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A leatherneck by any other name can still
kick ass . . .
Subject: Captain Tanner Wilks, US Marine Corps
Current Status: Honorable discharge, returning home
Mission: Save the family ranch, replacing his
father, retired Marine Colonel Jasper Wilks, before his next heart attack kills
him
Obstacle: Julia Heller. He shared a hot night with the sexy new girl
in town, before discovering she’s the ranch’s veterinarian. She’s made a home
for herself at the ranch and doesn’t appreciate his return. What began as a
passionate interlude rapidly proves vital to his sanity. Can he persuade the
woman he’s falling for and the father he barely knows that they need him too?
Get a Sneak Peek!
The second beer meant he’d already
decided to stay in town. He didn’t drink often, but the second one tasted even
better than the first. He might as well have a third. The crowd thickened and
the volume on the music rose as the group on the floor slid, stomped, and
danced to a two-step. Merriment reigned, shells crunched, sawdust kicked up,
and the fans overhead went to work clearing the air. In the corner, a band set
up their gear, and after the two-step ended, the musicians kicked it up a
notch.
Whoever the group was they had talent,
and as Tanner studied the newcomers, he focused on a woman who slid over to the
bar and drained a glass of water while the musicians found their rhythm. A
minute later, she glided back onto the dance floor.
For the next three songs, she traded
partners. The woman could move. Tall, long-legged, and beautifully curved, she
also had a gorgeous face, from her generous mouth—which pulled into an easy
smile—to her sweet, dark eyes. Dark hair clung to her cheeks, and her
sleeveless white top gave Tanner a good look at her toned arms.
He didn’t know her. She didn’t even ring
a familiar bell, but she sure as hell looked fun. When she waved off a fourth
man swooping in for a dance and headed to the bar, Tanner enjoyed the light,
strutting cadence to her walk. Someone had taken her spot, so she sidled up to
the bar next to him.
Fanning her face with one hand, she gave
him a cool, quick grin, then waved at Sully. The bartender slid a glass of
water over to her. “You ready for a glass of wine yet, darlin’?”
“In a bit.” She took a long drink of the
water. The slender column of her throat convulsed with each swallow, and a
fresh wave of lust crashed through Tanner. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to trade
places with the glass.
“Put her wine on my tab, Sully,” Tanner
called. The number of dance partners and lack of a ring gave him hope she was
free. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
“No, thank you,” the country goddess
declined in a smooth, polite tone. “I’ll take care of my own drinks.”
Sully hid a smirk, but he had other
customers.
“No need to be testy, ma’am.” He lifted
his beer. “Just offering to buy you a drink.”
“Not being testy at all.” She turned
sideways and gave him a once-over. “And you didn’t offer—you just decided to do
it, sir.” The cool dismissal didn’t possess an ounce of malice or disrespect.
“I simply like to pay my own way, and I never accept offers from strangers.”
“Hard to make an acquaintance if you
don’t.” Though he couldn’t fault her. Even the women in his unit or those he’d
met on assignment at various bases around the world maintained a sense of
control over their environment, both in what they would tolerate from others
and what they would accept. “My apologies for overstepping. I’m Tanner, by the
way.”
Offering his hand, he waited as she took
a beat before wiping her palm against her jeans and then accepting the
handshake. “My friends call me Jules.”
“Jules.” Was it short for Julianna? Or
Julie? Something else entirely? He liked the sound of it. Maybe it was the beer
mellowing him out. Maybe it was being home. Or maybe it was simply watching
her, but he wanted to spend some time with Miss Jules.
“Is it all right if I call you Jules?”
“I said my friends call me
Jules, you can call me ma’am.”
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