The Cowboy Seal's Christmas Baby

The Cowboy Seal's Christmas Baby
Laura Marie Altom

HIS UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS SURPRISE…A baby's cry was the last thing former SEAL Gideon Snow expected to hear on an Arizona mountain trail. Nor was he prepared for the sight of the young mother suffering from memory loss. Gideon has plenty of reasons for avoiding people—and his painful past—but two fragile people now depend on him to survive. Can he just fall for the lovely Jane Doe?Jane doesn’t deny the pull of the gruff-yet-sweet cowboy who saved her and her baby. He’s more than a cowboy hero—Gideon's given them a chance at a new life and love. But Jane knows that any day, her memory might come back. And the woman Gideon is falling in love with might disappear forever…

HIS UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS SURPRISE...

A baby’s cry was the last thing former SEAL Gideon Snow expected to hear on an Arizona mountain trail. Nor was he prepared for the sight of the young mother suffering from memory loss. Gideon has plenty of reasons for avoiding people—and his painful past—but two fragile people now depend on him to survive. Can he just fall for the lovely Jane Doe?

Jane doesn’t deny the pull of the gruff-yet-sweet cowboy who saved her and her baby. He’s more than a cowboy hero—Gideon’s given them a chance at a new life and love. But Jane knows that any day, her memory might come back. And the woman Gideon is falling in love with might disappear forever...

“Christmas is right around the corner...”

“Though I’m not big on holidays, since this is Chip’s first one, let’s do it up right,” Gideon said. “While we’re in town, we’ll grab lights—”

“Can we make all the ornaments?”

“Why not? Just add what supplies you need to our list.”

Jane laughed. “That list of yours is going to rival Santa’s.”

“True.” He reached for her, hovering his hands midway between them.

Please touch me, hold me, her heart begged. More than she needed any random item on his list, she craved human contact—his contact. But was that wrong?

For all she knew, she could be married.

Did that make her an awful person?

Dear Reader (#u9bc114c8-0b12-5bcd-bd5d-295a14abb1b2),

Most of my books tackle at least one heavy issue, but Jane and Gideon’s story had so many that at times, while writing, I found my own pulse racing. Jane battles amnesia. One scene in particular tugged at my heartstrings—when she was in a department store, trying on clothes and didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her in the mirror.

Enter Gideon. As a Navy SEAL, his entire life centers around helping others in need. But when he loses his leg in battle, he also faces an identity crisis—made all the worse when his wife leaves him because she doesn’t want to be with a disabled man. Because of this, Gideon’s emotionally scarred, believing no woman will ever again want him.

I fear many disabled veterans experience this same sense of loss. Gideon is one of the lucky ones who has forged a new life as a horse whisperer, fulfilling his need to help by nurturing emotionally scarred horses. But once Jane becomes a fixture in his home, he finds himself once again longing to help people—more specifically, her and her son.

I hope you enjoy this heartfelt read. More important, if you or anyone you know is a disabled vet, I pray for you to find your life’s second chance.

Warmest wishes,

Laura Marie xoxo

The Cowboy SEAL’s Christmas Baby

Laura Marie Altom

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

LAURA MARIE ALTOM is a bestselling and award-winning author who has penned nearly fifty books. After college (go, Hogs!), Laura Marie did a brief stint as an interior designer before becoming a stay-at-home mom to boy-girl twins and a bonus son. Always an avid romance reader, she knew it was time to try her hand at writing when she found herself replotting the afternoon soaps.

When not immersed in her next story, Laura plays video games, tackles Mount Laundry and, of course, reads romance!

Laura loves hearing from readers at either PO Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or by email, balipalm@aol.com.

Love winning fun stuff? Check out lauramariealtom.com (http://www.lauramariealtom.com).

This story is dedicated to all disabled veterans who have lost their way. Please know you are loved and appreciated by me.

Contents

Cover (#ue582d5c7-5282-54e3-b36c-d56eb6389c71)

Back Cover Text (#u9448566a-53f7-58c5-8957-399452cd0c84)

Introduction (#u1cee064b-3e62-5b08-b05c-c1028c741425)

Dear Reader (#u2b47271e-70e7-5a9f-9a61-21c590b69231)

Title Page (#u6691c2be-4e51-5b10-a6dd-1241a2d142a5)

About the Author (#u3ce2686e-7e1b-5119-80b9-b7dd442d8e33)

Dedication (#uc8e99d92-bfe6-50eb-b7df-8717a9afdf16)

Chapter One (#u59da8189-defa-52e6-ae97-c29a4947f601)

Chapter Two (#ue12f8491-454e-58e4-b590-5029adf15320)

Chapter Three (#uc881ae83-e8fd-56ff-99eb-d6bc53c18c41)

Chapter Four (#u7210f3cd-fd1b-57de-8b3c-b6e9490dbffb)

Chapter Five (#u9064f479-c9bf-5d8d-ba8f-d94b7605f59b)

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)