Welcome to Hathaway House.
Rehab Center. Safe Haven.
Second chance at life and love

Navy SEAL Finn MacGregor arrives at Hathaway House not only with half of one leg but with a stoma, one that necessitates the use of a colostomy bag. While it’s nice to once again see his old friend Dani Hathaway and her father, the Major, it’s tough to feel like the least sexy man on the face of the earth. Especially after he meets the pretty nurse in charge of his care …

Fiona Smithers has seen practically everything when it comes to the human body, and Finn’s physical problems don’t faze her. Emotionally she’s wary though. Once before, one of her patients had confused the gratitude he felt for her as love. … That scenario left Fiona devastated to know her friendliness had been misunderstood. Whether deemed love or friendliness, those emotions directly effected that patient’s initial healing and then his setbacks of body as well as of heart and of mind, making her more determined not to run the same risks again. Yet, this time, she may not be able to help herself. She wants Finn in her life on a permanent basis, but, after seeing his obsession with her in his artwork, is that even possible?

We met Finn briefly when he urged Elliot to go to Hathaway House, at the time he was recovering from his latest and last surgery. He really wanted to see how Elliot did before he committed to going.

One thing we didn’t know then is that he is friends with Dani and when he makes he makes the call, he’s in. As is always true, Finn’s injuries and the approach to therapy are different. Some of his issues stem from his having a colostomy bag, it was life saving, but the position of it and the function it serves is an embarrassment to him.

When Fiona meets Finn, she is a delight. Open and honest she doesn’t pull any punches. She’s not only part of his team, she also frequently helps out with the animals in the Vet Clinic. Her initial interactions with Finn are both fun and informative.

This is a favorite scene

She smiled. “Appearances matter to you, don’t they? You have this view of who you are and what you should be, and, anything different than that, you’re not willing to accept.”

“Is anybody?” he asked, wanting to challenge her on that. He shifted uncomfortably. “Besides, you’re my nurse, not my shrink.”

She settled back and looked around.

He wondered if he’d hurt her and immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“No need to be.”

“Yes, there is,” he said. “I didn’t mean to come across as an arrogant asshole. Apparently, I’ve been doing a little bit too much of that lately.”

“Or, you are somebody desperate for the same chance that you see everybody else getting,” she murmured. “The thing is, when you’re desperate, it doesn’t happen.”

Her words were like a sock to his gut because so much truth was behind them, but how did she know? He stared down at his water bottle, wondering.

“Everybody comes here with that same look,” she explained, her voice once again cool but warm. “And you have every right to it. This is your life. This is your physical body. This is your future. You have to want this change, to be the best you can be. You have to be hungry for it,” she said. “But you have to be willing to do the work to get there. And the work is not always the work that you think it’ll be.”

He stared back at her. He didn’t even necessarily want to go down that train of thought. But what she was offering him was tantalizing. “Is that part of your shrink duties?” he asked, but he tried to keep the sarcasm out of it.

“We’re all shrinks here,” she said, “because we’re all people who walk this world called life. None of us are any better than you. None of us are any worse. We’re all here on this journey. We’re all at different stages. Just because I’m healthy and seemingly whole and have a job where I get to help people become healthy and whole doesn’t mean I’m ahead of you. On the contrary,” she said, “I’ve learned so much on a day-to-day basis from each and every one of you that I know that I’m further behind.”

She almost took his breath away. He took a sip, trying to gather his thoughts as he considered her words. “I guess you’ve seen it all, haven’t you?”

“I keep thinking I have, and then I get a new patient with a new set of problems and a new set of beliefs and a new set of handicaps, and I realize that, yet again, somebody new with something different has presented which I haven’t seen before, and it’s another opportunity to learn.”

Her words were hard-hitting, and yet, so damn meaningful that it made him feel small. “It seems like, every time you open your mouth right now, you come out with something incredibly prophetic, and it makes me feel even smaller,” he admitted. “I had no idea my insecurity was such an issue.”

“What I’ve found,” she said in a conversational tone, leaning forward and linking her fingers loosely in front of her, “is that whenever we’re up against a new challenge— in your case, your physical disabilities— it makes us all feel very insecure because it’s different. We don’t experience a stable footing to stand on. We don’t know what we’re up against, so we don’t have the confidence to know if we can handle it. It’s as if the mountain seems to be so big that you just don’t have the coping skills, so everything falls apart. And the first thing to go is your sense of confidence, your sense of security, your ability to do versus maybe I can do.” She cut her roll in half and offered him half.

