The Marine's New Family. Roz Dunbar
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A Hero’s Hope
Returning from active duty, Gunnery Sergeant Luke Barrett is shocked to learn he’s a father. Having just lost his mom, ten-year-old Caleb is reserved and wary—and Luke is simply overwhelmed. So when Tess Greenwood agrees to become Caleb’s nanny, it’s an answer to his prayers. Injured while working at an international mission in a war-torn country, Tess is in town to recuperate. The last thing she wants is to get too involved. But as she spends time with the handsome marine and his son, Tess comes to realize that caring for them may just be the cure to her own battered heart.
“Where’s Caleb?” she asked.
Luke knew Tess was trying to change the subject, and he let her.
“He’s with Joey Mason at the street fair. They’re helping Joe man the dunking booth.”
“I bet they’re having a great time!” Tess gave him a genuine smile that lit up her face and made him catch his breath. She really was beautiful.
“I know they are, and driving Joe crazy while they’re at it,” Luke said wryly, trying to sound casual.
That smile had really caught him off guard and made his heart skip a beat. But the last thing he needed right now was to be attracted to a woman. He had enough on his plate making a stable home for himself and Caleb.
“Somehow, I think that Joe might be driving them crazy.” Tess stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She returned with a tall glass of iced tea. “For later, in case you get thirsty,” she offered with a tentative smile.
“Thanks for the tea and the smile. You have a lovely smile, Tess,” he said gruffly.
He noticed her pale cheeks flood with color. He was a battle-hardened United States marine. Compliments weren’t his style at all, but here he was dishing them out. Go figure.
ROZ DUNBAR is a romance author and novelist. She lives on the picturesque southern Outer Banks of North Carolina. When not writing, you can find her at the beach dipping her toes in the sand and sea. You can contact her at [email protected].
The Marine’s
New Family
Roz Dunbar
Let all that you do be done in love.
—1 Corinthians 16:14
This book is dedicated to Gram, Mom, Cheryl, Emily and Taylor with much love. The support and love I’ve received from all of them is incalculable. I love you all. But most especially to my beautiful mom, who encouraged me to write all of my life, and my Gram, whose old oak tree provided a cozy place to stretch out under and devour books on warm summer days.
Contents
Luke took the last nail out of his mouth and placed it precisely on the wooden beam. One strong whack of the hammer and the nail was halfway in the wood. Two more lighter thumps and it was all the way in. Job finished. One screened porch added to a beautiful old cottage on Bogue Sound. He felt an incredible sense of satisfaction and inner peace as he looked out at the sea from his vantage point on the roof. As if on cue, several dolphins surfaced, jumping playfully, breaking through the glassy face of the calm water.
Luke was pretty certain that there was no more beautiful place in the world than this lovely little town on the North Carolina coast. And since he’d seen a fair bit of the world in his service as a marine, that was saying something. He stood up and stretched, deeply inhaling the tangy salt air laced with the softer scent of honeysuckle. The warm summer breeze caressed his body lightly.
Thank You, Lord, for this wonderful day, he prayed silently, and the strength to help others in need.
“Hey, Dad, look.”
Luke snapped out of his reverie when he heard the young boy’s voice. Dad. He was still getting used to the title, and to the ten-year-old standing at the foot of the ladder. If only Luke had known he was a father. So much time wasted.
Coming to terms with the fact that he had a son had been difficult for him, but he suspected that Caleb was having a more difficult time. First the boy had had to deal with losing his mother to cancer. Only then, as per the conditions of her will, had Luke and Caleb learned about each other. Now Caleb was coming to terms with a new parent and a new home—a new life, all things considered, although he really never talked about the huge turns his young life had taken in