Barbara Cutrera

Better Left Unsaid Barbara Cutrera

Cate Nasello, who is mute, collides with Logan Kirkland, a blind business owner, on a downtown Sarasota sidewalk one morning on her way to work. Unable to communicate with Logan because of their individual physical limitations, she unsuccessfully attempts to apologize. The events that follow force the beautiful, petite Cate out of an emotional isolation that began eighteen years earlier when a murder-suicide destroyed her family. While struggling to deal with her past and her present challenges, Cate meets Jake Genter, a handsome paramedic who offers her comfort and the opportunity for romance. Impulsive and intense, Jake reminds Cate that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. She realizes that she can love and be loved by someone, something she never expected due to her muteness and her troubled history. Immediate attraction and an impetuous love affair lead to more than a hasty fling, but Cate wonders whether or not Jake's overprotectiveness stems from his love for her or his own fear of betrayal. As their whirlwind courtship develops into a serious relationship, Cate finds her voice by using technology in order to reach not only Jake but also others worldwide. Yet, some people from her father's criminal past have long memories and want to keep her silent. Cate knows that if she intends to have a lifetime with Jake and her new family and friends, she'll have to save herself from her father's legacy and the terrible secret in Jake's past that threaten their future happiness.