By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Conall is more than happy to head out after a War Dog has gone missing, leaving a wheelchair-bound military war veteran lost and alone. Yet what seems like a simple job takes an unsavory turn, when Conall comes face-to-face with darker undertones in that town.

Bethany always wanted to have her own veterinary clinic, and she’s been doing a decent job of it, until so much of the town died that she finds it hard to get and to keep decent staff. Her temporary help suddenly embroils her clinic in a mess involving a missing War Dog, and then Bethany uncovers what else this young lady is involved in. None of it’s good.

Conall refuses to back down or to walk away from the sudden hell Bethany’s life has become. No telling how ugly this can get …

Conall has no problem looking for a missing war dog and before he even starts his investigation, he witnesses a big problem in this town. He’d stopped to have some lunch before starting at the veterinary office where the dog was before going missing. The local hoodlums came in and one of them made quite the scene over a coffee the café doesn’t serve. He and his friends left without paying and Conall takes a picture of their vehicle before settling in to eat. The owners Joe and Rosalind, witness the second confrontation outside the diner where Jake the leader of the crew threatens Conall.

At the veterinary office Conall meets with Bethany Wittaker, the vet who took care of the War Dog Bacchus and Mel the receptionist. The day of the dog’s disappearance seems to have had some chaos involved and Mel didn’t see who took the dog.

Conall gets far more information about Bacchus and his habits from Michael the owner. It seems since his nephew Page came to stay with him the dog had taken to wandering during the day. Michael asked Page to follow the dog, but Page kept saying he lost track of him. Conall caught Page’s lie and called him out on it.

Page is truly clueless about how Michael felt about the dog, and his distress that he’d been lied to. Page’s attitude is that it’s just a dog, it’s gone forget it.

Conall reassures Michael he would look for Bacchus and when Page leaves, Conall and Michael speak frankly about him. Page obviously doesn’t care about his uncle, and he doesn’t want to get a job either. Just living with him and sponging what he can off him. His mother sent him there after he was caught stealing from the cash register at work, with the money recovered they didn’t press charges just let him go. They also talk about Bacchus and his temperament which Michael describes as a big baby who loves everyone.

When he leaves Michael, he returns to the veterinary office and speaks with Bethany again. This time about her receptionist Melanie and they decide to go speak with the girl at home.

This is a favorite scene.

Kassie’s gaze went from one to the other and nodded slowly. “Yes, but we need to know exactly what’s going on here,” she stated, turning to look at her daughter. “Out with it. What have you done?” “I didn’t do anything.  … So what? I covered up something, that’s all.” “That doesn’t sound like nothing. Covered up what?” her father asked, gritting his teeth. She winced. “Everything kind of went chaotic there at the clinic because  …” she explained, almost in tears, then she stopped.

“Because why?” Bethany asked.

Even Conall heard the tone of her voice and the worry in it. He reached out a hand and gripped her shoulder. “How about we just get to the truth before anybody makes this into a bigger deal than it is?”

“Says you,” Kassie replied in exasperation, looking at him resentfully. “You’re the one who caused all the trouble.”

“I caused all the trouble?” he asked in astonishment. “By doing my job? I came here looking for Bacchus, not just any dog, but a War Dog, last seen at the clinic. Your daughter told me that she somehow lost track of it when the door was open and multiple people came and went, and she had no idea who took the dog. That was after her original story to Bethany here wasn’t holding up.”

He turned to look at Melanie now. “You didn’t tell me that your boyfriend was there in the lobby at the time. You didn’t tell me that you were spending all your time with him, and that’s why you didn’t take care of the job you were supposed to be doing.”

There was silence for a moment, as Mel glared at him. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” she stated defiantly.

“Except that you know you’re not allowed to have Page there at the clinic during work hours,” Bethany stated angrily. “We already went over this.”

“He was just there, dropping me off some lunch,” she replied. “What was I supposed to do? Besides, he needed a hand with something, and I didn’t think you would care. I mean,  … whatever. It was just a small amount anyway.”

Bethany closed her eyes and breathed in for a moment, as Mel’s father immediately stepped in. “A small amount of what?” he growled.

Mel turned and glared at him, then showed her palms. “Petty cash, that’s all. He just needed a little bit of money, and there was money in the petty cash, so I let him have it,” she explained. “I mean, it’s no big deal to anybody.”

Her father’s faced turned thunderous, and her mother gasped in horror.

Bethany frowned, looking from one person to the next. “So, you created a commotion by letting the cat out of the cage, knowing full well the dogs in the lobby would get overexcited, and things would get chaotic in a hurry, allowing you access to steal the petty cash, while everyone was too busy to notice. In the meantime, Bacchus disappeared, so you and your boyfriend concocted all this BS about a note and saying somebody else was supposed to pick up the War Dog to explain the missing dog?”

“So, you have no idea who took the dog?” Conall was frustrated more than anything else with all the lies piling up.

Mel glared at him. “See? It’s nothing, and, besides, it’s just a dog. Like what is everybody freaking out about?”

“Oh, Mel,” Kassie whispered, “you have no idea what you’ve done.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she declared in a huff. “He just needed a few bucks, and I had to get to the petty cash and not have anybody see, so whatever,” she said, with a snort. “Besides, it’s back to the same old thing.  … This isn’t work hours, and you don’t have any right to come to my house and hassle me about it.”

Her father stared at her, as if he had never seen her before. He turned his gaze to his wife, Kassie.

She held up her hands and shook her head at him. “Don’t say it. I’ll handle it.”

“You better.  … I’m about done, and Mel’s out.”

“What do you mean, out?” Mel wailed, becoming the plaintive daughter. “Why would you kick me out?”

“The fact that you don’t even know what you’ve done is a problem,” Bethany stated, with real sadness in her voice. She was hurt, and her expression showed it.

“What? It was only like fifty bucks.  … I mean, he needed the money. What do you want from me?”

“I wanted honesty,” Bethany replied, with sorrow and a hint of anger in her tone, “and I wanted loyalty, integrity. I was really hoping for the truth, but apparently I didn’t deserve any of those things, yet Page did. You stole from me. You lied to me. You deliberately created a situation where the animals in my care could have been hurt, losing one in the process, thus damaging my business and my reputation. All for the boyfriend. That’s what the problem is.”

“No, no, I didn’t. It was petty cash, like for small things that we needed around the office.”

“How do you figure that giving it to your boyfriend made any sense?”

“He needed it,” she repeated, with a shrug.

“Oh, Lord,” Kassie whispered, and it sounded more like a prayer than anything.

“I’m not even addressing all the details of this conversation,” Conall stated, shaking his head, “because obviously an awful lot more here has to be worked out, but let’s bring it back to Bacchus.”

“Again, with the freaking—”

Conall held up his hand, before he spoke, and that shut up Mel for good. “Be careful what you say about him, young lady. That dog knows more about loyalty and honor than you ever will. So, you lied about the dog, and you lied about the note. Did you just write that out or what?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I just wrote it up, so we had an excuse for the dog disappearing. What was I supposed to say? I let my boyfriend have the petty cash, and, in the process, the dog ran away? Yeah, like that would do me any good.”

He stared at her. “How much good is any of it doing you right now?”

Her father snorted at that and turned and walked away. “I told you,” he called back. “I’m not doing this anymore. She doesn’t even have a clue.”

The mother groaned. “Oh my God, Mel, what you’ve done is bad enough, but to keep trying to justify it somehow is really ridiculous.”

“Why? What’s the big deal here? You’re always so damn perfect. Don’t you ever do anything just because you want to?”

“Are you talking about stealing from me as just because you want to?” Bethany asked, staring at her employee, someone she had known for years and had even babysat, as if she were some stranger.

“I didn’t steal from you,” she stated, with a roll of her eyes. “It was just petty cash.”

Conall wanted to laugh, since Mel didn’t seem to understand that petty cash was money for the office and specifically company money. Bethany shook her head at Mel, then looked over at Kassie, whose eyes were closed, as if she were trying to make this nightmare go away.

Opening her eyes, she looked at Bethany through a sheen of tears. “I am so sorry.”

Bethany nodded. “You and me both.” She turned to Mel. “How much did you give him?”

“I don’t know.  … I mean,  … all of it.”

“All of the petty cash?” Bethany asked.

“Yeah, it was like fifty bucks.”

“No, it was more than that because I had just refilled it.”

“Yeah, so that’s why the money was there, which is good I guess. He needed it.”

Her mother started to cry at that.

Mel added, “Besides, it’s not a big deal.”

“The fact that it’s not a big deal to you explains plenty,” Bethany snapped. “But it is a big deal to me because not only did you lie to me, you also stole from me, so I can’t trust you, which will create a huge pain from a staffing standpoint,” she stated, as she groaned inwardly, thinking about what that would mean in terms of being even more short-handed.

“What are you talking about? I can earn that money back,” Mel suggested.

Her mom looked at Bethany hopefully, but Bethany immediately shook her head. “Mel, I can’t possibly have you back. You put your boyfriend over the animals, deliberately creating chaos, using them as a cover so you and your boyfriend could steal from me, and then you lied to me about it all.”

Conall stared at the tableau in front of them. “I know this is really not what anybody wants to talk about right now,” he reminded everyone, “but I’m still looking for a War Dog that was negligently released from your office, and that’s a whole different story than just stealing. I’m not trying to minimize the damage that was already done to the business,” he acknowledged, looking from Bethany to Melanie and back, “because that is obviously pretty major as well.”

“It’s more major than you think,” Kassie stated, turning to Mel. “You know your father won’t let this one go.”

“So what will he do? Ground me?” Mel whined.

Bethany turned to her and asked, “You didn’t deliberately release the dog, did you?”

“No.” She shrugged. “I had to open the door several times, and I saw him go out, but it’s not like it was a big deal. He hangs around everyone anyway. You know it yourself, how he goes around and visits everybody.”

“So, you thought it was okay to just watch a dog walk away that was still in our care, still our responsibility?”

“But my boyfriend was picking him up,” she said, with an eye roll. “So it’s not like it was that big of a stressor.”

“Apparently nothing is a big stressor for you,” Conall replied, staring at her with a headshake. “So, you have no idea where the dog went?”

