Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight

BLURB

When Navy SEALs mix with romance, all’s fair in love and war…

Grab a cozy comforter and curl up with three sexy SEALs who find love—and instant families—in Katie Knight’s heartwarming Christmas boxset…

Elena Warden’s Christmas tree farm is in danger of failing. With two kids to take care of, she needs help. And tough-as-nails former Navy SEAL Tom Doyle might be the Christmas miracle that gives her business—and her love life—a helping hand, in The SEAL’s Christmas Homecoming.

Former Navy SEAL John Collins gets a Christmas surprise, when he discovers he has a son who wants his dad for the holidays. Thing is, Sonia Jacek, the girl he never forgot, isn’t too sure she wants—or needs—him in their life, in The SEAL’s Family Christmas.

And Navy SEAL Weston Bright wasn’t looking for love. But when he returns home for Christmas to help his parents, an unforgettable night of passion with Juliana Santos leads to a surprise pregnancy. And when his protective instincts kick in he begins to rethink his plans, in The SEAL’s Christmas Surprise.

Grab your copy of SEAL’s Christmas Protection

Available October 28 2021

Available for pre-order now! www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

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EXCERPT

SEAL’s Christmas Homecoming

Chapter One

Elena stepped into the pub and shook the snow off her coat. It was only a light dusting now, but she had a feeling they were in for more than a few snowstorms before the year was out.

Thank goodness. A few good snows always brought people out to the farm. Something about the ice crunching underfoot as they picked out Christmas trees. And heaven knew she could use as much help as she could get this year. If Mother Nature wanted to lend a hand, Elena wasn’t going to turn it down.

She cast a quick glance around as she unwound her ivory chunky-knit scarf and stuffed her mittens in the pockets of her coat. She wasn’t thrilled to be here, but at least the place looked great. The classic Irish pub had been decked with evergreen and bright red bows. Tiny white Christmas lights were wrapped around the exposed rafters, twinkling down on the patrons, and someone had decked the giant stuffed deer head over the bar with an enormous wreath and hung glittery ornaments from its horns. The pub was packed, but she quickly spotted the slickly dressed man who’d managed to secure a booth in a prime location.

Elena took a deep breath, bracing herself, and headed over. “Mr. Lanaghan?”

The man stood, offering her a hand. He was handsome, with artfully styled icy blond hair and steely gray eyes that matched his business suit, but there was something about him that put her on edge. A Draco Malfoy–meets–Hans Gruber vibe. The smile he gave her was wide and white and perfectly polished, but it put her in mind of a cat that had cornered a mouse. “Eric, please. Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Elena.”

Anything to get you to stop calling me. “I thought it might be simpler for both of us if we just sat down and got all this over with.” Elena slid into the booth and smiled at the waitress who appeared. If she was going to make it through this, she was going to need a drink. She ordered one of the house beers, while Lanaghan went for the most expensive whiskey on the menu. “But, to be perfectly honest with you, Eric, there isn’t anything you can say that’s going to convince me to sell my land.”

Lanaghan smiled again, a predatory light in his eyes. “Fair enough. At least let me give you the official sales pitch. I promise it’ll be worth your time.”

Elena gave him a terse nod, though she didn’t agree with his assertion. If dozens of emails and countless phone calls hadn’t persuaded her, she couldn’t imagine what his personal pitch was going to do. The only reason she’d agreed to this meeting was her hope that maybe a face-to-face conversation would convince him that there was no way she was going to sell her family’s Christmas tree farm.

Lanaghan nodded to the waitress as she delivered their drinks, then turned back to Elena, his gray eyes focusing on her like a shark’s. She could almost see his Official Sales Charm Mode activate. “Let me start by saying I understand your hesitancy. I really do. Your farm is an absolutely gorgeous piece of land, and I know it’s been in your family for a long time.”

“More than a hundred and forty years. Since the 1880s.” Her many-greats-grandfather had come over from Ireland, barely twenty years old and with nothing but the dream of working his own land and raising a family. Well, that dream and the seventy-five pounds he had stolen from the English lord who tried to take over his village.

Now it was hers. Her dream, and her responsibility. She just needed to not screw it up.

“Eighteen eighty-one.” The stiletto-edged smile widened. “Truly an accomplishment. But also a great deal of work,” Lanaghan went on, in a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-his-mouth tone. “As I mentioned in my emails, the company I represent is hunting for an area for a potential commercial development. The land your adorable little farm is on is ideal for their purposes, and they’re willing to make a significant investment. We understand your hesitation, and considering your resistance to date, they’ve generously decided to increase their offer.” He named a number that made her slightly dizzy.

“That’s, um, quite an increase,” Elena remarked. She took a swig of her beer, trying to steady herself.

“That’s how serious my associates are,” Lanaghan replied. “They’re eager to move forward, particularly now that Mr. McGee is ready to sign—”

“What?” Surprise came first, followed by a cold, heavy wave of disappointment. Dorian McGee owned the land next to hers, where he ran an alpaca farm. He was getting too old to continue running the place on his own, or with the help of a few local teenagers who worked part-time. He had been talking about wanting to retire and head south at some point ever since his children had grown up and his wife had passed on. But Elena had always imagined that as years down the line. In her heart of hearts, she’d dreamed of scraping together enough money to buy his place and expand.

Lanaghan was gloating now. “Like you, Mr. McGee had certain misgivings about selling, but once he heard our offer, he saw reason. Now all we need to move forward with both purchases is your agreement.” Something about his tone sent a shiver down Elena’s spine. Maybe the money had been the deciding factor for Dorian—it was a hell of a lot—but something about the look in Lanaghan’s eyes set her teeth on edge. Maybe the developer had found a different way to convince Dorian. She could all too easily see Lanaghan bullying her sweet elderly neighbor into thinking this was his best option. “My associates are in a position to be generous, Elena. They want to build something special here. You can be a part of that.”

“I’m already a part of something special,” Elena returned, her fingers tightening on her pint glass. “The Warden Tree Farm has been in my family for generations. That’s the land I grew up on. You can’t tell me that bulldozing what we worked decades to build and replacing it with some soulless big box stores is doing any better.”

“We’d certainly do better financially,” Lanaghan replied smoothly. “I’ve done some calculations, made a few inquiries. It hasn’t been a very merry Christmas for you for a number of years now, has it?”

Elena bristled. “How—”

“We live in the information age, Ms. Warden. And I always do my research.” Lanaghan leaned across the table. His glossy hair gleamed in the twinkle lights. She had to fight the urge to throw his expensive whiskey in his face. “Think of it this way: we can acquire your land now, for a very generous amount, or we can wait a year and snap it up at a tenth of that price. My associates would rather not wait, but…” He shrugged.

“We’re doing fine,” Elena said through gritted teeth. “Thank you for your offer, Mr. Lanaghan, but as I said before, I’m not—”

“Elena?”

She blinked in shock at the man who walked up to their table. Time had made him taller and leaner, with a wiry build that exuded coiled strength. But he was still unnervingly handsome, and those piercing blue eyes were just the same. He’d gone into the Navy SEALs, she knew, but his shaggy dark brown hair was clearly longer than regulation, and he hadn’t shaved in a while.

He smiled, the same boyish, sad-eyed smile she’d fallen for all those years ago. Elena was embarrassed to feel her heart do the same flip-flop as when she’d first seen that smile.

Tom Doyle. The one man she never expected to see again. The man who’d broken her heart.

Grab your copy of SEAL’s Christmas Protection

Available October 28 2021

Available for pre-order now! www.LeslieNorthBooks.com