Healing Hearts

by Margaret Daley

  “Don’t forget to see what the doctor says about that tomorrow.”

  “I had Dominic put it down on his list of questions he had for the doctor. I got to brush Spice today. At least as much as I could reach. Chad helped me.”

  After Gabe brought the ball back, Abbey held him while Madi tossed it for the two smaller dogs. “Mrs. Rosen is going to let the dogs inside in the rec room.”

  “They really liked Cottonball. Maybe I should take her. If you’re going on Saturday, Dominic and me can meet you there. How about that?”

  “That’s nice. Some of the residents asked about Cottonball, but I can come pick you up. You don’t need to have Dominic—”

  “And all of us fit in the car?”

  “True. Maybe I can borrow Dad’s van. Plenty of room in it.”

  The sound of the back door closing drew Madi’s attention. “Dominic. You’re home.” She beamed. “Abbey and me were talking about going to the nursing home on Saturday. I think we should pick her up since our car is bigger. What do you think?”

  Abbey noticed the dark circles under Dominic’s eyes. She quickly said, “I can get my dad’s van. I imagine you have work to do.”

  Madi pouted as she said, “Please. You’ve been working so much this week. Go with us.”

  “Listen, if you two need to spend some time together, you and I can go to the nursing home another day, Madi.” Abbey couldn’t forget the kiss he’d given her on Sunday. She’d even dreamed about kissing him again. She didn’t like where her thoughts were going. Right now she wanted to brush a wayward strand of his hair from his forehead, to smooth away the tired lines on his face. She could tell he was working too much.

  Dominic dragged a chair near them. “Madi, I don’t know if I—”

  “Please, Dominic. They miss Cottonball at the nursing home.” Madi’s eyebrows dipped down.

  Dominic sent Abbey a “help me” look, but she didn’t know what to say. She finally shrugged her shoulders in answer.

  “Okay,” he said. “But we’ll have to go in the afternoon. I have one last appointment with a Realtor on Saturday morning.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath as he relaxed back in the chair.

  “You haven’t found anything that will work?” Abbey asked, wanting to help but feeling helpless to do so.

  “No for various reasons, but mostly we need more land than is available at the sites I’ve been shown. If we’re hiring hundreds of people, we need a place where they can park.”

  “We’ve got lots of land here.” Madi held Cottonball in her lap and then gave the other dog, Ginger, a chance to retrieve the ball.

  “I know, but...”

  Madi’s expression brightened as though she’d just thought of something. “That way we can stay here. I don’t want to move.”

  “I haven’t said anything about moving.”

  “I heard Mrs. Ponder talking to Uncle Chad about what you were going to do once I’m better.”

  Dominic frowned. “Have you been worrying about that?”

  His sister nodded. “This is my home. Yours, too.”

  “Is that why you’ve been having bad dreams?” Dominic leaned forward, nothing relaxed about his posture now. “You’ll think we’ll move from the ranch after you recover?”

  Chapter Nine

  Uncertainty in a child’s life could cause bad dreams, but Abbey didn’t think that was what Madi’s nightmares were about. It was tied to the wreck.

  “No. I just heard Mrs. Ponder and Uncle Chad talking a couple of days ago. I thought we would stay here forever,” Madi whispered.

  He took his sister’s hand. “Whatever we do will be together as a family. You’ll be part of the decision. I’ll think about the ranch. Abbey mentioned—” he slanted a glance toward Abbey “—that very thing on Sunday. But I’m not sure I should. This ranch was my dad’s.”

  “It’s yours now.” Madi’s eyes glistened.

  “It’s ours.” He squeezed his sister’s hand, then released it and sat back in his chair. “I’ll take a look at the ranch tomorrow and talk with Chad about what he thinks. He’s been here a long time and was Dad’s good friend.”

  Madi grinned, hugging Cottonball against her chest.

  In the silence that followed Abbey rose and whistled. Ginger trotted toward her, and she hooked the mutt’s leash on her collar. “I have to take Gabe back to the house and get to Mr. Franklin’s office. I’ll call the nursing home and make sure Saturday afternoon is all right and let you two know.” She started to circle around to the front where her car was parked.