“No, I have no idea where the dog went,” she spat, with an exaggerated tone. She turned and looked back at her mom. “So, are you done with the interrogation now? Am I free to go?”

Kassie miserably bit her bottom lip, and Mel just turned and walked away.
Dale Mayer. Conall-Dale-Mayers (Kindle Locations 819-893). Kindle Edition.

Melanie really has no clue that what she did is a crime and is not taking any responsibility for her actions. From stealing the petty cash for her boyfriend Page to opening the door multiple times until Bacchus left on his own, she has no clue.

Things start taking quite the twist from here as Conall returns to Michael’s. It becomes far more than the missing War Dog and between Mel and Page and Jake and his crew things are certainly heating up.

I couldn’t put this book down; the absolute craziness baffled me to no end. I loved the way Conall and Melanie form a relationship before they even realize it.

I can’t wait to read the 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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Mountain hit the Arctic, knowing full well they would have to drag his dead body back out of the tundra before he ever quit on his little brother, Teegan. Theirs hadn’t been the easiest of upbringings, but, when times had been tough, there’d always been the two of them.

Yet the series of events so far has gone from mysterious to downright deadly, and just what is the elusive Dr. Amelia’s part in all this anyway? Like a ghost, she slips in and around everyone. What is her problem with the base, and, more important, what is her end game?

Dr. Amelia Morrison had seen too much in her life to trust anything she can’t fathom with her own eyes. So, what she sees here makes no sense. Something is rotten at the Arctic international military training camp. She needs to stay close, but, deep inside, she just wants to run for cover. But this mountain of a man keeps her coming back, and his younger brother she manages to keep alive. However, saving a man out in these harsh elements is a completely different story than saving him from his fellow man.

Together, Mountain and Amelia need to solve this nightmare, before no one else is left alive …

In the prologue of this book Mountain is interrogating Chef Elijah. He’s not getting any answers, and nothing is making sense. Then Magnus tells him Amelia is here in bad shape with Sydney.

Arriving at the clinic Mountain is stopped from asking questions as Sydney frantically works to stop Amelia’s bleeding. There are two recent bullet wounds and if she’s to save Amelia’s life the bleeding has to stop.

Magnus and Mountain agree nobody should be allowed near her other than them and Teegan. At least until she’s awake and talking. She obviously avoided coming here and they suspect she thinks the shooter is here.

When Amelia wakes, she’s still not certain about things. Little things that seem to have no connection but might. There’s certainly plenty of threads to pull on. She also offers theories of her own to theirs.

We see more of the new investigator Samson, as he and Mountain talk to her about what she may or may not have seen. Elijah is a main topic as well and some startling information comes in about him as well.

In the course of watching over Amelia, Mountain’s attraction is noticed by a few people as is the fact she appears to be attracted as well.

This is a favorite scene.

She didn’t like being weak and hated the thought of being perceived as weak by others, even though Mountain would immediately deny viewing her that way. Still, in her current physical state, it was hard not to feel weak. If she were in a losing battle of some kind, she wouldn’t like it. It was a good ten minutes before the door opened again, and, expecting it to be Sydney, Amelia was surprised when Mountain walked in.

He had a plate heaped full of food. The minute she looked at it, her stomach started to rumble. He nodded. “You’re hungry. That’s good, right? I can hear it clear over here.” She must have been giving off some cantankerous vibes because he shook his head. “Come on. Time for sharing a good meal among friends, not fighting,” he muttered.

“Yeah, well, if I had some good friends here, I might consider that. In the meantime, I don’t have that option, so touché.”

He nodded, then shrugged and didn’t say anything.

She glared at him. “Are you always like this?”

“No, not always, but I really do work at it.”

Such honesty filled his tone that she almost cracked up laughing. “Really?” she asked in a dry voice. “And here I thought being irritating came to you naturally.”

“Oh, no, I have to work at it really hard. Just ask Teegan.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “I would love to, but nobody’s allowed me to talk to Teegan yet. Remember?” Her tone had a definite bite to it.

He eyed her and nodded. “That’s a good point. Do you want to talk to him after dinner?”

“Yes, of course,” she said immediately.

He pulled out his phone and apparently sent his brother a text message. “He’ll come by after dinner,” Mountain stated, reading Teegan’s response.

“Fine.” Amelia sighed, as she sagged back. “I haven’t had any food yet either.”

“And you will get some very soon. Sydney’s gone to get it. I would offer you some of this, but Sydney is very particular about what she thinks will be the best for you. I found that out the hard way, while Teegan was in that very bed for quite a stint himself.”

She looked ruefully at his heavily laden plate. “Which likely means something light, maybe soup or broth.”

“Do you think you can handle much more than that?”

She contemplated it and then shook her head. “Probably not.” She groaned. “Every time I think I’m doing better, something happens, and I’m doing worse.”

“I don’t think you’re doing worse at all,” he countered. “I think you’re impatient, and that’s always the dangerous time.”

“Why is that?” she asked, knowing that she wouldn’t like the answer.

“Because people tend to expect more out of themselves, and they do way more than they should because they think they’re on the mend or should be. What ends up happening is that they overdo it completely and set themselves back  … or worse.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I’ve seen it countless times, and, hell, I’ve done it myself. In your case, as low as your blood count was, you still can’t risk any bleeding. That’s why you feel so weak with any exertion at all. This time is an opportunity for you to sit back and relax. This is your chance to heal, and we want to make sure that you heal 100 percent, so you can come back to this frozen land that you love so much.”

She settled back down on her bed, studying him, stunned at the passion in his voice. “You love it up here too, don’t you?” she asked him.

“I’ve always loved the Arctic and being up here,” he murmured, “but, then again, I also love a nice warm sandy beach,” he added, with a big grin. “There’s room for all of it, you know?”

“There is, but it’s just been a whole lot easier for me to find acceptance up here.”

“Because there’s not all that much competition, I presume.”

“Meaning, I wouldn’t hold my own if there were?” she asked a little testily.

“God, no. Meaning that you wouldn’t feel you always have to be on guard,” he clarified. “Do you think I don’t see that? I don’t know whether it’s all because of your heritage and the bias you’ve encountered, or it’s all about that one guy you dated and you have become wary of all men.”

“Wary of all men,” she noted in a wry tone. “At least that’s how I would interpret it,” she murmured, seeing the shadow that crossed his face. “I’m sure some of your psychologists would come up with a million other things in addition to that.”

“Doesn’t matter whether they would or not,” he replied on a laugh. “It’s all about you and who you are, not about them at all.” Once again he’d completely surprised her, and she didn’t know what to say. He looked at her and laughed and asked, “Cat got your tongue, did it?”

“You keep surprising me.”

“Not meaning to,” he replied, with a shrug. “I’m just being me.”

“Being you is a gift though,” she admitted, “and it’s not one that I’m used to.”

“And that’s the problem,” he pointed out. “You’re expecting trouble, and there isn’t any, at least as far as I’m concerned. As long as I can keep you safe, I’m content. The minute I have to fight you over that, we’ve got a problem.”

She snorted. “So, what you’re saying is, as long as I do what you tell me to do, we’re fine, but the minute I don’t, then we’ve got a problem.”

He flashed her a bright grin and nodded. “Yeah, that works.”

“It doesn’t work for me,” she snapped, “particularly not long-term.”

“I didn’t say anything about long-term. I’m talking about while we get you back on your feet. It’s not any workable solution on a long-term basis. Besides, who wants a relationship with a dishrag?” Her jaw dropped at that, and he burst out laughing. “I know. I know. We aren’t there yet.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I understand. I absolutely surprised myself when I first figured it out. It’s definitely not where I thought I would be heading, but it’s hard to miss the connection.”

“It’s totally easy to miss the connection,” she argued. “I already missed it myself.”

At that, he burst out laughing. “You might be wishing that you missed it,” he replied, giving her a knowing look that made her blush, “but it’s perfectly obvious what’s going on between us to anybody willing to look.”

She sagged back on her bed, shaking her head. “I would have to be suicidal.”

“No,” he argued, “but you will certainly need to be your own person because I could never be with somebody who can’t be real.”

“I don’t think I can get much more real,” she muttered, “and you’ve already seen all the ugly bits.”

“I’ve also seen all the beautiful bits too,” he noted, with a big grin.

At that, she flushed a bright red and glared at him.

“Hey, we were trying to save your life at the time, and I really did try not to look.”

“Right,” she muttered, with an eye roll. “That would be so you.”

“Hey,” he said, with an almost injured air. “I pride myself on being an honorable man.”

“Yeah, right,” she replied, with a frown. “That doesn’t mean you didn’t look while you had the chance.”

“Honestly I was too busy trying to help Sydney staunch the bleeding that you were busy spewing out all over the floor, which was enough to drop me at any moment,” he pointed out. “Saving your life was the first priority. Keeping you warm was the second. You weren’t giving us any help on either issue,” he stated, “and that made our lives very difficult.”

She pondered that. “I guess I was in pretty rough shape, wasn’t I?”

“Pretty rough shape? No. Hell no. Not even close to that. You were two steps from death, and, if it wasn’t for Sydney being right here, I don’t know what medical care you would have gotten. She’s brilliant, and she’s kept everybody alive who could be kept alive. So, I certainly don’t begrudge her any minutes of spare time or supplies to do the job that she’s doing.”

“That’s really nice of you,” she admitted, surprised that he would even say that.
Dale Mayer. Mountain-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 1529-1589). Kindle Edition.

Things begin to come together as Teegan visits Amelia for the first time. Little things are remembered, and new things discovered.

This takes a twist I totally didn’t see coming, and the people involved shocked me as well. I loved the way it all comes out and the relationship between Mountain and Amelia. The way the dogs are handled and so much more. Truly the perfect ending to 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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Detective Kate Morgan is stumped, trying to decide when a case is really a case and when it belongs on her desk or someone else’s. She’s homicide and this? … This is something else, right? Following up the leads doesn’t help, only confuses the issue—until someone slips up or slips away literally.

Simon wakes, choking on water, drowning in the darkness of his night, struggling to understand what madness he is connecting to now. As usual, he has few answers, and the ones he does find make no sense. Add in a young man in desperate need of assistance—yet hiding something—has Simon caught up trying to help someone, who maybe doesn’t want help in the first place.

