Hearts in Bloom by Kelly McCrady Read Free Book Online Page A

compact Toyota sped along for several miles. Cool air blew across her elbow, propped in the open window. The temperature drop felt good after the intense heat of the mid-September afternoon. The sky darkened and a cascade of pelting raindrops hit her windshield. She pulled her arm inside the car and rolled up the window. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if the brunt of the storm was hitting south of Echo Falls, Texas—her new home.
    A dog came out of nowhere. The large size blob of black-and-white fur blended so well with the steady rain that Robin didn’t see it until she was almost on top of the animal. She stomped her foot on the brake. Her car skidded on the wet pavement, but didn’t stop. The dog bounced against the bumper, stumbled for a few steps and collapsed on the ground with a pain-filled yelp.
    Robin cringed, her stomach lurching into queasy. Hands shaking, she pulled her car to the shoulder. She turned off the ignition, set the emergency brake and flashers and got out. The tempo of the rain increased, soaking her T-shirt.
    The wet fabric clung to her skin, making her shiver.
    The dog lay stunned, its chest and stomach heaving.
    “Mommy, what happened?”
    Robin looked over her shoulder. Lindy had slid from the back seat into the driver’s side and opened the door. “Stay in the car, Lindy.” She watched until her daughter shut the car door again.
    The dog struggled to its feet, cried out and plopped back to the ground, deflating like a balloon. Robin laid her trembling hands on the animal’s side. The mutt growled.
    “Easy. Let me see how bad it is.” Having lived and worked with a veterinarian in her foster home, she made a quick search for broken bones or injuries and didn’t find any. Robin gently felt the animal’s stomach, but the mutt twisted around and nipped at her. Sighing, Robin scratched the dog’s ears to calm her. The dog’s belly was full of puppies and she appeared close to delivery.
    Scruffy. Dirty. Thin. Pregnant.
    Probably mistreated, too, judging from the scabs around her throat.
    No collar.
    Robin nibbled on her lower lip, weighing her options.
    “Mommy?” Lindy hung out the now open car window. “Is the doggie all right?”
    Boo pushed out next to her. “Did we hit it, Mommy?” Boo’s head tipped to the sky. The slowing raindrops bathed her face.
    “Yes, honey. It was an accident. I didn’t see her until it was too late to stop. You two get back inside the car before you get soaked.”
    “I love the rain, Mommy. It doesn’t hurt to get wet.” Boo grinned.
    Robin shook her head. Her sweet daughters—they loved rainy days and walking in puddles. Both of them loved animals, too.
    “Can we take it home, Mommy?” Boo’s tone of voice begged for a positive answer.
    Robin groaned, her head pounding.
    “Is it a girl or a boy?” Lindy asked. Robin’s heart stalled.
    “It’s a girl and no, honey, we can’t take it home.” Robin snapped her mouth shut before the girls noticed the quiver in her voice.
    Her conscience rebelled at the choices open to her. She wouldn’t leave her and she couldn’t take her. The dog was too big for the front seat. Even if she moved one of the girls’ car seats to the front, the backseat wouldn’t hold the other girl and the dog. Plus, her landlord, Mr. Pearson, barely tolerated her girls, let alone a pet. She wasn’t sure if Echo Falls had an animal shelter, she had no cell phone to call and she certainly didn’t have the money to pay for the dog’s care herself. Deposits and first month’s rent for their dismal house had depleted her savings; the girls didn’t understand she could barely keep a roof over their heads, food on the table and the car running. One more mouth would be too many.
    Looking down the road both directions, she checked for a house or another car. Instead, she found wide-open fields of corn crops and an empty stretch of pavement. The dog struggled to its feet, held for a few moments, then a spasm in her