Book excerpt: After shrapnel hit his leg during battle, Gerard Guidry is medically discharged from Marine Force Recon and is recruited by Bayou Brotherhood Protectors. After a short assignment, he’s ready for his first major solo assignment. Gerard has sworn off love, afraid his father’s abusive gene was passed on to him. Widowed and childless, Bernadette “Bernie” Bellamy single-handedly runs a small farm on the edge of Bayou Mambaloa, raising and selling fresh vegetables to stores and the farmers’ market. When someone kills her friend Gertrude, she goes to Bayou Brotherhood Protectors for help. Gerard is a fish out of water on a farm, surrounded by animals. He’s never had a pet, nor dealt with animals on a one-on-one basis. Teamed with Bernie, he’s tasked with keeping her and her menagerie safe while determining who has it in for her little animal family. As they work together, danger and passion escalate, forcing Gerard to rethink his stance on love.