“My dog came in first place. Lady Valkyrie blew everyone else out of the water.”
“I bet it had a lot to do with her trainer.”
Willow smiled at the compliment. She was proud that they had done so well. Despite all the chaos that occurred during their training, they had still pulled it off. She planned on hanging her copy of the blue ribbon in her office, right next to her framed picture of Tele on the day she adopted him.
“Of course, I do have other things to smile about too,” Willow said.
“Really?”
“Sure,” she said playfully. “There’s all the good news that my family has received. Wednesday won over Clickable ConTENt again by having a kickass story about how Kaitlin’s killer was apprehended. They liked it even though she only used true facts.”
Griffin laughed.
“And my dad’s bio was successful. It actually impressed some higher-ups and reminded them of everything he’s done for the force and the town,” Willow continued. “I might also be smiling about how other things in town seemed to work out as well.”
“And what things would those be?”
“Well, Kaitlin’s dog, Polly, found a forever home with Linda Grego. She has two dogs that she can dress up in matching outfits again. And Nero II is going to stay with Terry.”
“I think that’s pretty nice that she’s taking in the dog of the man who tried to frame her for murder.”
“It wasn’t the dog’s fault,” Willow said. “And she knows how to handle Irish setters.”
“Is his name going to stay Nero II?” Griffin asked.
“Well, Terry has been calling him Nearly as a nickname instead. She thought the whole ordeal was a close call that we nearly didn’t escape from.”
“That was especially true for you,” Griffin said.
Willow shrugged it off and then returned to her little game. “Of course, there is one other thing I could be smiling about.”
She moved closer to Griffin, and he put his arms around her.
“And what could that be?” he asked.
“Last night,” she said simply.
Griffin was smiling too. “I have to admit that I enjoy our morning coffee chats together even more when it follows a night together.”
“Me too,” she agreed.
He kissed her. She still felt the same fireworks that she had felt after their first kiss. Their relationship was moving at a pace that she was comfortable with. They hadn’t proclaimed their feelings toward each other to the world, but they were clearly dating.
Griffin was still looking happy when they pulled apart. However, then he put a serious look on his face and took a step away.
“I’m afraid there is still something that we need to discuss. Now that you’ve won the championship.”
“What?” she asked, feeling nervous. Things had seemed to be going so well. She tried not to let her familiar panic about relationships take over. She reminded herself that she trusted Griffin and that their time together still felt right.
“We’ve danced around the edges of this for a while. However, now you actually have the money for it,” Griffin said. “But I’m afraid I’m going to have to officially turn down the job of the doggie spa.”
“Oh,” Willow said, relaxing. “That’s all right. I’ve decided to pass on the project too.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I think I have enough on my plate without adding grooming to it as well. And it’s true. My heart isn’t really in it.”
“If you want my opinion,” he said. “I think you’re making the right decision.”
“I know I am,” she agreed. “This does open up another opportunity for me. I do have all those dog show winnings I could use, and I was thinking of using them on another renovation project.”
“What’s that?”
“My master bedroom,” she responded with a wink.
They both started laughing. They fell into an easy conversation and continued to enjoy their coffee. Willow couldn’t help thinking if all her days started this way, she might just become a morning person after all.
End of “Bark Up And Smell The Coffee”
Paws Fur Play Book Two
Home is Where the Bark Is
July 5 2018
Bark Up and Smell the Coffee
September 6 2018
The Bark of the Town
November 1 2018
PS: Keep reading for an exclusive extract from The Bark of The Town.
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BLURB
Willow Wells is just beginning to feel settled back in her hometown. She has a thriving business, a hot boyfriend, and the support of her family. Things couldn't get better. Until it all comes crashing down when two of the town’s mean girls are found murdered. Not only are Willow and her sister Wednesday first on the scene for both murders, Wednesday is the prime suspect.
Suddenly, Willow’s perfect life is falling apart. To give Willow time to solve the crime, her boyfriend Griffin has taken over her dog gym business. Willow’s father, the rock of both the town and the family, is suddenly powerless to help. And, worst of all, the evidence against Wednesday is mounting.
Willow will have to face her past and the reason she left Pineview all those years ago. If she doesn’t solve this case—and solve it fast—then the future she’s worked so hard for will end up dead and buried.
The Bark of the Town
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EXCERPT
“Look,” Willow said, attempting to give a rousing speech. “I know this seems pretty disheartening right now, but it’s all going to work out. I already discovered a possible motive for the murders. I’m sure whoever is on the case now will find even more. And will find the evidence to convict the real killer. And then everything will go back to normal.”
