In the face of overwhelming sorrow, one woman discovers that opening her heart to those most in need can reap unexpected joy.

After the tragic loss of her husband, Annie and her young son search for a new life full of meaning and hope. Fate nudges Annie into the arms of a man whose wife disappeared with his child years ago. Annie’s life spins out of control when first the pregnant teenager she hires to help her with her garden asks Annie to adopt her baby and shortly afterwards the long-lost wife of the man Annie loves reappears. Riddled with grief and heartache, the experiences demonstrate how, even in the face of overwhelming sorrow, opening her heart and home to those most in need of love has reaped unexpected joy for Annie and her son. 

Praise For Passing Through Brandiss

A cut above the rest that will leave you feeling you’ve read something rather special, Passing Through Brandiss is  recommended without reservation.  — Book Viral

Since reading Taken Away by Patricia Yager Delagrange I have been eager to read her new releases and have yet to be disappointed. Too many authors have a formulaic approach to their novels but here is an author who writes wonderfully original stories which always have unexpected twists to them. Take it as a given that the writing is always good but it’s the investment in the characters that makes them so enjoyable. It’s certainly true of Passing Through Brandiss which has my favorite characters to date. The narrative is nicely nuanced and the dialogue flows well to really bring them to life.Overall a genuinely heartwarming read and one I would be happy to recommend.–by Avid Reader on May 22, 2016

Excerpt

Chapter One

“Hey, those are for Rafe.” The guilty look on Cameron’s face made Annie laugh.

Cameron’s hand hovered a moment over the plate of chocolate chip cookies before he snatched one. “For the road. Rafe’s got plenty left.”

Annie looked up from the box she asked Cameron to haul down from the attic earlier that day. “Where are you off to now?” She blew out a puff of air to move her bangs out of her eyes.

“I promised to mend Eugenia’s mailbox, and since she bribed us with cookies, it better be today. Don’t want her taking them back.”

“You’re off to Home Depot?” Annie stood, leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, I need a back rub.”

Cam wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “How about tonight?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him. “Is there anything you want me to pick up for you? Mascara? Lipstick? Conditioner?”

“You’re such a smart ass.” She planted a kiss on the dimple just to the side of his mouth. “I think I’m fine in the beauty department, thanks. Will you be back in time for lunch?”

“No problem. I should find Rafe. See if he wants to go with me.”

Their son was all boy and never passed up an opportunity to tag along with his dad, especially to the hardware store. Annie shook her head. “Sorry, not this time. He’s over at Spencer’s house, and they’re in the middle of a school project. It’s due Monday.”

Cam shrugged and pulled Annie tighter against his chest. “A kiss for the road?” He pulled off the scrunchy holding her hair in a ponytail.

She stared into his deep brown eyes. “Just one kiss for now. But hey, there could be more in the future. If you’re lucky.”

“I look forward to it.” He kissed her full on the mouth. “Right after America’s Most Wanted.”

He turned and she slapped him on the butt before he ran out the side door leading to the garage and jumped in his truck.

Through the kitchen window Annie watched him back out of the driveway and blew a kiss in his direction. He waved and tooted the horn.

****

Rafe needed pictures of his parents, as well as the three of them together, for his project titled “My Family,” to complete the assignment. Annie lost track of time, her mind buried deep in memories as she turned the pages of the photo album lying on the kitchen table.

She glanced up at the clock. Almost two hours had flown by, and Cam should have returned by now. She grabbed the mayonnaise and turkey out of the fridge to make sandwiches.

The phone’s cutesy ringtone began its irritating song. Annie allowed Rafe to pick his favorite, and he insisted it was the best of the bunch. With a promise to herself that she’d change it later, she picked up the cordless handset.

“Mrs. Davidson, please.” The voice on the other end of the line was both male and authoritative. Annie hated when telemarketing companies called on the weekend.

“This is Annie Davidson.”

“This is Sergeant Velez of the Mill Valley Police Department. I’m sorry, Mrs. Davidson, but your husband has been in an accident. He’s being transported by ambulance to the University of California San Francisco Hospital. I think it would be a good idea if you got there as soon as possible.”

Annie pressed the phone against her ear so hard it hurt. Oddly enough, the first thought that came to her mind was one of Cam’s buddies at the job site was playing a bad practical joke on her. When she didn’t hear any laughing on the other end of the line, it quickly sank in.

This was not a prank call.

“What happened? Is Cameron all right? Was he injured?” She blurted out questions like automatic gunfire, afraid of the answers.

“Mrs. Davidson, your husband’s truck was broadsided by an eighteen-wheeler at around twelve-thirty p.m. It was a serious accident, ma’am. Is someone available to take you to the hospital?”

The words stopped making sense, suddenly distant, beyond hearing. Annie tried to focus.

“Do you know where U.C.S.F. is, Mrs. Davidson?”

“Uh, yes…I do. I’m leaving right away.” She placed the phone back in its cradle and stared out the kitchen window at the front lawn, green and lush. The mail carrier stuffed a wad of envelopes into the mailbox near the sidewalk.

She had to leave. Cameron was on his way to U.C. San Francisco. But why hadn’t they taken him to Marin General, practically around the corner from their house? Were his injuries extensive enough to warrant the significantly longer drive to the much larger Trauma Center?

She snagged her purse off the table and raced to the car. “Oh, my God. Rafe.” He told Annie he’d be home by five o’clock. It was almost two p.m. now, and she had no idea how long she’d be at the hospital.

She reached for her cell phone to call Eugenia, their next-door neighbor, and arranged for her to sit with Rafe until she returned.

She could not break down, not when she didn’t know how bad things were yet. Her tears held in check, she drove as fast as she could over the Golden Gate Bridge, anxious to get to the hospital as soon as possible. She swerved the Mercedes in and out between clogged lanes of Saturday traffic.

In less than twenty minutes, Annie pulled into the underground parking lot at the hospital, raced into the building, and reached the elevator just as the doors were closing. People crowded the reception area on the ground floor and only three receptionists were working at the front desk.

She twisted a long strand of hair round and round her finger and waited her turn in line. The young girl put her index finger in the air and answered another call before she glanced up at Annie.

“Cameron Davidson,” Annie said in a shaky voice. “Is he still in the E.R.?”

The receptionist scanned the computer, picked up the phone and made a call. “He’s still in the Emergency Room, but they should be moving him to the ICU soon. Are you a member of the family?”

“I’m his wife.”

“The ICU is on the fourth floor. There’s a designated waiting room to the left when you exit the elevator.” She pointed to the bank of elevators behind her.

Annie thanked her, rushed around the counter and angled herself to fit into the one elevator that remained open. Her legs twitched while she waited to reach the fourth floor. With an annoying “ping,” the doors slid open, and Annie stepped into the unknown.