It Started on a Back Road: A Sweet and Sexy Novella: The Delta North Team Small Town Military Romance Novella Series: Soldiers Coming Home, #3

By Susan Saxx

TWO Delta North Team series with all your favorite characters...a third DNT series coming soon!

 

He's a soldier, bound by rules.
She's an artist, dying for freedom.

 

Danica Danstead needs to get away from her life in the Big Apple. So when she visits her best friend Abby in the northern town of Jack's Bay, she expects peace and quiet. But she gets anything but. She finds herself smack in the middle of a bunch of former Delta North soldiers. She's good with all of them…except for Parker Bowles.

 

Parker Bowles has a heart as big as the northern Ontario outdoors he loves so much. The former Special Ops soldier is perplexed at the small woman's reaction to him. Yet something about her draws him. He can't help but keep a special eye on the lonely, yet unpredictable Danica from NY—no matter what she says. Or does.

 

But when her actions take a surprise turn…he'll have to follow his heart, despite the rules…

 

This book is part of the Delta North NOVELLA Collection. Be sure to check out the Delta North Main series, starting with A Real Man: The First Miracle.

Sign up for Susan's newsletter, on her site, to get release info about the new series, featuring the newly formed Delta North Security Force!

 

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THE DELTA NORTH TEAM
Small Town Military Romance Series:
Soldiers Coming Home

 

A band of brothers was forged to provide military support for critical missions, with men from two countries: the U.S. and Canada, in the spirit of their forerunner, The Devil's Brigade. With the handle The Delta North Special Ops Team, these soldiers sweat and worked together, put their lives on the line, and pulled off critical missions and successes.

 

Now these heroes have come home and are starting their civilian lives far away from the battlefield, but with the same stalwart and uncompromising principles they fought under still strong in their hearts.

 

Integrating back into civilian life will not be easy. Much has changed since they've been gone, and sometimes? Not enough has changed. But they're back…

 

…and they're going to make a dent.

 

Read their stories, hold your breath, cheer for their hard-won successes in life...and in love.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Saxx
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386353652

Book preview

1

Danica Danstead stared out the window of the small passenger van, her gaze fixed on the thick forest that sped by. The vehicle, seemingly drivable for the most part, gave the odd dip as a pothole or rock messed with the undercarriage. Sunlight dappled through the leafy green canopy, and even her driver was quiet.

He’d introduced himself as Jed, sent to pick up passengers to Jack’s Bay because the connecting bus had suffered mechanical trouble. When she’d pressed him for a last name, he’d just flashed an honest grin and said, Just Jed.

You okay, honey? He smiled again, effortlessly cheery. Just checking in.

I’m fine. Except for the fact that there were trees where yellow cabs should be, and plants shading the ground in a leafy, lush carpet where dust, grime, and discarded trash should be, she was excellent.

And the noise.

Why wasn’t there any?

How much longer to Abby’s place?

‘Bout half an hour. Soon you two will be having iced Timmies on the porch, doing all that crazy girl talk. Dare’s off on location at a build, so you’ll have everything to yourselves. Normally, you can’t separate those two. Good to see.

And that was another reason for yet one more internal groan. Abby, her best friend—fierce, independent Abby—had gone and gotten herself all relationshipped up. To none other than Dare Logan, the man she’d never wanted to see, ever again.

That she was now crazy in love with. Or rather, still.

Though a breathy phone call from Abby had convinced her all was well, and more than that, they were happy.

No accounting for taste. Seemed the whole world had gone mad.

Well, this was one girl who was staying single, that was for sure. And even better, as far away from people as earthly possible. Period. Except for Abby. And Emily, in Toronto, and Kelley, way out in British Columbia, her other two best friends. They were the exceptions.

Except for…

But she pushed that thought away. It hurt too much.

Right on cue, the old gent started chatting again. They’re right on the outskirts of Jack’s Bay. Got a pretty little house across from the water. Dare has a renovation business going, so it wouldn’t be right for him to have a mess of a place now, would it?

It wouldn’t. Danica stared straight ahead.

Man’s a soldier too, reserve now, but he was with Delta North. You heard of ‘em?

