“But?”
He filled his lungs, then released the air in a long burst. “But the thing is, my ex-wife was an alcoholic who walked out on our marriage and our daughters to shack up with some guy she met on the internet.”
“I’m sorry, Sully. I understand. I do. I’d love the opportunity to work with you and your daughters, but I get your hesitation. If it makes a difference, I’ve spent the past year at Agape House—a transitional home for women released from prison started by my family. I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m not going to mess it up this time. A couple of weeks ago, I moved into my family’s cabin by the lake. I’m determined to prove I can get my act together.”
Though Zoe professed to be sober, how could he be sure she wouldn’t stray back into that old lifestyle?
However, they shared something in common—he, too, had lost everything and struggled daily with trying to earn back those pieces of his soul that had been chipped away and traded until redemption seemed like an almost unachievable hope.
Could she really do this?
Zoe closed her eyes, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Yes, she could. Time to stop questioning and start proving.
After Sully left Canine Companions, he called a couple of hours later, asking if Zoe was still interested in working with his family.
So here she was.
She released her air-filled lungs and rang the doorbell. Standing on the front porch of Caleb’s tan ranch with chocolate-colored shutters, she heard the sounds of a dog barking, and a child’s cry, then a man’s raised voice echoed through the storm door.
Her stomach twisted. What was she getting herself into?
If she could handle four years of prison, surely she could handle a dog and a couple of kids. After all, she had a kid of her own, right?
One she wasn’t currently raising...
The front door opened, jerking her out of her thoughts.
Sully stood in the doorway wearing a wet T-shirt and faded jeans, barefoot. His hair looked like it had been combed with a garden rake. Lines pinched his taut jaw.
Apparently not a good morning at the Sullivan household.
She swallowed the tangle of nerves twining around her windpipe and smiled. “Good morning.”
“That’s debatable. Come on in.”
She wouldn’t let his growl diffuse her enthusiasm, but she didn’t want to intrude, either. “If this is a bad time, I can come back later.”
Sully breathed deeply, then ran his hands through his hair. “No time like the present. Just don’t expect miracles.”
She stepped through the screen door he opened for her, then pulled her lips between her teeth to bite back the laugh gurgling in her throat.
Sully’s two daughters stood about four feet behind him, wearing oversize T-shirts. Their wet hair soaked the cotton fabric as puddles formed on the ceramic tile around their feet.
Riley barked from somewhere deeper in the house, then raced down the hall with something in his mouth. He rushed over to Sully, dropped it at his master’s feet, barked, then waited for expected praise over his trophy.
Sully scooped the toy off the floor, stared at it, then groaned. He thrust it behind his back and scrubbed his free hand over his face.
He glanced at Zoe. “We have a lot of work to do.”
For some reason, she didn’t think he was referring to only dog training. The man looked exhausted, and it was only nine in the morning.
They decided to schedule their appointments for mornings when the girls would be refreshed and wide-awake after breakfast. Then Sully could work for a couple of hours while they napped. Seemed ideal on paper.
“Daddy, are you holding Melly Moon?”
Sully’s shoulders sagged. Looking at his oldest daughter, he held out a headless doll. “I’m sorry, Ella. Riley found Melly Moon.”
Ella snatched the doll from him and crushed it to her chest. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over her rounded cheeks. “No, Daddy. Not my Melly.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Maybe we can fix it.”
“But she won’t be the same.”
Caleb Sullivan, the person she admired so much in college, who used to lock up criminals and preserve justice, looked about wiped out after a few hours with two young girls and a frisky pup.
Riley bounded back into the room and dropped something at Zoe’s feet. She picked it up to find an orange-haired chubby face adorned with glittery stars and moons smiling at her. The newly decapitated Melly Moon.
At that moment, Ella glanced at Zoe, then let out a wail. She jumped into Sully’s arms and buried her face in his chest, sobbing as if her heart were broken.
His other daughter stood rooted to the spot with a fearful look on her face.
The pitiful sight tugged at Zoe’s heart.
She examined the doll head and realized it was made of cloth. Riley had ripped it off at the seam. She dug through her purse to find her travel-size sewing kit, then stepped closer to Sully and Ella. Sitting cross-legged on the floor next to him, her knee brushed his, but she didn’t move, savoring the very brief contact.
She touched the sobbing child’s shoulder, then carefully slid the girl’s tangled hair behind her ear. “Ella, I can fix Melly Moon.”
Sniffling, Ella peeked out from behind Sully’s shoulder. “But it won’t be the same.”
“No, maybe not exactly the same, but I think you’ll still love Melly anyway, won’t you?”
She nodded.
Zoe held out her hand. “May I see Melly Moon?”
Ella tightened her grip on the headless doll and shook her head.
Sully shuffled his position and winced. “Let’s move into the living room.”
Still holding Ella, he reached for Ava’s hand. Zoe followed them into the living room and sat on the end of the leather couch opposite from Sully.
He lifted the hem of the oversize T-shirt Ella wore and wiped the traces of tears from her face. “Hey, Ella, remember when Ava cut her finger?
Ella nodded again. “There was a lot of blood, and she cried.”
“Yes, she did. It hurt a lot.” Caleb reached for Ava and pulled her gently to him. He opened his youngest daughter’s hand and rubbed his thumb across the tiny knuckles on her pointer finger. “The doctor put two small stitches in it. Her finger isn’t the way it was before because now it has a tiny scar, but her finger still works just as well. If Zoe sews Melly Moon’s head back on, you may be able to see where she stitched, but Melly Moon will be in one piece and almost as good as new.”
Ella considered that a moment, then handed the doll over to Zoe. She plopped onto Sully’s leg to watch.
Sully’s face twisted in pain as he readjusted both girls on his lap.
The man needed a shower, strong coffee and a nap...not necessarily in that order.
Zoe threaded her needle. With three pairs of expectant eyes watching her, she felt more nervous about this than training Riley. Dogs were her superpower. Sewing, on the other hand...
With small, even stitches, she secured Melly’s head to her body, knotted the thread, then bit off the excess. She gave