She has his eyes.
Her mother has his heart.
Years have passed since marine sergeant Riley Cooper last held his best friendâs sister in his arms. Bound for Afghanistan, he believed walking away from Meg McBride was the kindest thing he could do. Now that heâs home, he doesnât blame Meggie for hating him. But she hasnât told him everything. And he hasnât met the little red-haired girl whose gray eyes so resemble his own...
CARRIE NICHOLS grew up in New England, but moved south and traded snow for central AC. She loves to travel, is addicted to British crime dramas and knows a Seinfeld quote appropriate for every occasion.
A 2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner and two-time Maggie Award for Excellence winner, she has one tolerant husband, two grown sons and two critical cats. To her dismay, Carrieâs charactersâlike her familyâoften ignore the wisdom and guidance she offers.
ISBN: 978-1-474-07731-6
THE MARINEâS SECRET DAUGHTER
© 2018 Carol Opalinski
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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This is for my very own heroes,
John, Alex and Michael, and for the heroines who love them, Jess and Caitlin.
Chapter One
The truth could be inconvenient, but heâd be damned if heâd give those doctors the satisfaction of being right.
Riley Cooper slammed the door of his truck and rolled his shoulder to work out the stiffness, but all that time on the road without anything stronger than ibuprofen hadnât helped. The doc had prescribed Percocet, but the meds made him drowsy. And the way he figured it, taking the drugs would be an easy out, considering the pain his buddies had died with, and their families still lived with. At the base hospital, theyâd prodded and poked him and labeled his condition survivorâs guilt. The way theyâd said condition had him grinding his molars. They wanted guilt? Being tucked away in the tranquil mountains of Vermont instead of Afghanistan, leading his menânow that was guilt.
The therapist had told him, You need to take time to heal your body and clear your head before I can sign off on your return to combat. Take thirty days, Sergeant, and maybe Iâll consider putting you back in theater.
Rileyâs fist tightened around the key as the therapistâs words swirled in his head like debris kicked up from helicopter rotor wash. His shoulder was healing, and except for the occasional ringing in his ears, he was good. Damn good. He needed to get back to Afghanistan, to his men, to his life, not spend time in the back of beyond, losing his edge. He wasnât himself here in this peaceful town, but on the battlefield, he had a purpose, a reason to do what he was doing and men to protect.
Vegas for R&R had been an option, but summers spent at Loon Lake with the McBrides were treasured memories from his childhood. Warm days spent with Liam exploring the woods, building forts, swimming. All with Liamâs younger sister, Meggie, trailing behind. Coming to the lake wouldnât bring those days back, but this place might provide some measure of comfort.