Frank made a noise of discontent. “I’m not so sure of that.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked.
“It means that I’m not confident in the detective that they chose to lead this case,” Frank said, angrily poking his side dish with his fork. “It’s Clint McMillen.”
“Who’s that?” Griffin asked, looking at everyone around the table.
“A detective that Dad never really got along with,” Willow answered.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really explained to you the source of this bad blood b
etween us,” Frank said, crossing his arms.
Willow shook her head and tried not to be obvious about gritting her teeth as she prepared to hear bad news.
“The job means everything to McMillen and in general, he’s been pretty good at it. He hoped that it would become a family tradition and that his children might follow in his footsteps. And I can understand that.”
Willow looked away. She had always felt bad about disappointing her father and not becoming a detective. When she was younger, she showed a great aptitude for it, and she was still good at solving puzzles today. And while she had helped solve two cases since she moved back to Pineview, she had learned a long time ago that it wasn’t the right job for her. The mistake that led her to this conclusion still haunted her. Her father might be disappointed that she changed careers, but she was glad that he didn’t know the real reason for her decision.
“And McMillen’s daughter, Megan, did join the force. He was very proud that she was working her way up the ranks. However, it came to a stop when I caught her cheating on her detective’s exam. It didn’t thrill me to have to be the one to turn her in, but I felt it was my duty to report it. I feel like every officer on the job needs to earn their rank honestly.”
“Of course,” Wednesday seconded.
“She was barred from becoming a detective,” Frank continued. “And McMillan blames me for ruining his daughter’s career and his dream of a family of officers. It’s obvious he’s had a vendetta against me for quite some time.”
“But, he’s blaming the wrong person,” Griffin said, putting a fist on the table. “He should be mad at his daughter for cheating. Not at you for trying to uphold the integrity of the force.”
“Logically, that’s true,” Frank agreed. “But fathers don’t like to blame their children.”
“But he’s a cop. He’ll still do his job, won’t he?” Griffin asked. “If he does some investigating, he’s sure to find evidence that points to someone besides Wednesday.”
“He will still do his job, but we have to admit that there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that implicates Wednesday,” Frank said grimly. “She was found with both of the dead women and had blood on her hands.”
“I was checking for signs of life,” Wednesday said, sounding dismayed.
“I know,” replied their dad. “I know you didn’t kill anyone. But I think Detective McMillen wouldn’t be unhappy if they made a case against you.”
Willow listened to the exchange, but she had been lost in her own thoughts as well. Hearing the story of how Megan McMillen had embarrassed her father made her breathe a silent sigh of relief that she had quit trying to become a detective when she did. Her mistake as an intern on the Pineview Police Force had been terrible – a suspect had been tipped off by her actions.
She kept thinking how grateful she was that her error had never come to light. She was glad that she hadn’t embarrassed her father on the force.
She was just thinking what a good thing it was that she didn’t go further into detective work when her father said, “Willow, I’d like to ask you to investigate these crimes.”
“What?” Willow asked, thinking she had misheard him.
“I’m afraid that McMillen might try to hang this on Wednesday out of revenge. I need someone to look at this case objectively. Or,” he conceded, “objectively enough. I’d be all right with you assuming that your sister is innocent.”
“Because it is the truth,” Wednesday added.
“Since I’ve been put on leave, I can’t do anything via the station,” Frank said. “If I can’t investigate, I need someone who can.”
“You are kinda great at this,” Griffin said, grinning at her. “You saved me before.”
“I trust you,” Wednesday said. “I bet you could figure out who really did this.”
Willow didn’t answer right away. She had intended on poking around and finding some clues to help the police and point them in the right direction. However, now this request felt official. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She didn’t want to make a major mistake like she had when she was an intern with the police. It still haunted her that the culprit had been able to elude capture because of her error. What if something like that happened again? Could she live with that guilt?
But, on the other hand, she couldn’t not try and help her sister, regardless of the circumstance or her doubts. She couldn’t let Wednesday be railroaded for something she didn’t do.
Not knowing about her secret mistake from her past, Griffin must have thought that the cause for delay was because of how busy she’d said she was earlier.
“Don’t worry about the dog gym,” he said gallantly. “I can watch it and make sure everything runs smoothly. That way you can devote as much time as you want to the investigation.”
“Well, of course, I’ll help Wednesday,” Willow said, realizing she needed to say this out loud.
She wasn’t going to leave her sister hanging – especially if she was the only suspect the station had.
The Bark of the Town
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