As Kate works her way through the details of multiple cases—or not cases—the realization is worse than anyone had realized.

As this book opens the team is riding high on three closed cases in a row. It’s also Rodney’s first day back from his injuries and Kate wants no part of him thanking her for saving him. She’s asking when Andy will be returning when they are interrupted by Sergeant Colby who has something a bit unusual.

There’s been a drowning at Cultus Lake, however there are previous drownings they fear are connected. This drowning was at Wreck beach and there’s a witness who’s not sure if the person that brought the victim to the beach was helping or hindering rescuing the person. To top it off there are three other drownings with similar witness accounts.

Kate goes to Wreck Beach around the time of the most recent drowning and watched as pleasure crafts were heading into the harbor. She finds the atmosphere relaxing even though the reason she’s there isn’t. As she’s returning to her vehicle, she stops to look out at the harbor again and notices a large boat or yacht out on the water. As she watched it Simon calls her asking where she is. It’s interesting that he’s on that yacht she was looking at and that he’s considering buying it. Simon brings dinner to Kate, and they end up talking about the cases she gets that could possibly have that ‘woo-woo’ thing with Simon.

This is a favorite scene.

“Maybe if somebody’s been traumatized by a drowning early in life  …” And he let his voice trail off, staring at her, as if willing her to fill in the blank.

“Meaning that, if somebody already was traumatized,  … they’re recreating it somehow?”

Simon nodded, encouraging her. “What if they’re recreating it, hoping that they’ll get a different outcome this time?”

She stared at him and then laughed. “That’s just crazy enough to be possible.”

He smiled. “Apparently crazy is what we do.”

She winced. “The what-ifs with you are painful.” “The what-ifs are painful no matter who they’re with. But think about it. What could possibly cause somebody to want to recreate these scenarios?”

“Because he lost somebody, and he wants to either save somebody in order to redeem himself or  …” She thought about it, shaking her head. “To recreate a situation just once is one thing, but to do it over and over again? Let’s go with your theory. What if he is recreating it, so he can save the person he couldn’t save before?”

“Meaning, he’s caught in some sort of time loop?” Simon asked.

Kate nodded. “Yeah, but doesn’t recognize that the person he didn’t save isn’t coming back regardless.”

“Exactly,” he agreed, with satisfaction and a smile. “Did you talk to anybody today who said something along that line?” Simon twisted in his seat on the couch to face her.

She took the glass of wine out of his hand, took a sip, and then handed it back to him, ignoring hers on the kitchen counter. “But, according to one man, he watched a little boy drown in a lake some fifteen years ago. All kinds of people were around, and everybody tried to save him. The boy was eventually pulled from the water, but it was too late. People screamed, shouted for a doctor, all kinds of stuff, but he couldn’t be saved.”

Simon shook his head. “You’re right though. What the hell is going on that any one person could witness more than one drowning?”

“That was my problem too,” she noted, with a smirk. “But the witness wouldn’t talk after that, not with Rodney there.”

“So, you’re going back tomorrow.”

“Absolutely,” she declared, with a smile. “I’ll start there in the morning. Rodney was like, Yeah, you go on your own. I don’t want to see that dog again.” She laughed. “The dog really didn’t like Rodney, so it’s probably just as well to keep the two of them apart.”

“Is the dog safe?” Simon asked hesitantly. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. “You can’t blame a guy for asking.”

“I might not blame a guy for asking, unless he’s asking because he assumes I’m not capable of looking after myself with a little dog.”

He groaned, his shoulders sagging, as he replied in a firm tone, “I would never make that mistake.”

She chuckled, and then she stared at him. “We didn’t pick up any food. You have any leftovers?”

He shook his head and laughed. “No, I don’t think I do, but the sky is not falling, and there are options. We can go pick up something, or, hey, maybe we should go out to have a meal for a change.”

She groaned at that. “Can’t say I’m up for that.”

“A few local places are around here, and, there’s always Mama’s, and she’s been asking about you.”

She hesitated. “Italian would be good, but  …” She looked down at her clothes. “I’m not dressed to go to a restaurant.”

He eyed her up and down, shook his head, and pointed out, “Mama would have your head on a platter for saying that. She doesn’t care if you come in your nightclothes. She just wants to encourage you to come.”

Kate burst out laughing. “You could be right, but first you need to tell me what the hell happened to you today.” He glared at her, and she nodded. “I’m not a cop for nothing,” she stated, with a smile. “Lots of things happen that I might miss, but, when it’s dodgy, suspicious, or something to do with one of my cases, believe me. My antenna’s on full alert.”

“It’s got nothing to do with one of your cases.”

“Yeah? How do you know?” she asked.

“Because I know it’s not.”

“Then maybe you should tell me the good news first.”

He sat back and frowned at her. “How the hell did you know there’s something good?”

“Because there’s a bubbliness to you, but then something is underneath. It’s almost as if you’re dying to tell me and wanting to go out and celebrate something,” she noted. “I don’t know what it is, and I’m not sure what’s going on, but it would be good if you just told me.”

“Shit,” he muttered. He picked up his glass of wine, tossed back the bulk of it, and admitted, “Fine, I bought the yacht today.”

“Running Mate,” she said in delight.

He asked, “You remembered the name?”

“Sure, it’s kind of unique.”

“It is a unique name,” he agreed. “I kind of like it and might keep it. Baxter’s happy that he’ll get to visit her in the marina. I need to contact him about the berth as it is. Maybe I can lease that from him too,” he shared, giving her a smile. “Finding a dock is a whole different story in this town.”

“I’m sure you have lots of friends to help you find a place.”

He smiled, then nodded. “I’ve got a couple to check out first. I want something within walking distance, so I can head down with a picnic basket and just go.”

“That sounds absolutely lovely,” she declared in delight.

“Good, then make it a date for Saturday.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? This coming Saturday?”

“What? Do you really think we’re not going out on it?” he asked in exasperation. “I figured a picnic on Saturday would be perfect.”

“And yet,” she began, with a note of warning.

“I know. You’re on a case, so it all depends on work.”

She nodded. “Okay, so that’s the good news. I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

“Good. Maybe one day we’ll bring the rest of your team.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “Let’s not get too excited.”

He chuckled.

“But I’m still waiting,” she stated, firmly refusing to budge, until he fessed up.

He relaxed back on the couch and thought about what he could even tell her. “It’s nothing that I can even put a finger on, but just today I had this strange feeling. I was at the coffee shop and had just finished my boat-buying business with Baxter, and somewhere along the line I had this strange sensation of, I don’t know.  … I don’t even know what to say, but it was a weird feeling of something going on. Maybe it was a person. Maybe it was not the person but the place.” He frowned, shaking his head. “But I got a weird feeling coming off one guy in the coffee shop, a smaller person, slight in stature, maybe in his fifties or so. It may have been the wariness that made him seem older. Anyway… he stared at me for a long moment too.”

She froze and asked, “Are you sure it was him?”

“We were at a coffee shop with other customers,” he explained, sipping his wine. “I tried hard to figure out who was emanating this weird— I don’t even want to call it a signature— but this weird  …” He threw up his hands. “Energy, a feeling, coming from somebody in this coffee line, and, when he looked at me, it appeared to be coming from him.”

She nodded, her gaze intent.

He frowned at her and admitted, “Okay, so normally I know what that look means, but today?  … You’ve got me flummoxed.”

She sighed. “Normally you wouldn’t be this dense.” His jaw snapped shut, and he glared at her. She added, “So, what did I just tell you about all those witness descriptions?”

He asked, “What do you mean? The drownings?”

“Yeah, the drownings.”

“Oh, he was in his fifties maybe, slight in stature, white.” And then he sagged, his jaw dropping, and he was hit hard, “In his fifties. Oh, hell no.” She just waited. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is not connected to one of your cases.” She didn’t say anything, and finally he glared. “Do you really think it could be him?”

“I have no idea.” She eyed him in astonishment. “Maybe that’s a question you should be asking yourself. Do you really think it could be him?”

“No, hell no,” he replied in frustration. “Why the hell would it be him?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have any idea, and it doesn’t make sense to me. But, for whatever reason, you picked up on the energy of somebody who matches the same description that seven people gave me of somebody who could be drowning people in order to try and save them or to watch them expire,” she repeated calmly, “and the only thing I now have to ID this guy is on you.”

Simon wasn’t so sure.

“Will you sit with the sketch artist? He can bring out more than you think.”

Simon frowned, yet shook his head. “I can if you need me to. I did see him at my local coffee shop. I’ll keep an eye out for him there and will let you know.”
Dale Mayer. Simon-Says-S-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 919-996). Kindle Edition.

Kate and Rodney track down the witness to the most recent drowning, then start looking at the other cases when another comes into their purview. This one is a bit different as it was a group of people swimming and jumping off the rocks. When their friend got in trouble they were talking with a skateboarding group, and a man who wanted to help but was terrified of the water ended up doing CPR on the victim. A doctor, but no one got his name. With no cameras in the area, Kate thinks about video. Some folks video everything no matter how invasive it may be. With the video they hope to identify the stranger as the person who was at each scene.

Meanwhile Simon is seriously considering buying the yacht from his friend, Baxter. Both him and Kate could use the getaways it would provide them. He enters a popular coffee shop to grab a to go coffee and runs into his friend. and they negotiate the sale. As he’s leaving, he gets a strange prickling in the back of his neck, he looks around and sees a nondescript man probably around mid-fifties. When the man turns and stares at him, he’s unnerved and quickly leaves.

From here things develop a bit differently for Simon as he gets involved with Kate’s investigation. I love the dynamic between these two characters. They are surely falling in love and the time they spend together is always interesting, fun and somehow even dangerous at times.

There’s plenty of suspense in this one with laughter, tears, and that sizzling relationship between Kate and Simon.

I can’t wait to see what Dale comes up with 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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Having precog abilities didn’t guarantee having answers, but it did mean Walker knew when trouble was in a specific area. In this case it was Finland and involved someone associated with Levi and a friend to Walker. So he wants in on this job – even if Levi doesn’t have a job there. Yet. However, a quick phone call to Terk confirms Walker’s suspicions. And he’s already on the move.

