GINA WILKINS - The Soldier's Legacy

He’s an ex-marine with so much to prove...

Ex-marine Trevor Farrell is a classic workaholic. Which means he has a successful chain of resorts...and an empty house. So having Jade Evans, the widow of a war hero, and her three kids stay with him while their new home gets renovated is no problem. For a few weeks anyway.

Trevor admires Jade’s determination to give her kids a good life. For years, he’s only needed to focus on himself. And yet spending time with Jade leaves him yearning for more. But after being married to a genuine hero, why would she want a man who never saw active duty? If Trevor wants a life with Jade and her family, he’ll need to prove to her—and himself—that he deserves it.

Before she even learned to read, GINA WILKINS announced that she wanted to be a writer. That dream never wavered, though she worked briefly in advertising and human resources. Influenced by her mother’s love of classic Harlequin romances, she knew she wanted her stories to always have happy endings. She met her husband in her first college English class and they’ve been married for more than thirty-five years, blessed with two daughters and a son. They also have two delightful grandchildren. After more than one hundred books with Harlequin, she will always be a fan of romance and a believer in happy endings.

Also By Gina Wilkins Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Epilogue Extract

Soldiers and Single Moms

The Soldier’s Forever Family

The Way to a Soldier’s Heart

Proposals & Promises

The Boss’s Marriage Plan

A Reunion and a Ring

The Bachelor’s Little Bonus

Bride Mountain

Healed with a Kiss

A Proposal at the Wedding

Matched by Moonlight

A Match for the Single Dad

The Texan’s Surprise Baby

The Right Twin

His Best Friend’s Wife

Husband for a Weekend

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The Soldier’s Legacy

Gina Wilkins

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08106-1

THE SOLDIER’S LEGACY

© 2018 Gina Wilkins

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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“Anything that might develop between us has to be strictly casual. No strings or expectations—and no involving our families.”

Whoa. Was she suggesting—?

Jade smiled, and Trevor felt his throat close. “Just in case something should happen,” she murmured.

“Something...like this?” With a grin and a rare surrender to impulse, he reached out with his right hand to snag the back of her neck. She made no effort to draw back when he lowered his head—and he would have stopped immediately if she had. Instead, she met him halfway, seemingly as curious as he.

The kiss was light, carefully restrained. Just an exploratory meeting of lips, a brief, testing sample. Jade tasted exactly as he’d expected: sweet, with just a touch of spice beneath. Had it not been for the resented crutches, he’d have moved closer to prove that the rest of her felt as good against him.

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Epilogue Extract ,

Coming from a large family with many distinguished veterans among the generations, I married the son of a career army/air force veteran who served in two wars, and we live near the US Air Force base in central Arkansas. I have a great regard for those who have served in the military. I’ve seen the scars, both physical and emotional, that remain after that service ends, and I was intrigued by the idea of writing a series of romances with veteran heroes, each with his own issues to overcome before finding his happily-ever-after destiny. I’ve also seen the dedication required by the loved ones who keep the home fires burning while their warriors are away.

The Soldiers and Single Moms trilogy came from that initial idea. And, as a mother of three now-grown “kids” and grandmother of two little boys, I always enjoy writing about the rewards and challenges of parenthood. I’ve loved spending time with the characters I’ve grown to know during their journeys in these three books—and I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting them along the way!

Happy reading!

Gina

As always, for John, who has been with me through forty years of marriage, raising a family and more than a hundred books. I couldn’t have done any of it without him!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text He’s an ex-marine with so much to prove... Ex-marine Trevor Farrell is a classic workaholic. Which means he has a successful chain of resorts...and an empty house. So having Jade Evans, the widow of a war hero, and her three kids stay with him while their new home gets renovated is no problem. For a few weeks anyway. Trevor admires Jade’s determination to give her kids a good life. For years, he’s only needed to focus on himself. And yet spending time with Jade leaves him yearning for more. But after being married to a genuine hero, why would she want a man who never saw active duty? If Trevor wants a life with Jade and her family, he’ll need to prove to her—and himself—that he deserves it.

About the Author Before she even learned to read, GINA WILKINS announced that she wanted to be a writer. That dream never wavered, though she worked briefly in advertising and human resources. Influenced by her mother’s love of classic Harlequin romances, she knew she wanted her stories to always have happy endings. She met her husband in her first college English class and they’ve been married for more than thirty-five years, blessed with two daughters and a son. They also have two delightful grandchildren. After more than one hundred books with Harlequin, she will always be a fan of romance and a believer in happy endings.