A small part of me had almost taken it as a welcome invitation to spill my guts and just unload all of my hurt and angst on him. But I didn’t. Instead, I sucked it up and pulled it together.
    “Yeah, I’m fine.” I moved my hand away from his touch. “So, where are those tubs?”
    His brow furrowed and I was sure he didn’t buy my less than convincing statement, but he was kind enough to let it go and move things along.
    “They would be straight back here.” He pointed back toward the trailer as he began to walk to the end where he unlatched and lowered the loading ramp.
    “Check them out.” I rubbed my hands together, motivating myself to feel some sense of enthusiasm. They were pretty cool. Better even than I’d pictured them, actually.
    “Where do you want them?” Derek went to lift the first one.
    “In the backyard. I’m going to use them as planters.” I proceeded to pick up the one that had been beneath it.
    “Oh, I’ll unload them. Don’t worry about it.” Derek was doing his best to gesture for me to put the tub back with just the use of his head.
    “It’s fine. You drove them all the way out here, the least I can do is help get them out of your trailer and into my garden.” He was still standing there, apparently contemplating whether or not that was acceptable. “Seriously. Start moving. This shit’s heavy.”
    He shook his head, laughing, but finally turned around and began walking around to the back of the house.
    “Aunt Deb,” I called out loudly as I passed by my front door. It opened a second later.
    “What?” She had patches of flour on her face, a clear sign something delicious was in the works.
    “Just unloading some stuff. Can you keep an eye on Wyatt, please?”
    She nodded and waved me onward eyeing the heavy load in my arms while I hurried to catch up to Derek.
    “Wow.” He had set down the tub and was gazing out across the great green beyond.
    I came up beside him and placed my load on the ground as well. “Not bad, huh?”
    “Not bad at all. This is amazing.”
    I nodded, enjoying the view. Didn’t seem to matter how often I stared at it, it always brought a smile to my face. “Yeah, my yard is pretty much the reason I moved all the way out to the middle of nowhere.” I pointed away toward the fence-line peeking between the trees and shrubbery. “The property itself is over five acres, but the bulk of it sits right here behind the house and workshop. It’s completely encircled with a variety of fruit trees and berry bushes.”
    “I never would have pegged you for a farmer.” He smirked.
    Jackass. “Well, becoming a mom wasn’t exactly in my plans when Wyatt came along. I was basically your run-of-the-mill twenty-five year old with a ‘go with the flow and fly through life by the seat of my pants’ kind of attitude before him,