“If it’s complicated,” he said. “I like uncomplicated.” He was telling her something he was trying to convince himself he believed.

Happy day after the day we celebrate our independence here in the States. My story in this anthology is “SEAL Destiny,” about a young Navy SEAL who is just back from Afghanistan after having done a tour where a lot of the men he was responsible for lost their lives.

The way this warrior deals with his problems, at this point in the story, is to drown them down by the beach with a few beers. In doing so, he runs into someone who begins to bring his spiritually dead body back to life. Her warmth and her need to connect with him is exactly what he is needing. Originally thinking a little mindless sex might be the ticket, it actually becomes something more.

Damaged heroes are my favorite to write. A central theme to all my writing is that Love Heals in the Gardens of the Heart. I know that sounds flowery and fae-like, but I do believe in the miraculous healing powers of love. In romance, we are lucky enough to take someone at the brink of despair, and turn their life around.

I guess you would say it’s my little way of creating a little more Happily Ever After in a world that so needs it.

Heroes are just that because they put themselves on the line before they will let an innocent pay the price. They are trained to serve without question. Especially in SEAL training, they are taught that second thoughts get yourself and your buddies killed. They learn to trust their instincts and to learn to improvise, so they can walk anywhere and have confidence in themselves that there is a way out.

Sadly, that isn’t always the case in real life. But these real life heroes in my stories learn to deal with things they were never trained to handle: love of a woman. The way I write them, the woman teaches the man how to be a man. And the man teaches the woman how to be the woman of a warrior.

I hope you’ll enjoy my little piece, as Luke gets anything but “uncomplicated.” He gets very complicated, very hot, and exactly what he needs.

SHARON HAMILTON

Sharon’s award-winning spicy Navy SEAL stories in the SEAL Brotherhood series, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a sometimes rocky road to redemption through passion and true love.

Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read before, since they don’t go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun.

Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.

She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.

Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.

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