Shooting the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Five more shots and he set the gun down. The attendant pushed a stuffed rabbit at Gage, which he handed to Anna.
     
    Anna rubbed the rabbit’s ears. “No one’s ever won a prize for me.”
     
    He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. She grabbed his hand. “Look, hand-dipped ice cream. My treat.”
     
    “Aren’t you stuffed yet?”
     
    “Hey, I burned a lot of calories today,” she told him and pulled him toward the vendor. Anna ordered two cones, Gage amended that to one, telling her, “We’ll share.” He left her juggling rabbit and cone, but he kept his hand on the small of her back.
     
    They wandered the carnival. It smelled like cotton candy and childhood, Anna thought. And it was getting late. The booths were starting to close, the lights were shutting down, the music clicked off.
     
    Gage steered her toward where he’d parked the truck. She slowed her pace. Looking down at her, he asked, “Something wrong?”
     
    She heard the tension in his voice and knew he’d gone on alert. Smiling, she shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s just that I had such a great time, I can’t believe…this day has been so weird.”
     
    At the car next to Gage’s truck, a little girl stood rubbing tears from her eyes, staring up at a man who had to be her dad. “Melissa, I’m sorry. We got here too late.”
     
    Anna didn’t hear what else her father had to say. She glanced at her rabbit, and bent down. “Excuse me. Melissa? This rabbit just happened to jump into my arms over there. He said he was looking for a little girl named Melissa—would that be you?”
     
    Melissa’s eyes widened. She glanced at her dad and back at Anna. “I’m Melissa. How did the rabbit know?” she asked in awe.
     
    “He’s a very smart rabbit. But he needs a good home. Think you can give him one?”
     
    The girl nodded, curls bobbing. Taking the rabbit, she hugged it to her. Her dad nudged her. “What do you say, Melissa?”
     
    “Thank you,” she murmured, her mouth pressed to the rabbit.
     
    Anna watched father and daughter get into the car—she still missed her dad so much. She turned to find Gage watching her, eyes narrowed, his mouth set in a line. “What?” she asked. “It’s not like I had room at home for it. Are you mad at me for giving away your prize?”
     
    He shook his head and put his hand on the small of her back again. “You did a good thing, Anna Middleton. And now I think I’d better take you home—you look dead on your feet.”
     
    She frowned. “Don’t say things like that, Gage. Death’s not something to joke about.”
     
    He shrugged. “You either joke about it or it beats you down. I’m going to opt for the former.”
     

Chapter 6
    Gage was working up a sweat on the punching bag. He had been unable to get the information he wanted, he hadn’t so much as gotten a goodnight kiss from Anna, and now he had his face on the news. Not good when he’d been told to stay out of sight.
     
    He’d left his cellphone at home after special investigations had left a message, asking him to return to the base for questioning. He’d also grabbed a bag and had checked into a hotel, and now he was taking advantage of their exercise room. It was a good one. He’d try to see Anna later, after she finished looking over the wreckage of her office.
     
    Anna. The only good thing to come from all of this. Maybe.
     
    He still didn’t know how she was involved in any of this—only that she was a woman who gave away a prize won for her to a little girl who needed it more that she did.
     
    Spinning around, he delivered a series of roundhouse kicks that left him gasping for breath. He still had no lead on Natalie, and he sure as hell didn’t need investigators breathing down his neck over what had happened at Coran Williams publishing. It was time for a new strategy. That meant he needed Anna, but he didn’t want her thinking that was the only reason why he wanted to see her. Especially after