Page 77 of Her Guarded Hero

“I’m going to have a son,” Dalton answered proudly. “I know why she didn’t tell me, what with all the baggage that I’ve been pulling around behind me I needed a fucking dogsled. I get that, and we’re already working through that.”

“That’s great,” Dex said. “And going forward?”

“I’m not going to fuck this up,” Dalton said. “You know I want to retire from the Navy, that’s always been the plan. First, I was going to stay on the teams for as long as I could, then move into training. But how do I pull her away from her grandfather? This ranch? All the rest of her family?”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Hunter said. “I was lucky that Aliana was in Los Angeles, so I wasn’t stuck with those kinds of issues.”

Dalton looked around, taking in the corral, the tall pine trees, the open fields and the orchard in the distance. “But if I had to give up San Diego and the Navy, this wouldn’t be a bad place to end up.”

“No, it sure wouldn’t,” Dex agreed. “And her grandfather cooks, so I think you should totally take this under consideration.” Dex looked down at his phone.

“Is that news on Wyatt?” Dalton asked hopefully. They’d been expecting something all day.

Dex nodded. Dalton and Hunter waited impatiently for Dex to read through the incoming information. Then he looked up and grinned.

“He’s awake and flirting with all of the nurses down in Costa Rica. They’re anticipating a total recovery, not even a limp. He’ll be transported to San Diego tomorrow morning.”

“Halleluiah!” Dalton exclaimed.

Hunter bumped fists with Dalton, who then slapped Dex on the back.

“And on that note, I’m heading into town,” Dalton grinned as he opened the door to his truck.

“What the hell, aren’t you going into the house?” Dex asked.

“Just going to make a trip to the all-night grocery store, then I’ll come back. There’s not a chance in hell that I’m not going to be sleeping with Aurora tonight.”

14

Aurora felt like she was enveloped in cloud of bliss, her down comforter had never felt so good. It had never smelled so good.

She jerked awake.

“Whoa there. Don’t move so quick, or you’ll start the nausea going,” Dalton whispered into her neck.

She felt her stomach churn and she hated it. She didn’t want anything to intrude on this feeling of pleasure.

“Got something that might help,” he said. She opened one eye and peered up at him.

“Something besides the saltines?” she asked.

“Yeah, I saw the bag beside your bed,” he smiled. “Try this instead,” he suggested as he tucked his pillow beneath her head and put a small brown cookie in her hand.

She saw that he also had a glass of water for her too. A cookie? Was he insane? But he looked so hopeful that she fought the urge to throw it across the room. She sniffed it.

“This actually smells good,” she said in surprise.

“It’s a gingersnap. I texted my friend Zed, it works for his woman. If that doesn’t work, there’s a bag of lemons for you to sniff too.”

Aurora almost choked on her bite of cookie when he said that. “What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you do research on this?”

“Saltines and ginger ale are what Aunt Mary said. When that fails, I go and pray to the porcelain god.” She took another nibble of the cookie and waved her fingers for the glass of water. Dalton handed it to her and she took a long swallow of the cold liquid, there was even a slice of lemon in it. She sighed, it tasted good. She wasn’t feeling like a cast member of Alien anymore.

She was feeling human.

He’d done good.