Bonnie Vanak - Shielded By The Cowboy Seal

The SOS Agency grants one Navy SEAL his most personal mission yet...

Home on leave at his family farm, Navy SEAL Cooper Johnson receives an unexpected assignment: to protect a beautiful socialite on the run from her abusive ex. Grieving his kid sister, a brave cop killed in the line of duty due to a faulty bulletproof vest, Coop is in no mood for work—until he meets Meg Taylor. Soon, he finds that riding the land, lovely Meg safe beside him, is a surprising comfort to his heart. But when he discovers Meg’s dark past—and the evidence she possesses that her ex would kill to keep buried—it will take both the cowboy and SEAL within him to get the ultimate justice.

This was a man who wouldn’t hurt her. Every bone in her body sensed this. He would die before raising a hand to strike her.

Perhaps even die fighting to keep her safe from others who did. Cooper Johnson was a Navy SEAL who had sacrificed much for his country, and his code of honor extended far beyond his military service.

In the end, he broke the kiss, drawing in a deep sigh, the blue of his gaze darkened. Trembling, Meg stared up at him, licking her lips.

He pressed a finger against her wet mouth.

“Don’t do that. Makes me want to kiss you all over again.”

“What’s stopping you?”

A rueful grin touched his own mouth. Cooper tugged at the jeans that obviously felt too tight. “A certain something that’s urging me to do more than kiss you.”

* * *

We hope you enjoyed this exciting installment in the SOS Agency miniseries!

* * *

If you’re on Twitter, tell us what you think of Harlequin Romantic Suspense! #harlequinromsuspense

Dear Reader,

Who doesn’t want a sexy cowboy Navy SEAL to come riding into her life to save her from the villain?

Meg Taylor doesn’t.

Meg is a wealthy, but penniless, woman on the run from an abusive ex-husband who controls all her money. Meg wants justice, but the last thing she wants is hunky Navy SEAL Cooper to protect her.

Cooper Johnson is on leave from the Navy and takes Meg in as a favor to Jarrett Adler, whose SOS underground railroad promises Meg safe shelter. The troubled beauty shatters all his barriers and threatens the one thing he fears most—losing his heart.

Domestic abuse is a crime that is too often hidden in the shadows of real life. Many women are afraid to leave their abusive partners. In past travels for my day job, I’ve met poor women who were battered and abused by their husbands, and I’ve worked with nongovernmental organizations that aid these victims. When the survivors have the means to leave their abusive homes and start a new life, their transformation is a wonderful thing to behold. They blossom like sunflowers, always looking upward at the light, instead of at the darkness of their past.

Meg and Cooper were two characters I enjoyed creating: a heroine and hero who deserve their happy ending. I hope you enjoy their love story—one of courage and loyalty, and learning to have faith in each other.

Happy reading!

Bonnie Vanak

Shielded by the Cowboy Seal

Bonnie Vanak

www.millsandboon.co.uk

* New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author BONNIE VANAKis passionate about romance novels and telling stories. A former newspaper reporter, she worked as a journalist for a large international charity for several years, traveling to countries such as Haiti to report on the sufferings of the poor. Bonnie lives in Florida with her husband, Frank, and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She loves to hear from readers. She can be reached through her website, bonnievanak.com.

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

In memory of Lora Celmer-Donato,

who couldn’t escape.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Extract

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

The late-autumn snowstorm promised to be a killer and her car was dead.

Fat flakes swirled lazily in the wind outside the battered 2010 sedan. A curtain of darkness had fallen, turning the pretty country road ink black. She should have checked the battery before leaving Florida. Certainly it would have saved her from being stranded here on a lonely stretch of New Hampshire road.

Meg August—no, she was Meg Taylor now; the “August” part of her life was back in Palm Beach with her soon-to-be ex-husband—tried the engine again. Nothing. She turned and looked at her traveling companion. “Well, Sophie, looks like we are up a particular creek without a paddle or a life raft.”

Woof!

Snug inside her pink-and-black Louis Vuitton dog purse, Sophie licked her hand. Shivering, Meg patted the dog’s head. She’d stopped to let Sophie out for a rest break and the car had died. The icy rain had turned to snow, but not before soaking her blue suede jacket. Perfect for chilly nights in south Florida. Not so perfect for this.

Meg removed the wet jacket and tossed it onto the backseat. Clad only in a thin yellow sweater and black linen trousers, she kept shivering. She went to rub her arms and winced.

Her left arm still felt tender. Prescott’s fists had landed there two weeks ago, shortly after she confronted him about her discovery that he’d shipped out defective body gear manufactured by Combat Gear Inc., the company she’d founded to provide quality, low-cost body armor to US soldiers and law enforcement personnel. Not only did he authorize the shipments months ago, but he’d filed the incorporation papers for Combat Gear Inc. with her first and middle initials, Margaret Elizabeth, and her maiden name, Franklin, as the CEO.

She was the one responsible for any deaths resulting from use of those vests. She had to make this terrible wrong right.

Prescott disagreed. When she’d threatened to call the authorities, he beat her. The bruises were myriad rainbow colors instead of black. She could silently endure his growing rages.

But she would not stand for others getting hurt because of her product.

She’d called her former college roommate, Lacey Adler. Asking for help was the hardest thing she’d had to do since burying her grandmother a week ago. Lacey told her about her charity that helped women flee their abusive husbands.

She’d asked for a safe house in New England, and Lacey had given her directions to a remote farmhouse in New Hampshire. Cooper Johnson, a Navy SEAL friend of Lacey’s husband, Jarrett, agreed to give her shelter through Project SOS Securities, his security firm.