Jack rummaged in the desk for his uncle’s black-handled magnifying glass. He moved to James’s side and examined the image. The man leaning on the side of the chopper was a young James.
“A couple of days before that,” James tapped the photo, “my men and I rescued your uncle and his unit from a POW camp. Afterward your uncle gave me his name and address stateside and said if I ever needed anything I could call him. I’d only seen him once or twice since he retired, and not at all in the past thirty years, which is why I sent Beth here. I knew no one would connect O’Malley and me. Hell, I didn’t even know if he’d remember me. He did.” James held his drink up. “To Danny.” He downed the shot in one swallow.
Jack raised his glass to follow suit.
“Jack, can I talk to you for a minute?” Beth stood at the open door. Her face was tight.
Jack set his untouched drink on the desk, rushed to her side, and took her arm. “Sit down.”
“I’m OK, Jack.” She protested but sank into the chair anyway. Blowing out a hard breath, she looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m just going to say it. I’m pregnant.”
Holy shit. Jack felt his jaw drop. His brain went blank, but just for a few seconds. He dropped to his good knee and took both her hands in his. “Now will you marry me?”
Beth stared. “I thought you might be upset.”
“Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because I told you—I thought—”
“OK, I admit, it’s kind of a surprise, but the good kind.” Jack gripped her hands tighter and planted a gentle kiss next to her bruised mouth. “Well, shit. A baby.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the old man leaning against the desk, grinning. “You’ll stay, right? Someone has to give the bride away.” In fact, seeing James had made Beth so happy, Jack would think of a reason to keep him around permanently.
He turned back to Beth.
The smile slid from her face. “If only Stafford Baker would leave us alone.”
Across the room, James cleared his throat. “You don’t have to worry about Baker anymore.”
Beth’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You have a good lawyer?” James asked. At Beth’s nod, he leveled a serious gaze at them both. “Well, I have a present for him. A little video the Bakers definitely won’t want made public. Stafford Baker won’t be bothering you anymore.”
Beth’s eyes lit up with understanding.
Jack swallowed a laugh. The old guy was staying.
Beth leaned forward and kissed him. “It’s over then.” Jack kissed her back. “No. It’s only the beginning.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
More than ten years ago, Melinda Leigh abandoned her career in banking and never looked back. Since then, she has won numerous writing awards for her paranormal romance and romantic-suspense fiction. When she isn’t writing, Melinda is an avid martial artist: she holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate, studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and teaches women’s self-defense. She lives in a delightfully messy house with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs, and one neurotic cat. For more information about Melinda and her books, please visit www.melindaleighauthor.com.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
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
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
She Can Run Page 28