âWe havenât done the talking part yet,â Sean said
âWe willâ¦â Laurel rose up on her toes, took his face in her hands and kissed him. No gentle peck, no teasing come-on. She flat out kissed him. A heartbeat later he was kissing her back.
Sean pushed his hips against hers. âDamn, I still donât even know you.â
âI donât know you, either. So explain why this feels like one of the rightest things Iâve ever done.â Laurel laughed a little. âGod, I hope I donât feel like an idiot for saying that come morning.â
Sean leaned in and kissed her, only gently this time. âI donât want any regrets,â he murmured. Although he already knew heâd have a boatload. Not for making love to her. No, never. He was going to regret not having more time with her here on the island. Time to get past making loveâ¦and falling into it.
Dear Reader,
I was thrilled to hear that the Men of Courage anthology was so well received that our editors wanted each of us to write a spin-off story. Brett, my hero from âBuried!,â has a great set of siblings that I was dying to write about. But none so much as his older brother, U.S. marshal Sean Gannon. Of course, given Seanâs dedication to job and country, heâd probably have preferred me to leave him alone. All the more reason to complicate things for him!
So I put a damsel in distress directly in his path, one he wasnât going to be able to walk away from. The problem? Laurel Patrick is the type of woman who prefers to solve her own problems, thank you. Did I mention she was a district court judge? Sean suspects sheâs in more trouble than she can handleâ¦and heâs not backing off. Sparks fly, pulses pound, passion flares. All the ingredients I love best!
I hope you enjoy Sean and Laurelâs story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy reading,
Donna Kauffman
âWHOâD HAVE THOUGHT Iâd be the first one of the Gannon men to tie the knot, eh?â Brett Gannon slung an arm around his older brotherâs shoulders and tipped back the last of a beer.
Sean grinned and finished his beer in one long pull. âWell, Clay is too busy dating his way through the University of Louisianaâs cheerleading squad. And I knew it wasnât going to be me.â
âYeah, youâre already married. How is the Marshals Service treating you anyway?â he teased. âStill exciting as those early days, when the romance was fresh? Can we expect the pitter-patter of little agentsâ feet anytime soon?â
Sean just grinned. âYep, just as soon as I get through with my next class out at Beauregard. Iâm sure my recruits are all going to make me very proud.â His grin widened. âOr die trying.â
Brett winced. âGlad I donât have to impress you.â
Sean looked across the yard at Haley, at how happy she was. âYou already have,â he said quite seriously. He grinned when Brett gave him a surprised look. âBut I will admit I thought youâd play a much wider field first.â
Brett shot him his trademark cheeky grin. âIn the end, itâs just more green grass.â
Sean looked back to Haley, radiant in the simple white gown sheâd chosen. âYou did find yourself a right sunny patch of it, thatâs for certain.â He glanced back at the middle Gannon brother in time to see Brett staring at his wife of less than one hour, so totally besotted it should have made Sean want to roll his eyes and shake his head. Instead it created an odd little twinge somewhere down deep inside him.
Brett noticed his brotherâs frown. âIs it weird for you? Because you used to date her? I mean, it was several lifetimes ago.â
âAnd I suppose that crush you had on her back then was just some youthful infatuation, huh?â Sean countered.
Brett was unabashed. âThe only thing youthful was my inability to hold on to her. But I always knew a good thing when I saw it.â
âUnlike me, I suppose.â Sean had said it jokingly, but there was a thread of honesty in the statement that caused that twinge to sharpen.
âHey, I figure you did us both a favor. She didnât want to marry the U.S. Marshals Service. And eventually I did grow up and learned to hang on to something good when I had it.â
âYeah,â Sean said, his gaze shifting back to Haley, serene and calm amid the other members of the raucous Gannon clan. âAnd may I say, when you hang, you hang with the best.â He looked back at his brother. âIâm happy for you, Brett. Truly. And I hope like hell you contribute more to the Gannon legacy than those four-legged animals you work with.â
âWhat, you having a yearning to play uncle? Carlyâs brand-new little squaller isnât enough for you?â