Ashley’s life should have eased up with her move to Finland, but that same wariness creeping back in her life made her feel hunted once again. A strong healer, she helped those who showed up on her doorstep, telling them that she believed the healing energy brought them to her.

However, she’d long ago learned that not everyone who showed up at her house wanted the best for her. So, when Walker shows up, she’s not sure what to believe, but it’s quickly all too clear that her life is in danger.

Should she trust Walker? No, but she has to make a choice, and the wrong one could kill her.

In the prologue of this book we first see the exchange between Riff and Terk about Angela again. Riff just wants to put off her coming to them, and for now Terk will let it go. There’s something very interesting going on there. Then Levi calls Terk about Walker wanting to work for him, but he also had a vision of an issue in Finland. Levi doesn’t have anything there, but Kim’s brother is traveling in Finland and has disappeared. There seems to be some connection between his disappearance and a healer.

When Levi identifies his contact as Walker, Terk knows he’s talking about Walker Habernack who has some awesome precog abilities. Calum volunteers to go to Finland and meet up with Walker to help find Kim’s brother.

Walker doesn’t know Calum but knows he worked on Terkel’s team when they worked with the CIA. Walker and Terk go way back and are much alike in some ways. Walker has stayed alone and has blocked Terk’s communication with him. He doesn’t want him in his head. Terk tries to convince him he’s better off with a group who understands him than on his own. He’s not convinced but agrees to talk later.

Ashley Henkel senses danger, she doesn’t know where it’s coming from but knows it’s out there. She wants to run, but to where? Running wouldn’t solve the problem. She’s debating all of that in her head when her friend McClintock calls. He’s sensing something wrong as well. He tries to convince her to come in and be with people again, but she’s adamant about staying alone. After talking to him she decides to go for a walk to get away from the house. She’s not far from her home in the field when she sees a car approach and then stop at her home. Two men get out and she studies their energy before she approaches them.

After they introduce themselves, and Calum mentions Terkel, she does a really cool energy thing. An image of Terkel ‘appears’, and they have a conversation. She’s also ignoring an energy arc thing between her and Walker.

This is a favorite scene.

Seeing her energy lifeline intertwining with his, Walker was distracted and frowned at her, also not exactly sure how to proceed on locating Frank. “We’re trying to find this young man,” he repeated, “and I admit you’re the only person I know who can arrange energy quite like that.”

At that, Calum started laughing again and spoke to Ashley. “Don’t mind my rudeness, but you’re the only one I’ve ever seen dismiss Terk like that.”

She shrugged. “We’ve known each other a long time,” she shared comfortably, and then she stopped and tilted her head to the side, a bit shocked. “Good God, he’s about to become a father?”

At that, Calum grinned, the smile splitting his face. “Yeah, he sure is.”

“And twins at that,” she muttered, with a smile. “Will wonders never cease? This is a day.”

“Now that we have a better understanding of who we all are,” Calum noted, “can you help us locate this young man?”

She looked at him and shrugged. “I don’t know anything about him, really. As I’ve mentioned, twice now, Frank was due to arrive a few days ago for a healing session, but he didn’t show. That doesn’t mean a whole lot in my world because a lot of people don’t show up, even when they’re supposed to. They get cold feet, don’t realize what they’re up against, somebody talks them out of it, or whatever. All kinds of scenarios can happen.”

Calum nodded. “I get that, but I was hoping you might have an idea of his planned itinerary, of how he was traveling, where he was coming from, things along that line.”

She pondered that, then walked over to a small desk and picked up an appointment book. “He was coming from the US. He was flying out of Texas, as far as I know, and was due in two days ago. I offered to let him stay in my guest cabin because, when I’m doing a ton of work on somebody, it’s often too hard for them to leave for a day or so. They’re too exhausted,” she murmured. “And, if that’s the case, I don’t really want them driving around. He could pick up a rental car at the airport and should have been here days ago,” she explained, with a shrug, pointing out the appointment listed in her book.

Walker took the book from her, checked it gently, flipped back a couple months and noted, “You’re not exactly booked up.”

“No, I’m sure not,” she agreed, taking the book from his hands. “Can’t say I have a preference for killing myself in that line again.” When he looked at her, she shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Terkel about that,” she muttered. “I don’t exactly have a great history with people in this business. I only help those who make their way to me.”

“Why is that?” Walker asked.

“Because I believe that they are the ones I’m supposed to help,” she stated simply. “If I advertise or do anything along that line, it would be a never-ending circus of people, including journalists, medical professionals, and various other whatnots. None of which I want in my world, nor am I prepared to deal with them.”

Calum smiled. “That is very understandable. As somebody who was dragged into all this, dealt with the CIA and the rest of the government, side by side with Terkel, I understand how ugly things can get. I’m sorry for the experiences you’ve had, but, if you’re waiting for people who are in need to come to you,” he suggested, “surely you would have gone looking for this young man when he didn’t show up.”

She looked at him, then smiled. “Not necessarily. He isn’t exactly lost. He’s just not here at my door.”

“Ah.” Calum nodded. “I suppose that makes a difference.”

“Of course it makes a difference,” she declared. “He could have been in town, or he could even be there now, still second-guessing himself.”

“Do people really get that much in the way of themselves over this?” Walker asked curiously.

She nodded. “An awful lot of people don’t really understand what I do and why I do it. So then, when they come, they are hesitant about what I have to tell them.”

“How is your success rate?” Calum asked.

She looked at him, and Walker could see the confusion in her eyes. “What do you mean?” she asked, clearly not seeing where he was coming from.

Calum shrugged. “We have some pretty phenomenal healers working with Terkel now. I just wondered  …” Then he stopped, realizing expressing his whole thought probably would sound insulting.

“You wondered how I stack up against them?” she asked, with a note of amusement. “Believe me. Clary and Cara don’t give a crap.”

His eyebrows shot up. “No, I don’t imagine they would. You know them, do you?”

“I know them as healers on the ethers,” she murmured. “We all work the same highways, the same energy. I’ve even been known to assist at certain times, mostly anonymously, just because I really don’t want to interfere in anything going on in their space.”

At that, he let out a silent whistle. “Do they have any idea?”

“That I’m helping? Of course,” she stated, “but that doesn’t mean they’re acknowledging it though. In that situation, if they need help from someone like me, there isn’t much time or energy for idle chatter.”

“That makes sense, I guess. I don’t really know that much about it myself.”

“I suspect they don’t really talk much about what we do because,  … let’s face it, not many people get it.”

“No, you’re right there,” Calum said. “We’ve seen them do some pretty phenomenal things when healing us, as the last year has been extremely hard on all of us, including Terk. So you might want to cut Terkel a bit of slack.”

She snorted at that. “Terkel wouldn’t even thank me if I did, so the answer to that is hell no.”

He burst out laughing. “Okay, it sounds like you really do know Terk and his team.”

“I do,” she declared. “Of them, anyway. I know people like them, and, whether you are the same or not, I don’t know. However, I’ve had more than enough of government interference, government issues, bureaucracy, dictators, orders I didn’t like, couldn’t follow, and fought against. I watched the wrong people die and the wrong people rise to power. So, I really am not interested in having anything to do with that at all.”

“You won’t get an argument from me on that,” Walker added. “Terk’s team and I feel the same way.”

She turned and looked at him. “Do you?”

“I do,” he stated, his tone sincere, as he studied her. “You want to live in a world where you want to trust people, but, in your heart of hearts, you can’t. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t heal at that same level. My understanding is that anybody who is a healer has to work from love, has to work from that special level of understanding the true value of life, not from anger. So there has to be a way for you to find that special connection in order to do what you do.”

She nodded. “You’re right, which is also why I pick and choose my clients very carefully,” she replied. “In this case, I was willing to take on Frank because he was so desperate and because everybody else had given up on him.”

Calum stiffened. “We never heard anything about what was wrong with him.”

“No, and he didn’t tell his sister either,” Ashley shared, “so nobody on that side of his life knows.”

Calum nodded. “Oh, man, being alone and facing some sort of major health crisis is not easy. That’s rough.”

“It’s not only difficult,” she noted sadly, “but, in his case, it’s likely to be fatal.”

“But he’s young,” Calum argued.

“He’s twenty-eight,” Ashley stated simply, “which is old enough, but when it comes to losing what’s important in life, you can bet it won’t be old enough at all.”

“I feel bad for Kim though,” Calum murmured. “She has no idea.”

“That’s the way Frank wanted it. He wanted to either live or die his way through this, but to not have everybody be sad and angry because of what’s happening,” she explained.

Walker added, “As much as I understand that, people care about him, love him, and, if it’s possible to save him, it would be nice to know it could happen.”

“It’s possible, but he needed to be here.”

“You’re using the past tense,” Calum stated sharply.

She looked at him and nodded. “Unconsciously.”

“You and I both know that even saying that unconsciously is bad news.”

“I used it unconsciously because he’s not here,” she clarified. “I’m not saying he’s dead. That is not the vibration I’m getting.”

Calum relaxed slightly. “I sure hope you’re right about that. Kim is quite worried about him.”
Dale Mayer. Walker-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 321-391). Kindle Edition.

Things don’t go easy for Walker and Calum as they try to trace Frank’s steps. The townsfolk aren’t admitting to seeing him and even the officials are close-mouthed.

This book drew me in and kept me there as suspense builds and things slowly unravel, including Ashley and Walkers walls.

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 who writes for the young, the old and those in-between – no matter what the age. Some of her books are hot, some are sweet. Some will keep you up at night with a light on to keep the boogie man away and some you’ll want to cuddle close.

She’s long given up on trying to fit a specific genre. Instead she honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy, break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

And that’s okay too.

There is one guarantee with each book – it will be a great read – each and every time.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Delta is always eager to help animals in need, especially when the request comes from Kat and Badger. Learning the animal is a retired K9 dog, now serving as a comfort animal for other injured dogs, Delta’s determination only increases. However, arriving in town, Delta’s contact has now vanished, and Delta discovers the War Dog is missing as well. Although Delta had looked forward to dinner with the woman he’d spoken to frequently on the phone, he now finds himself entangled in a disconcerting theory that extends beyond just one War Dog.

