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  “How are you feeling?” he asked as he hopped to his feet, shuddered and then hobbled over to her.

  Her gaze shot downward, studying his foot. “You hurt yourself,” she said. “Why? You were supposed to be getting better.”

  “Chasing bad guys on a walking cast is not a good idea apparently,” he said cheerfully. “Don’t worry. I’ve already been lashed out at by the doctor for having done something so stupid.”

  She smiled. “So then you can’t get upset at me for having done something stupid either, can you?” she said triumphantly. She winced as she shifted in bed. “I can’t say I feel very good.”

  “You’ve got a skull fracture, so move gently.”

  Her gaze widened. “What else did they say?”

  “Oh, nothing much,” he said cheerfully. “Except the nurse said you think I’m a keeper.”

  “I never said anything like that,” she cried out, then shuddered at the pain. “You just made that up.”

  “Nope.” He paused. “Does that mean you don’t think I’m a keeper?”

  She snorted. “You protected me, kept watch over me when I was in danger, tracked me down after I was kidnapped and then went after the asshole who did it, and you made it to my hospital bed before I woke up—all on an injured ankle.” She smiled up at him, her fingers gently stroking his cheek. “Definitely a keeper.”

  He grinned and kissed her fingers. “I would suggest that, as soon as you get released from the hospital, maybe we go home to my place and stay in bed for at least a week,” he said.

  She froze in the act of shifting her position and looked up at him. “Can we?” she asked hopefully.

  He chuckled. “Well, if we want to work it that way, we probably can.”

  She nodded. “I so want that.” She raised her arms, and he leaned down to hug her. “Especially if we get to stay in bed together.”

  He leaned closer. “You still have a head injury. You’ve got to take it easy.”

  “You still have a foot injury,” she whispered. “You’ve got to take it easy.”

  They looked at each other and beamed.

  “In bed is perfect,” they both said, and he kissed her gently. She wrapped her arms tighter around him and kissed him as passionately as she had before. And Warrick knew he was the luckiest man alive.

  Epilogue

  Tanner McGrath watched them from the doorway to their hospital room as they cuddled on the bed. He couldn’t believe that, once again, another relationship had sprung up out of nowhere. As intense and as true as this one was, he had no doubts these two would make it. They were a perfect match. And, if anybody had asked who would have been perfect for Warrick, Tanner would never have picked somebody like Penny. And yet, in the same manner, if he had been looking for somebody for Penny, he’d never have picked Warrick.

  It was a damn good thing he wasn’t a matchmaker because he would suck at it. But, as he thought about his own life, he realized he sucked at it anyway. Because he hadn’t had much luck with relationships either.

  His phone rang, and he pulled it out. “Mason, they’re both in the hospital. They’ll both need at least a week off,” he said. “Warrick cracked the damn cast off his ankle running down the guy who beat the crap out of Penny and put her in the hospital. And, of course, she’s got a triple head injury so …” He let his voice run down.

  Mason chuckled. “I’m sure there are a lot of reasons for the bed rest. I certainly don’t have any problems with him getting it.”

  “Right? Honestly I’m jealous as hell,” Tanner announced. He turned and walked down the hall, giving the two a little privacy. “Although I’ve had more than enough of hospitals for a while.”

  “Yep, me too,” Mason said. “Since Warrick will be off on medical leave for at least another couple weeks, we need you back full-time.”

  “I only had two days off,” Tanner said. “I have to admit, they’ve been pretty full days.” He took a step around a laundry cart and also a group of people before he could speak again. “What are we up to next?”

  “Paragliding. Trying out new harness designs. We’ll do three or four jumps tomorrow, if we can get them in. Will work on these for the next couple days.”

  Tanner grinned. “Awesome. I love jumping. Seems like I never get enough of it.”

  “Or when we do any,” Mason said with a laugh, “it’s nighttime, and we’re in silent mode, jumping into unfriendly foreign terrain.”

  Tanner nodded. “Isn’t that the truth? So where will we be jumping tomorrow?”

  “In California,” Mason said. “Sorry about that. Nothing exotic for you.”

  “Hey, that’s okay. Who’s doing the training?”

  Mason hesitated. “The message I got said it’s a new trainer.”

  “Who is he?”

  “Wynn Rider.” He hesitated, then said, “W-Y-N-N.”

  Tanner stopped. “Really?”

  “Do you know him?”

  “Nope,” Tanner said. “Because it’s not a him. It’s a her.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep, I saw her working with some other guys. I heard she’s really good. But no one from our unit has had a chance to work with her yet.”

  “Tomorrow you’re it. This time you get to check her out first. Maybe she’ll suit you.”

  “Nah, I doubt it. Besides, if somebody suits me, chances are it’s not somebody who’s good for me. I watched Warrick and Penny come together. I’m not sure I would even recognize what suits me anymore.”

  “Leave it in the hands of fate,” Mason said. “It hasn’t failed us yet.”

  This concludes Book 17 of SEALs of Honor: Warrick.

  Read about Tanner: SEALs of Honor, Book 18

  SEALs of Honor: Tanner (Book #18)

  Tanner Kosta is the newest member of the team. Active in sports, particularly aerial types, he’s training with a new military harness used in paragliding. The design was developed by Wynn Rider and her brother. As they run two SEAL teams through rigid training, Wynn’s glider fails mid-flight, sending her plummeting toward the ground. Only Tanner’s quick thinking saves her life—though it doesn’t save her from losing her job.

  Wynn used to compete professionally in the cutthroat paragliding industry before she walked away from it, but this accident is by far the worst she’s ever had. Separating her gratitude from the growing attraction is nearly impossible.

  Tanner has heard the old adage that saving a life makes you responsible for it. Having admired Wynn’s career when she was a professional paraglider, he’s more than a little interested in keeping a close eye on the fascinating lovely who almost literally fell in his lap.

  When Wynn realizes her equipment had been sabotaged, she’s worried her past has come back to haunt her. Tanner may be the only one who can help her against someone who’s determined to put her and her brother out of business…permanently.

  Book 18 is available now!

  To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Warrick: SEALs of Honor, Book 17! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.

  Dear reader,

  I love to hear from readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on BookBub. And if you are interested in joining Dale Mayer’s Fan Club, here is the Facebook sign up page.

  Cheers,

  Dale Mayer

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  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and C
harmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

  She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

  Connect with Dale Mayer Online

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  WARRICK: SEALS OF HONOR, BOOK 17

  Dale Mayer

  Valley Publishing

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-773360-72-0

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