Small Town SEAL's Saving Grace: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 45) Read online

  SMALL TOWN SEAL’S SAVING GRACE

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 45

  FLORA FERRARI

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Small Town SEAL's Saving Grace

  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

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Series

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2018 by Flora Ferrari.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  Book 1: Baby Lust

  Book 2: Veteran

  Book 3: Built

  Book 4: Bambino

  Book 5: Rescued

  Book 6: Leader

  Book 7: Professor

  Book 8: Burned

  Book 9: Worldly

  Book 10: Pistol

  Book 11: Policed

  Book 12: Driven

  Book 13: Lucky 13

  Book 14: Lumberjacked

  Book 15: Protector

  Book 16: Carpenter

  Book 17: Italian Stallion

  Book 18: Gardener

  Book 19: Budapest Billionaire’s Virgin

  Book 20: Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 21: Cocky CFO

  Book 22: Fireman’s Filthy 4th

  Book 23: Mechanic

  Book 24: SEAL’s Secret

  Book 25: Police, Pooch, and Smooch

  Book 26: Fireman’s Fake Fiancée

  Book 27: Billionaire’s Virgin Ballerina

  Book 28: Bitcoin Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 29: Veterans Day Daddy

  Book 30: Cowboy’s Christmas Carol

  Book 31: Police Officer’s Princess

  Book 32: Statham

  Book 33: Bodyguard

  Book 34: Greek God

  Book 35: Billionaire Single Dad's Babysitter

  Book 36: Mountain Man

  Book 37: SEAL’s Justice

  Book 38: Royal Romance

  Book 39: Doctor Mountain Man’s Special Delivery

  Book 40: Crocodile Dan D

  Book 41: Mountain Man’s Secret Baby

  Book 42: Doctor Bad Boy’s Secret Baby

  Book 43: Cop’s Babysitter

  Book 44: Nanny for the Cop Next Door

  Book 45: Small Town SEAL’s Saving Grace

  Book 46: Cop’s Fake Fiancée

  Book 47: Billionaire’s Nanny

  Book 48: Cowboy’s Babysitter

  SMALL TOWN SEAL’S SAVING GRACE

  Caleb Callahan is an older man and a Navy SEAL. He’s tall with rugged good looks and a rock hard body. A perfect exterior. But inside he's damaged…carrying a burden too big to bear.

  The Navy sends him on a break to clear his head, which leads him to a small town miles away.

  But his mind wanders back. To Kandahar. To his missions. To his Navy SEAL brothers.

  Until her…a younger woman Caleb’s got his sights set on like no one ever before.

  Fate brings Grace and Caleb together, but will the feelings they have for each other burn so strong that they threaten to tear them apart?

  In this small town where everybody knows everything about everyone will Caleb battle his greatest challenge alone or will Grace break down his walls and become his trusted ally? His confidant. His lover.

  What neither one of them counted on was falling for the other. But that might be just what they need. Each other.

  *Small Town SEAL’s Saving Grace is an insta-everything standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

  **This one is pretty wholesome and not steamy compared to other stories in the series. Without giving away too much, it's mostly a story about two people coming together to make the world a better place which in turn helps a returning veteran work through tough times.

  CHAPTER 1

  I wanted her the first second I saw her. She was sitting on the bride’s side. By herself. As a groomsman I had a view of everyone in the church. She was the only one I saw. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  I made my move at the reception.

  “Care to dance?” I ask.

  “I don’t really––”

  I scoop up her hand in mine and raise my hand lifting her from her seat.

  “Oh––”

  We dance on the grass near the gazebo. The bride and groom had decided to have the reception outside. A perfect choice. Seventy-seven degrees. The smell of fresh air. I didn’t know how the barman would be able to keep up with the demands for rosé spritzers and cosmos from the ladies and vodka tonics, jack and cokes, and beers from the guys.

  After three dances I take her to the photo booth. We take some silly photos and then jumped back out to wait for the prints. In the first one we make serious faces. The second I gave her “the tiger claw.” She’s laughing. In the third she has a look of shock as I bite her earlobe. In the fourth she leans on my shoulder with her right hand and snuck in bunny ears behind my head with her left. We laugh.

  “You’re quite the spontaneous one,” she says.

  “Not the first time I’ve been told that. I take it as a compliment. See something you want and go for it.” I tell her.

  “And what exactly do you want?” she asks.