He stared at it and then nodded. He leaned forward, wincing only a little at his back as it twinged with the movement.

“Did you lose that kidney too?” she asked, her tone so normal and commonplace.

He laughed and said, “I did. That and a bunch of other stuff.” He picked up the half of her roll, took a bite and slowly savored it.

She nodded and said, “You haven’t allowed yourself much in the way of food, have you?”

Instinctively he gazed at his waist. She nodded, “Because whatever goes in has to come out, and you’ve been avoiding what comes out.”

He flushed, looking around, wishing she kept her voice low.

“If I were to stand on this tabletop and yell out to everybody that you have a colostomy bag,” she said comfortably, “not one person here would give a shit or be fazed by it.”

“How do you know?” he asked in horrified fascination. “Do you do that to all the newbies who come here?”

She stared at him in surprise for a moment and then went off in a peal of laughter. When she finally calmed down, she wiped the tears from her eyes, still chuckling, and said, “Oh, that was great,” she said. “No, I don’t. I should though, shouldn’t I?” Still chuckling, she checked her watch and said, “Not sure what time your next appointment is, but I have to get going.”

“What time is it?” he asked.

“One.”

He nodded. “I should go too. I’m not exactly sure how anything works here, but it seems like it’s not really been set up yet.”

“That’s normal until everybody on the team gets up to speed,” she said, standing. “Do you want a hand back?”

“I think the answer that I’m supposed to give you,” he said, “is, No, I’ll do it myself. But the honest truth is, I would. I’m quite tired.” He lifted a hand to see it trembling.

She gave a decisive nod. “I’m taking my lunch back to my desk. Let’s get your drink and your lunch and bring it back with you.” She quickly packed up a tray, put it on his lap, walked behind him, pushing him toward his room.

“Are you supposed to see me this afternoon?”

“Yes, I am,” she said. “Will you be there, or will you run away?”

“I was thinking that I really wanted to see you,” he said. “You have a take on life that’s refreshing.”

“It’s because I like to take life by the hand and give it a good shake and see what falls out,” she said, still laughing.

“Like I said, refreshing.”
Dale Mayer. Finn (Kindle Locations 490-538). Valley Publishing Ltd..

As Fiona works with Finn she finds her attraction to him growing but because of things that happened previously she is very wary of her feelings. Something she find the animals help with.

Finn finds himself more than a little attracted to Fiona and he knows he needs to find a comfort zone with his own body.

It’s quite the interesting journey for Finn and Fiona, balancing the personal and professional. There’s also Finn’s friendship with Dani that puts and interesting twist on things even though Dani and Aaron are solid and engaged.

I loved seeing Stan the Vet, he does so much and with the new additions of an Appaloosa named Appie and his sidekick a llama named Lovely, plus some difficult cases we see a new side to him. I think he needs a book. Did I mention the puppies and the injured Mom?

Then there’s Danny from the kitchen, he seems to be everywhere and knows what everyone needs nutrition wise. I’d like to know more about him as well.

I truly love the entire process that we witness in these books, from the first day to almost the end of a stay.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Dale!

Dale Mayer

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

Welcome to Hathaway House.
Rehab Center. Safe Haven.
Second chance at life and love

Former Navy SEAL Elliot Carver came to Hathaway House to get help with the lingering repercussions of a mission gone bad. His body is dealing with the physical trauma of a spinal cord injury, while his mind is caught in a loop of painful memories that he can’t sideline, and both won’t let him heal the way he’d like.

Former ER Nurse Sicily Lawrence has just made her way out of a difficult relationship, and the quietness of the night shift at Hathaway House gives her peace of mind. The last thing she needs is to get involved in another volatile union. But she has seen injuries like Elliot’s before, and she knows that a certain type of therapy can help. One Elliot isn’t interested in trying.

Now, for Elliot’s sake, Sicily must push him toward the progress he needs, even it means losing him. And, with time and luck, maybe they can cross the hurdle and find each other at Hathaway House.

Every time I start a book in this series, I am taken by the beauty and serenity portrayed in the property. The perfect setting for rehab and new beginnings for folks who manage to get a bed here. I really love that the Veterinarian Clinic and Shelter is there, animals are great helpers in the healing process and they also get the love and attention they need.