Rebecca has always had a soft spot for animals, and retired War Dog Gracie has effortlessly found a place in her heart. However, Rebecca’s attempts to adopt her from the center are consistently thwarted. As Rebecca seeks a solution, she stumbles upon something far more sinister, and soon realizes she is out of her depth.

One of the things I love about the books in this series are the prologues. Thats where Badger and Kat pair up the person with the war dog file. In this one, Badger points out they’re out of men, and Kat says they are not. She has someone in mind who has an interest in war dogs and would be the perfect person to find this one. Delta Granger. The war dog Gracie has many injuries and is a comfort dog for other war dogs in similar situations. She’s at a private K9 training and rehab facility helping these dogs adjust to being out of the war zone and into the private sector.

Delta is amazed at the size of the facility as he visits to evaluate Gracie’s position here. He’s looking forward to meeting Rebecca, the woman he’s been speaking with who takes care of Gracie. The receptionist at the facility is less than helpful and Delta gave her no answers as to why he is here or why he’s meeting with Rebecca. He’s followed to the parking lot by another woman, one who’s clearly in charge. She only offers that Rebecca didn’t show up for work and she requested the police do a welfare check but hadn’t yet heard back.

Taking things into his own hands, Delta goes to the sheriff’s office and confronts the two deputies there. One of them Detective Halverson follows him to his car, and then they both go to Rebecca’s town home. They discover it doesn’t look like she planned to leave as her purse phone and other items are all still there. First the dog, Gracie went missing and now Rebecca. Delta doesn’t have a good feeling about this, not at all.

We then meet Rebecca, she’s in a room with only a blanket, mattress and Gracie. She has no idea where she is or why she’s there. She vaguely remembers picking up dinner, and someone using her card at her office, she doesn’t remember getting home at all. She also remembers sharing her concerns about the surgeries being done at work, but her suspicions were blown off as something that couldn’t happen. She examines Gracie and is sure that her prosthetic is different and not one of theirs. She’s not exactly sure what’s different, this is her field but there’s not enough light to really examine it.

We see an exchange with her guard, as she asks for water. Then later when she gets to take Gracie out to do her business. She awakens next in a different room, one with an attached bathroom. That made things easier, but it was disconcerting that she didn’t know how she got there. There was also food for her and afterward a man she recognizes enters the room. Benjamin is also a captive, he quit his job on moral grounds and then was taken to wherever they are now. He’s been here for four days and has no idea who’s in charge, only knowing it’s not the guard. One thing they agree on is that it has something to do with the company and possibly of a buyout.

As Delta continues to investigate, he finds neighbors with security cameras. He finds the proof he needs that Rebecca was kidnapped. Now the task is by who and why. A conversation with Badger and Kat leads them in a direction that could have serious implications. Kat contacts Stone from Levi’s group and they start working on a theory.

Delta has words with the deputy, and then has a slight altercation at the local coffee shop. It’s there he meets Hannah. Her boyfriend Benjamin went missing, and no one is listening to her either. That he also worked for the company raises even more flags with Delta.

Rebecca and Benjamin are outside again with Gracie when she tells him about the sale. He’s worried about Hannah and that they may go after her and Rebecca tells him to go, get Hannah, and let someone know where she is.

Hannah and Delta are going to meet at Benjamin’s home and see if there are any clues. In the meantime, Detective Halvorson appears to be an ally of sorts. He believes what he’s been told but now he has to look at things again through Delta and Hannah’s eyes. Starting with a search of Benjamin’s place, they get a big surprise.

This is a favorite scene.

“If you want, you can meet me there,” Halvorson offered.

Delta stared down at his phone in surprise and then said, “Ten minutes?”

“Make it fifteen,” the deputy growled, and then quickly hung up.

At that, Delta sent a text to Hannah, Benjamin’s girlfriend, and explained what had just happened.

She phoned him and asked, “Should I meet you there?”

“Why not? Maybe he’ll believe it if he hears it from you.”

“I never talked to any of the deputies,” she noted. “Nobody followed up with me at all.”

Hearing that, Delta groaned. “Yes, you should definitely meet us there.”

It didn’t take very long to get over to the young man’s apartment. Delta got out and waited for the deputy to show up, and, as soon as he did, he walked over to join him. “Did you ever talk to his girlfriend?”

“Not personally, no. Why?” Halvorson asked, as he walked toward the apartment.

“Because she would really like to talk to you about his disappearance.”

He looked at him. “You’ve been talking to her?”

“Of course I have,” he declared, with a smile. “She’s pretty upset. Somebody she cares about a lot has gone missing, and nobody gives a shit.” The deputy frowned at that. “Look. I know you’re saying you do care. But what I’m telling you is that it doesn’t appear that way for anybody who is in trouble and who is looking for help.”

Just then Hannah showed up, and Delta introduced the two of them.

She crossed her arms over her chest, glared at Halvorson, and said, “Please tell me that you’re finally taking it seriously now.”

“I don’t have a whole lot of choice,” he grumbled, looking over at Delta. “This guy won’t leave it alone.”

She looked over at Delta and smiled. “Thank you.”

Delta shrugged. “We have a mutual interest. Two people have gone missing, and, in both cases, there are suspicious circumstances.”

She nodded. “Worse than that, nobody seems to believe us.”

“Well, that’s because they haven’t bothered to look,” Delta told her, with a nod. “But that’s okay. Things are moving now.” He gave a pointed look at Deputy Halvorson.

She smiled, misty-eyed, as she pulled out her keys and opened up the apartment.

The deputy frowned at her, as she looked over at him.

“We were supposed to move in together next month. He gave me his keys several weeks ago. It’s quite normal to do that in a relationship,” she added, glaring again at him.

“Of course it is,” Delta agreed, nudging her forward. “Let’s take a look and see if there’s anything suspicious.”

“I did look earlier,” she admitted, as she wandered around, her arms still wrapped around her chest. “He doesn’t have a whole lot here. That’s one of the reasons we were moving in together was to save on money and to see if we could build up our life a little bit, saving for better times, you know?”

“What would you do then?” the deputy asked her.

“I wanted to go back to school, and he was looking at taking more training courses. I just hope he gets that chance.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Delta stated, as he wandered the kitchen, looking around, opening drawers, taking a close look at everything. He headed to the living room and then to the stairs.

The deputy nodded at him and said, “I’m coming too.”

“So you should,” Delta agreed, “but that doesn’t mean he was taken from here.” He turned to Hannah. “Come on up too. Let’s see if anything’s missing.”

They went through the entire place, and, just as they were heading downstairs, the front door opened, and somebody stumbled in and slammed the door behind them. They raced down the stairs and saw a young man standing there, visibly trembling in front of them.

“Oh my God,” Hannah cried out, throwing herself into his arms. “Benji, you’re home. What the hell happened? Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

He wrapped his arms around her, looked at the other two men, and stuttered, “I need help.” He was half in tears. “Like  … serious help.”

“What’s wrong?” Deputy Halvorson asked, staring at him.

“I was kidnapped, and they’ve still got Rebecca and Gracie.” Benjamin scrubbed his face. He kept one arm wrapped around Hannah and held her close, rocking her back and forth. “Damn,” he said, “I didn’t even think it would work, but there was a momentary distraction, and I hopped over the fence. They’ll be after me for sure now, and this is probably the first place they’ll look. I did check in at the hospital and reported this mess but there’s no way it’s safe here.”

He looked down at her and gave her a gentle shake. “We have to leave, Hannah. We have to leave now.”
Dale Mayer. Delta-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 1218-1257). Kindle Edition.

From here the heat is on to find Gracie and Rebecca as well as keep Benjamin and Hannah safe.

Stone is a big help here as he worked with the information he gathered about the chips and the war dogs they are experimenting on.

Action, excitement, nail-biting, and even romantic. I couldn’t put this book down.

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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

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

Victor found it hard to stay upbeat when faced with a life of pain and a body that seemed more broken than whole. Adding to his depression is that his injuries were deliberately caused by ”friendly fire” during a joint training session. It was hard to feel his way through the fog, until one of his therapy sessions brought up the concept of finding joy in his life.

As a pastry chef, Dawn loves to play with food. It makes her happy to see others smile. Only in Victor’s case the smiles were far between and too few to count. She made it her mission to find little ways to make him smile—only to realize that she was far too attached, considering he’d be leaving soon.

Can he find a way forward, without leaving her behind?

While Victor is going through the process of getting into Hathaway House, one nurse went above and beyond to help him with the paperwork. Gerry’s friend Dawn works there in the kitchen with someone named Dennis and she promises to let her friend know he might be coming.

On Victor’s first day, he gets a visitor he instantly feels a connection to. He’s exhausted from the travel and hopes he’s not expected to do anything much. That first visitor turns out to be Dawn. Gerry called her to let her know he was on his way there. Daen and Victor agree that Gerry should be working at Hathaway House, little did they know Dani had overheard what they were saying. Dani says they would definitely take a look at Gerry’s résumé. Then she got down to the business of paperwork. Dani agrees to send it to him digitally and leaves him and Dawn.

The business of rehab is exhausting yet rejuvenating as Victor winds his way through the process. He also frequents the Vet Clinic seeking joy in his life. Dawn is a frequent visitor, and they also meet for meals when they can. Their conversations are insightful, and often Victor takes his reactions to them to his psychologist.

This is a favorite scene.

“That’s good. He’s trying to find a purpose in life, something that makes him feel that this humanity, this journey, is not as depressing as it’s been so far.”

“And the best way to do that, in my world,” he noted, “is interacting with the animals. Always goes back to the animals.”

“And is that just because they’re animals?” she asked curiously, “or is there some other reason?”

“I think being of service to others stops you from feeling that sense of helplessness, that sense of pity for yourself, and gives you a purpose outside of it,” he murmured. “And animals are the perfect beings for that.” And, with that, Stan turned and left.

She once again stared out at the meadow, wondering if she dared join Victor. As it was, he turned in the distance and caught sight of her and raised a hand.

She laughed and walked closer. “Now you,” she replied, when she got within hearing distance, “look absolutely in your element.”

He grinned, and it was so light and carefree. “I’d always heard that old adage about, if you’re depressed, get a pet, but I didn’t understand back then why anybody would do that because looking after something else just seemed like more work,” he murmured. “And now I’m standing here in front of these animals, wondering how I can get some of my own.”

