A SEAL's Pledge (SEALs of Chance Creek Book 3)

by Cora Seton

  She’d do her best, and hope like hell that was enough.

  Speaking his vows, Harris barely heard the reverend’s prompts. Somehow he knew what to say. Somehow the traditional words echoed everything he was feeling in his heart. When Sam repeated the words and pledged herself to him, he could hardly breathe. This was happening. She was becoming his wife. She would be his in a matter of moments.

  Her hands trembled as he slid the wedding band on her finger, but then a tremor ran through his, too, as she slid the larger band on his ring finger. They were taking this leap together. God knew where they’d land, but as soon as they touched down, Harris would throw himself into building a life for Sam—a life where she’d be safe and cherished. A life they could live together.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  As the officiant’s words passed over him, Harris knew the next thirty seconds would change his life forever. They were already bound together in marriage, but this kiss would tell him what to expect from the future. Casting away his worries, Harris cupped Samantha’s pretty face with both hands and bent to cover her mouth with his.

  She was sweet. So sweet. So pliable and soft under his lips. He drank her in like he’d been waiting for her all his life, and in a way he had. Samantha was the answer to all his unspoken prayers. She was the hope he’d been waiting for—a reason to walk a new path in life. As he kissed her, he let go of thought and worry and plans and for one moment—one wonderful moment—allowed the present to be everything.

  His wife—his beautiful wife—slid her arms up around his neck and kissed him back, the swell of her breasts pressing against his chest in a tantalizing way. Harris knew he’d have to earn the right to touch her, and he swore to himself he’d do just that.

  When Reverend Gabriel cleared his throat, Harris reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled away. Sam was flushed, her eyes shining, and when she smiled at him, he bent down and took her in his arms again. This time he deepened the kiss and she kissed him back, answering his need with her own. But they were still in the chapel. This would have to wait.

  “Ahem.” The reverend was growing impatient. “There are forms to sign.”

  “Of course.” Harris kept a tight hold on Samantha even as he turned to take the pen the reverend handed to him.

  When Harris led her out of the chapel, Sam felt as if she was at the top of a roller coaster looking down at the parking lot, the taxicab and the road leading to the rest of her life. Her heart was pounding, her breath short and a strange combination of light-headedness and exhilaration made her head swim.

  “Are we going to Base Camp now?” she asked Harris.

  “No.”

  Startled at his vehemence, Sam stopped halfway down the steps. “Why not?’

  “Because… I’m not ready to share you yet.” He tugged her hand as he continued down toward the taxicab. “I’ve got somewhere I want to show you first.”

  “Should I change?” She lifted the skirts of her princess-style wedding gown doubtfully.

  Harris stopped and looked her over. Sam’s skin tingled at the smile that curved his mouth. “You probably should change, but I wish you wouldn’t.”

  She smiled back at him, her concern forgotten. “Why?”

  “I like you in that getup.”

  She liked the way he was looking at her. “I’ll keep it on, then.”

  He held her gaze. “I’ll carry you over the rough parts.”

  Sam’s heart throbbed in response to his words. She looked forward to that. Harris looked strong enough to carry her all day. She wondered what it would feel like to be in his arms.

  “We’ll have to make a few stops, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”

  “It already is,” she assured him.

  Harris, who’d turned to move on, stopped again. “Why’s that?”

  “Because I’m with you,” she said simply. She’d never in her wildest dreams thought the day could go this well, or that she’d feel such an instant connection to the man she’d married at first sight. As they made their way to the waiting cab, she felt like she was floating, and that sensation continued through several stops—the first for a rental pickup truck they could keep for the next twenty-four hours, the next for picnic supplies, food and drinks before they drove back along the highway and finally turned onto a rutted dirt road.

  Sam had to bite back a laugh as she wondered what her family would think if they could see her now. Embracing the patriarchy: married. To a former Navy SEAL. A sniper.

  Rachel would have a lot to say.