  Only a few yards away from Madi, Dominic caught up with her. “I’ll see you out.”

  She began to tell him he didn’t have to, but his look—as if he needed to talk to her without Madi around—stopped her. “Are you really going to seriously consider using the ranch?”

  “I’ll know more after talking with Samuel tonight and Chad tomorrow. I’ll need to tour the ranch. It’s been a while. I haven’t had much of a chance since I came home to take care of Madi. Now I need to. I’ll also have my lawyer looking into the zoning issues. Most of the property I’ve looked at has already been zoned for a factory.”

  “So it isn’t simple.”

  “Simple. I’ve forgotten what that’s like. My life seems to get more complicated by the minute.”

  “I know what you mean. I’m going ahead with the idea of creating a foundation. I’ll start slow and see where it takes me.” Abbey halted next to her car and opened the door for Ginger to jump inside.

  “I’m not sure why Madi wants me to go on Saturday with you, but I’ll try. I haven’t been able to spend as much time with her.”

  “And I feel bad about not being able to, either. I do think it will be good for her to go to the nursing home. It gives her a chance to help others. Even when you’re struggling, that can be a good thing. Will you two be going to church or do you want me to take Madi?”

  He blew out a long breath. “I’m taking her. I don’t want to back out of something I’ve already told her I would. Can we sit with you?”

  “Of course. See you Saturday.” She slipped behind the steering wheel and turned on the engine.

  As she drove away, her teeth nibbled her lower lip. She was worried about Dominic. He was juggling so much trying to meet everyone’s needs. She’d been in that position before when Lisa was sick, and she’d crashed and burned when her life fell apart. At least she had the Lord to turn to, but although Dominic believed in God, He wasn’t really in Dominic’s life.

  Lord, please show him the way back to You.

  * * *

  Dominic came up to Abbey in the middle of the circle of residents at Shady Oaks on Saturday. “I gave Corky to Mrs. Parks.”

  “Great. Now if I only had a couple more volunteers.”

  “Madi is good with the residents.” Dominic watched as his sister moved from one person to the next while she made sure everyone had a chance with the four dogs. “This is quite a crowd.”

  “I know. I need to bring more animals than even four, or have different sessions for different wings. This is growing faster than I imagined. Just a minute.” Abbey quickly closed the distance between her and a female resident who was trying to tug Ginger out of the man’s hands next to her. Abbey called Gabe to occupy the man while she gently placed the mutt into the lady’s lap.

  When Abbey stepped back toward Dominic, he asked, “Where’s Mr. Johnson? Isn’t he the one who started all of this?”

  “Yes. The nurse’s aide told me he wasn’t feeling well. I’m sneaking Gabe back to his room so Mr. Johnson can at least see him.”

  “Haven’t you been forbidden to take your animals anywhere but the rec room?”

  With a nod, Abbey slowly rotated in a circle, checking what was going on with the other
dogs. “Mrs. Rosen isn’t here today, and I’m worried about Mr. Johnson.”

  “What if the director hears about what you did? Will that jeopardize you bringing the dogs to the rec room?”

  Abbey sighed. “Yes, so I guess I can’t.”

  “Tell you what. I’ll go talk to Mr. Johnson and try to get him to come down here. If not, I’ll find out how he’s doing and tell him you’ll at least see him later.” When Abbey opened her mouth—to protest probably—he added, “You need to stay here. You know how to control your dogs. I don’t. What if chaos broke out? What if that woman decides to fight for another dog?” He gestured toward the lady who held Ginger at the moment. “Mrs. Rosen wouldn’t be too happy. Okay, be back soon.”

  Dominic left the rec room and found where Mr. Johnson was staying with no problem. He knocked on the closed door. It was opened a half minute later by a nurse. “Is Mr. Johnson able to see me?”

  The middle-aged woman peered over her shoulder. “I just gave him some pain medication. He tried to stand earlier today and fell. He didn’t break anything, but he’s been in some pain. He’s not too happy he can’t go to the rec room.”

