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as I have after-noons free for my other jobs, I can start right away.”
    â€œTomorrow?”
    She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. Urgency to eat driving him, Isaiah rose and circled the desk to grab his jacket. “Can you come in at six? They start pretty early in the kennels.”
    â€œSix will be fine.”
    As he slipped on his coat, he said, “I’ll leave a note for Susan Strong, the gal who’ll be opening up in the morning. If I’m not here, she’ll get you all lined up.”
    Laura retrieved her purse from the floor and slung the strap over her shoulder as she stood up. “Thank you. I’m very glad for this chance. I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes, but I’ll try my best.”
    â€œYour best is all anyone can expect.”
    She nodded and turned to the door. At the last second, she hesitated and glanced back at him. “One thing.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    She swallowed hard and stood there for a moment, turning the doorknob back and forth. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she met his gaze. “I need to know that you’ll tell me if I’m not doing the work well enough. I don’t want the job unless I’m really good at it.”
    â€œI’ll tell you,” he promised.
    She nodded, said good night, and let herself out. Isaiah stared somberly at the closed door after she left, wondering if he’d be able to follow through on that promise. Laura Townsend had touched him in a way few people ever had. If she wasn’t able to do the work and he had to fire her, it would be one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his professional career.

Chapter Two
    A s Laura drove to the clinic the next morning, an eerie predawn gloom blanketed the northbound bypass. When she reached the outskirts of town, she saw that a faint crescent moon still shone in the blue-gray sky, its bottom tip reaching so low it seemed to touch the tops of the ponderosa pines that crowded the banks along each side of the road.
    Steering with her left hand, Laura took careful sips from a spillproof mug that she’d filled with coffee before leaving her garage apartment. Each time the bitter brew washed over her tongue, she grimaced. She’d been running late and hadn’t bothered to use her beans to keep track of the scoops she’d put in the filter basket. The result was the equivalent of Mississippi mud. Always the optimist, she consoled herself with the thought that one cup would do her this morning. In order to wake up, she normally needed at least two.
    Just as Laura set aside the mug and reached to turn on the radio, her cell phone rang. She groped in her purse, found the device, and flipped it open. “Morning, Gram.”
    â€œHow did you know it was me?” Etta Parks asked.
    Laura checked to make sure the oversize mug hadn’t tipped sideways in the cup holder. “You said you would call this morning to make sure I got up on time.”
    â€œWhich you did!” Etta noted cheerfully. “It’s good to know you’ve finally mastered that darned alarm clock.”
    â€œNot really.” The alarm clock Etta referred to had been one of Laura’s Christmas gifts from her mother last year, a digital gadget that was too complicated for her to set or read. “As soon as Mom and Dad moved, I stuck it in a drawer. I’m using my old windup again.”
    Etta gave a raspy laugh, compliments of a smoking habit that had spanned over forty years. “Uh-oh. Do I detect a trace of rebellion in your voice?”
    â€œNo. I think Mom’s right. I’ll never get better unless I work at it. But I need to choose my battles.”
    â€œAnd be practical. If you learn to set a digital alarm with all the bells and whistles, how will it improve your quality of life?”
    â€œGood point.”
    Etta sighed. “Don’t feel too bad about the alarm clock. The instant your mother left town,