  Melissa would ask about their sex life, or lack thereof. She’d have snarky comments about what might happen next.

  Suddenly, Sam’s hands were clammy and she searched for a handkerchief in her purse so as not to have to wipe them on her dress.

  When would she and Harris become intimate? They hadn’t talked about that. They hadn’t really talked about anything. She swallowed in a mouth that had become very dry. Was that why he was taking her to a secluded place? Did he think they were going to have sex—right now?

  Of course, she knew intimacy would be part of their marriage, but Sam hadn’t figured on jumping into the sack with a stranger right off. She’d pictured some kind of Hollywood honeymoon, actually. She’d packed a swimsuit and pretty outfits for a trip. Now she realized she’d been silly. She’d watched the other episodes. Boone and Riley had honeymooned for all of two days in a tent on the far side of the ranch. She had no idea what Clay and Nora were doing.

  “Harris, are we—?” Sam bit off the rest of the question. Asking him if they were going on a honeymoon trip was ridiculous when he was driving her into the wilderness. Maybe this picnic was her honeymoon.

  Maybe he’d done all this simply to get laid.

  What kind of a man went on a show and let someone else pick out his wife?

  What the hell was she doing here?

  “What’s wrong?” Harris turned her way. Sam couldn’t find any words to explain her panic. What would she say? That she’d just realized she was driving into the backcountry with a man trained to kill? That she was afraid she’d be dead in a matter of minutes? That she wanted out?

  “Samantha?” Concern laced his voice.

  “I don’t… I don’t think… I want—look out!” Sam pointed and screamed as Harris jerked the wheel, accelerated, went right off the road, barely avoided a tree before swerving back into the rutted lane. Her seat belt snapped her back against the seat when he slammed on the brakes and she struggled to recover her breath as Harris opened his door and raced back the way they’d come.

  Sam pressed a hand to her beating heart, composed herself and climbed out of the truck, her legs wobbling beneath her before she got her wits about her again. She lifted her skirts and walked slowly back to where Harris was kneeling in the road, dreading what she would see. The dog had leaped out from nowhere. One minute the track had been empty; the next the animal’s pleading eyes had filled her vision before Harris jerked the truck out of the way. They must have hit him. There was no way—

  “Not a scratch,” Harris said, his voice thick. “Jesus, I almost ran her over. Why didn’t she move?”

  Sam reached them and bit back a sob of relief when she saw the way the skinny yellow dog was seated in the track, calmly allowing Harris to run his hands all over her frame, looking for injuries.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t hit her,” Harris said again. The dog shifted a little and licked his face.

  “She’s taken a shine to you.” Sam cleared her throat, got her emotions under control and knelt down carefully to stroke its fur. “Look at you. You’re a beauty. What are you doing way out here?” The dog whined a little, and she took in its gauntness. “She’s hungry.”

  “Someone must have left her out here. Or else she wandered off and got really lost.” Harris checked for a collar, but Sam had already seen there wasn’t one. “I guess we’ll have to take her to the pound when we go back.”


  “Why?” Sam demanded. She took a breath and tried again. “Why?” she asked again in a softer voice. “If she doesn’t belong to anyone, we could take her in.”

  The dog turned her way and licked her chin, as if in thanks.

  “Are you sure about that? We’re going to be living in a space the size of a small bedroom, and this girl here isn’t exactly a lapdog.”

  No, she wasn’t, Sam agreed. She wasn’t any breed Sam could distinguish, but she had long fur, a husky build, and sweet, brown eyes. “I have a pretty big lap,” she told the dog. “You’re welcome to sit in it any time.” As she leaned forward to hug the animal, an age-old pain shifted a little in her heart. She’d wanted a pet for as long as she could remember, but of course that was impossible, given the life they’d led. She’d learned young never to fall for a stray because there wasn’t even a hint of a chance that they’d take one aboard the bus, and after several heartbreaks, Sam couldn’t stand that pain anymore. She shouldn’t let her heart go out to this animal, either. Harris was right; they were going to live in a house even tinier than the sleeper bus had been and she had no idea what Base Camp’s policy on pets was. Still, she found herself saying, “I’d like to keep her. What do you think?”

