"Todd Sullivan has been working his tail off to make his mother's veterinary clinic the best it's ever been so she can enjoy her retirement, but he's burning the candle at both ends to do it. When he gets a request for a house call, he thinks it's all in a day's work...until he walks into a cottage of horrors. Not only is it packed to the gills like an episode of Hoarders, it also comes complete with a cranky parrot named Barnaby who would sooner pluck his eyes out than trust Todd to help him. The most disturbing part, though? The apparent owner of the home, Alice. She's young, beautiful, and amazingly talented. She's also the last kind of distraction he needs right now. How is he supposed to work 70 hours a week to ensure his mother's legacy is intact when every waking thought is of a curly-haired, dark-eyed woman who has all but bewitched him As Todd tries to balance his career with his love life, Cee-cee is busy trying to figure out what in the world is going on with her ex-husband, Nate. He's been acting very strange, and it's upsetting their daughter, Max. No matter how many times she tries to get him to confide in her, though, he refuses. When it becomes clear that he's in trouble, she wants to help...but at what price?-- provided by the publisher.