My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

interview with Isaiah, she’d left the clinic walking on clouds, believing that he’dhired her on her own merit. It hurt—oh, how it hurt—to realize that hadn’t been the case.
    She could not, under any circumstances, accept the position now. She hadn’t clawed her way, inch by inch, toward a partial recovery to accept Isaiah Coulter’s charity. She needed to make her way in the world without any special concessions. Other-wise all her struggles had been for nothing.
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    Three hours later, Isaiah was turning off onto a rutted dirt road to make his weekly call at a local dairy farm when his cell phone rang. Jerked from his distracted perusal of the snowcapped Cascades on the horizon, he sighed and tugged the silver communication device from his belt. “Isaiah here.”
    â€œHi, sweetie.”
    â€œHi, Mom.” Isaiah had expected it to be someone from the clinic. His mother seldom telephoned during the day because he was always too busy to talk. “How are you this morning? Is everything okay with you and Dad?”
    â€œOh, Isaiah, I’m so upset. I’ve made an awful mistake, and now I don’t know what to do.”
    Isaiah frowned in concern. The dairy barns were just around the curve, so he pulled the vehicle over onto the grassy shoulder of the road, shifted into park, and cut the engine. “Anything I can help with?”
    â€œOh, dear, I hope so.”
    Boomer, the dairy farmer’s tricolored Australian shepherd, careened around the curve just then, gave a glad bark, and leveled out into a run to reach the Hummer. Tied up on the phone, Isaiah couldn’tgreet the Aussie as he normally did, so he quickly grabbed a dog biscuit from the sack he kept on the passenger seat and thrust it out the open driver-side window. The strategy worked. Instead of jumping at the door and scratching the paint, Boomer took a running leap to snatch the treat from Isaiah’s hand. For good measure, Isaiah tossed out two more biscuits to keep the dog occupied.
    â€œYou know I’ll help if I can, Mom. What’s the trouble?”
    Mary made a mewling sound. “It’s about Laura Townsend.”
    Isaiah’s attention sharpened. “Yeah, what about her?”
    â€œOh, Isaiah, you’re not going to be happy about this. First, let me just say that I really, really believed she would be a fabulous kennel keeper. You know I’d never have recommended her otherwise.”
    Isaiah cocked an eyebrow. “Of course you wouldn’t. That goes without saying. The clinic is my and Tucker’s livelihood.”
    â€œExactly, and I’m sure Laura would have been a fabulous asset to both of you.”
    â€œWould have been? I’m not following.” He glanced at his watch. “She’s at the clinic as we speak. This is her first day of training.”
    â€œNo,” Mary said faintly. “I’m afraid she’s not there. Oh, Isaiah, I’m so upset I could cry. She’s such a sweet girl. I never in a million years meant for her to know.”
    â€œKnow what?”
    Mary moaned. Isaiah began to get a very bad feeling, which only grew more pronounced whenhis mother added, “Oh, how I wish I didn’t have to tell you. You’re always so unreasonable about this sort of thing.”
    Isaiah narrowed his eyes. The only times he could recall being remotely unreasonable with his mother had been when she tried to set him up with women. “You didn’t.”
    â€œI meant well.”
    â€œYou didn’t. With Laura, Mom?” Isaiah pictured Laura’s oval face and large, expressive eyes. She’d been so hesitant during the interview last night, then so grateful for the job. “What the hell were you thinking?”
    â€œNow, now. I don’t blame you for being angry, Isaiah, but don’t curse at me.”
    His eyes narrowed even more. “Don’t play the mother card. You know very well I