“Because?” she asked instantly.

“Because they bring me joy.” And there it was, stated simply and with such heart.

Dawn was charmed. She watched the animals that he was busy petting and smiled. “Looks like they’ve adopted you.”

“They’ve adopted the grain,” he admitted, with a big smile. “And that’s okay because I’m not asking anything of them other than to be themselves.”

“And yet you ask more of yourself,” she noted curiously. “How fair is that?”

He considered that for a moment. “I think I do that because I can do more.”

“Yet you don’t think animals can do more?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’ve never thought of it that way.”

She nodded and didn’t bring up anything else. Eventually he started to crutch his way toward her, with an empty grain bucket, and still the animals fell in step beside him. She looked at his entourage and laughed. “Honestly, I haven’t seen anything quite so nice in a while.”

He looked around, and once again that big smile flashed. “It’s been a good day. Yesterday too,” he declared, with a beaming smile.

“Good, because, as one good day then follows another good day, pretty soon you’ll have a good week and before you know it, it’ll be  …”

“Oh, it’s not been that bad,” he countered, “and I have to admit it’s been a lot better since I’ve been here at Hathaway House. Still, being outside, with these animals, makes it twice as nice.”

“And that’s good,” she agreed, “because humanity isn’t all bad here, or in other places.”

“Nope, it’s not,” he stated. “You just get disenchanted with it when you see enough things that go wrong.”

“And again, people still have to be people,” she pointed out. “Not everybody wants to improve or to become better or to become anything than what they are.”

“You’re right. And that’s the hard part— to accept that they’ll be who they are no matter what.” He nodded slowly. “And I hadn’t really come to the point of wanting to accept that yet.”

“Maybe you don’t need to. Maybe you just need to find a way to get involved and to do something for yourself.”

“Maybe.” He gave her a wry smile. “Something to think about.” He slowly made his way through the fence. “What are you doing out here?” he asked curiously.

“Honestly? I was heading back to my place. I planned to eat these leftovers before I went to bed, but then I saw you out here. You looked so happy that I felt compelled to come over and to say hi.”

“That’s a good thing then,” he replied, smiling. “If my joy makes you happy, then it spreads the joy around.”

“It absolutely does,” she agreed, returning his smile. “So are we now on concerted attempts to find joy?”

“I did have a long talk with my therapist about being depressed and saddened by the world and the mess it’s in and the fighting globally, et cetera.” He gave a wave of his hand. “And she basically released me from everything in my afternoon schedule yesterday, except to go find something that brings me joy. So I came down to tell Stan about it, and he brought me out here. And I loved it so much that I repeated it today, after my schedule ended.”

“And now you feel completely different?” she asked.

“I feel at peace,” he murmured, as he looked back at the horses, even now standing and staring at him hopefully. “There’s just  …” He stopped short. “It sounds funny, but it’s something about their energy that just makes me feel peaceful.”

“And I think that’s because their energy is peaceful,” she declared, smiling at the horses. Then she turned to walk slowly at his side. “You do realize they’re addictive too.”

“Yeah, you heard me say that I wanted my own.”

“I did hear that.” She laughed. “And you’d have to get your own because these are definitely spoken for.”
Dale Mayer. Victor-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 1159-1202). Kindle Edition.

I love the way this book shows how each aspect of treatment has impact on the whole. Including the interactions with others, the animals and the developing relationship.

It never fails to amaze me how each book in this series is so different from the last. I can’t wait to read the next book.

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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Battered and bruised, Teegan wakes up in the training camp struggling to remember the details of his last few weeks. But along with not knowing what happened to him, he also doesn’t recognize the woman caring for him back in the camp. According to this Sandrine, he’d once asked her to marry him. Yet, he has no idea who she is…He didn’t remember much about what happened, nor did he remember the woman looking after him. Sandrine that is. That information rolls through his confused brain along with the other disjointed bits of information he can’t place, leaving him distrustful of everyone around him.

Sandrine can’t believe the injured sick man in front of her is Teegan. They had a history together but she’d not in any way thought she’d see him like this. He’d always been so fit and strong. All she wants is to get him back on his feet and be the man she used to know. But someone isn’t done with him yet…

Teegan knows his brother is doing everything possible to solve these mysteries and to make sure no one gets a second chance to hurt him. But sometimes betrayal doesn’t come from the outside… sometimes it comes from the inside… inside… and not outside…

In the prologue of this book, we see Teegan as he wakes up in the base clinic. The first thing he notices is that it’s warm, a feeling he doesn’t remember having in a very long time. The second is Sydney, who introduces herself then Mountain whom he calls the guardian angel he was praying for, he also says Amelia needs saving. This is followed by Sandrine who just came in on the supply plane. She’s here to help Sydney and happens to know Teegan. She’s more than a little surprised to find he doesn’t recognize her, but once Sydney explains she’s okay. Although she does drop a bit of a bombshell on them by saying Teegan once proposed to her.

Day 1 has Teegan waking throughout the night as Sandrine watches over him, he’s cold and in pain. He remembers little about where he is or how he got here. He remembers Amelia, and his brother Mountain. However, that he doesn’t remember Sandrine when they obviously knew each other bothers him. When he does wake up, he’s hungry but first Sydney has to check and redress his wounds, of which there are many. Mountain comes with coffee and has to wait while she finishes with the dressings. They don’t talk about much and Sydney denies him the right to ask questions at this time. Sydney learns more about Sandrine’s relationship with Teegan and how it came about that he proposed.

Teegan starts to remember bits and piece, like being injected with something but not who injected him. He also needs a lot of sleep as his body starts warming closer to normal. The next time he wakes Sandrine is there and they talk. Then Mountain and Sydney return from their meeting.

Teegan reiterates that Amelia needs help and Mountain goes out to search again. Samson, the new investigator comes to talk with Teegan. Since he doesn’t remember it wasn’t a very informative meeting. Although he does remember dogs. He loved the dogs here especially Kosta. It’s noted that Kosta and Toby, the one who was shot look alike. Teegan gets upset that someone would hurt a dog, and then the information he supposedly left behind is mentioned. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember any of that.

As dinnertime approaches, Sandrine heads to the dining room. She wasn’t sure what time dinner started and Chef tells her she’s got time, so she grabs some tea for herself and Teegan. Then she’s accosted by some of the men who don’t like the fact she’s new, when they’re on lock-down. Chef chases them off but doesn’t know if they’ll bother her once she leaves the area.

In the meantime with the steady flow of patients with a virus, Sydney moves Teegan to her room next door to the clinic. When Sandrine gets there, she sends her to check on him.

This is a favorite scene.

A little more unnerved at the concept of touchy in a way she had never had to look at before, Sandrine nodded and headed straight to the medical clinic again. She walked into the room, and Sydney was treating several people here. Sandrine stopped and surveyed the space, noting that Teegan wasn’t there. Frowning, she put down her two teas, wondering whether this was part and parcel of some grand plan or she had missed something. She quietly sat at her desk, ready to assist Sydney, as needed.

As soon as Sydney quickly worked through the group of people who had come to her clinic, she finally turned to Sandrine and nodded. “Glad you picked up on that.”

“Yeah, I picked up on it, but where is he?” Sandrine asked. “I hate to not see him here.”

“He’s in the room next door, which is my quarters,” Syndney explained. “Once I realized that I had several other people coming in, I didn’t want Teegan here, since God knows it would only be an open invitation to speculation as to what was going on. Once it starts, then curiosity brings even more people in,” she murmured.

At that, Sandrine nodded and pointed. “I brought some tea over for him.”

“Good, take it to my room and give me a report on how he’s doing.”

With that, Sandrine grabbed the tea, walked out of the clinic and headed to the room next door. This time she didn’t knock. She walked right in and found Teegan curled up on the bed, seemingly asleep.

She walked over and whispered, “Hey, you awake?” He opened his eyes and stared at her. She smiled. “I brought you some tea. Dinner’s in about twenty minutes.”

He nodded. “Elijah’s really good,” he muttered, his voice slurred with sleep.

Surprised that he even mentioned the chef by name, she nodded. “He is. Do you know him well?”

“Good guy. Always there for a conversation.”

She stared at him, as he rolled over, groaned again at the pain as he shifted, but somehow managed to slip back under again. She sat down in the single chair and looked down at the tea, which she now had two solid cups of, and softly laughed. “I guess I’m having tea by myself then.”

But just a few minutes later, Teegan woke up and shifted onto his back, gasping, but this time not crying out in pain or staring at her in surprise.

“Hey, I brought you tea, but it seems you are too sleepy.”

He blinked at her several times and nodded. “Tea would be good.” His voice was raspy.

She helped him shift into a sitting position, using pillows to prop him up.

“Why am I in here?” he asked, yawning. “I remember the doc moving me in here, but I don’t know why.”

“Because she runs an open clinic, and she only has two beds and some foldables in there,” Sandrine explained. “She was afraid a bunch of looky-loos were coming to see who the new patient was.”

“Ah, so secrecy on all counts.”

“Are you against that?”

“No. That was quick thinking on her part. I am glad that she moved me here. Besides, I can’t exactly answer any questions.”

“And yet you just talked about Chef.”

He frowned at her. “Did I say something about Elijah?” He shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

“You told me that he was a good guy and always easy to talk to.”

“He is, and he’s a good guy,” Teegan confirmed. “So that’s,  … that’s a decent analysis on my part, even if I wasn’t really cognizant.”

“I guess you probably had some interesting conversations with him over the time you were here.”

“Probably.  … I’m a friendly guy myself.”

“I remember,” she said, with a laugh.

He looked at her with a narrow gaze and then asked, “So, how close were we?”

“Close,” she replied. “As I told you, you asked me to marry you.”

“I remember you said that.”

She snorted. “Believe me. I don’t just say things.”

“Good.  … I wondered if we were,  … if it was a bad breakup.”

“No, not at all. You didn’t take it as a rejection. You didn’t say anything.”

“Did you answer me though, or did you let me go off on my own, thinking that I was rejected, even though you hadn’t come out and said so?”

She laughed. “I don’t know if I did or not. I’m not sure you were aware enough to even hear me.”

