The SEAL’s Surprise Baby by Leslie North
BLURB
Carolyn Evert couldn’t take the constant worry and stress that came with having a Navy SEAL fiancé, so she broke it off…then realized she was pregnant. After radio silence greeted her repeated attempts to inform Zach of the pregnancy, Carolyn moved on with her life. Little Austin is happy and healthy, and while she hates the idea of him growing up without a father, she’s determined to safeguard the jewelry store her mother founded and make sure Austin never feels unwanted. But everything changes when the store is robbed at gunpoint. Carolyn outwits the robber and defuses the hostage situation—then in strides Zach as part of the security response team. Zach quickly makes it clear he had no idea about the pregnancy, and Carolyn eventually agrees to let him into their son’s life…but she’s a lot more hesitant about letting Zach back into her own heart.
Zach Vale won’t let anything keep him from being the best dad he can be. If Carolyn wants nothing to do with him, he’ll live with that. But he can’t help but want to protect her and their son. It soon becomes apparent the robbery isn’t an isolated incident—and more than Carolyn’s business is in danger, especially when she insists on investigating the robbery herself. As she works to solve the mystery of who’s behind the vicious attacks, Zach works to make himself part of their lives and keep them safe. After all, he’s still in love with Carolyn, and maybe if he can be her hero for once, he can convince her to give him another chance.
Grab your copy of The SEAL’s Surprise Son (The Admiral SEALs Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
* * *
EXCERPT
Chapter One
“Just sold an engagement ring.” Jenna poked her head in the office of All That Sparkles.
“Awesome.” Carolyn Evert looked up from the spreadsheet she was studying. “Which one?”
“The one carat heart-shaped diamond set in platinum.” From the smile on Jenna’s face, she was pleased with herself—and she should be. Both her commission and the store’s profit would be very nice.
“I love that one.” Carolyn sighed. “It’s so romantic.”
The ring had only been on display since the store reopened a week ago. Now that the remodel was complete, the neutral cream colors were gone. In their place Carolyn selectedsoft gray walls, chrome-edged glass display cases, modern recessed lighting, and pops of a vibrant blue for accent. The store did indeed sparkle.
“The couple looked at it yesterday,” Jenna said with a knowing grin. “I knew they’d be back.”
“You can always peg them. Congratulations.”
“Do you want me to start the closing procedure?” Jenna asked.
Carolyn checked her watch. Ten minutes to close. “Sure. That’ll be great. I want to get out of here on time tonight.”
“Got it.” Her most experienced salesperson scooted back out the door.
The thought of how the ring’s sale would help the month’s bottom line brought a smile to Carolyn’s face as she returned to the spreadsheet. Her monthly expenses for All That Sparkles were significantly higher now due to a loan for the remodel and higher security costs.
She’d disagreed with her mother about the expense. And maybe she was taking a chance, but she subscribed to the theory that you have to spend money to make it. The interior of a jewelry store reflected its reputation and merchandise, she felt. Her mother had relented since she’d entrusted the store to Carolyn, who now held the reins.
Carolyn owed her mother so much. Faith had founded the store after Carolyn’s father all but abandoned the family. Her hard work had put the business on the map in Sheridan Falls. Carolyn was in awe of someone who could do all that single-handed and raise two daughters, and she felt the pressure of measuring up to her mother’s standard as she faced a similar life as a single mom and business owner. Her best efforts might not be enough even with the assistance of dedicated employees—but her self-doubt hadn’t prevented her from taking a leap with All That Sparkles.
She heard the click of the alarm. Someone was being let into the office area of the store. A state-of-the-art security system had been an integral part of their refurbishment. It made her insurance company happy and gave her peace of mind, plus, it allowed them to carry top-end merchandise, such as the engagement ring Jenna was celebrating. It was worth it, she thought, even though she grimaced every time she pulled up the expenditures page.
“Mama,” her son’s voice called, bringing an instant smile to her face. A second later her babysitter entered the office with Austin on her hip, squirming to get down.
