Ultimate Courage

by Piper J. Drake

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. It was for both Brandon and the dog.

  A brief whine answered her. Then a large, furry body lay down next to her, just barely touching her shoulder and side.

  “He’s going to stay here with you.” Brandon rose. “Can you lay here until the ambulance comes, Sophie? Please?”

  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.

  Acknowledgments

  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.

  About the Author

  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

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  ULTIMATE COURAGE

  By Piper J. Drake

  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.

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  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.

  LOVE BLOOMS ON MAIN STREET

  by Olivia Miles

  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!

  A DUKE TO REMEMBER

  By Kelly Bowen

  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.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  A Preview of ABSOLUTE TRUST

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Piper J. Drake

  Fall in Love with Forever Romance

  Newsletters

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Piper J. Drake

  Excerpt from Absolute Trust copyright © 2016 by Piper J. Drake

  Cover design by Elizabeth Turner

  Cover copyright © 2016 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the
author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  First Edition: July 2016

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  ISBN 978-1-4555-3606-1

  E3-20160705-DA-PC