I have a week off and a leave pass burning a hole in my pocket. I should go home to Conception Ridge. I head there, but when the exit on the highway comes up, I keep on driving to Virgin Peak, and my cabin on a mountain lake.

I don’t expect to find a squatter. Or to immediately have a visceral connection to the young woman, who refuses to tell me her name. And despite the fact I’m a big guy, a Navy SEAL, she seems to trust me.

We have five days together. Five nights, too, and I’ll use every second to forge a stronger bond between us. Before I leave this island, I will know her name—and give her mine, if she’ll have me.

Operation: Wife Her Up is underway, and I never fail in my mission.