Shadows of the Past — Alysha Adams

After ending a five-year relationship, Callie Taylor resigns her job as special projects director at Harrah's Casino, New Orleans. Wanting a fresh start, she accepts a position at Tahoe Silver Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and decides to drive there. When she breaks for lunch right before reaching Lake Tahoe, she draws a flirtatious smile from a handsome white guy who causes her heart to beat a little faster, despite the fact that she's sworn off romantic relationships for the foreseeable future. Just as well she didn't actually meet him, she thinks, as she resumes her drive. A few minutes later, catching sight of Lake Tahoe itself, she pulls off the road and gets out of the car to absorb the awe-inspiring beauty of the place which will be her new home. Startled by the wail of an animal, she overcomes her fear to find a gangly, hurt puppy. She loads the pup into her car and makes a veterinary clinic her first stop when she reaches Lake Tahoe.

As fate would have it, Hank Crowe, the veterinarian, turns out to be the handsome white guy from the restaurant. And thus begins a relationship that leads to dog ownership and falling in love. The path is not smooth, however, as the past resurfaces to threaten the present . The ex of each arrives on the scene and a man thought dead nearly ends succeeds in murdering Callie and Hank.