“Hi, baby.” Carolyn took her fourteen-month-old son, hugging him tight to her and pressing her face into his thick dark hair that was so like his daddy’s. With his deep blue eyes, no one could doubt who his father was, not that Zach Vale apparently cared. She suppressed a sigh. Silence had greeted her letters and communications to her ex-fiancé telling him that she was pregnant. After sending one last notification of Austin’s healthy entrance into the world, Carolyn had stopped trying to contact Zach, who was off on a mission with his SEAL team. She couldn’t change that, so she focused on her son. “Did you have fun today?”
Austin gave her a grin and showed her a toy tractor he had clutched in his hand, zooming it up her arm.
“He’s been looking forward to coming all day,” Nina said, dropping the bag of baby supplies on a chair. “He loves being here, and he loves his mama.”
“Thanks for bringing him to me.” Carolyn gave her son a kiss before setting him on the carpet to play. She’d felt guilty about working long hours while the store was being refurbished, because she had promised herself she would never let him feel abandoned by a parent. Nothing she’d ever done to get her father’s attention had been enough. She’d tried desperately for years working to be the best student and best athlete, hoping he’d notice. She’d even begged her mother for martial arts classes because her father mentioned that he liked martial arts. She took classes for years, increasing her skill and moving on to grade after grade. Her father never once came to see her demonstrate her skills. Nothing had ever worked to get his attention.
She’d never let her son feel as she had, which might be a struggle down the road. Eventually, she knew Austin would ask about his daddy. All kids did. Whatever she decided to tell him, she’d be careful to never let it seem that he’d been unwanted.
“No problem,” Nina said. “I love the new look of the store. The blue sets everything off. On our way here, we took a little stroll past Castle Jewels.”
“Oh?” Carolyn’s primary competitor had recently updated as well. “Is it nice?”
“Classy looking. Lots of gold accents. But it was kind of stuffy, too. I didn’t feel like I could wander in and browse.” Nina wrinkled her nose. “I think you made the better choice.”
“Hope so.” She watched Austin, who played with the tractor, running it over the pattern in the carpet and making goofy faces and sounds. He was so like his father, who despite being a SEAL had loved the silly side of life, too. It had been her choice to end their relationship, but she couldn’t help missing Zach. There had been a lot to love about him.
“I’ve got to get going,” Nina said. “My boys have a baseball game tonight.”
“I’ll let you out through the secure door.” Carolyn scooped Austin up and led the way to the showroom.
Just as they reached it, the front door flung open, slamming against the wall, and a man burst through, gun in hand. Carolyn froze in place, hoping this wasn’t what it looked like.
“This is a robbery,” he yelled, swinging his gun in an arc to encompass the store. “Hands where I can see them.”
Carolyn took in a sharp breath, fighting the panic she felt. If the robber had entered five seconds earlier, she could have secured her son and Nina in the office, but they were all too visible. She pressed the tiny button on the key she always carried, triggering a silent alarm that contacted the police and her security firm. It also gave them a live audio and video feed.
“Everybody, down on the floor,” the robber commanded. “Except you.” He pointed to Jenna, who stood behind a display of their most expensive pieces.
Carolyn gestured for everyone to comply. It seemed safest to obey him while they waited for help to arrive. On her way down, she grabbed a pair of ear protectors left over from the remodel and slipped them on Austin’s head. Maybe if her son couldn’t hear the drama unfolding in front of them, he wouldn’t be frightened. She smiled at him, whispering they were playing a game, hiding the fear that raced through her.
The robber, focused on shouting at Jenna to dump trays of diamonds and sapphires into a bag, didn’t notice what Carolyn did or that she and Nina tried to cover Austin with their bodies. If the man walked closer, he’d see the boy, but she’d do whatever was necessary to protect him.
She took a quick look around. Her other salespeople were on the floor, following procedure. They’d gone through training for this scenario, but these situations could go wrong very quickly. Please let him get what he wants and get out, she prayed. She winced at the sound of glass shattering as he smashed a display case of emeralds and shouted for Jenna to pick out the precious stones. Jenna worked quickly, filling the bag the robber held.
