His lips formed into a slow, sexy smile that threw her completely off balance
How was she supposed to stay mad at him when he looked at her like that? His lazy Southern drawl wasnât helping much, either.
Beatrice grew fidgety.
Emma moved to get her, but Jace beat her to it. âYouâve had them all day,â Jace said. âLet me handle this for you.â
He held the baby awkwardly at armâs length.
With an exasperated sigh, she said, âLet me.â
When the baby was quiet, she said, âYou asked what you should do. For starters, you need to not be so afraid of them. They wonât break.â
âWho said I was afraid? I fight wars.â
âGreat. As a U.S. citizen, Iâm in awe of your sacrifice, but Jace, weâre not talking about battle, but babies. Hereââ
She handed Bea right back to him.
Dear Reader,
My parents thought sixth grade was a little young for romance, but from my very first Harlequin novel, I was hooked on love! Real boys were okay, but they didnât compare to Argentinean ranchers or Greek tycoons. In my teens I realized that not all real romances or jobs end happily ever after, which is why to this day Harlequin books are a staple in my life. The characters my favorite authors create might experience rough patches, but in the end, love sees them through.
From my first read, I dreamed of becoming a Harlequin author, and I proudly hang each new cover on my office wall. Though I started out devouring Harlequin Romance and Presents, I found my home at Harlequin American Romance after reading Elda Mingerâs Teddy Bear Heir. American Romance has changed through the years. Fanciful paranormals and princess tales paved the way for the family stories that make up the line today. While the topics might have changed, thankfully the one constant at the heart of each Harlequin novel has remained the sameâlove.
Happy sixtieth birthday, Harlequin! You donât look a day over twenty-nine!
Laura Marie
The Marineâs Babies
Laura Marie Altom
Laura Marie Altom of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than two dozen books. Her works have made several appearances on both the Barnes & Noble and Waldenbooks bestseller lists. This mother of two boys and a girlâall currently in their âterrible teensââhas spoken on numerous occasions at both regional and national conferences, and teaches art at a local middle school. Sheâs been married to her college sweetheart for twenty years.
Terry, with all my heart I love you!
As for your noisy guitar⦠Just kidding! Thanks for an amazing twenty years. Hereâs to many, many more!
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 Twenty
âThis is a joke, right?â Captain Jace Monroe of the United States Marine Corps made a visual sweep of the pine forest flanking the main entrance and guard post of Olive, Alabamaâs Camp Morgan. No lurking video crews from Punkâd or Candid Camera. In fact, for only six on a Monday night, the place was inordinately quiet, which made Jace all the more suspicious. âWhatever Granola paid you, Iâll double it if youâll help flip this back around on him.â
âGranola?â The vaguely familiar blonde wrinkled her nose.
Two identical babies in carriers at her feet whimpered. Females, judging by the pink blankets, hats and miniature sandals.
âDonât act like you donât know him,â Jace said with a chuckle, glancing over his right shoulder to see if the guard on duty was having a good laugh. Oddly enough, the guy had missed the whole bit, focusing instead on paperwork. Whatever. Despite his palâs best efforts to up him in the practical joke department, Granola had failed. Everyone knew if no one witnessed the stunt, it didnât count.
âJace?â The woman slid her oversized black sunglasses down her narrow nose. Eyes red and skin blotchy, she asked, âDonât you remember? Our night in Mobile? How we ended up at that motel overlooking the bay? How you told the manager we were honeymooners, and he gave us a suite for no extra charge? Remember the Jacuzzi tub? The minibar? The chaise lounge out on the balcony?â
Lord, what a night. Heat roared through him like a well-aimed missile.
Air.
Where was all the damned air?
âV-Vicki?â
She exhaled sharply. âThank goodness, you do remember.â
âUm, yeah,â he said, simultaneously shifting his weight from one leg to the other while running his hands over his buzzed hair. As an AH-1 Cobra pilot, his specialty was multi-tasking. What he wasnât so great at was dealing with women, which was no doubt why his mouth was dry and his pulse was pounding harder than it had on his last combat run. âWe halved an order of spaghetti and meatballs at like 2:00 a.m. I remember because you hogged all the garlic bread. I love garlic bread.â
Her faint smile didnât come close to reaching her eyes. âYes, well, I wish all we had to discuss were your food preferences, but at the moment, thereâs something more pressing on your proverbial plate.â