Come Closer by Brenda Rothert
An adult standalone, contemporary romance
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Book Blurb
Sometimes appearances deceive. Take me, for instance. I look like a respectable doctor with his shit together, but the rural Montana mental hospital I work at is actually a sanctuary from my demons. At just thirty-five years old, I’ve already failed on an epic scale. Treating patients at Hawthorne Hill is part of my atonement.
I’ve found peace when a new patient turns me inside out. Allison Cole is a beautiful, haunted survivor who fell into silence after witnessing a murder. But even without words, I’m drawn to her. The closer we get, the more I’m tempted to cross my professional boundaries and give in to my desire.
Soon I find myself in a desperate race to put the pieces of Allison’s silence together. Her life becomes inextricably entwined with mine as I fight to save the second chance I never thought I’d have. I’ll break whatever rules I have to in order to protect this woman who’s been to hell and back. For her, I’ll do harm.
Excerpt
When
I walk through the back entrance and go into my office, I’m surrounded by the
cedar log smell of Hawthorne Hill. Written reports are stacked on my desk. I’ll
go through them later. I’m anxious to round on patients now. I take my white
coat from a hook by the door and put it on as I walk toward the medical wing.
“Dr.
Delgado, you’re back.” The female voice is eager and breathy. It has to be
Sara.
“I
am,” I say, glancing over my shoulder.
“How
was your vacation?”
“It
was good.”
“We
missed you.” She licks her lips and takes a step closer to me.
I
don’t mix business and pleasure by dating my coworkers. But if I did, Sara
would be all too willing to keep my bed warm. She makes no secret of it either.
“So
what’s new here?” I ask. “How’s Leonard?”
Sara
arches her brows and shrugs. “It’s hard to say. Dr. Tillman has him sedated.”
“Sedated?
Why?”
“He
scared the life out of the new girl in Housekeeping. Told her someone had
opened fire in the dining room and killed everyone.”
“That’s
Leonard, though. He says things like that all the time.”
“The
new girl didn’t know that. She called 911 and was hiding in a broom closet with
Leonard for almost an hour until the cops found them. We had to evacuate and
everything.”
I
sigh heavily. “I still don’t see why Tillman sedated Leonard over that. This is
a mental hospital, for Christ’s sake.”
“He
just restrained him at first, but Leonard was a wreck. He just sobbed nonstop.”
“He
has a fear of being restrained. Didn’t anyone tell Tillman?”
Sara
nods. “It didn’t help. You know how he is.”
“Shit.”
I shake my head in disgust. “That wouldn’t have happened if I’d been here.”
“You
can’t work three hundred sixty-five days a year, Dr. Delgado.” Sara gives me an
admonishing look. “Oh, and we filled Nicole’s bed the day after she was discharged.”
“Oh,
yeah?”
Sara
and I walk toward the coffeemaker while talking, and I pour myself a cup.
“The
new patient’s name is Allison. She’s been here for ten days and hasn’t said a
word,” Sara says, pouring herself a cup of coffee, too.
“Catatonic?”
“No.
She was strangled, so her vocal cords may have been damaged. Or it could be
shock. She witnessed her sister’s murder.”
“Oh,
shit. That’s terrible.”
Sara’s
gaze is sympathetic. “Wait till you read her report.”
“Yeah,
I think I’ll go read it before I round so I’m ready to see her. How’s she doing
here so far?”
Sara
shrugs. “Hard to say. Tillman has her sedated.”
About the Author
Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.
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