  “I want to make memories today that will last forever. To enjoy my brother’s wedding. To live in the moment.” He may not be my blood brother, but we became brothers through the obstacles we’ve overcome in life and the knowledge that we’d die in battle for each other. That and I’ve been in this town enough to visit him and other SEALs that I feel like a real member of the family.

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  “I think so.”

  “So this living in the moment plan. What comes next?”

  “This.” I grab her by the waist with my left hand and the side of her face with my right. I dipped her back and kiss her hard on the lips. The moment our lips touch she seems shocked, but quickly I feel her return the kiss. I pull her back upright.

  “Well. I guess that definitely qualifies as living in the moment.” She says.

  “I would say so. Care for another drink?”

  “Let’s.” We refill at the outdoors bar and make our way back to the dance floor. We dance, drink,
play games, eat cake, and enjoy the perfect day. Time passes quickly. I’m having the time of my life. Soon it’s the golden hour. My favorite time of the day. Those last 90 minutes of sun before it sets for the day. The last few years I have always tried to spend those last 90 minutes by myself. Reflecting on the day. Appreciating being alive. Thankful for my brothers. My team. My family. The freedoms that our country offers. Watching the sunset over the Middle East desert. Those memories are still all too fresh. Today I want to forget them. Even if just for one day.

  “The house is beautiful, have you seen it?” I ask.

  “No, but I’d love to.” She says.

  I take her by the hand and we go inside. It’s a beautiful house. A craftsman with plenty of wood and brick. It’s more than a house. It’s truly a home.

  “My guest room is upstairs. You can see the entire backyard and into the hills from the window. I’ll show you.”

  The minute we enter the room it’s obvious there would be no admiring the view from afar. The views to be admired would be each other. As soon as the door shuts I have her against the wall. Hands wandering. Tongues exploring each other’s mouths. She lifts up my shirt and feels my abs.

  “Wow. There really is such a thing as a 12 pack.” She says.

  “You can’t drink this 12 pack, but you can definitely put it to your lips.” She kneels down and kisses the middle of my abs moving upward. Right along the crease that defines the muscles.

  “You’re like a bronzed sculpture.”

  “And you’re like the Grand Prix of Monaco. Elegant with curves in all the right places.” She looks up at my eyes. Stands up, puts both hands on my face and kisses me hard. Her back arched. A moan escaping her lips.

  Three taps come from the door. Someone is knocking.

  “Caleb, open up you son-of-a-gun. I know you’re in there.”

  I try my best high-pitched voice. “Caleb’s out fighting bad guys. Come back later.”

  “We’re doing the bouquet toss. We need Grace.”

  “Grace, huh?” I say.

  “You never asked.” She says.

  “I like it. It rolls off the tongue well. You don’t hear it every day.”

  “I think a lot of things are happening to me today that definitely don’t happen every day.”

  We hold each other’s eyes. Trying not to be the to first laugh, but we both lose it at the same time.

  “We’ll be right there.”

  “Hurry. We’re about to start.”

  Grace straightens her dress and I tuck my shirt back in. We head back outside and rejoined the reception. Late afternoon turns to evening and evening turns to night. Before I know it most of the guests have gone. Grace is nowhere to be found. She hadn’t even said good-bye. Grace wasn’t going to be mine, yet. At least not tonight. Although I wanted her now, I knew I wanted more than just that. We had only spent the afternoon together, but it was the most enjoyable afternoon I’d had in months and I had her to thank for that. Now I had to find her.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Wake up, Uncle Caleb. We’re going to be late!” Jill had snuck into my room and was five inches from my face.

  I really need to remember to lock my door. Not for my own benefit, but for others. I was still a little jumpy after everything that had happened on my last deployment and it wasn’t a good idea to wake me suddenly.

  “Late for what? The fish aren’t going to be biting today.”

  “Very funny. Come on!”

  “Oh. I almost forgot. You wanted to help me mow the lawn. You’re right. We should get started.”

  “Uncle Caleb!”

  “Ok, ok, ok. Just let me jump in the shower and we’re out of here.”

  “Yay!”

  Jill is a great kid. I think she enjoyed my teasing almost as much as I enjoyed teasing her.

  We jump in the Jeep and make our way to Northwest Elementary School. There were balloons and signs everywhere out front. Welcome Parents, the biggest of the signs displayed above the front entrance.

