The Truth About Cats & Dogs by Lori Foster, Kristine Rolofson, Caroline Burnes Read Free Book Online

underneath, both dogs barked at him, trying to warn him off.
    â€œWhat the hell is she doing with my underwear?”
    Sadie stared at the picture he made, on his knees peering under her furniture. “I don’t know.” And as Buck stood to face her, she said, “I can get them for you later, when she comes back out.”
    Buck hesitated, then, amazingly enough, stood, slung his thick arm around her shoulders and led her back to the kitchen.
    â€œI suppose that’ll be okay.”
    Awareness made Sadie so stiff she could barely walk. Buck’s arm was heavy and warm, his embrace casual. He kept her tucked in close to his side. When they reached the kitchen, he pulled her chair out for her, waited until she got seated, then joined her at the table.
    â€œSo tell me what you do. I know you work at the shelter, but what’s your job there?”
    He began eating, not paying her much mind, and that made it easier to converse with him. “I work as a vet’s assistant.”
    He nodded. “I sort of figured it’d be something like that.”
    â€œI’ve always loved animals.”
    â€œIt shows.”
    He was so open and friendly, he made it easy to talk. “I’d always wanted to be a vet, but I never got my schooling finished for it.”
    â€œHow far did you get?” In two large bites, he finished off a piece of toast.
    Watching him eat amazed Sadie. Without looking like a glutton, he polished off the food in short order. She pulled her gaze away from him to taste her own eggs. Delicious.
    â€œI got accepted to a veterinary college,” she admitted, and hoped she didn’t sound boastful.
    â€œYeah? You have to have a really high GPA for that, right?”
    She remembered how thrilled and proud her mother had been. Buck sounded almost as admiring. “Yes. Admission was selective, but I’d already completed a pre-veterinary curriculum with a strong focus on the sciences. Anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology and some clinical sciences.”
    â€œWow. Heavy subjects. So what happened?”
    Sadie toyed with her fork. “My mother needed me at home.” So that he wouldn’t misunderstand and think her mother selfish, she rushed through the rest of the explanation. “She’d raised me on her own. For as long as I can remember, it was just the two of us. She did a great job, but she was sick for years.”
    â€œSick how?”
    â€œCancer.” Just saying the word made Sadie relive the hurt. “She’d go into remission, feel a little better, then go downhill again. Each time it got worse and worse, and her recovery from treatment took longer. The cancer began to spread.” Her voice started to shake. It hadn’t been that long since she lost her mother, and talking about it still hurt. “I didn’t want her to be alone.”
    Buck pushed his empty plate away. His brows were drawn with concern and sympathy. “You took care of her?”
    â€œMe and a nurse who visited three times a week.”
    â€œHow old were you when she first got diagnosed with cancer?”
    Looking back, it seemed her mother had always been ill, but Sadie knew that wasn’t true. It was just that when most young women were breaking away from home, striving for independence, she’d had to stay close to her mom. “We first found out she had breast cancer when I was almost fifteen. She had surgery, and things seemed okay for a year or so. Then they found more cancer. Lung. Bone.” She swallowed and pushed her plate away. She couldn’t eat another bite. “Eventually brain cancer.”
    Buck reached across the table and took her hand. “Must’ve been really rough.”
    Watching her mother weaken over time had been a living hell. But she’d borne it all alone. There’d been no one, other than peripheral strangers—doctors, nurses and a variety of legal people—to offer her any