Down and Dirty

By Kimberley Troutte

DOWN AND DIRTY
SEAL EXtreme Team – Short Story

Final request…

SEAL Lieutenant Commander Nick Talley keeps promises, but taking care of a teammate’s sister is a vow he should not have made. How can a man tortured by the past, help a woman fight her tough future?

Broken dreams…

Ironman qualifier, Jill Connors, is counting the days until her brother brings handsome Nick home with him. But a buried IED takes her brother’s life and a drunk driver steals her competition hopes. Will Nick want a woman with only one foot?

Love has a way of healing the wounded…one muddy step at a time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kimberley Troutte
• Release date: May 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781498917469

Book preview

Table of Contents

DOWN AND DIRTY | SEAL EXtreme Team – Short Story | by | Kimberley Troutte

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Warrior Mud Run

Acknowledgements

About the Author

DOWN AND DIRTY

SEAL EXtreme Team – Short Story

by

Kimberley Troutte

––––––––

Final request...

SEAL Lieutenant Commander Nick Talley keeps promises, but taking care of a teammate’s sister is a vow he should’ve made. How can a man tortured by the past, help a woman fight her tough future?

Broken dreams...

Ironman qualifier, Jill Connors, is counting the days until her brother brings handsome Nick home with him. But a buried IED takes her brother’s life and a drunk driver steals her competition hopes. Will Nick want a woman with only one foot?

Love has a way of healing the wounded...one muddy step at a time

.

Dedicated to the brave men and women who serve in the U.S. Military. You are my heroes.

Chapter One

––––––––

Steps. Shit, there had to be a dozen of them leading up to the hospital entrance. Coming straight from the funeral, Lieutenant Commander Nick Talley was still in his naval dress uniform. He’d be damned if anyone caught him using the wheelchair access. As he hoisted himself up the steps, one grunt at a time, a SEAL motto ran through his brain—The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.

Today was proving to be a helluva hard day.

Wiping the sweat off his lip, he took a deep breath and flinched. His ribs were just bruised, but hell, he’d broken bones that hadn't hurt this badly. Plus, he ached in places no one could see. At the top of the steps, he steeled himself for what he'd find inside. The glass doors opened, and the pungent odor of disinfectant hit his nose. He hated hospitals almost as much as gravesites. Did fate have to keep punching him in the balls?

At the Information Desk, a little old lady who resembled his Granny Mo—blue hair and all—was head down in her crossword puzzle. The tag stuck off-kilter to her yellow sweater read: Hi! I’m Lucille. Can I help you?

Excuse me, ma’am. I’m looking for a woman they brought in this morning. Car accident.

Heavens! She smiled up at him, pressing her gnarled fingers to her chest. Seeing a handsome man in his blues does my heart good. Real good. My husband was a Navy man too, God rest his soul. Now, what was the patient’s name?

Jill Connor.

Let’s see. Squinting at the computer, she dragged her arthritic fingers slowly down the list of hospital patients. Yes. Here she is. Oh.  Her lower lip trembled. Dear.

A fist strangled his vocal cords. She didn’t survive the accident?

Now, don’t think the worst. She’s had surgery, which means her visitors are restricted. The woman rose and came around the desk. Taking his arm, she said quietly, You might not be able to see her today unless you are an immediate family member. Are you family, Lieutenant Commander?

Nick didn’t answer. He knew better than to lie

Reviews for Down and Dirty

[nancynova · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Too much packed into a novella length book. The author tried to handle before the couple met, the accident, hospitalization, post hospitalization and running the marathon all in one swoop. Focusing on just one area would have made for a much better novella.I received a copy of this book for free from the author.

[malin0johanna · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I first started reading this book I thought that this is going to be an amazing story but was very disappointed when it abruptly ended. Indeed it was a very, very short story and I felt like it was missing so much in between. If the story had just maybe one or two more chapters it would of felt complete. Other than that it was great, but just to short and lacking in the story.I was given a copy from the author for an honest review.

[lexiesmom-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a simple love conquers all love story. Jill had a foot amputated after being injured by a drunken driver and this puts an end to her dream of competing in an ironman race. Nick suffering from PTSD, promised Julies dying brother, a comrade in arms that he would care for her. This was oversimplified. While I commend the author for bringing two very real problems to people's attention their recoveries were in no way realistic. PTSD is very real, 22 veterans a day kill themselves because of this condition. I know it's fiction but neither of this conditions are overcome this simply. It sets false expectations.I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for this review.

[medavis66 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent short story! The descriptive details of Nick's flashbacks were very real. The emotions were very raw. I was proud of him when he wanted to get help to heal himself to pursue a relationship and come back to Jill. He is a man of his word.

[kmt01_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Despite its short length, I found Down and Dirty a compelling read. Nick has seen action in the worst of places ad times and has seen his best friend die from and IED explosion right before his eyes. As his friend was dying, he asked Nick to take care of his sister. Nick agreed. He already knew her through Skype interactions during his tour. When he arrives home, Nick finds Jill Connor has been in a debilitating car accident and rushes to the hospital to see her. What follows is a truly amazing and heartfelt story of their love and their courage, each to face their own demons alone and later together. A short story cannot give the reader the satisfaction of a fully developed and expanded plot or romance, with events often occurring so quickly they make the reader feel as if they were rushed and are incomplete. The author has managed to develop the plot and the characters well in a short time, pulling the reader into the story quickly as well as holding the reader’s attention. The story of Nick and Jill can easily be expanded into a full length novel, as there are many facets of the story the author can expand and develop. I have not read any other works by this author, but, if this story is a good example, I will be looking for them. I think anyone who enjoys a good, simple romance embedded with a healthy dose of courage and reality, will enjoy this story. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you are looking for a well written short love story based on two wounded people overcoming the difficulties they are facing then this is a story that you will enjoy. A traumatized Navy Seal and his buddy’s triathlete sister injured in an automobile accident are the two main characters in this story. Much emotion is invoked in the few pages this story occupies.