The Way To A Soldier's Heart

The Way To A Soldier's Heart
GINA WILKINS

A family for her daughter?Elle O’Meara’s happy being a single mom to her adopted two-year-old, Charlotte. Even so, when Shane Scanlon starts coming in to her bakeshop, he becomes a bright spot in her days. The handsome former army medic even strikes up a friendship with her daughter, making Elle wonder if there’s room in her life for the excitement he could bring.Then Elle discovers why Shane’s really there: he’s Charlotte’s biological uncle and wants her in his family. Elle prefers to believe he won’t take Charlotte away but he’s already lied once. Now she doesn’t know if her connection with Shane was real—or just another lie.

A family for her daughter?

Elle O’Meara’s happy being a single mom to her adopted two-year-old, Charlotte. Even so, when Shane Scanlon starts coming in to her bakeshop, he becomes a bright spot in her days. The handsome former army medic even strikes up a friendship with her daughter, making Elle wonder if there’s room in her life for the excitement he could bring.

Then Elle discovers why Shane’s really there: he’s Charlotte’s biological uncle and wants her in his family. Elle prefers to believe he won’t take Charlotte away, but he’s already lied once. Now she doesn’t know if her connection with Shane was real—or just another lie.

Shane reached out as if to take the photo, but Elle jerked back to avoid his hand.

She reached up to snap on the light, then opened the folder. Inside it, she found a second copy of the photograph and a sheet of paper with her name printed on it, her address—both home and business—her age, marital status, even her ex-husband’s name. Charlotte’s name appeared at the bottom of the page. Her full name. Charlotte Michelle O’Meara. Followed by her date of birth, the hospital where she’d been born and her date of adoption.

Elle lifted her gaze very slowly to Shane, struggling to understand. Her insides were knotted, her throat so tight it was all she could do to speak. “What the hell is this? Just who are you, Shane? And why have you been spying on me and my daughter?”

Dear Reader (#u7b95896e-438e-52d0-b22b-6aa8c1c30c27),

I come from a large, scattered Southern family: three brothers, lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and “greats” and a dizzying array of in-laws and longtime friends who have become close as kin over the years. Our family gatherings are filled with chatter, laughter and entirely too much good food as four generations swap stories and memories. We are a widely diverse group in just about every way, but one value connects us all: the importance of family, whether by blood, marriage, adoption or simply love.

In this, my second book of the Soldiers and Single Moms trilogy, I return once again to one of my favorite story themes: the definition of family. Divorced single mom Elle O’Meara loves her little adopted daughter, Charlotte, with all of her heart and soul. But when Charlotte’s biological family shows up in the form of the child’s sexy army-veteran uncle, Shane Scanlon, Elle must confront her secret fears. In doing so, she learns that family has many facets—and that love is the ultimate bond.

I hope you enjoy meeting these two families as much as I loved getting to know them myself!

Gina

The Way to a Soldier’s Heart

Gina Wilkins

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Before she even learned to read, GINA WILKINS announced that she wanted to be a writer. That dream never wavered, though she worked briefly in advertising and human resources. Influenced by her mother’s love of classic Harlequin romances, she knew she wanted her stories to always have happy endings. She met her husband in her first college English class and they’ve been married for more than thirty-five years, blessed with two daughters and a son. They also have two delightful grandchildren. After more than one hundred books with Harlequin, she will always be a fan of romance and a believer in happy endings.

For my precious little grandsons—Ephraim, who showed us how to find joy in “party dots,” and Malachi, the newest member of our family. Gigi loves you both!

Contents

Cover (#uabdbd881-3f75-529a-bcbc-2743b5f0910c)

Back Cover Text (#udc2f0809-5fc2-5651-946d-4fc8c8ff1a72)

Introduction (#u3afc8e8e-124b-51ff-b396-696998430173)

Dear Reader (#u6679f326-ac3e-5764-8837-d52fd328fae4)

Title Page (#u6cfdb436-b8c2-5ecd-b202-26b80e8b943a)

About the Author (#u8fe36ce4-3f11-5e9d-ab23-ed0477a20d02)

Dedication (#u9f561212-2be6-5e5f-8b84-431035c8dc98)

CHAPTER ONE (#u97c4b32a-03e3-5949-b224-63cb43dcca34)

CHAPTER TWO (#uaec06c6d-7119-553f-835e-d84a4d1ecf75)

CHAPTER THREE (#u100a0281-6018-572d-b05e-93ccfebfc57d)

CHAPTER FOUR (#uf7d3ed27-3eec-5163-b035-c52b3312a041)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE (#u7b95896e-438e-52d0-b22b-6aa8c1c30c27)

UNLIKE HER IMAGINATIVE MOTHER, Elle O’Meara had never once pretended she could predict the future. Janet O’Meara’s so-called talent for occasional precognition was based more on wishful thinking than reality, but most of their friends indulged the little quirk. As for Elle, almost every day brought surprises—mostly good, some bad—and she generally preferred not to try to anticipate the next development. Still, when a dark-haired, blue-eyed man in a black leather jacket, worn jeans and a gray T-shirt sauntered into her little coffee shop on a quiet Wednesday morning in late October, she was struck by the oddest sense of heightened awareness—as if something about this customer was different from the others she’d served that day. Almost momentously so.

Telling herself she’d been spending too much time with her lovable but deliberately eccentric mom, she smiled brightly as she set aside the cloth she’d used to wipe the counter and welcomed the newcomer. “Good morning. Welcome to The Perkery. What can I get for you?”

He was her sole customer at the moment and he swept the overhead menu board with a quick glance. Pastries and other baked goods were listed on the left, soups and sandwiches on the right, but he didn’t spend much time studying either side. He glanced at the now-empty play corral behind the counter, a colorful area filled with toys and toddler books. Elle got the impression this guy didn’t miss many details of his surroundings.

She couldn’t help noticing how nicely his thick, dark lashes framed almost sapphire-blue eyes when he focused on her face again. Her jolt of reaction this time was entirely explainable. Hormones. She supposed it was nice to acknowledge that hers were still in working order, despite being pretty much ignored for the past two busy years.

“Coffee, please. And—” He motioned toward the almost-empty display stand on the counter beside her. “Are those filled doughnuts?”