Sweet, adorable Lacy has stolen Marcia Banks’s heart, but money is tight. Like it or not, the service dog trainer needs to complete the human phase of training and deliver the dog to her new owner in order to get paid. But the former Army nurse client turns out to be a challenging trainee. On top of her existing neuroses-which go beyond the psychological damage from a sexual assault during her second tour in Afghanistan-the veteran is now being stalked.

When Marcia receives a bizarre warning to stay away from her client and Lacy is also caught in the stalker’s malicious orbit, Sheriff Will Haines steps in to investigate. Marcia finds this both endearing and annoying, especially when he expects her to stay on the sidelines. The training fee would make her solvent again, but how can she put her dogs at risk?

Maybe Marcia should be more worried about herself, since the stalker has decided to pay her off in a very different way.