Oh, she’d heard. Abby was proud of him, but glad he was back safe from the Special Ops team he’d served with in Afghanistan. She tried not to worry with his volunteer firefighter gig, too, and mostly, managed it. Danica had listened quietly, and hoped things were good. Though she was holding off on what she really thought of the whole thing.

People, and life. Both were scary. There weren’t too many people she trusted, but Abby was one.

No one ever better try to hurt her.

Well, I’ll just let you enjoy the scenery for a bit. He quieted, an aura of contentment about him. And the van rumbled on, the tires grinding along the gravelly road.

Well, that had worked out well, at least. No distractions. If there wasn’t the hustle and bustle of roughly a thousand people per square foot, at least there was no inane chatter directed at her for a few moments.

The quiet gave her mind just the space it needed to get working on the worry of the moment.

Gertie. Where was she?

And how was she going to handle five days away from the situation? She should be back there right now. Dealing with it. Trying to figure it out.

Even though there didn’t seem to be any answers.

This whole thing, visiting Abby, was to have been a bright spot, a reward, for all her gains. And though she was technically barely making ends meet, for someone with her background, that was like a swift jaunt up Mount Everest. And about as demanding.

From foster homes to street life to now being the proud renter of her own room with a tiny bath…it had been hard won and somewhat astounding, when she thought about it.

And she’d almost convinced Gertie to come live with her when…

Suddenly, as they rounded another curve, her gaze flicked right to it. Straight ahead.

She couldn’t believe it. Right in front of her eyes.

She snapped to attention and fire flew through her. Stop the car!

Tain’t a car. It’s a…

Stop it! The van screeched to a halt, in mid-road. Danica shoved the door open, hit the dirt, and bolted toward the Jeep parked on the side of the narrow country road, twenty-five meters ahead. She hadn’t run through the mean streets of New York dodging street thieves, those after her meager belongings, back in the day, for nothing.

The man was tall, lithe, his hair a medium brown that bordered on sandy. Really nice looking, but that just made her madder. Cold, she thought. Despite the looks. He was lifting a wooden crate into the back of a Jeep, and the crate was filled with tiny flitting birds.

And her heart just died. Simply died.

She reached him, grinding to a stop. Let them go! She jabbed her index finger at him. What do you think you’re doing?

He stopped in mid-lift, eyes wide. "Quiet."

Hadn’t he heard her? That wasn’t even a reaction!

He gave her a stern look. Then, holding his body so he was sheltering the birds, he continued the lift. He maneuvered them into the back, bungeed them in expertly, and arranged a light blanket over them. Then he straightened, making a real point of blocking her from the door as he shut it. Finally, he aimed his key fob at the vehicle and she heard the click as the locks slapped into place.

Everything secured, he turned to her, his expression angry but controlled. Now. What?

She thought she wouldn’t be able to get the words out, she was so angry. But out they came. A miracle, for her. An absolute miracle. One after the other.

"What the crap do you think you’re doing with those birds? Selling them to Artie’s Pet Mart or some other stupid loser place? Where they’ll be caged, having no choice but to stare at glass walls, with no protection, on display all the time? Walls that won’t let them get away or leave, but not a real wall so they can at least get some privacy? All for a buck, you creep? You fancy dandy?"

Though where that last phrase came from, she’d never know.

Well, that really worked. No response. Not a word. He gave her a narrowed look. Then he turned toward his vehicle.

And with that and his continuing non-reaction, she did the unthinkable.

She hauled back to kick him in the shins.

He saw it coming. Pivoted like a martial arts expert, then caught her leg.

Outrage sparked through her, and she fought him off. Her foot slipped out of his hold. She steadied herself and then jumped away, but unfortunately she stumbled and fell back toward the Jeep. But now his body was in the way, and she slammed into a wall of hard muscle instead. Her back and ass thumped soundly against his front. His arm raised swiftly to hold her still and against him, and there she was.

Captured, her breath coming fast and hard. And plastered against him.

Though even in her anger she noted there was no contact lower down. Dude was all steely muscles and…no sexual contact.

Good thinking on his part, or he’d have had some sore areas to soothe for the next eon or so.

And the thought did flit through her mind that he could have been a lot rougher. Back in NY, if she’d deigned to have an opinion, or accosted a stranger as foolishly as she’d