  We entered and were greeted with a welcome bag, and an energy drink. When they handed me the energy drink I froze. The guys on my team had been addicted to these things. Myself included for a time. It was bad enough we were drinking them as adults, but they were handing them out to kids? It even looked like some sort of sponsorship. I made a mental note to talk to somebody about that.

  Jill gave me a tour of the school. Right as she was finishing the bell rang, meaning we had 10 minutes to make it to her class.

  “It’s down this way, Uncle Caleb. Hurry, we don’t want to be late.”

  As we turn the corner Jill races off down the hallway. At the end of the hall she is scooped up by a young woman in a big hug. Jill turns to me and motions for me to come faster. I continue walking. My eyes fixed on the woman who is hugging Jill. She looks very familiar.

  “Caleb?”

  “Tara. It’s been a long time. How are you?”

  “Wow. I’m great. Didn’t expect to see you here today. Didn’t expect to see you ever, actually. Sorry, that was rude. I just didn’t notice your name on the list. I heard you were in the military overseas. Someone said Special Forces, but I have no idea what that really means or if it’s true.”

  “Some of it’s true. I was overseas. I’m back now. Catching up with everyone. We’ll see how it goes.”

  “Sounds interesting. Well, it’s great to have you here today. If you and Jill want to take your seats we’re about to begin.”

  “Will do.”

  The room was full of proud parents. There were packets strategically placed at each table corresponding to the names. The packet contained a lot of Jill’s best work from a number of different subjects. There were drawings, math, a ribbon she’d won with her kickball team, and some short writings.

  The kids all took turns reading one of their writings in front of the entire class. The subject of their writing was 10 Reasons Why My Parents are Special to Me. The kids seemed to all read each of the items then look at their parents with a smile and affection. It was nice, but reminded me a little too much of a Dave Letterman Top 10 List.

  Eventually it was Jill’s turn. She proudly marched up to the front of the class.

  “Hello. My name is Jill Jackson, and these are my 10 reasons why my parents are special to me.” She says.

  “Number 10. Sometimes, when I’m not sure what to do I just look up to heaven and ask my mom. She always tells me to do what is right and to help other people. Then I feel better and my decision is easy.”

  The whole room goes quiet. I can see some of the woman almost immediately begin to tear up. Although it obviously isn't a problem for her, I didn’t know how deep Jill was going to go with these answers. Her first answer was already a zinger.

  “Number 9. Sometimes there are people who can’t fight for themselves and they need somebody to help them. My daddy does that and doesn’t ask for anything in return. It taught me to do things only out of kindness and from the heart and not because you expect something in return.”

  I always knew Jill as an energetic kid. I didn’t know she wrote and spoke so well. The whole room was focused on her. Waiting to hear what she had next.

  “Number 8. My dad always says when the going gets tough, get tougher. Never let ‘em see you sweat. Prior practice prevents poor performance. What he means is to always be prepared, and then be prepared some more. When he was helping me learn soccer he made me run a lot. One day I asked him why I had to run so much. Why can’t I just practice soccer? He said, champions are made in the fourth quarter.”

  A few of the men sat up in their chairs and nodded approvingly.

  “Number 7. I never got to know my mom, but she bought some insurance in case anything bad ever happened when she was away. That way I would have the chance to pursue my dreams. I would rather have my mom, but I am thankful she was always thinking about me and her gift is still with me today. Every day.”

  At this point there were only a few dry eyes left in
the room. The welcome gift bags hadn’t come equipped with tissues.

  “Number 6. One time around Christmas I told my dad we had to give two canned goods to help people without food. He told me to pick from the pantry. I brought back canned peas and canned beets. They had been in the pantry for a long time. I never wanted to eat them. He asked if that’s what I wanted to give. I told him yes. Then he told me to go pick out some things for dinner. I went and got my favorite kind of canned peaches and spicy canned fish for sandwiches. He asked me if that’s what I wanted for dinner. I said yes. Then he opened the peas and beets and put them on two plates. He handed one to me and kept one for himself. He didn’t even heat them up. I told him he had mixed up the food. He said he hadn't mixed them up. I had. Christmas was the time to give, not to discard. There was no value in giving something I didn’t want. Probably the person who would have received the peas and beets would be happier, but they’d be a lot happier with peaches and fish, which had protein. My dad said if you give a gift, always make sure it’s truly a gift. Something thoughtful and something the other person would actually want and enjoy. He’s right.”