The Marine Finds His Family

His most important mission

US marine DJ Hawkins is on a mission to locate his son’s mother and discover why she abandoned the boy. To DJ’s surprise, Tammie Easton is easy to locate, and it soon becomes clear she has her reasons for staying away. But can he protect her from her past? Determined to ignore the surge of renewed attraction, he vows to help her.

Unraveling her life is intense and DJ respects the woman she’s become…even as he catches glimpses of the girl he fell in love with years ago. Now, DJ will do anything to keep Tammie safe for his son…and himself.

“You—” DJ strolled close “—are going to learn how to hunt.”

“Hunt? Hunt what?”

“The enemy.”

Dom’s face, and all the months of pain and anger, filled Tammie’s mind. It must have shown on her face. DJ nodded and sat at the table. “Oh, yeah. You’re gonna do just fine, mama bear.”

She fought the smile at his unintended compliment. She’d do anything for Tyler, and she liked knowing DJ knew it.

“What’s this? My last meal or fortification?”

“Definitely fortification.” He took a bite of the thick burger, and Tammie stared. “Oh, don’t worry. I remembered you don’t like onions—I left them off.”

A wisp of memory joined them. She didn’t dislike onions, but at the time she’d said that she’d been on the beach with the cutest boy she’d ever met and was hoping he’d kiss her… Her face warmed.

Dear Reader,

When dreaming up the Hawkins clan, youngest brother DJ stepped out of the mist first. A wild child, and an avowed bachelor, I wondered how this dedicated marine would handle suddenly becoming a father. Living in a military community, I witnessed men and women combine home and duty, so I knew he could do it. But the woman he was destined to love wasn’t someone I understood.

How does a mother abandon her child? I’d fallen in love with Tyler in A Family for Tyler (Mills & Boon Superromance, February 2014) and thought maybe he was better off without her. So I auditioned several women for DJ, but none fit like Tammie. The only way I could imagine leaving my kids would be to protect them. Once I understood that about myself, Tammie’s story unfolded.

The Marine Finds His Family is the second book in this series. I’m having such fun writing about the Hawkins siblings! Readers can contact me at [email protected], or visit me at angelsmits.com for links to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Happy reading!

Angel Smits

The Marine Finds His Family

Angel Smits

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANGEL SMITS lives in Colorado with her husband, daughter and puppy. Winning the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award was the highlight of her writing career, until her first Mills & Boon book hit the shelves. Her social work background inspires her char­acters while improv writing allows her to torture them. It’s a rough job, but someone’s got to do it.

This is for my editor, Karen Reid, who somehow gets my vision and makes me strive for my very best. The creative process is not always easy, but she makes even the painful parts enjoyable.

Thank you to Paul and Caleb, who lent me Hamlet and Pork Chop.

And as always, Ron.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

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

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

“AW, MAN. IS THAT what I think it is?”

Captain DJ Hawkins heard his buddy Colin’s words the same instant he spied the bright red-and-white postal box. He hoped—just as he knew Colin hoped—it was from his sister Addie. Getting a closer look, he saw that the return address confirmed it. Yes. Cookies.

The box rattled and Colin reached over and tried to swipe it. No way. DJ wasn’t sharing. Not yet, anyway. Not until he’d stuffed himself to the gills, and then only maybe.

Stowing the last of his gear, DJ ripped open the box, yanked out the plastic bag Addie had wrapped the cookies in and stuffed one very broken, very delicious peanut butter chocolate chip beauty into his mouth. He sank to his bunk in pure bliss.

Just to torment Colin, he groaned aloud in near ecstasy. For a minute or two he was no longer in this godforsaken hole in the world, waiting for the next enemy attack. He was a five-year-old whose big sister made the world’s best cookies.

“You gonna share?”

“Not a chance.” DJ laughed. He could feel the disappointment rolling off Colin. “Don’t pout about it.” He tossed the plastic bag to Colin—it wasn’t as if the crumbs could get any more busted up.

“She should just pack a spoon.” Colin reached into the bag and scooped out a handful of the sweet, gooey mess.

Most days DJ really did love his life. He hadn’t joined the military with the notion that he’d stay safe all the time. He’d figured out a long time ago that he wasn’t a stay-at-home, family kind of guy. He’d watched his older siblings shoulder too much responsibility after Dad’s death. He’d seen the life go out of them when they were just kids. He would never let that happen to himself.