He winced. “God, I was that drunk, huh?”

“Yeah, you were definitely that drunk,” she confirmed, with a snort.

“So, did we break up right afterward?”

“Pretty much,” she said, with a nod. “You were heading out on a mission. And then, when you came back, you were posted to Germany.”

“Oh, wow, and you stayed where?”

“I stayed in California.”

“Okay, that tells me why we didn’t work out.”

“At the time it certainly didn’t work,” she quipped, with a cheeky look. “As a proposal, it certainly was one for the books.”

He winced. “Sorry about that.”

She burst out laughing. “God, don’t be sorry. When you woke up, I got the impression that you were more embarrassed than anything.”

“Oh, and that’s even worse.” He groaned. By now she was thoroughly enjoying herself. He glared at her. “It’s hardly fair when I don’t have any memories of it.”

“No, that is quite true,” she agreed. “On the other hand, you are certainly giving me something to chuckle about.” His grin, when it came, was fast, furious, and slammed against her heart. “Wow. I think that is the first smile I’ve seen from you.”

“Haven’t had a whole lot to smile about,” he pointed out.

“No, you sure haven’t, but now you are safe, secure, and doing much better.”

“Don’t forget about hiding out in the doctor’s bedroom,” he added, with a smirk. “God, that’s a weird thing to say.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sandrine stated firmly. “Doc’s doing everything she can to keep you safe.”

Teegan nodded. “I definitely got that impression, though I don’t think she was so worried that something would happen as much as she was concerned that my presence would cause a lot of drama and uproar.”

“I’m sure it would,” Sandrine noted, with a nod, “and that would be something she would be right to avoid.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and they sat there and sipped their tea. “Did I say anything else about Elijah?”

“That he was somebody you enjoyed having a conversation with— good for conversations. That was it.”

He nodded. “Seems something else was there though.” “When you say, something there, what does that mean?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted, with a headshake. “I’m not sure. It’s all,  … all a big mess.”

“Fine,” she replied. He glared at her, and she nodded. “I know, Teegan. You’re frustrated. You’re angry, and you want answers, but more than that, you want your memories back. All I can tell you is that it’ll take time.”

He sank back and nodded. “I wish I didn’t feel as if there wasn’t time.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, some sort of time element is involved.”

“Outside of Amelia?” He frowned at that and then nodded. “Yeah, outside of Amelia, there’s some time element. I don’t know what it means.”
Dale Mayer. Teegan-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 659-721). Kindle Edition.

Things start progressing rather rapidly from here. Teegan is getting stronger and keeps getting bits and pieces of memory. Mountain is out daily, searching for Amelia, and Teegan explores his relationship with Sandrine.

To say the suspense is killing me is an understatement. We do get something more in this one and they do find the information Teegan left for Mountain. Then there’s that OMG ending as well.

I really 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.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Langdon hasn’t been in a good place for a long time, but it was time enough to chase away the woman he’d loved since forever. Unable to reach her to make it right, he realizes she’s disappeared—and not by choice. He then finds out why Molly was kidnapped and by whom.

Molly would do just about anything for Langdon, yet being used as leverage to force him to act wasn’t part of the plan. But escaping would take more than her special energy skills, abilities her captors are unaware of. She needs to keep it that way.

Now if only she could open the psychic door she’d slammed shut between her and Langdon to let him know what was happening—before he was forced to do something that could kill them both …

In the prologue of this book, we see Bojan and Lacy as they say goodbye to Bullard, Leia and the twins. They know they will be back and forth and look forward to being with Terk and the others. While they’re waiting for their plane to take off, they are joined by Riff at Terk’s request. Terk also tells Bojan about Langdon’s request for help, something he wouldn’t normally do. Bojan also offers some insights into Langdon’s injuries and his relationship with his ‘mother’s’ caretaker Molly. Terk is sending Rick and Bullard is sending Eton to help Langdon. He will only send Bojan if necessary since he wants him and Lacy in England.

As this book opens, we meet Langdon just before Terkel calls him. He’s upset with the metal in his body and his missing leg and how it’s affecting his energy and his abilities. Terkel calls to let him know Rick is on his way, and when he’s ready to talk about his other issues Terk is ready to listen. Terk also wants him to come to work for him, but Langdon doesn’t think he has anything to offer. Riff accompanies Rick and later they are joined by Eton. However, the clues to Molly’s whereabouts are few.

Molly doesn’t know who is keeping her captive, she has a ‘keeper’ but he’s just the hired help. She’s unable to use her abilities and thinks it’s because where she’s being held is concrete and steel. We see an interaction with that man and it’s not pleasant. It does however confirm her being there isn’t about her but her bringing something to them they want.

She’s shocked later when she is taken to another room, the person who enters is someone she knows, Arthur. He wants Langdon to use his abilities for him and is going to use her as leverage to get him to comply.

Arthur contacts Langdon and doesn’t get the response he was looking for, so he decides to make a proof of life video. After recording that video Molly decides to search for a way for her energy to get out of the concrete room. She finds a way out under the door and then she travels a bit investigating her environment from this new perspective.

Molly plays with her energy and finds a way ‘out’ she uses most of her energy to send a lot of help messages out. Fortunately, Terk is able to pick up on her energy. Rick and Riff locate the van that took her, and Langdon discovers Arthur owns a warehouse in Bath. Now to figure out if that’s where they are keeping Molly.

Molly in the meantime has used so much energy it’s detrimental to her health, yet she keeps using it. In response Arthur makes some concessions in the form of hot beverages and blankets, then finally a sleeping bag and food. This causes things to escalate with Arthur and his cohort Bingo.

At the same time Langdon, Riff, Rick, and Eton are on their way.

This is a favorite scene.

“Jesus, Bingo, can you just do the damn job and not get on my nerves?”

“I’m not looking after her anymore. She ate my fucking chicken.”

“No, she didn’t. It’s out here on the counter. I see it right there.”

The big man lumbered past him and presumably saw the chicken. He picked it up and stormed off, apparently satisfied with what he saw because he didn’t come back into the room again.

Arthur gave her a long-suffering sigh. “See what I mean? He’ll leave you alone for a while now, but there isn’t much time, and we have a deadline on getting the contents of that safe too.”

“You’re getting it for somebody else?” she asked curiously.

He stared at her and then slowly nodded. “Smart of you. It’s a private job. I just didn’t want to go in there and have to bring along somebody else to open the safe.”

“I still don’t understand how you think Langdon will help you.”

“It doesn’t matter if you know or not,” he replied, with a wave of his hand. “If we have to drag him down there ourselves,  … we will.”

“He isn’t very mobile right now.”

“I know that,” Arthur agreed cheerfully. “I was really hoping he had another way to do it.” She stared at him in confusion, but he just waved his hand again. “Now you?  …. Obviously you haven’t a clue, so don’t stress those pretty little brain cells.” And, with that snide remark, he turned and walked out into the hallway, leaving her alone.

She wrapped her blanket around her feet, wondering if it were possible for Langdon to really do something like that from a distance. Or, even if he needed to be in person to open a safe, did he know how to do that? This was just speculation at this point, and it was a fascinating concept, yet a scary one that he hadn’t shared with her.

But then a lot of his work was secret stuff and not something he could ever talk about. She curled up in a ball, pulling her knees up tight, wrapping the sleeping bag around her, trying to stave off the ever-present cold in her world, as she sent a message to Terk, hoping she didn’t need to expend too much energy doing so. She needed to tell him that the deadline was looming and that they needed to act fast and that Arthur and Bingo might both have energy skills.

Almost instantly Terk came into her mind. Listen.  … My guys and Langdon think they have a location for you, he shared in a calm voice. If things get dicey, stay as low to the ground and as out of the way as you can get. Follow my energy to get a message to me, as needed. With that, he jumped out of her brain again.

She shook her head at that quick-in, quick-out thing. It was almost like her imagination at work. It might be great for him, but it left her with one thousand more questions. Still, to think that they had even tracked her this far was huge. Now all she had to do was get the hell out of here and get back to some sort of normalcy.

But, as she thought about the kidnappers nearby, their personalities, their motives, and, more so, their dark energy, she realized they would have to be put down, like the dogs they were. Otherwise there would be no end to them coming after her down the road. As long as they thought Langdon had an ability that Arthur and Bingo could exploit, they would continue to use her to manipulate Langdon. Her two kidnappers would never leave either of them alone.

She figured Terk didn’t get her most recent message, so this time she followed his energy in her mind and quickly sent Terk a telepathic message to that effect.

He came back with a terse I know. Then he continued. <em<Still, we can’t just go around shooting people either.

At least he confirmed receipt of this message. Although shooting people should be allowed in a case like this. It absolutely should be allowed, Molly thought to herself. Maybe it was, or maybe it didn’t matter. She wanted to think that a legion of good men were out there who could do things that weren’t always within the bounds of law but still well within moral and ethical limits.

She wished that were so, that it allowed people like her to survive situations like this. The last thing she wanted was to have somebody like Arthur coming after her over the next decade. She was sure that, if he survived, she would have to look over her shoulder, wondering when that face would appear in her rearview mirror again.

The thought alone was enough to make her stomach want to heave. Of course, if she threw up here, she was pretty-damn sure nobody would clean it up or give her a hand. She would just be stuck with the mess, and they would laugh because that’s the kind of guys they were. However, help was on the way, and all she had to do was keep everything status quo, just until the good guys got here.

Then she would be ready to run.
Dale Mayer. Langdon-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 1571-1608). Kindle Edition.

For someone who thinks his abilities are gone, Langdon does prove otherwise as they work to rescue Molly. The healing Cara has done is allowing him a bit more movement with less pain, at least for now. Later remains to be seen.

Things really heat up from here, and the outcomes are not quite what you might expect. I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath through a good part of this book.

I couldn’t put this book down, there’s so many twists and a lot of internal realizations for Langdon and Molly alike.

I really 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 who writes for the young, the old and those in-between – no matter what the age. Some of her books are hot, some are sweet. Some will keep you up at night with a light on to keep the boogie man away and some you’ll want to cuddle close.

She’s long given up on trying to fit a specific genre. Instead she honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy, break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

And that’s okay too.

