Joshin' Around — Leah Mae Wright

Lt. Josh Burleson was known as the jokester of his family due to his penchant for finding the humor in life to help him deal with the darker aspects he saw in his job. Raised on the family ranch, he'd been taught to work hard and play harder. And his playtime wasn't limited to just joshin' around with his family and friends.

As a Navy SEAL, he wasn't lacking when it came to available women to spend his nights with when he wasn't off on a mission. With him also being one of the Burleson bachelors, it wasn't just the frog hogs who chased after him. As a single guy, he'd had more than his fair share of one-night stands, starting with the buckle bunnies who offered themselves up back when he was a teenager competing in the team roping competitions of the rodeo with his twin, and ending when he met the woman that he fell in instalove with at Christmas.

As soon as Josh saw Cait walk into his childhood home for a late Christmas celebration, he fell head over heels for her. But after seeing the toll of military life paid by the relationships of his fellow SEALs, Josh knew he couldn't pursue anything with her until after his minimum service requirement was over. So Josh did the only thing he could do -- he started a long-distance and leave-time friendship with Cait while making plans to get out of the Navy to move home and marry her.

While home during one of his leave times, Josh sent in a DNA sample to an online family tree site like the rest of his family. When the results came in, he saw an extra person listed as sharing fifty percent of his DNA in the Parent-Child section of his DNA match list on the site. Floored by the realization that he was a father, Josh had to put his plans to build a relationship with Cait on hold. He needed to settle the situation with his child, and his child's mother, before he could commit to moving home to pursue the lovely Cait.

Cait Campbell wasn't sure she'd ever feel comfortable going out and dating again after the trauma her family had endured over the past few years. Not only had her brother lost his first wife, but both he and Cait had been injured in the drive-by shooting that ended Mari's life. While her physical scars had long since healed, Cait wasn't so sure the internal ones that kept her trapped in her brother's house ever would.

When her brother had the idea of moving their family from San Diego to Texas, she developed high hopes of moving on with her life. Getting away from the cartel hub of the city and learning about life in a rural area seemed like just what she needed to move past her agoraphobia and start feeling social again. She even felt an instant attraction to one of the men she met during her first week in Heart's Destiny, Texas.

Then she found out their move was her brother's way of hunting down the head of the cartel, who had targeted them back in San Diego, and her fear of leaving the house came back tenfold. And even though the one man she'd been attracted to in the last two and a half years was the same man who ultimately killed the leader of the cartel to set her free of her fear of another attack on her family, she still didn't think she could have more than a little light flirtation with Josh because of his dangerous career as a Navy SEAL.

When Josh's son showed up at the wedding reception for his sister and Cait's brother, they faced even more barriers to the relationship they both secretly craved. Could they come together to form an unconventional family? Or would all that joshin' around just lead to trouble and more heartbreak for Cait?

DISCLAIMER: This surprise Navy SEAL dad, friend's sister, instalove, alpha male, scared woman, cowboy romance book contains profanity and graphic sex scenes. It is intended for adult readers (18+) who are not easily offended.