New Release and Giveaway! HOME TO STAY by Kate James (San Diego K-9 Unit #4)

Excerpt:

There were no answers. None that made sense.

When Sawyer finished his beer, he went inside for another. This time he brought Rufus out with him. Rufus must’ve been well aware of his mood, since he was reluctant to go with him at first. A large Milk-Bone provided the needed incentive, but the dog still kept a reasonable distance between himself and Sawyer, curling up in the far corner of the deck to feast on his treat.

And now he was scaring their dog.

Sawyer rose and sat down next to Rufus. “It’s okay, big guy. My mood’s got nothing to do with you.” He leaned back against the wall, handed the dog another treat and scratched behind his ear.

With his free hand, Sawyer reached for the bottle again. He wasn’t someone who overindulged. The only times he’d been drunk in his life were at a frat party in university and the day after Jeannette had disappeared.

Tonight? Well, tonight might be the third time. How much worse could things get? Sawyer pushed off the deck and stalked to the edge of the patio, then back to the table. He lifted the silver frame he’d placed there earlier.

Jeannette was beautiful. She always had been. He’d remembered thinking she was the prettiest girl in school. But it was her heart, her compassion and decency that had truly captured him.

In the picture, she was wearing a sleek, white gown, with a lace overlay and a long flowing veil. She was gazing up at him and laughing. He remembered that heady summer day six years ago as if it was yesterday.

But looking at her picture now…he no longer felt that all-consuming love.

What if she was alive?

As he tried to picture marriage with Jeannette—past or future—he couldn’t seem to.

Shannon kept intruding on his thoughts.

And remorse seared through him.

When the doorbell rang, Rufus gave out a machine-gunfire series of barks, and the frame slipped out of Sawyer’s hand, smashing on the deck. “Great. Just great,” he mumbled.

Rufus barked again, and the instant Sawyer slid the patio door open, he raced to the front hall. Sawyer followed him. Opening the door and seeing Meghan standing there, he looked around anxiously.

“Hey, Rufus! How’s he doing?” his sister asked Sawyer, bending over to lavish the dog with attention.

“Can we talk about the dog later? Where’s Dylan?” Sawyer asked, panic threatening to paralyze him.

“He’s fine. I left him in my car for a moment,” she said, quick to reassure him. “Nice to see you, too,” she added and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“What are you doing here?” Sawyer demanded.

“Shannon called me.”

“What? Why?”

“She thought you shouldn’t be alone right now. But she didn’t say why. Let me bring Dylan in. We’ll get him settled in his room and then you can explain.”

Sawyer went to get Dylan from Meg’s car. Together, they got him ready for bed and left him in his room watching a show on Sawyer’s iPad, Rufus by his side. Sawyer closed his son’s bedroom door and trailed his sister down the hall. She knew her way around his kitchen and wasted no time pouring herself a glass of wine. She held the bottle toward him.

“No, thanks. I’ve got a beer going outside.” He followed Meg again as she headed to the patio.

“So, what’s got Shannon worried enough to look up my number and call me?” she asked, as she stood at the edge of the deck and leaned against the railing.

“Nothing.” Everything. But he didn’t think he had it in him to talk about it right then.

“Yeah?” she asked with a meaningful glance at the picture frame and shattered glass on the wooden planks.

Sawyer bent down, picked up the frame and shook off the shards of glass. He stared at the picture again. There was a long scratch down the center. How poetic that a piece of broken glass had scored the picture—directly between him and Jeannette. With a short, bitter laugh, he put it down on the table, slumped in a chair and finished off his beer.

Meg took a sip of her wine and set the glass on the table. She went back in and reemerged with a broom and dustpan. Without a word, she swept up the glass and emptied the dustpan into a garbage can in the corner of the deck.

She sat in a chair next to Sawyer and took another sip. “Now, do you want to try to convince me again that there’s nothing wrong?”

 

Tour Schedule:

July 8th: Launch
July 9th:
Heidi Reads…
Becky on Books
Thoughts of a Blonde
deal sharing aunt
With Love for Books
July 10th:
Katie’s Clean Book Collection
Hearts & Scribbles
Slice of Life
It’s All About the Romance
Mel’s Shelves
July 11th:
Rockin’ Book Reviews
underneath the covers
Getting Your Read On
Nicole’s Book Musings
Cafinated Reads
Christian Suspense Author Mary Alford
July 12th:
A Baker’s Perspective
Paulette’s Papers
Christy’s Cozy Corners
The Bookworm Chronicles
Remembrancy
Janice’s Book Reviews
July 13th:
Singing Librarian Books
I Am A Reader
Reading Is My SuperPower
Inside the Mind of an Avid Reader
Book Lover in Florida
Wishful Endings
July 14: Grand Finale