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  Until now.

  He should say something to her, tell her about his connection to her, if you could even call it that. Instead, he stared speechlessly, wondering how she would react if she knew the truth. Ivy James had saved his soul, and she wasn’t even aware of it.

  He still wasn’t sure how he felt about having his combat experiences made into an action-adventure movie, but there was one thing he’d always been certain of: he’d wanted Ivy James to play the part of the leading lady. It was just one way he could fulfill the promise he’d made to her brother.

  When Garrett’s brother-in-law, Finn MacDougall, had initially approached him about the venture, he’d adamantly refused to give his consent. He still had nightmares about those last horrific days in Colombia when a covert narcoterrorism mission had come apart like a five-dollar shirt.

  He’d allowed himself to be captured in order to provide the rest of his team a chance to escape. It had worked, but the three days he’d endured in the hands of the brutal Escudero cartel had just about sapped his belief in the goodness of mankind. It wasn’t so much what they’d done to his body that had nearly killed him; it was what they’d done to his spirit.

  If anybody knew just how tough his recovery had been, it was Finn. After all, Garrett had spent nearly a year living in Finn’s home while recuperating from injuries that included multiple gunshot and stab wounds. His body still bore the scars from where he’d been tortured by the cartel. Despite having pushed himself to the max to regain his strength, he had to live with the knowledge that his abilities were now compromised to the point where he’d never again serve as part of a Green Beret “A-Team,” the twelve-man basic unit that could carry out any number of deadly covert operations.

  Even after he’d managed to escape, two more days had passed before he’d found refuge, then another six days before he’d been airlifted out of the steaming Colombian jungle to an American hospital. His only satisfaction was knowing the information he’d brought back with him had been enough for the Colombian military to target the cartel and put an end to their reign of terror and drug smuggling.

  Now, looking at the woman who would play Helena Vanderveer, the Dutch missionary responsible for rescuing his sorry ass, he wondered if he’d been wrong. There was a sensuality about Ivy James that was undeniable, yet at the same time she looked so goddamned…fragile. The real Helena might fool some with her small stature and sweet smile, but beneath it all she was as tough as Kevlar. Nobody could ever call her fragile.

  Ivy was still staring at him. As he tried to formulate the right words to introduce himself, the rain suddenly stopped, and a warm burst of sunlight fell over the spot where they stood. Ivy tilted her face up toward the clearing skies and smiled.

  Garrett felt something in his chest shift.

  “Oh, wow,” she breathed. “It’s over. Just like that.”

  She turned her gaze back to Garrett. Her eyes were the same rich, dark-chocolate shade he remembered, thickly fringed with spiky dark lashes. She used her fingers to wipe the moisture from her face as she again focused on the suitcase he carried.

  “La maleta…la sandalia,” she said haltingly. A small frown creased her forehead as she pointed first toward the luggage, then toward the sandal he held. “Es mina.”

  Her pronunciation was terrible, her grammar worse. But even if he hadn’t spoken Spanish fluently, there was no mistaking her meaning. Glancing down at the mud-covered shoe that still dangled from his hand, he swiped it against the wet fabric of his cargo pants until most of the mud was gone, then handed it to her.

  “Yeah, I know they’re yours.”

  “Oh! You speak English! That’s great.” Her face cleared as she accepted the shoe, and then she balanced on one leg as she slid her bare, mud-covered foot into the sandal. “For a second, I wasn’t sure if you understood me.”

  Garrett smiled. “I’m American. Finn sent me to meet you.” He gestured over his shoulder at the rutted lane that intersected the main road. “I have a Jeep parked just down there. I’ll drive you out to the hacienda.”

  “Thank God!” she exclaimed, and Garrett saw all the tension leave her body. “I really thought I was going to be stranded out here in the middle of nowhere, and then I saw you and—”

  He watched with interest as her cheeks pinkened.

  “Well, let’s just say I envisioned the worst,” she admitted, tucking a wet strand of hair behind one ear and slinging her carry-on bag over her shoulder. “You must be part of the film crew.” She tilted her head and considered him for a moment. “Do I know you? Have we met before? You seem familiar to me.”

  Garrett hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. Shifting her bag to her other shoulder had brought her luscious breasts fully into view. Beneath the wet fabric of her sleeveless top, he could clearly see her bra and, beneath that, the dark shadow of her nipples. His throat went dry, and he had to drag his gaze from her and turn away.

  “Ah, no,” he finally managed to say, keeping his voice neutral. “I’m a technical consultant. Let me grab your other bag, and then we can head out.”

  “Oh, that’s not my suitcase.” She laid a hand on his arm to stop him. “The driver threw down the wrong one and took off before I could tell him.”

  Garrett glanced at her hand. She jerked it back, but he could still feel her slender fingers against his skin. Briefly, he wondered how they would feel against other parts of his anatomy.

  © Karen Foley 2008

  Twelve military heroes.

  Twelve indomitable heroines.

  One UNIFORMLY HOT! mini-series.

  Don’t miss Mills & Boon® Blaze®’s first twelve-book continuity series, featuring irresistible soldiers from all branches of the armed forces.

  Watch for:

  A FEW GOOD MEN by Tori Carrington

  (Marines)

  January 2010

  READY FOR ACTION by Karen Foley

  (Delta Force)

  February 2010

  ALWAYS READY by Joanne Rock

  (The Coast Guard)

  March 2010

  THE RIGHT STUFF by Lori Wilde

  (Medical Corps)

  April 2010

  THE DAREDEVIL by Kira Sinclair

  (Air Force)

  May 2010

  LETTERS FROM HOME by Rhonda Nelson

  (Army Rangers)

  June 2010

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  The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell.

  Available in March 2010

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  The Mighty Quinns: Teague

  by Kate Hoffmann

  &

  One Good Man

  by Alison Kent

  Always Ready

  by Joanne Rock

  Lethal Exposure

  by Lori Wilde

  All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

  All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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  First published in Great Britain 2009

  Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,

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  © Joanne Rock 2009

  ISBN: 978-1-4089-1517-2