I have been a huge fan of Cutter and his people since the first book came out. In the third book of the series, Operation Blind Date, we meet Teague Johnson, a Foxworth Foundation operative haunted by his sister's disappearance while he served in the military. He has never given up his search for her.

In this book, we meet Terri, a woman who left home when she was seventeen, escaping parents who rejoiced at the death of Terri's brother. She got a fake ID with a new name and ran as far as she could, eventually settling in Iowa. She took control of her life but never stopped mourning her beloved brother. After almost ten years, she returned to Washington to find her brother's grave. As the book opens, she is attacked by a man she witnessed robbing a convenience store, and she is saved when a passerby intervenes.

Case is a former policeman, forced out and discredited when he attempted to expose some corruption. For the past year, he has been at loose ends, unable to move on from what happened. When he sees a woman fighting off an attacker, his instincts send him running to the rescue. Those same instincts insist that he look after her when she is injured.

Terri is wary and not very forthcoming about herself. Case's instincts warn him that she is hiding something. When he spots the contents of her purse on the floor, sees two old letters addressed to her brother, and reads a little of her journal about him, Case heads for his computer to find out more about the man. He's surprised to find out that the man is not dead and works for the mysterious Foxworth Foundation. Case takes it upon himself to contact the foundation and talk to Quinn about Terri. Quinn asks Case to bring Terri to them the next day.

I loved Case's protectiveness and support when Terri learned that her brother was alive (but away on his honeymoon). She doesn't want to interfere with that and insists on waiting for her reunion. In the meantime, Quinn and Hayley learn what brought her and Case together and discover that the convenience store clerk has died from his injuries. This makes Terri the only witness to a murder. I loved watching Quinn and the others jump right into protecting Terri. They enlist Case to help when Terri insists on keeping him near.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Case and Terri develop. There were sparks between them from the beginning. Terri embraces the attraction, but Case resists it. He is unemployed and feeling beaten down by everything that has happened to him. He feels he is in no position to get involved with Terri, but he can't deny his need to protect her. I loved watching them together and seeing the feelings between them grow. Case tries to keep a distance between them, physically and emotionally but is thwarted at every turn by Cutter. Case and Terri grow closer over the week as they await Teague's return and for her attacker to be found. In addition to Case's protectiveness, I loved Terri's belief in Case. Seeing how her support helped put Case on the road to healing was sweet. The ending was terrific.

The story's suspense was good though not very intense until the end. As soon as Quinn is aware of the danger Terri is in, the full resources of Foxworth are used to keep her safe and find the bad guy. It is always fascinating to see them at work, each member using their talents to resolve the problem. I enjoyed seeing so many characters from previous books. The tension ramped up when they used Terri to bait a trap for the murderer. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

In addition to the suspense involving Terri and her witnessing of the crime, we had Case's backstory. I ached for how he was treated by the people who should have had his back. I could feel his pain at losing the career he loved, and the people he thought were his friends. He was surprised by the respect he received from Quinn and the others at Foxworth, and I loved their proposal for him at the end.

I can't say enough about how much I love the dog Cutter. Watching him work his matchmaking magic on each couple throughout the series is fun. I also enjoy seeing how the Foxworth people have come to trust Cutter's instincts after all this time. I loved his reaction to seeing Terri for the first time.

I couldn't wait to see the reunion between Terri and Teague; it was everything I could have hoped for. It was beautiful to see how his friends at Foxworth were so happy for him, and seeing their reactions to Terri was almost as good as Teague's.

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