Lots happening today! It’s Take Your Dog to Work Day so it seemed appropriate to give you a free read that shows you how Jonathan found his little pup Dudley (who totally stole my heart!). Also, ONE SUMMER NIGHT is free again for a limited time! Don’t miss out on it. Without further ado, here’s your free reads and have an awesome weekend!

Excerpt

At one corner of the park square, a local animal shelter had set up a stand and after he finished his sweet treats, he strolled over. A trio of cages held an assortment of kittens for adoption, but as cute as they were, he had always been a dog kind of guy.

“They’ve got all their shots and are ready to go home with a special someone,” one of the shelter ladies said cheerfully.

He smiled, but demurred. “I’m not really into kittens.” Basically because they grew up to be cats, not that there was anything wrong with that.

“It’s your lucky day, then. We’ve got quite a number of puppies and dogs available at the shelter today. It’s just a few blocks away,” she replied, still bubbling with happy.

It made him wonder if it was an animal thing, the joyfulness and optimism. He’d read more than one article about all the benefits of having a pet. As one kitten peered at him from the cage and meowed playfully, he had to confess that something inside of him lightened a little which for some reason had him saying, “I know where it is, thanks.”

He pivoted on his heel and instead of heading back through town, he found himself walking in the direction of the shelter where a few minutes later, another perky volunteer was guiding him past a row of cages filled with puppies. Cute, fluffy, hyper, little puppies yipping and yapping as he strolled by.

Despite his sudden and unexpected desire to not feel so alone, not that he was ready to acknowledge that emotion outright, something about the puppies failed to call to him.

“Aren’t they so-o-o-o cute?” the too energetic young woman said with a barely contained squeal in her voice that he was certain would shatter glass at full volume. The perpetual happiness of everyone connected with the shelter only seemed to reinforce that maybe the pets were responsible for the constant state of joyfulness. Which kept him advancing along the aisle to the pens with the older dogs that had been given up for adoption. The sad looks on some of them had his mind playing a woeful Sarah McLachlan soundtrack in his head until he got to one cage where a small cream and white terrier ambled to the cage door. The dog leaned one paw on the wire and climbed up into a jaunty kind of position. With what looked like a wry grin, the dog gave one short demanding bark.

“This is Muffin. His owners only had him for a few months when they had to give him up on account of allergies so he’s kind of still a puppy.”

With a yip, Muffin confirmed her statement, only he didn’t seem much like a Muffin to him. He had too much attitude to be called Muffin. And what kind of name is that for a boy dog anyway? Jonathan thought as the volunteer, sensing interest, opened the cage and set Muffin on the floor.

The pup took one look at him, obediently sat at a spot right beside his feet, and peered up at him in an adoring way that filled him with warmth and all kinds of gooey feelings which he refused to admit. He bent and rubbed the dog’s head. The fur was soft and curly beneath his hand. As the dog continued to gaze at him, brown eyes gleaming with admiration and possibly love, he was a goner.

Free Book!

I want to thank all of you for your support of the At the Shore series! You’ve really helped make it so wonderful. As a way to say thanks, the first book in the series, ONE SUMMER NIGHT, will be free for a limited time. That’s a fabulous offer for a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance and a book that was also featured in the NY Times! If you’ve already read it, recommend it to a friend. Word-of-mouth and reviews are some of the best ways you can support your favorite authors.

You can get ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

Please also take a moment to explore WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER at these retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/2sHmY3l
Google: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2HlVlly
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/koboWHS
Audible: https://amzn.to/2M2ZWfY