There is one guarantee with each book – it will be a great read – each and every time.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Dr. Cresswell Simmons, a dream worker, is passionate about traumatized psychics and works in a psychiatric hospital to find those she can help. Six months ago, she barely survived a traumatic experience with a patient. Now on the cusp of returning to work and dreading every minute of it, she’s asked to step back into the same case that almost destroyed her. She desperately wants to say no, but an eight-year-old boy’s life is at stake.

Gray Burnett had worked on the original case, watching the devastation that had hurt Cressy. When asked to help her retrieve the information they need, he agrees—but more to protect her and the little boy than following orders. When her return to work is less than joyful, he wonders at the undercurrents in the hospital, as jealousy, admin disputes, even Board of Director members dominate the investigation and not in a good way.

Cressy is used to a world that doesn’t understand her work, but she needs Gray to open up and to see what’s going on around them. It’s the only way they will survive, as the case takes a bizarre turn that shocks even her …

When Dr. Maddy calls Dr. Cresswell ‘Cressy’ Simmons she had forgotten the time difference. Dr. Maddy needs Cressy’s help with a young patient who is currently hospitalized in Bishop’s Sanitorium. While Cressy knows she won’t say no to Dr Maddy, she also has concerns. She’s been on sabbatical since the last case, it took quite a toll on her, and she collapsed right after. This case involves a twelve-year-old boy who witnessed the murder of his family. He’s withdrawn into his mind and insists the person in custody is not the right one.

The FBI agent involved is one who was also on that case. Gray Burnett doesn’t know that he actually helped Cressy, he’s a non-believer. While talking to her, Grant calls him and he expresses concern that Cressy isn’t quite sane. That comment leads to a phone call with Stefan.

This is a favorite scene.

Gray watched her carefully, now that he understood more. He had been around some last time and had heard more about it afterward. Still he hadn’t fully known what was going on, and maybe that was a problem now as well. “Look. I only came over to talk with her.,” he admitted, staring at the phone. “Grant wanted me to come over.”

“He wanted you here, so I could assess your energy and could confirm that I could work with you,” she shared. “I just wasn’t aware that this would all be happening right now.”

“Yet you know that time is of the essence,” Gray noted.

“Sure,” she muttered. “Time is always of the essence.”

Stefan, his voice warm, added, “Cressy, I know that this is something you’ve been holding off on, and I agree wholeheartedly that you should be getting back to work and all, but I certainly understand if you’ve been trying to tell yourself that you’re not ready.”

She snorted at that. “Trying to tell myself I’m not ready?” She shook her head. “I know I’m ready to a certain extent. I also know that this is not something I really want anything to do with, but, as agreed, I will go to the hospital and meet him.”

“Good,” Stefan replied, a note of satisfaction in his voice.

“But I’m not guaranteeing anything,” she stated. “I might not even connect with the boy. As you probably know, I shut down everything for quite some time.”

“I know you did,” Stefan said. “That’s part of the reason for the sabbatical. You burned out and, when you burn out, it can take a while to come back again.”

“And that’s only if I’m prepared to come back,” she stated in a husky tone.

“Got it,” Stefan replied. “I do appreciate the fact that you’re willing to talk to the boy.”

“Right,” she muttered. “I was already booked to return to the office on Monday.”

“You could go a little earlier, just to see where things are at the place, right?” Gray asked her.

Cressy sighed. “Yes, I could.”

“What reason did you give for your absence?” Gray asked.

“I took a sabbatical for research.”

“That works,” Gray replied, “so nobody will question you too much.”

“Except for asking questions about the research I was doing,” she murmured. “I really don’t want to give too many explanations.”

“Don’t give any if you don’t have to,” Gray suggested. “Sounds as if maybe keeping things quiet is more important.”

“It’s not always that easy,” she noted. “Colleagues can be fairly persistent when they’re looking to see what kind of work you’re doing, since our jobs are only as safe as our results. The work is more of a life for us, and, if I’ve come back with new techniques, they’ll want to know about it.”

“Would you normally share?”

She gave him half a smile. “In my line of work I would normally share all kinds of things, but nobody— and I do mean nobody but the people on this phone call and Dr. Maddy— understand exactly what I do.”

At that, Stefan laughed. “I don’t even understand what you do. I understand the results, and I understand you’re a miracle worker, but that’s about it.”

“Fine, I’ll go in on Monday.” When Stefan went silent, she groaned. “You want me to go in now, don’t you? As in right now?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with the boy at present,” Stefan admitted apologetically, “but it seems something is changing, something is moving.”

“And you can’t sort it out?” she asked.

Stefan laughed. “No. Contrary to what everyone believes, I can’t do everything all the time.”

“Wow, that must have been an unfortunate surprise for you,” Cressy quipped.

Stefan snorted. “You do know that you’re the only person who ever talks to me like that?”

“The world would be better if more people did,” she declared.

“You’re just mad because I told Dr. Maddy to call you.”

“You could have called me yourself, you know?”

“I could have, but I figured that the first contact after all this time would be better coming from her.”

“You mean, the request would be better coming from her.” Then Cressy let out a big heavy sigh. “You also knew I couldn’t turn down anything to do with a twelve-year-old boy.”

“I would like to know more about how that works,” Gray said, from beside her.

She glanced at him and shrugged. “Part of the reason I got into this was, when my sister was eight, she had a psychotic episode and ended up in an institution herself. The only way I could stay in contact with her was  … to do what I do.”

“But what is it that you do?” Gray stared at her in frustration. “I have no idea what you were doing, but honestly all I saw last time was you going berserk. So, I wasn’t at all sure what to think when I was asked to come help you now, and all I could think was, Why me?”

She studied him for a moment, then laughed and laughed. When she could finally speak again, she muttered, “Good God, you really have a death wish to show up now, if that’s what you thought was going on last time.”

“Nobody explained anything. At least not in any way that I could understand.”

“That’s the kicker,” she noted. “Somebody may or may not have attempted to explain, but it’s not the easiest thing to explain or to understand, so that’s a whole different step.”

“When and how did you contact your sister?” Gray asked, his tone mutinous.

She grinned. “I went into her mind to say hi.”

He frowned at her. “Did she say hi back?

“She absolutely did,” Cressy confirmed. “I was the only one who could reach her, the only one who could talk to her, so I went dancing through her mind.”

“Are you sure you were actually talking to her? I mean, you were just a kid yourself, right? How old were you?”

“I was ten,” she replied. “As the older sister I felt responsible for her.”

“Oh, I get that. I have a kid sister myself, but I don’t go dancing through her mind. And that’s  … a very strange way to put it.”

“Not really,” she corrected, with a heavy sigh. “All kinds of things are in people’s minds that you don’t want to touch on, and you don’t really have any way of knowing how the filing system in each individual brain is set up. So, I open a door,  … check it out, and just choose to look further or to leave and try the next door. I call it dancing through their mind because I go from one aspect of their mind to another, until I get to wherever I need to be.”

“And where you need to be is what?”

“In my sister’s case, I needed to be where she was, the personality at her core. I knew that was the part of her I could talk to, so I could get her to come home.”

“Come home?”

She studied him and shook her head. “You should tell Grant that you need to take on a different job and just refuse this one,” she declared. “You’ll sleep better at night.”

“Probably, but I’m not the kind of person to walk away from a challenge.”

“This isn’t exactly a challenge,” she argued, “but you might consider the fact that this will potentially be a very difficult scenario for you.”

“You still aren’t telling me anything.”

“Nothing to tell,” she replied in exasperation. “I go into people’s minds, and I find out where they’re at, what they’re thinking, and how they’re thinking. Then, based on my medical training, I diagnose them on whether they’re actually psychotic or maybe just caught up in their own crazy world and don’t know how to get out of it or many other different scenarios. Therefore, you might want to tell Grant you want to change jobs.”

At that, Grant, who was still on the phone, along with Stefan, spoke up. “And, of course, I would tell him that he could walk away, except for the fact that Dr. Maddy says he’s important.”

“Stefan, why is he important?” Cressy asked.

“Because he was there the last time,” he murmured. “Cressy, you pulled on Gray’s energy as a ground.”

Startled, she turned and stared at him. “I did?”

Gray just shrugged, having no idea what that meant.

“You did,” Stefan declared. “So the fact that Gray functioned as a ground for you, seemingly unaware, while you used that to keep your own sanity, means that, if we run into problems in this case, Gray’s the person I would want there with you to help you out.”

“Even though I have no idea what you’re talking about and no idea how to do whatever it is that you think that I should do?” Gray asked, feeling more confused than ever.

“The thing is, you don’t need to do anything, Gray,” Stefan shared. “You have an energy that’s compatible with hers. So what you would need to do is just give her permission to do what she needs to do.”

At that, she burst out laughing. “If you guys could see the look on his face right now, it’s priceless. He’s trying to figure out how to run, and you really should let him.” In between giggles, she was trying to keep her voice steady. “It’s really not fair to him.”

“Maybe not,” Stefan admitted, “but the only reason you survived last time is because of him, so he stays.”
Dale Mayer. Insanity-Dale-Mayers-re (Kindle Locations 290-370). Kindle Edition.

As Cressy returns to work her co-workers welcome her back. Some sincerely, some not so much. There have been many changes since she went on sabbatical, none of them good.

She looks in on her patients and finds they have regressed some almost to the point where they began. She also finds an increase in medication for some and changes in medications and doses for others.

The hospital staff doesn’t question Gray’s presence, and he’s there when she has her initial visit with Adam. She finds that while Adam is twelve years old, he’s regressed to age eight. She manages to do some soothing with her energy, and she’ll be able to do more later without an audience. Taking him to the main dining room for lunch she discovers the quality of the food has drastically declined. This enrages her, healthy food is a must for these patients. The chemicals in what they are serving is detrimental in many cases.

She learns the board of directors have taken the stance of the bottom line being most important. That’s not good when the families of these patients are paying top dollar for their care.

After a feeling of being followed the night before, she asks Gray to check her office for bugs. What he finds is she’s being spied on. Now she’s questioning everything and debating whether or not to stay on staff there.

There are so many twists in this book, as well as the growing attraction between her and Gray. I can honestly say I was totally surprised by the outcome of this case.

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.