LITMIR.BIZ

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      Had McCaffrey really said that he liked kids as long as they were “somebody else’s”?

      “Hannah, wait up.” Her sister pushed the stroller at a slight jog to keep up with Hannah’s military stride. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He thinks—”

      Hannah stopped short. “I know what he thinks, Samantha.”

      “Excuse me?”

      “What’s with you? Flirting with Fallon’s father, pretending to be her mother…”

      “I never did any of that. He just assumed.”

      Hannah took a deep breath, deep enough for the flush of anger and jealousy to fade just a little. She glanced toward McCaffrey, who was still talking to her mother. His assumptions played in to Hannah’s deepest fears—that in the end it would be her sister who would raise Fallon, not her.

      Sammy followed her gaze. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe. You and Mom are cut from the same cloth.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “It means Mom’s going to keep quiet. And you… You button up all your emotions inside that white jacket, and the Navy rewards you for it with those ribbons worn in place of your heart.”

      “I’m not emotionless,” Hannah denied. “Do you honestly think I don’t feel anything?”

      “Then you deserve a Purple Heart. Because if you’re bleeding nobody knows it. Least of all him.”

      Dear Reader,

      Women make up about 15 percent of today’s active and reserve military, nearly double that of two decades ago when I enlisted in the United States Navy. One of the proudest moments of my service was when I signed into record that I would protect my chaplain with my life. I’m not sure how I was expected to do that, since the only time I’d fired a weapon was in boot camp. In fact, I’d shot off more rounds on my high school rifle team. Thankfully, it never came to that.

      It was, however, a sign of things to come. Of course, we know that women have served and sacrificed in some capacity throughout history. But since the end of the first Gulf War 90 percent of military jobs have been open to women. The Pentagon’s “risk rule” assessment no longer applies and only Special Forces have closed their ranks—with the exception of pilots.

      I wanted to explore that exception by taking things one step further. What happens when a single mother goes to war? Who takes care of the baby? How does she handle the separation? This book is about a woman who makes some tough choices to answer the call to duty.

      I love to hear from readers. You can write to me in care of Harlequin, at my e-mail address [email protected], or visit my Web site, www.rogennabrewer.com.

      Sincerely,

      Rogenna Brewer

      The Seal’s Baby

      Rogenna Brewer

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For all women who have served their country.

      Especially my fellow RomVets loopers—

      talented women writers who served in the armed forces.

      And my WhatsBrewin and CrewBrew loops—voracious

       romance readers who love men and women in uniform.

      Commander, Helicopter Combat Support

       (Special) Squadron Nine

       requests the pleasure of your company at the

       Change of Command and

       Retirement Ceremony

      at which

       Captain Jon Jordan Loring,

       United States Navy

       will be relieved by

       Lieutenant Commander Hannah C. Stanton,

       United States Navy Reserve (Active)

      on Friday, the twenty-fifth of July at ten o’clock

       Hangar Nine, Naval Air Station North Island

       Coronado, California

RSVP	Uniform
(619)545-XXXX	Service Dress Whites

      Reception

       immediately following the ceremony

       Officers’ Club, Naval Air Station North Island

       Coronado, California

RSVP	Uniform
Card Enclosed	Service Dress Whites

      —————————————————

      —————————————

      RSVP.

       Commander, SEAL Team Eleven

       Commander Mike “Mac” McCaffrey,

       United States Navy

      _______________________will accept

      _________________________will be unable

       to accept the invitation of the

       Commander, Helicopter Combat Support

       (Special) Squadron Nine

       to attend the reception following the Change of

       Command and

       Retirement Ceremony

      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      CHAPTER NINETEEN

      CHAPTER ONE

      NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE

       Coronado, California

      THE ONLY EASY DAY was yesterday. Commander Mike McCaffrey knew the Navy SEAL motto well. He’d just set foot inside Naval Special Warfare Command after five weeks on San Clemente Island, playing bad guy for the BUD/S in training. He still wore woodland-green cammies, complete with war paint, and toted his gear. The thud of heavy boots and raised voices bounced off the walls behind him as Bravo Squad entered to lighten their loads.

      “Bravo Eleven, stow it! And blow it!” he called over his shoulder to seven of the best men he’d ever served with.

      They knew what he meant. Weekend liberty for the enlisted. Shore leave for the officers. A chance to blow their wads, paycheck or otherwise.

      A collective “hoo-yah!” followed the order.

      “Hoo-yah,” Mike responded, unsure of his own plans for his first duty-free weekend in months. A two-inch thick T-bone ranked at the top of his list. A baked potato with all the fixin’s and an ice-cold beer to wash it down. It sure as hell beat endless rations of MRE. Uncle Sam’s Meals Ready-to-Eat weren’t exactly his idea of home cookin’.

      Stopping

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