“Now, you get on the floor, too,” he told Jenna, “and the rest of you stay down.” He moved toward the door. It was going to be over more quickly than she’d expected. A few more seconds and he’d be out.
Carolyn tensed as the robber swung the heavy glass door open, revealing a swath of the street from where she lay. Police cars blocked the street. They’d arrived silently, which was protocol, but she could see the man panic at the sight. His means of escape was cut off.
He pivoted his head like an animal who had unexpectedly become prey to a larger beast before stepping back, slamming the door, and throwing the dead bolt. They were trapped in the store with an armed robber. The gun he carried swept across all of them, shooting fear through her heart.
* * *
Zach Vale attached the scope to his sniper rifle after taking up position on the second floor of a building directly across the street from All That Sparkles. The situation was going to challenge the calm persona he’d mastered as a sharpshooter on his SEAL team. He reminded himself that it was a job like any other. He didn’t want to screw it up, and he sure as hell didn’t want to tell his new boss the store he was watching through his scope belonged to his former fiancée. He’d get replaced by another sharpshooter ASAP—and no way was he letting someone else take his spot on this mission. Carolyn might have tossed him out of her life, but he’d do whatever he could to protect hers.
He evaluated his line of sight into the store. If the target showed himself in the front window, he’d be easy pickings. Zach used the scope, hoping to catch sight of the man. Nothing.
He didn’t know if Carolyn was in there. It was likely, all his experience with her told him that. She prided herself on working hard. That was unlikely to have changed in the nearly two years since she’d ended their engagement.
He could barely think about that night. He’d had no warning. She’d simply told him it was over because she could no longer take it that he chose his work as a SEAL over her. Never much of a talker, he’d been knocked speechless by her declaration. He’d thought what they had was special, the kind of love that could weather any storm. How wrong he’d been still stunned him. He should have known that type of love didn’t truly exist.
To have Carolyn disrespect his job in the Navy—when he was convinced it had saved him from a life of crime—had sliced through him, and he’d been powerless to argue with her rejection. He’d thought she knew him well enough to understand his position as a sharpshooter was like breathing to him. How could she not have seen that giving him an ultimatum about his job was like asking him for his lungs?
“Vale, do you have a good position?” The sharp voice of his commanding officer came through his earpiece.
“Roger that. Front window is in range. I can take him if he shows.”
“Stand by. Let the negotiator do his job, but don’t let your guard down.”
As if Zach would in any situation, let alone when the woman he’d once loved was likely feet from an armed robber. He pushed away the memory of Carolyn and their broken engagement. He had a job to do. He refocused, digging deep for the calm that was necessary to pull the trigger. Chatter on the radio told him negotiations weren’t going well. The robber wouldn’t speak to the police negotiator on the phone, the standard way of communicating in these situations.
Zach didn’t want to think about how desperate a man had to be to refuse a simple conversation, even if it was to tell the negotiator to go to hell. He wished he had the visual and auditory feed his commander did. Then he could be sure where Carolyn was. But all he had were his own eyes trained on a shiny glass window. He’d chosen his position because the glare was minimal, but it would still be a factor if it came to eliminating the target.
“In the window,” Zach heard on the radio, but he’d already made visual contact through his scope. The robber’s shoulder came into view: gray T-shirt, nothing remarkable, but he seemed to be dragging something. Zach increased the pressure on the trigger, waiting for more of the target to show. He almost had a clean shot when a blond woman appeared in front of the man. His hands gripped her arms, pressing into her flesh and holding her in place in front of him.
She clutched a kid to her chest, her hand wrapped around his head. The boy was young, barely more than a baby, and wore red ear protection. Zach mentally cursed the robber for hiding behind a woman and child.
Although he already knew what he would see, Zach focused the scope on the woman’s face to confirm her identity. Carolyn. Her brown eyes were wide in fear, and there was no sign of the dimples he’d always loved so much. He released his trigger finger as his breath caught in his chest. He’d never attempt the shot.
“Human shield,” he said into his mic. “No clear target.”
Grab your copy of The SEAL’s Surprise Son (The Admiral SEALs Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
