Read Courting Chloe (Hudson Valley Heroes Book 1) for Free Online

believe our schedule can accommodate you.”
    What?
    Chloe lurched back to her feet. “Sara, you can’t. That’s not—” She sputtered, and then stopped abruptly, catching herself. There was one—and only one—four letter word that was never spoken aloud at the camp. The dreaded ‘F’ word.
    Fair.
    Nothing in life was fair, and if ever anyone wanted to test that hypothesis, the Hudson Valley Canine Assistance Camp was the place to come. Was it fair that one youthful, impulsive act put a sixteen-year-old boy in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? That a highly decorated army veteran lost both legs in a mine explosion? Was it fair that some people had beautiful homes, took luxurious vacations, and were perfectly healthy, while others struggled to pay bills and endured the loss of their sight, their hearing, their ability to move at all?
    She looked up to find Dowling’s hazel eyes fixed on her, his fragile nephew curled in his lap. A quiet fury gathered around him, as though silently daring her to lecture him about what was fair .
    Chloe paused, cleared her throat. “The way things are done here,” she finished lamely, biting down her objection as she retook her seat. Ignoring Dowling, she directed her attention to Sara. “We don’t take clients based on their ability to pay. We never have. That’s not what we do.”
    “True,” Sara agreed. She gave a thoughtful pause, absently running her fingertips along the edge of Dowling’s check. “But from my perspective, this is a win-win for everyone. Think about it, Chloe. We just had a slot open up, so we’re not bumping anyone out of line by accommodating Mr. Dowling and his nephew. Furthermore, a financial gift of this size will ensure that four additional patients receive the service animals they desperately need.”
    Chloe considered that. “I suppose.”
    Sara gestured to her desk. “And frankly, it will be a tremendous relief to finally get these bills taken care of.”
    Dowling watched them converse, saying nothing. Interesting—clearly he’d won, gotten exactly what he wanted, yet there was no gloating in his expression, no smug victory in his eyes. Nothing remotely objectionable. Only exhaustion and resignation, mingled with a grim determination to move forward, whatever that meant, and wherever that might take him.
    Sara tucked the check away in her desk drawer. She reached for a key to one of the guest lodges and passed it to Dowling. “You’re in luck. Our next training session begins tomorrow,” she said. “Of course, we’ll need to meet with Preston’s parents and have them sign the necessary releases.”
    “I have full legal guardianship,” he answered. He nodded to the thick accordion file and rose. He set his nephew down, but Preston remained glued to his side, clutching his uncle’s hand. “That paperwork is in there as well.”
    Sara nodded. “I’ll review Preston’s file at greater length tonight, but for the moment let’s assume everything is in order.”
    “It is.”
    “All right, then,” Sara continued briskly. “Every client we serve is assigned a personal trainer. You’ll work with Chloe. As she mentioned earlier, she’s a licensed nurse who specializes in pediatric trauma. You’re in good hands. Right, Chloe?”
    “Of course.”
    The reminder wasn’t exactly subtle. Chloe shifted her attention back to where it should have been the whole time: Preston. A child who had come to the camp for help. Her help. All right, then. Time to get her head straight. She and Dowling hadn’t started off on the best foot, but if they were to work together for the next four weeks, they needed to get past their rocky start. She turned to Dowling and attempted a reconciliatory smile.
    He returned her smile with a look of total indifference. Polar glaciers radiated more warmth.
    Chloe bit back a sigh. She couldn’t tell whether he disliked her personally, or whether his disdain was for the medical profession in general. Either