  His silence spoke volumes, and Sam began to steel her heart against yet one more disappointment when he touched her shoulder. She looked up to find him closer than she expected. When his mouth brushed her cheek, she let out a little gasp of surprise. “What was that for?”

  “I’d like to keep her, too. I haven’t had a pet since… well, since ever.”

  “You weren’t allowed one as a child?”

  “There wasn’t room for one.”

  She waited for him to say more, but he didn’t.

  “But you’d be okay with one now?” She had to be sure she’d heard him right.

  “Definitely. We’d better make sure she doesn’t belong to someone else, but I have a feeling she’s ours if we want her.”

  “We’d better go get her some food.”

  He nodded. “I’d still like that picnic, though.”

  She smiled, her heart full. “Me, too.”

  Chapter Four

  ‡

  By the time they’d made the short run to Silver Falls, picked up some dog food, a couple of bowls, a jug of water, a collar and a lead, then made it back down the long dirt road where they’d started, over an hour had passed and Harris’s stomach was rumbling. He judged it was past twelve. The clouds were still heavy, the temperature warm, and the sight of Sam in the passenger seat, tendrils of her lovely hair coming free of her updo, her veil slightly askew, still made his heart throb every time he looked at her. He knew there’d be trouble when they returned to Base Camp, but he didn’t care. It would be worth it.

  She was worth it.

  Daisy, as Sam had named the dog, lay across Sam’s feet patiently.

  “Why would anyone let her go?” she asked again when he pulled into a turnout near the head of a path, and shut the engine off.

  “We might never know.” They’d left word at the feed store that they’d found her, but Harris was confident no one would come looking for the dog. She had an air of neglect about her that said it had been a while since she’d had a home.

  They’d given her food and water back at the feed store, so now it was picnic time. Harris got out, gathered up their things and came around the truck to where Sam and Daisy stood. “Ready?”

  Sam nodded, although she eyed the track they were going to take uneasily. “Let me grab those champagne flutes I bought first.”

  “It’s not too long a walk, and the view is worth it when you get there,” he promised her, leading her to the back of the truck, where he moved her suitcase within reach.

  “It looks like it’s going to rain.”

  “It’ll hold off for a few more hours,” Harris assured her.

  “Okay.”

  Harris waited patiently for her to rummage through her things until she pulled out the two delicate glasses. He found himself grinning as he walked, despite the load of groceries and supplies he was lugging along. He couldn’t have picked a better companion if he’d searched for one for months. Sam seemed up for anything. She wasn’t complaining about the rugged circumstances she found herself in. She’d been patient through the trip back for food for Daisy—especially considering the looks she’d gotten in the feed store in that wedding dress.

  She liked dogs. That had to be a sign.

  As they walked in silence, however, Harris wondered if all that was enough to base a relationship on. Shouldn’t he be talking to her right now, for instance?

  He wasn’t sure what to say.

  These woods reminded him of the hills of Afghanistan, but he was smart enough to know you didn’t talk about battles on your honeymoon. Maybe he should talk about the honeymoon.

  The fact that there wouldn’t be one.

  With a sigh, Harris decided he needed a positive topic. Like Daisy.

  Except they’d covered that ground in the truck on the way to and from the feed store.

  A trickle of sweat snaked down between his shoulder blades, its tickling track hard to ignore. Not much longer to go, he told himself, but it wasn’t that the load he carried was heavy; it was the knowledge that Samantha was walking behind him in her beautiful dress, expecting him to have some sort of plan about what came next. She’d done her part: she’d shown up and married him.

  He needed to figure out how to make this marriage real.

  Harris was relieved when Daisy barked once and trotted ahead, stopping every now and then to look back to make sure they were following.

