Ultimate Courage (True Heroes Book 2) (26 page)

Then she realized things hurt. Her shoulder, her hip. Shooting pain was coming from her ankle. Maybe the only thing that didn’t hurt was her head.

“Is it bad?” She stared up at Brandon as he lifted his smartphone to his ear. Sirens were already approaching.

Brandon held out his hand. “Give us space please. Stay off the black top!”

People must be gathering. He was stepping out to take command of the situation. He was walking away from her. Again.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered it. She always said it quietly. Because she didn’t want him to actually hear her.

A soft woof answered her instead. Careful not to turn her head, because Brandon asked her not to, she looked as far to her side as she could. There was Haydn lying next to her. His eyes were dark, almost as black as his fur. And his gaze was steady on hers. Calming. He wasn’t going to leave her.

“Okay, Haydn,” she whispered to her new friend. “We’ll wait right here for him.”

It’s what she’d always done. And this time, she had company.

This book was written with the support of so many, from the initial draft to the final edit round.

Thank you to Courtney Miller-Callihan for helping me figure out the best path forward from the initial concept of the True Heroes series to the challenges faced in seeing this story completed.

And thank you to Caroline Acebo for your patience, helping me really take Alex and Elisa’s story to the next level. I am grateful to be working with you both.

Thank you to Christopher Baity, executive director of Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, for the opportunity to meet some of your dogs and for answering my questions about the training of service dogs for psychiatric alert.

Writing can be an isolating profession in many ways, but once in a while you meet people who inspire you to do nifty things. Huge thanks to Katee Robert and Christi Barth for your advice, feedback, and help in brainstorming. If I am still sane, it’s only because your encouragement and reality checks helped me stay that way.

Home isn’t always about a building or a room. Sometimes it’s about the people in your life who are home to you. Thank you to Matthew Beckerleg for reminding me to take care of myself, and for taking care of me when I’d forgotten to. And thank you to Alex Delgado for being the best roomie I can ever imagine.

I’ve saved the best for last. Massive thanks to my readers for joining me on this journey. There wouldn’t be a True Heroes series without you, and I hope you’ll continue with me for more to come.

Piper began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder,” writing sci-fi and paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

Play Find the Piper around the Internet for insight into her frequent travels and inspiration for her stories.

PiperJDrake.com

Facebook.com/AuthorPiperJDrake

Twitter @PiperJDrake

Instagram.com/PiperJDrake

YouTube.com/PiperJDrake

Extreme Honor

World-renowned polo player and global face of Ralph Lauren, Nacho Figueras dives into the world of scandal and seduction with this third book in The Polo Season. Antonia Black has always known her place in the Del Campo family—a bastard daughter. And it will take a lot more than her skill with horses to truly belong within the wealthy polo dynasty. She’s been shuttled around so much in her life, she doesn’t even know what “home” means. Until one man shows her exactly how it feels to be safe, to be free, to be loved.

Retired Navy SEAL Alex Rojas is putting his life back together, one piece at a time. Being a single dad to his young daughter and working at Hope’s Crossing Kennels to help rehab a former guard dog, he struggles every day to control his PTSD. But when Elisa Hall shows up, on the run and way too cautious, she unleashes his every protective instinct.

Famed artist Grayson is the most elusive of the billionaire Beaumont brothers. He has a reputation of being able to seduce any woman with only a look, word, or sensual stroke of his brush. But now Grayson has lost all his desire to paint…unless he can find a muse to unlock his creative—and erotic—imagination…Fans of Jennifer Probst will love the newest novel from
USA Today
bestselling author Katie Lane.

Brett Hastings has one plan for Briar Creek—to get out as quickly as possible. But when he’s asked to oversee the hospital fundraiser with Ivy Birch, a beautiful woman from his past, will he find a reason to stay? Fans of Jill Shalvis, Susan Mallery, and RaeAnne Thayne will love the next in Olivia Miles’s Briar Creek series!

Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night, the actress captivates London theatergoers with her chameleon-like ability to slip inside her characters. By day, she uses her mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre & Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked to find the missing Duke of Ashbury, she finds herself center stage in a real-life romance as tumultuous as any drama.

To receive special offers, bonus content, and news about our latest ebooks and apps, sign up for our newsletters.

Sign Up

Or visit us at
hachettebookgroup.com/newsletters