  “Thanks. I won’t stay long.” Dominic moved past the nurse.

  “He’ll most likely fall asleep soon, which would be the best thing for him.”

  Dominic saw a thin man with a few tufts of gray hair on his head lying in a bed, his eyes closed. Wondering if Mr. Johnson had already gone to sleep, Dominic quietly approached him. He didn’t want to disturb the man, but Dominic had seen the worry on Abbey’s face as the residents had entered the rec room earlier. No doubt she was concerned about Mr. Johnson.

  Mr. Johnson’s eyes snapped open. “Who are you?” he asked in a weak, gravelly voice.

  “I’m Dominic Winters, a friend of Abbey’s. She was hoping you were all right.”

  “Why didn’t she come herself?”

  “We have four dogs in the rec room, and it’s a madhouse. Everyone wants to see the dogs at the same time. I’m afraid if she left me in charge, we’d have dogs running everywhere.”

  The old man cackled, then started coughing, his eyes tearing. “Four dogs. I can imagine the scene. How many residents are in there?”

  “Thirty.”

  “And four dogs?” Mr. Johnson shook his head, his eyes sliding closed then reopening. “No wonder you escaped. I would have, too.”

  “I understand you took some pain medication, and it might make you sleepy.”

  Mr. Johnson frowned. “Yes. I can feel it kicking in. Tell Abbey to come see me another time. I’ll be better soon. No use—” his eyes closed “—trying to...see me...now.”

  When the man appeared to be asleep, Dominic backed away from the bed. But Mr. Johnson lifted his eyelids halfway and murmured, “She and Gabe saved my life. Take care of her.”

  Dominic stopped and waited for the man to say something else. A few minutes later, he realized Mr. Johnson truly was asleep, and Dominic hurried back to the rec room. She saved my life. Abbey? How had she and Gabe done that?

  When he entered, the residents were sharing the animals with Madi on the right side of the circle and Abbey on the left. The four dogs were calm throughout the rest of the hour they were there. Only once did a resident want to keep Cottonball longer. Madi directed her wheelchair to the lady and called Cottonball to her. The bichon jumped from the patient’s lap to Madi’s. His sister then passed her dog to the next resident. The lady grumbled under her breath, but Madi smiled and thanked her for giving Cottonball to the woman sitting next to her, then backed up her wheelchair a few feet.

  “She has a gift for this. I may have to solicit her help more often,” Abbey whispered, close to Dominic.

  “I never saw this side of my sister. The peacemaker.”

  “You haven’t seen her a lot in normal situations. She’s going to grow up to be a caring person.”

  “She’s growing up too fast. She’ll be nine in two weeks. I can’t believe that.”

  “Oh, are you going to have a big birthday party for her?”

  Dominic rubbed his nape. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “All little girls her age should. I can help you if you want.”

  “What else am I forgetting?”

  “I hope you’re doing something fun for the Fourth of July. Most kids love fireworks.”

  “That’s Thursday!”

  “What do you usually do for the Fourth?”

  He shifted around, facing her. “Work. Everyone is off that day, and I can get a lot done then.”

  Abbey laughed. “You need someone to teach you how to play.”

  “I have Madi.”

  “Yes, but playing with dolls is probably not your forte.”

  “You got me there. So what do you suggest for the Fourth?”

  “Come over to my parents’ house. They always throw a barbecue for friends and family, then we watch the fireworks. They live down the river from where they shoot them off, and we have a great view.”

  “I hate to intrude on family time.”

  “Please. My dad would probably wonder why I didn’t ask you and Madi. It’s very casual. There’ll be a lot of kids of all ages, so Madi will have someone to play with. She needs to be around children her age more.” Abbey caught sight of one of the eight men in attendance sitting between two women fighting over him. “I’d better go rescue him.” Before she left, she bent toward his ear and whispered, “By the way, don’t say anything to Madi about her birthday party. I want us to surprise her.”

