Cinderella Liberty (14 page)

While chewing on a big mouthful of tuna salad sandwich, he logged into is email and saw a name from the past sitting in his inbox. His old friend Beau. Crash hadn't seen him in close to a year. That's what happened when a guy got married, he guessed. It was hard to get out with friends. Add to that the double whammy of Beau being in another squadron now on another base and they didn't cross paths too often.

It was still good to hear from an old friend now. Crash took another bite and clicked to open the email.

To: O'Malley GSgt John

From: Adams GSgt Beau

Hey, Crash,

I've got some news for you. Since you were there from the very beginning, and you were my best man, I wanted you to be the first to know that Carrie's pregnant. I couldn't be happier. She's real excited too, except when the morning sickness had her ralphing while she was up in the bird. Don't tell her I told you that!

Otherwise, things are status quo here in Cherry Point. What's up with you? How's summer in sunny Afghanistan? Can't say I envy you being there. I still remember the heat in Djibouti too well. Though, I'll admit, I am pissed you'll have the Afghanistan campaign medal and I won't.

Say hey to Zippy for me. I'm gonna have to shoot him an email as well.

Catch ya later,

Beau

Crash smiled. His buddy Beau was going to be a father. He was happy for him and his wife. They'd had a long haul in the beginning with them both being military and deployed when they'd met, but it had all worked out in the end.

Their relationship should have been a lesson to Crash. Even when the obstacles looked insurmountable, things could work. He realized that now though.

After the entire base had been pinned down by the enemy for hours during the attack, little things such as being separated for a few more months from Trish seemed like nothing. Piece of cake. Even the distance between New Jersey and North Carolina seemed manageable. Where there was a will, there was a way. When he got back they'd see about making it work. That was definitely something to look forward to.

Smiling just thinking about being home and on the same continent as Trish again, Crash hit reply and started to type.

Hey, Beau.

Congrats! Great news about the baby. Send Carrie my love.

Yeah, hot as hell here, in more ways than one if you get my meaning, but you, me and Zip can talk about that over a beer when we get back in January.
 

So, I do have some news of my own. I've met someone. She's amazing! And you're not going to believe whose sister she is . . .

If you enjoyed
Cinderella Liberty
please leave a review. And don't miss
Crossing the Line
, featuring Beau and Carrie's story and introducing Crash and Zippy. Sign up at
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FROM THE AUTHOR

A huge thanks to my Marine consultants who without fail willingly and good heartedly provide me with the details of their lives that I use in my stories. Whether at an Air Station in North Carolina or deployed to Afghanistan, these men never fail to give freely what I need by way of inspiration and, after a bit of begging, even a fact-checking proofread. Any mistakes made or liberties taken with the facts are purely my own.

A note on the events contained herein—the attack Crash and Zippy are involved in during the opening chapter of this story is fictional, however the September 2012 attack on Camp Bastion mentioned is very real. I humbly ask you to spare a moment to remember the two brave Marines lost during that fight.

Happy Reading!

Cat

ABOUT CAT JOHNSON

Cat Johnson is a
New York Times
bestseller and the author of the
USA Today
bestselling titles
Saved by a SEAL
(Hot SEALs)
and
One Night with a Cowboy (Oklahoma Nights)
. She writes contemporary romance featuring sexy alpha heroes. Known for her unique marketing and research practices, she has sponsored pro bull riders, owns a collection of camouflage and western wear for book signings, and a fair number of her friends/book consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. She writes both full length and shorter works and is contracted with publishers Kensington and Samhain.

Join the mailing list at
catjohnson.net/news

For more visit
CatJohnson.net

ALSO BY CAT JOHNSON

Hot SEALs Series

Night with a SEAL

Saved by a SEAL

SEALed at Midnight

Kissed by a SEAL

Red, Hot & Blue Series

Trey

Jack

Jimmy

Red Blooded (print compilation)

BB Dalton (bonus read)

Jared

Cole

Bobby

Smalltown Heat (print compilation)

A Few Good Men

Model Soldier

A Prince Among Men

Bull

Matt

The Commander

USMC Military Romance Series

Crossing the Line

Cinderella Liberty

Oklahoma Nights Series

One Night with a Cowboy

Two Times as Hot

Three Weeks with a Bull Rider

Fish Out of Water (
He's the One
anthology)

Two for the Road (
In a Cowboy's Bed
anthology)

Midnight Cowboys Series

Midnight Ride

Midnight Wrangler

Midnight Heat

Studs in Spurs Series

Unridden

Bucked

Ride

Hooked

Flanked

Thrown

Champion

Spurred

Maverick Ranch Series

A Cowboy for Christmas

Valentine Cowboys

Texas Two-Step Series

Texas Two-Step

Cowboy Shuffle

The Trilogy Collection

Opposites Attract

Nice & Naughty

Just Desserts

Sex, Lies & Wedding Cake

New Orleans

Private Lies

Gillian's Island

Bundles/Anthologies

Olympus

Cat Snips

Standalone Titles

The Ex Files

Beneath the Surface

The Naughty Billionaire's Virgin Fiancée

Rough Stock

Educating Ansley

Billionaire Bad Boys

Cat Haus ~ The Complete Story (Parts 1, 2, 3)

Before Cate ~ John’s Story

Cat Haus (Part 1)

Cat Haus (Part 2)

Cat Haus (Part 3)

More info at
www.CatJohnson.net

CINDERELLA LIBERTY

Cat Johnson

Copyright © 2013 by CAT JOHNSON

License Statement

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to www.catjohnson.net to find locations to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.