OUT OF UNIFORM

"Wingmen Warriors" series

By

Catherine Mann

Silhouette Romantic Suspense

February 2008

CHAPTER ONE 

“Hell’s bells, here comes Betty Crocker in a bustier.”  Tech Sergeant Jacob “Mako” Stone pitched his remote control onto his family’s motel check-in counter and took a second look at the walking contradiction in the parking lot.

Washington winter winds whipped sleet and snow sideways, the icy sheet parting before encircling a shivering woman.  She stumbled, righted her spiked heels and hobbled toward the main office of the rundown motel where Jacob had grown up.

Now, he only planned to stick around long enough to get his teenage – orphaned – sister’s life in order before he returned to his career as an Air Force in-flight mechanic.  Okay, so he was technically on sick leave while his arm recovered from a line-of-duty bullet.  But he hoped to be back in his flight suit, tooling around the sky with his C-17 buddies in two more weeks.

Fourteen days certain to be jam-packed settling his sister’s life – and his old man’s near bankrupt “estate.”

All of which should be enough for his plate.  Pulling his gaze off the woman, Jacob adjusted his healing arm in the sling with a wince and shifted his attention to the Dr. Phil rerun again in hopes the shrink could offer up some insights on how to help a teenager with an infant get her life on track.  Fixing his sister’s situation seemed harder than keeping a multi-million dollar military aircraft in smooth working order.

Still, curiosity hauled his gaze right back the parking lot as the woman’s coat flapped open.  That slinky dress, racy red lingerie peeking free with each stormy gust, just didn’t match the Junior League face.

She huddled inside her coat and started up the office steps.  She probably needed to call a friend, and the phones were out.

The woman wrapped her arms around her willowy body and tucked her head into the storm.  She must be from room sixteen, since his only other customer had been a horse rancher who’d checked out an hour ago.  Jacob hadn’t seen the woman up close when she’d arrived the night before.  She’d been slumped asleep in the car while “Mr. Smith” had paid cash for their room.

Jacob glanced toward the parking spaces.  Mr. Smith’s white Suburban was long gone, snow already piling in the tire ruts.

Damn.

Sympathy and frustration stuttered through Jacob like the bullets that had come his way during a simple assignment hauling a congressional entourage around Europe .  Apparently this woman’s wild night out on the tiny town hadn’t unfolded as planned.

Double damn.  Already he could feel warrior instincts honed in bloody battle zones stirring to life within him.

Jacob pushed to his feet, snagging his remote control from beside the television.  Extending his arm, he thumbed the remote, silencing Dr. Phil.

He might not be wearing his uniform, and the woman may not need his help.  But that wouldn’t stop him from throwing himself in the middle of her problems when she came through the door.  The only way to ensure she went out the door all the faster...

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt from the book: OUT OF UNIFORM

By Catherine Mann 

Silhouette Romantic Suspense, February 2008

ISBN: 0373275714

© 2008 by Catherine Mann