Excerpt: 'Energized' by Mary Behre

Mary Behre joins us to share a sneak peek at Energized (out today!), the latest in her Tidewater series.

First, about the book (courtesy of Berkley):

She's searching for a sign ...

Hannah Halloran has always believed in her gift. The things she sees through her psychic touch have never led her wrong before. Not when they led her to an unforgettable night with a sexy marine at a bar. Not when she felt a need to leave her home and find the sisters she barely knows. And not now, when she is an unwilling witness to a brutal murder ...

He's ready to show her ...

All Niall Graham wants is some peace. He's recovering from the horrors of war, struggling to save his family's restaurant, and desperate to forget Hannah, the beautiful woman who left him with memories of a mind-blowing night together and a bogus phone number. But a quiet life is hard to manage—especially when Hannah strides back into his restaurant with the news that a serial killer is on the loose and lurking closer than anyone could have guessed ...

Mary sets the scene for us …

Mary: Hi, Paste BN Happy Ever After readers, it's Mary Behre back again. This time I'm here to share an excerpt of my latest novel Energized (A Tidewater Novel No. 3), and the last in the Scott sisters' trilogy.

While I normally like to show the hero and heroine meeting for the first time, I thought I'd shake things up a bit and show off Hannah's craft. She's a psychometrist. I'll let her show you that particular ability below.

A little bit of background. This scene takes place in June in Tidewater, but Hannah and Niall (the hero) met the previous December and had a single sensual night together. Neither learned the other's last name and Hannah often thinks of him only as her Marine. She never even learned where he lived.

Hannah is the youngest of the three Scott sisters, all lost in the foster care system when she was only 3 years old. She's finally learned her sisters are in Tidewater. Not sure if she plans to stay past the summer and not one to be idle, Hannah snaps up the opportunity to be a server at a wedding while she settles into the city. The scene picks up as her new boss, Ross, hands her the tax forms and asks for three references.

EXCERPT

Hannah stared up at him in surprise. "Three references? Is that typical?"

"No, it's not. Most places ask for two but my brother's a little careful about who we hire." He paused and muttered under his breath, "He'll trust Karma's opinion but not mine." Louder he added, "It's why I'm scrambling to hire people to work the upcoming wedding. You have experience catering? It's not the same thing as waitressing, you know."

"Nothing as formal as weddings, but we used to rent the bar out for graduation parties." She chuckled. "Can my parents be a reference? No one will give you a more honest assessment of my character than they will."

"Your parents. As a reference." Ross frowned. "The last time someone asked to use parents as a reference, the guy had a criminal history as long as the menu here. Oh God, please tell me you don't have a criminal record. My brother will never go for me hiring another convict. He's a stickler about the staff being reputable. If you even have a pot arrest on your record, we should stop now. I'll never live it down. Even if Karma liked your aura. Hiring you is still my call."

Hannah didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. "No pot arrest. No arrest of any kind. I've never even had a speeding ticket. And I can provide references, besides my parents. They're all out of town, though."

"That's fine." The relief on his face was almost comical. The man practically sagged in place. "Still, we have to call all of them. Better to waste the money on long-distance calls than to lose everything to a thief. At least, that's what my brother says."

Ross patted his pockets and pulled out a pen. A very nice, very expensive Cross pen. Made of metal. "Here you go, sweetie."

Hannah hesitated. Given his strong emotional reaction to learning she didn't have a criminal past, the little writing instrument was probably singing with psychometric energy. Did she really want to risk delving into a psychic event right in front of a new boss? Then again, he'd find out soon enough. Of course, Ross had been okay with Karma's gift but he knew her. That comfort didn't always translate to a stranger walking in claiming to have a supernatural ability.

While most people in Fincastle accepted her gift as more reliable than the mail, strangers' reactions were unpredictable.

Better to find out now if her potential boss would freak out or be cool with her psychic gift.

"Thanks." She let her fingers close around the cool silver metal.

Yep. Instant connection.

Energy sizzled through her fingertips, up her arm and straight into her brain. The gray office faded to smoke around her and she was in Ross's body.

"Hey, Paulie, wanna hit the clubs tonight?" he said around a mouth full of crisp, tart apple. His heart fluttered and his pulse raced past his ears.

Paulie turned from his spot at the stove and smiled. The brief curl of those beautiful lips made Ross's heart rate kick up a notch.

He's finally going to say yes. The urge to dance in place was almost too strong to resist. Then Paulie cut a quick glance to Ross's left and the smile died.

So did Ross's hope. He didn't have to look to know Paulie had caught sight of Ross's brother.

Ross's heart sank.

He opened his mouth to say something else to Paulie but the chef had already focused his attention on the mushrooms marinating on the stove.

Damn it! Why did Paulie have to draw that particular line?

Staring at Paulie's back, the message was clear. Ross had to come out of the closet completely or nothing could happen between them.

His eyes stung but he couldn't show weakness around his brother.

Ross inhaled a breath then glanced to his left. His brother's mouth was a grim line of disapproval. With a tick working in his cheek, his square jaw looked almost painfully angular. Niall rolled his eyes and scrubbed a hand through his short military-cut black hair.

Hannah dropped the pen.

It rolled off the desk and clattered to the floor. Breathing, always a challenge when withdrawing from a vision, was almost impossible. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs, it could have been trying to punch its way out of her chest. But holy schmoley, even trapped as she was between Ross's memory and reality, one thing was crystal.

Her Marine was about to become her new boss.

Find out more about Mary and her books at MaryBehre.com.