  He watched her give one of the ladies Corky while she started talking to the other one. Suddenly he was committed to going to a Fourth of July celebration with Abbey and Madi, and then hosting a surprise birthday party nine days later. He should have thought of doing something for his sister’s birthday, but this was all so new to him. In Houston he never had to worry about birthday parties or holidays.

  And he somehow had to fit in getting the plans for his factory off the ground. After viewing the last piece of property the Realtor had shown him this morning, he realized he had no choice; he would use Winter Haven.

  He could only imagine what his father would have said if he was here. Dominic remembered when a developer had wanted to buy part of the ranch years ago. His dad had flipped out and come close to physically tossing the man off the ranch. Dominic’s mother had stepped in and calmed him down, but at dinner that night his father had ranted about how important this land was to the Winters family.

  Dominic shoved the guilty feelings aside. He wasn’t his father, and he certainly didn’t owe his dad his allegiance. Not after Susie.

  * * *

  Abbey, along with Gabe, entered Mr. Johnson’s room on Tuesday, his leg in a cast.

  Mr. Johnson gave her a smile. “Did you sneak him in after all?”

  While her Lab perched himself so Mr. Johnson could touch him, Abbey answered, “I thought about it, but Mrs. Rosen and I had a long conversation this afternoon. We’ve set up a regular schedule with the activity coordinator to bring the dogs to the nursing home. Emma is going to do that while Mrs. Rosen is allowing me to visit the patients who would like to see the dogs but aren’t able to come to the rec room. You were first on my list.”

  “I never thought I would see the day Mrs. Rosen would agree to this. How did you change her mind?”

  “Yesterday I prayed about it, and this morning I made an appointment with the head of the hospital, a friend of Mrs. Rosen’s, and explained about what I was trying to do. He’d heard good reports from the staff, so he agreed to talk with Mrs. Rosen about how Gabe has cheered up the patients at the hospital for the past few months. He called her while I was right there in his office.”

  Mr. Johnson’s grin widened. “Girl, you did good.”

  “It was all God. I handed the p
roblem over to Him yesterday and look what He did. I’d been trying to find a way on my own and not succeeding.” Abbey took the chair near his bed. “How are you feeling? What happened to your leg?

  “I tried to get up on my own again, and this time I broke my leg. Tell Madi I know how she feels. I think my meds make me dizzy sometimes. The doc is running some tests. You know the drill. I feel like a pincushion. But it won’t be long before I’m back in the rec room. I imagine you’ll need my help with some of the residents who have forgotten how to share.”

  “Share? This from the man who wanted to keep Gabe to himself.”

  His pale cheeks reddened. “Still do.” Mr. Johnson rubbed behind the Lab’s ears. “How’s that young man who came Saturday—Madi’s brother?”

  “Fine, I guess. He’s been busy making plans to build a factory here in Cimarron City.”

  “Good for him. The town could use a new employer. I like him. Are you two dating?”

  Abbey blushed. “No. We’re friends, because we both care about Madi.”

  Mr. Johnson’s eyes twinkled. “You know, that little girl needs a mother. So sad she lost both of her parents. I don’t mind sharing Gabe with her—or Bertha Parks. She’s got the hots for me. She’s visited me every day I’ve been stuck in this room.”

  As Mr. Johnson went on about Mrs. Parks’s visits, Abbey’s mind drifted. Madi did need a mother. Was that why she was attracted to Dominic? Because of Madi? Her feelings about Dominic had her all confused. And worse, she still couldn’t get their kiss out of her mind.

  When the nurse came to give Mr. Johnson his medication, Abbey said goodbye. She needed to deliver Gabe to Winter Haven. Emma had worked with Cottonball yesterday and today, training the dog. Soon Abbey would have Gabe back home with her, but until then Madi needed him. She was still having bad dreams most nights.

  As she walked to her car, she wondered if Dominic would be at the house. She hadn’t seen him yesterday. But even though he wasn’t there, Madi had talked nonstop about her brother and how wonderful he was. She was beginning to suspect the child was on a mission to bring Abbey and Dominic together. Was it just her imagination? Or wishful thinking?