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

frustrations helps to prevent you from getting discouraged and giving up.”
    “Wait a minute. I thought you trained the dog. Isn’t that the whole point?”
    “We do. But it’s up to you to implement that training.”
    Him? Implement training? His entire experience with dogs consisted of trying to avoid stepping in the steaming piles they dropped on city sidewalks. His skepticism must have shown on his face, for she gave a light laugh. “Don’t worry. It will all make sense once you get into it. Some people love the work. I know I do.”
    A warning bell went off in Ian’s head. This was sounding more and more ominous. He had assumed that he would simply show up, hand over a check, and leave with a dog, preferably one that had been preprogrammed to know how to help a seven-year-old boy with epileptic type seizures. Apparently this was going to be far more complicated than that. She kept saying work . He had to work with a dog. What the hell did that mean?
    Before he could follow up with more questions, Chloe continued briskly, “Breakfast is served from seven until eight in the main house. It’s buffet style, so drop in whenever you like. Lunch starts at noon. You’re on your own for dinner. If you or Preston has any dietary restrictions, just let us know.”
    She turned and continued her tour, opening doors and demonstrating features as she moved through the cabin. Two bedrooms, one full bath. Linen closet stocked with fresh sheets, extra towels, pillows, and blankets. Stacked washer and dryer. Books, cable TV, and wireless internet connection.
    The camp had done everything they could to make the place feel like home. But it was the things she didn’t point out that Ian’s gaze was perversely drawn to. All the subtle signs that screamed Hospital . Recovery. Therapy .
    Notes written in Braille affixed to doors and cabinet fronts.
    Handicap support rails in the shower and around the toilet.
    Beds equipped with motorized lifts.
    A calendar style white board which bore the heading: Remember to Take Your Meds!
    An emergency call button strategically situated in every room.
    Ian’s throat went tight. Everything about the place conjured up the feelings of helplessness and guilt. Inadequacy. This wasn’t a solution. Not even close. This was just one more hospital, more procedures, more of everything he’d wanted to get away from. He clenched his jaw, fighting back a wave of panic. They shouldn’t be here. This was the wrong place for them. He wanted the room for Normal People. That’s where he and Preston belonged, not here. He just wanted everything to get back to normal.
    “Mr. Dowling?”
    He turned to find the nurse staring at him, her brows knit in an expression he’d come to recognize as professional concern—an expression that was a hair’s breadth too close to pity for his comfort. 
    “Yes?” he snapped.
    “The cabin. Is it satisfactory, or is there something—”
    “It’s fine.” Turning to Preston, he said, “What do you think, buddy?”
    “I don’t like it.” Preston wrinkled his nose. “It smells like this is a dog’s house.”
    Christ. Ian tugged his hand—the one Preston wasn’t clinging to—through his hair. Before he could remind his nephew that his manners were better than that, Chloe smiled gently and hunkered down on her ankles, bringing herself closer to Preston’s height.
    “You know what a dog thinks when it comes in here?” she asked. Without waiting for the boy’s reply, she tilted back her head and took an exaggerated sniff. “Oh, wow, I like this—this smells like a little boy’s house.”
    Preston turned away, burying his face in Ian’s thigh.
    Chloe gave a good-natured shrug and rose. She looked at Ian and suddenly brightened. “Oh, I almost forgot. One of the best things about our pediatric program is its inclusiveness. There’s an elementary school nearby that—”
    “No. No schools.”
    Puzzlement showed in her eyes, then her face softened to one of