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

Navy SEAL Gregory Parkins knows he’s not so bad off as to need what Hathaway House offers, but he’ll do anything to get in. RN Meredith Anderson is there, and Greg loves Meredith. In the time since they split up, his life has been one disaster after another, including the one that ended his career—the career that separated them in the first place.

Meredith was horrified to hear what happened to Gregory. But seeing his file was an even bigger shock. Greg thinks he’s basically back to normal, but Meredith knows he has a long way to go. She doesn’t know how to tell him, without running the risk of him leaving Hathaway House before his healing can really take place.

But the last thing she wants is for him to walk away from her again. Not if there is any chance that they can find their way back to each other …

Gregory thinks he’s doing really well with his rehab, but in actuality his progress is stalled. He’s filled out applications to Hathaway House but hasn’t sent them in, but finally he finishes the last few questions on the one online and sends it. The woman he hasn’t been able to forget is a nurse there and maybe just maybe he can win her back. Not the best motivation but at least it got him to try.

Meredith is a bit shocked when she reads through the new patients coming in as she reads some pretty horrific injuries and recognizes Gregory’s name. After a talk with Dani she feels she is ready to see what happens, not only with his rehab, but also with them.

Therapy at Hathaway House is a lot different than anywhere else. Shane seems to know how to get to the root of things and as a result Dani has Meredith back away for a while, changing her shift and patients.

Gregory has a lot of anger and when it comes through it’s epic. Shane is there to sort of guide him so he doesn’t cause himself further injury, but he’s also going to push a little.

This is a favorite scene.

“Doesn’t matter what you want at this point,” Shane said, his voice and tone brooking no argument. “Your therapy session isn’t done.”

“It is done,” he snapped. “And I want to go back to my room. You can’t force me to do anything.” Hating it, his voice rose like a truculent child.

“Yes,” Shane said, “I can. You’ll have to get up off that chair to stop me.”

Gregory was so angry. Again. Where had that anger come from? How could there possibly be any more anger? He was exhausted; his body was pummeled from the therapy. Then he’d beaten his hands to death in the gloves, and his shoulders were killing him. There shouldn’t have been any more anger, but it was rising yet again in another red wave.

“I’ll have you fired for this,” he roared. He knew he was attracting attention, but, shit, he couldn’t stop himself.

Shane chuckled. “If it was that easy to fire me,” he said, “I would have been fired a long time ago. I’ve been dealing with guys like you for over a decade,” he said, “and I do understand a lot about it, and I understand that layers and layers and layers of rage are inside. The sooner we can deal with them, the better we all are.”

“Didn’t I get enough out already?” Gregory snapped. “You not happy with your job? Is that what this is? Are you just angry because you don’t see another little successful check in a box beside your name?” he asked snidely. He hated the way he was acting, but he didn’t know how to stop it. It was just too unbelievable. Suddenly they were at the pool level.

He glared at the beautiful gleaming water, even though part of him desperately wished to be swimming in it. But he didn’t want Shane to know that.

Except Shane had absolutely no intention of giving him the upper hand. He hit the edge of the wheelchair with the ladder and locked down the wheels to the chair. He walked in front of Gregory and said, “You go in voluntarily, or I’ll pick you up and put you in.”

Gregory glared at him and said, “No way in hell you’ll get away with doing that.”

Shane nodded, scooped him up underneath his arms, and then, with a quick flip, tossed him into the deep end of the pool. Gregory hit the water, and his outrage came in a scream of fury as he kicked and pounded and screamed underwater. Suddenly he came up, gasping for air, to find Shane already in the water beside him.

Gregory glared at him and said, “What kind of a sadistic move was that?”

“It was a good one,” Shane said. “I haven’t thrown a patient around in a few years, which is too damn bad as it’s really cathartic.”

“It’s also not legal.”

“Stop being such a crybaby, and listen to your therapist.”

“Like hell,” Gregory roared as he stroked away from him. There was something so damn calming, so peaceful and so good when doing that.

But he was also exhausted. Four laps later, he found himself doing the breaststroke, trying to maintain his floating, and realizing that he’d burned out so much energy that it was all he could really do.
Dale Mayer. Gregory (Kindle Locations 1300-1324). Valley Publishing Ltd.

While Gregory was dealing with his anger, Meredith also has some soul searching to do. Being away from Gregory hurt, almost as much as not supporting him five years ago. So much to sort out, for both of them.

Once again I couldn’t stop reading. So much courage, resolve, pain, and love. Communication is always key, but both parties need to listen as well.

I can’t wait for 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.