And what about her ordeal’s emotional impact? It might give her nightmares for a time, but as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she made a promise to herself. She would not let this experience come between her and the ones she loved. She’d learned that lesson the hard way, and she would not let John Cobb undermine her life.
In the past, she had let the focus on her “real family” blur the importance of reality. She’d slowly begun to take for granted the woman who’d loved her and cared for her since her teen years. Mama T. That sweet lady was as real as any mother could be.
And Doreen wanted to be her sister. Mattie would get to know her as well, and not just because her foster mom desired it, but because Doreen was family. Willie had found family in Tamara and Elliott, and she vowed to meet them, sometime in the not so distant future.
Family—that elusive web that shifted in shape, drew you in, and shored you up when you needed it most. Something Cole Walker knew and worked for despite the different forms his own took during the past year. He’d opened his arms and offered her a place within his family for her to enjoy tonight, and she planned to take him up on it.
She draped the pretty scarf that Mrs. Gibbs loaned her loosely around her neck. Time to pay attention to those who meant the most to her, rather than dwell on those she’d lost. If meant to be, she would find her people someday. Maybe she already had.
Acknowledgments
I want to express my sincere gratitude to the readers of the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries for your support and encouragement. I appreciate that you allow me the opportunity to entertain, and I enjoy hearing from those of you who write to me.
Thank you to the professionals who shared their time and knowledge to assist with procedural content for this story: Tracy Brisendine, Medicolegal Death Investigator; Lieutenant Glenn J. Wilson (Ret.); Nancy Howard, District Wildlife Manager (retired); and Charles Mizushima, DVM. As always, I might have enhanced information they provided for fictional purposes, and any mistakes are mine alone.
Huge thanks to my agent, Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management, whose support is invaluable; to my editor, Nike Power, for her talent and skill; and to publisher Matt Martz, marketing associate Sarah Poppe, editorial and production assistant Jenny Chen, and the team of talented staff at Crooked Lane Books for suggesting the title for this book and for years of support for this series. I’m lucky to work with such a great team!
Thank you to readers Scott Graham (author of the National Park Mystery Series) and Susan Hemphill for their help with early drafts.
Thank you to friends and family whose encouragement and support means the world to me. Special thanks to my husband Charlie for help with housework and plotting; and to my daughters Sarah and Beth and son-in-law Adam for their input, love, and encouragement. You guys are the best!
About the Author
Margaret Mizushima is the author of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries, which includes Killing Trail (Crooked Lane Books, 2015) nominated for an RT Reviewer¹s Choice award for best first mystery, Stalking Ground (Crooked Lane Books, 2016) a finalist in the Colorado Book Awards mystery category, and Hunting Hour (Crooked Lane Books, 2017). She has a background in speech pathology and practiced in an acute care hospital before establishing her own rehabilitation agency. Currently, she balances writing with assisting her husband with their veterinary clinic and Angus cattle herd. She enjoys reading and hiking, and she lives on a small ranch in Colorado where she and her husband raised two daughters and a multitude of animals.
ALSO BY MARGARET MIZUSHIMA
Hunting Hour
Stalking Ground
Killing Trail
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Margaret Mizushima.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68331-778-4
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-68331-779-1
ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-68331-780-7
Cover design by Melanie Sun
Book design by Jennifer Canzone
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
34 West 27th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
First Edition: September 2018
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