A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby by Laura Marie Altom

later, she had the pages open in front of him. “As you can see, not only does Pandora have an assortment of exemplary letters from former clients, but she’s a close personal friend. I started this agency nearly twenty years ago, and I’m proud to say I’ve never had one of my employees fired—or even reprimanded. My people are top-notch. That said, if Pandora has in any way engaged in behavior that caused you to feel concern for your son, then—”
    “Okay, whoa...” He held up his hands. “She’s been a godsend. Quinn adores her and I depend on her to an embarrassing degree, but I know she’s hiding something and I need to know what it is.”
    Natalie stood. “Unless you’re prepared to file a formal complaint against her job performance, I’m sorry, but Ms. Moore’s personal life is just that—personal.”
     

Chapter Seven
    “Hell’s bells,” Heath said after shooting off twenty rounds on his M16. “Give it a rest.”
    “But what if Pandora is hiding something?” Calder’s team was engaged in target practice—only, rain fell in wind-driven sheets, making their automated moving bad guys a bitch to see. The fact that he was bone-deep chilled didn’t make his day brighter. Part of him regretted even going to Natalie, but another part couldn’t let his suspicions go.
    “Ever think there’s a reason she doesn’t want to talk about her past that has nothing to do with whatever nefarious reason you’ve dreamed up, but something more painful?”
    It was Calder’s turn to shoot, and he fired an embarrassing thirty-eight rounds before hitting his long-range target. That wouldn’t cut it in the field, and his CO let him know.
    “Another thing...” Heath annihilated his target in three shots. “All this energy you’re wasting trying to solve some mystery that doesn’t exist could be better spent getting to know your son. From everything you’ve said, Quinn’s a lucky kid to have Pandora in his life. For that matter, so are you. She’s not some Friday-night special out to snag a SEAL, but a sweet gal just trying to do her job.”
    For the remainder of the miserable afternoon, Calder focused not only on his training, but also on Heath’s words.
    His friend was right.
    After Quinn came into his life, Calder’s view of women had changed. Before becoming a father, he’d indulged in an admittedly swinging-single lifestyle. He’d made it clear to whoever he was with that his objective on any given night was to achieve the ultimate good time. Now part of him wondered if Quinn’s mother had intended to trap him. But was that paranoia, too? Was his real problem with Pandora the fact that she was so good with Quinn that she made him look all the worse in his role as a father?
    If that was the case, he was a jackass.
    Now the only question was, what could he do for Pandora to make up for his lousy behavior?
    The rain stopped and he’d almost made it to his bike when his cell rang. He glanced at the call display.
    Crap. His mom.
    He loved her dearly, but lately, whenever she called, she lectured and nagged. Still, she was his mother, so he forced a smile, then answered. “Hey.”
    Twenty minutes later, Calder had been thoroughly chastised for not retiring from the navy in order to find a more stable job. He let it flow in one ear and out the other. His work was his one true love. Lots of SEALs had kids. They worked around them, just as he was learning to do. He told his mother the same.
    “But Quinn is a baby,” she said. “You talk about him like he’s a friend’s dog you regret agreeing to watch.”
    “You’re being dramatic. Quinn and I are getting along just fine. Better, even.” He told her about Pandora, skipping the portion about his misgivings.
    “I look forward to meeting her. It’s good Quinn finally has stable, reliable care.”
    “Agreed.” After a few more minutes of small talk, Calder said, “Hate to cut you short, but I need to go.”
    “I understand. Oh—but before I