Hot Combat

Can a sexy SEAL discover the truth before terror explodes?

Loaned to the task force taking on the most dangerous Homeland Security challenges, injured SEAL Jon “Ghost” Caspar is assigned to protect a former lover and her daughter...and prevent an imminent terrorist attack on his Wyoming hometown.

Single mom Charlie McClain hoped she’d never again see the gorgeous cowboy who broke her heart, but with her safety compromised, she needs Ghost. Can she still resist his rugged charms...and keep a bombshell secret about their affair?

With a terrorist on the loose, Ghost struggles to remain professional. But the elite bodyguard can’t guard his heart against beautiful Charlie and her adorable daughter...

Ballistic Cowboys

His heart stood still and his breath lodged in his lungs. Everything around him seemed to freeze. No. It couldn’t be. “How old is Lolly?”

“Does it matter?” Charlie spun and walked toward the door. “If you want to see the threats, follow me.”

He caught her arm and pulled her around to face him, his fingers digging into her skin. “How old is she?” he demanded, his lips tight, a thousand thoughts spinning in his head, zeroing in on one.

For a long moment, she met his gaze, refusing to back down. Finally, she tilted her chin upward a fraction and answered, “Six.”

“Just six?” His gut clenched.

“Six and a few months.”

Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. Ghost fought to remain upright when he wanted to double over with the impact. Instead, he dropped his hands to his sides and balled his fists. “Is she—”

“Yours?” She shrugged. “Does it matter? Will it change anything?”

Hot Combat

Elle James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ELLE JAMES, a New York Times bestselling author, started writing when her sister challenged her to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas). Ask her, and she’ll tell you what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-andfifty-pound bird! Elle loves to hear from fans at [email protected] or www.ellejames.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jon “Ghost” Caspar—US Navy SEAL on loan to the Department of Homeland Security for Task Force Safe Haven, a special group of military men.

Charlie McClain—Telecommuting software engineer and part-time social-media analyst for Homeland Security. Lives with her daughter in Grizzly Pass, Wyoming.

Kevin Garner—Agent with the Department of Homeland Security in charge of Task Force Safe Haven.

Max “Caveman” Decker—US Army Delta Force soldier on loan to the Department of Homeland Security for Task Force Safe Haven.

“Hawkeye” Trace Walsh—US Army airborne ranger and expert sniper on loan to the Department of Homeland Security for Task Force Safe Haven.

Rex “T-Rex” Trainor—US Marine on loan to the Department of Homeland Security for Task Force Safe Haven.

Leroy Vanders—Rancher whose cattle herd was confiscated by the Bureau of Land Management because he refused to pay his fees for grazing his cattle on government property.

Tim Cramer—Pipeline inspector who lost his job when work dried up. With his marriage on the rocks and his wife threatening to take his child and move, he has nothing more to lose.

Bryson Rausch—Formerly the wealthiest resident of Grizzly Pass, who lost everything in the stock market.

Lolly McClain—Charlie McClain’s six-year-old daughter.

This book is dedicated to my three lovely writing friends who encouraged me to write like my fingers were on fire during our annual writing retreat. If not for them and the timing of the retreat, this book might not have been written! Thank you, Cynthia D’Alba, Parker Kincade and Mandy Harbin.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Dedication

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

Extract

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Charlie McClain pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her eyes. Fifteen more minutes, and she’d call it a night. The computer screen was the only light shining in her house at eleven o’clock. She’d kissed her six-year-old daughter good-night nearly three hours ago, and made it a rule not to work past midnight. She was closing in on breaking that rule and knew she would pay for it in the morning.

She looked forward to the day when her student loans were paid off and a little money was socked away in the bank. Until then, she telecommuted developing software during the day and at night she moonlighted, earning additional money surfing the internet for the Department of Homeland Security.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to use her own internet provider to do the DHS surfing. She lived on the edge of town, beside Grizzly Pass’s small library with free Wi-Fi service.

Since she lived so close, she was able to tap in without any great difficulty. It had been one of the reasons she’d agreed to take on the task. As long as a hacker couldn’t trace her searches back to her home address, she could surf with relative anonymity. She didn’t know how sophisticated her targets were, but she didn’t want to take any more chances than she had to. She refused to put her daughter at risk, should some terrorist she might root out decide to come after her.