  “Good dog. Go check it out for us,” he encouraged her. Looking back over his shoulder, he asked, “You doing okay back there?”

  “I’m great.”

  The cheerful tone of her voice relieved him. Just a few steps more.

  There.

  Harris came to a stop when he stepped out of the woods onto the edge of a hillside where the land fell away and the view was panoramic.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful,” Samantha breathed. “It’s the perfect place for a picnic.”

  Daisy barked as if in agreement and Harris grinned again. When had he ever smiled so damn much in one day?

  Sam made sandwiches while Harris got the cork out of the bottle of champagne they’d bought. He poured a generous amount into Sam’s two champagne flutes and handed her one. In exchange, she passed him a paper plate of food. Daisy flopped down in the shade a half-dozen feet away and settled in for a contented snooze. Sam imagined it had been a while since she’d had a full belly and hoped her doggy dreams were happy ones.

  She and Harris both sat down on the rough wool blanket Harris had found in the back of the rental truck. Sam’s full skirts billowed around her and she sighed in satisfaction. Was there anything as romantic as wearing your wedding gown to a picnic?

  “I hope we don’t spoil that dress,” Harris said.

  “I hope we do.” Sam bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. The truth was her stomach was full of butterflies and her heart still tripped with anticipation. Maybe she wasn’t ready to be fully intimate with this man, but she hoped he would kiss her again.

  A lot.

  She was sure the color was high in her cheeks and when she chanced a glance his way, the interest in his eyes was equally elevated.

  He raised his champagne flute. “To us.”

  “To us. To a future together.”

  They clinked the glasses together and both drank.

  The champagne’s bubbles tickled her throat and Sam immediately felt a buzz. She hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. She’d been far too anxious last night as she’d slipped away from the tour bus in Austin, picked up a rental car and driven five hours to an airport where her family wouldn’t think to look, and waited overnight to catch her flight. She’d been even more anxious this morning before boarding. She’d had almost no sleep and should be exhausted right now, but instead
she was exhilarated.

  “I want to know all about you,” she said.

  “That’ll take time.”

  “I know, but we’ve got to start somewhere. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Harris sat with his legs in front of him, leaning back against one braced hand. His dark hair was military-short. Thick, dark eyebrows framed his eyes, which tended to look off into the distance, searching for something. Watching. A strong jaw made him serious, and his shoulders filled out his plaid shirt nicely. He was athletic, but in a capable way, rather than a record-breaking way, she mused. He was a man built to work hard and long at a physical job. “You’re a carpenter,” she prompted.

  “Not really. I can frame up a house, but I’m not like Clay.” He stopped short and frowned. “Guess you expected to marry him.”

  She shook her head. “At first, but then Boone called and told me about Clay and Nora’s wedding, so I was already prepared to marry Curtis.”

  He nodded. “Maybe I should apologize for stepping in.”

  “I’m not sorry—but I guess I’d like to know why Curtis didn’t come.”

  He seemed to think this over, swirling the remains of the champagne in his glass. “Maybe you’re not sorry yet, but you might change your mind.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Curtis was… indisposed.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked sharply. “Like, he was sick?”

  “Drunk, more like it. Had a little too much fun last night.”

  She thought about that. “He must not have been in too much of a hurry to meet me.”

  “I think he was nervous. Like I said, maybe I should apologize for stepping in.”

  “You mean, he didn’t actually ask you to?”

  Harris shook his head. “No.”

  A wave of vertigo crashed over her. Harris had stepped in on his own accord? But… what about Curtis?

  “He never saw your photo. None of us did. He wasn’t eager to marry someone he didn’t know—he wanted Boone to give him an array of women to choose from. It didn’t work out that way, so when Nora married Clay last night, and he got a forty-day reprieve, he… got a little carried away. Celebrating.” Harris shrugged. “I just came to take you back to the ranch to meet him. But when I saw you…” He trailed off.