The Captain's Baby Bargain by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-04-16T17:47:14+00:00

Chapter Eight

Their first honeymoon had been a week at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, a gift from their collective family members. Their second consisted of a celebratory supper at Ruby’s with family and friends, followed by a quick trip to move Suze’s things from her parents’ house to Gabe’s.

Their second wedding night, however, more than matched that of the first. They were older, wiser and much more appreciative of what they’d let slip through their fingers. The loving was slow, sweet, each kiss a reminder, each touch a promise.

Stars winked above the skylights when they were done, but it was still early enough for Gabe to take Doofus for the run he so desperately wanted and Suze to indulge in an extended soak in the modern version of a claw-foot tub that dominated the master bath. With its slightly inclined back and extra-long length, it fit her perfectly.

After her soak, she pulled on a pair of shorts and her Warrior Mom T-shirt, then stretched out on one of the patio loungers while she waited for Gabe to return. Bullfrogs bellowed their love songs from the creek, and the distant boom and pop of firecrackers signaled that folks were getting a head start on the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

Gabe and Doofus joined her on the patio, both sweaty from their run. He was chugging from a bottle of water and took time to splash water into the hound’s outdoor bowl before plopping down in the lounger next to Suze’s.

“Damned idiots,” he muttered as a starburst of red, white and blue exploded above the tree line. “We’ve banned firecrackers inside town limits. Outside, though, there’s plenty of open space to shoot off Roman candles and spinners. And plenty of idiots who’ll end up at the ER when the things explode in their faces.”

“C’mon,” Suze teased. “How many bottle rockets did you and your pals shoot off when you were kids?”

“Too many. It was pure dumb luck that none of us lost fingers or an eye. But they were legal back then.”

He frowned as another boom carried through the trees. Seconds later a rocket trailing green stars arced across the night sky.

“The problem is, it’s been so dry lately. We were close to record low precipitation for the month of June. Half the county is a tinderbox just waiting for a spark. The chief’s got all of his full-time and most of us volunteer firefighters on standby.”

“You’re one of the volunteers?”

“I signed on when I moved back home. The training was brutal,” he admitted. “Probably not as bad as what you combat engineers go through, but I must have sweated off a good ten pounds in that turnout gear.”

Firefighters in Air Force units were integral members of the Civil Engineering Squadron. Suze had participated in enough training exercises and emergency responses with them to appreciate the grit and determination it took to qualify, even as a volunteer.

When another starburst lit the sky, Gabe swore again. “I wish our state legislators had the balls to outlaw sale of fireworks to individuals.

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