Elliot is one of the fortunate ones admitted to Hathaway House. A former SEAL his injuries go beyond the physical, he has some extreme PTSD nightmares that have him waking every night. This causes such exhaustion he can’t function, let alone do the physical therapy.

The staff is very creative though and Sicily his night nurse keeps trying to come up with ways to help him sleep. One thing that seems to work is a massage to relieve the cramping muscles of his back. She has an idea that the hot tub could help as well and approaches Dani about that as well as the possibility of Equine Therapy. Unfortunately Dani has been unsuccessful in finding the right resource for it. Sicily takes on the project of finding someone close and qualified.

In helping Elliot find the rest he needs, Sicily finds herself developing a close friendship with him. While Elliot hopes that their friendship might turn into more, he also recognizes the things he needs to accomplish and those he needs to conquer.

This is a favorite scene when Elliot invites Sicily to breakfast.

Many relationships existed on the surface only and never touched the deeper layers. There was no need to unless somebody was involved in some sort of major trauma. Most people never found out who they were on the inside at that level. Once a trauma happened to one half of a pair, then the other partner was pulled in, whether they wanted to be or not. They couldn’t avoid seeing what the injured person was going through.

The best relationships grew out of times of stress, when you saw how the other person acted at the worst point in their life. If you still respected that person and still loved and appreciated who they were at that point, then the relationship had every reason to flourish. But so many other people would take one look and crack. They couldn’t handle seeing the other person in pain, realizing they didn’t have it in them to be supportive or to be there for that person during the hard times.

“Shall we sit over there?” Sicily pointed to the sunny side of the deck, interrupting his musings.

“Sure.” He let her lead, then followed.

He always figured when he was in a relationship he was there not for a good time but for a long time. But he’d been the first to admit that hadn’t worked out so well. Now maybe that would change. He was no longer leaving the country on a regular basis, and his work was no longer dangerous. Hell, he didn’t even have a job. That was a real issue. Sure, he had a pension, but it wasn’t the same thing. He still intended to be a fully functioning member of society, paying taxes and putting money away for retirement. That had not changed. He just didn’t know what he wanted to do. Although he was leaning toward business. He just had no idea what facet. He was who he was on the inside, and he was the same person he’d always been. Now the person on the inside was a little stronger. He was a little wearier, and he’d seen a whole lot more of the world and of himself than he’d have liked, but it was all good. He could do this. Most of the time.

“Thanks for the invite,” Sicily said.

Given a choice, he’d do this every day. “You’re welcome.” If Sicily was his, he could do this all the time.

Until all those memories came out of the shadows and attacked him, like some enemy who he knew existed but had never seen. One of the most frustrating things for him was that he didn’t necessarily know when or how the attacks would happen or from what corner. He knew that they were coming, and they would give him hell.

He’d been through a battery of psychological tests. He knew who he was on the inside, so when he’d hit the bottom, there hadn’t been any ugly surprises. The biggest surprise was how deep and bottomless that well of falling seemed to be. But as soon as he landed, he took stock and got back on his feet and then crawled up again. It was not easy, not fast and certainly didn’t happen without help, but he had made it.

As he looked around at the people beside him, he realized this was exactly where he needed to be. Everyone here was in the same place mentally. Sure, there were ups and downs and some differences, but they were all on the path to recovery. They had all turned the mental corner and were doing what they needed to do for their own sakes. Not that they didn’t care about their friends, family, children or spouses, but the rehab patients had to do what they had to do right now. So they were here, doing what they did best, and that was dealing with life. A new life. He settled in to enjoy his meal.
Mayer, Dale. Elliot: A Hathaway House Heartwarming Romance. Valley Publishing Ltd. Kindle Locations (255-284). Kindle Edition.

A complicated relationship develops, one where Elliot is challenged at every turn to do more and better, until the final straw. The Equine Therapy is a definite no for him even though he agrees to watch others do it and after all the work Sicily put into to find someone, she is hurt that he won’t try, but also recognizes the benefits for some of the other patients.

I mean seriously, Dani wouldn’t bring something in that would only benefit one person.

I enjoyed every single page of this book. While every man in this series has different issues, Elliot is by far the most unique of the bunch. I cheered and sniffled with every hurdle he conquers. Even as Sicily discovers a hurdle or two she needs to address as well.

Love these two together, and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Dale!

Dale Mayer

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.