“I never expected to hear you say that,” he marvelled.
Samantha laughed. “I never expected to say it, either. How is it you had a worse childhood than I did and yet you didn’t grow up odd the way I did?” she said, leaning back against the circle of his arms to look at him, loving the strength and masculinity she felt in him.
“Different expectations maybe. Uncheedah told me that First Born doesn’t make mistakes, that he had wanted her to have me and me to have her, so he arranged it. I believed her and lived a good life. And”—Steve hesitated to tell Samantha about Caroline and the other women he’d loved and left—“and…I was twisted by it. But somehow I got over it in time to make the right decisions about you. But what happened to Kincaid? I thought…”
“A long time ago Elunami told me that a miracle would happen in Lance’s life. Well, today his wife came to tell him that she is expecting his baby.”
“I saw she was expecting. When did that happen?”
“Six months ago. The first time he went to San Francisco.”
“I’ll be damned.”
“You should be. I’ve been through hell since the day I met you, Steve Sheridan!”
Steve chuckled, then sobered. “If you want to talk about hell, let’s talk about Denver.”
Samantha sighed, then giggled. “I was afraid you’d bring that up.”
“I can imagine—”
“Though not for the reasons you think,” she interrupted.
“Oh?” He lifted the unruly eyebrow and scowled.
“We got sick. Both of us. The worst case of flu I’ve ever had in my life. I thought Elunami had put a hex on us. They wouldn’t let us stay at the hotel, and we were too sick to take care of ourselves anyway.”
“Are you serious?” Steve asked, beginning to grin.
Samantha grimaced. “Or maybe you put the hex on us.”
Steve laughed. “If I’d thought of it, I would have. But now I think it’s time for dessert,” he said, picking her up and carrying her up the stairs toward the bedroom.
“You aren’t strong enough for this,” she protested.
“Want to wager any serious money on that?”
Steve carried her into her bedroom, laid her gently on the bed. “I love you, Samantha Forrester.”
As if he had all the time in the world, he undressed her and held her close to his heart, kissing her and making love to her slowly and sensuously. Merging into her and letting her merge into him. One skin, one heart, one love.
Sometime during the night, while he was still holding her, she realized that she had finally found the home she’d been looking for all her life. It was in her own heart.
More from Joyce Brandon
The Lady and the Lawman
Life on the Western frontier in the 1880s is filled with risks and danger—a fact Angie Logan quickly relearns upon arriving back at her family's Arizona ranch, home from college back East. To help quell the riots against Chinese immigrants that have settled in Durango, Angie relies on her education and wits in appealing to the governor for assistance. The governor sends help in the form of Lance Kincaid, a charismatic gentleman who became a ranger to avenge the murder of the woman he loved. While working to resolve the current upheaval, Lance catches the trail of the murderer. Nothing will stop him from catching the killer and bringing him to justice, except perhaps Angie, the mysterious woman who looks eerily like his lost love.
The Lady and the Robber Baron
Jennifer Van Vleet is a woman who knows what she wants out of life and won’t let anything stand in her way. She’s dedicated herself to the art of ballet and becomes the prima ballerina for her company. When her costume catches fire during a performance, Chantry Kincaid III—a rakishly charming Texan builder whose family has as many enemies as it has properties—saves her. Jennifer finds herself drawn into a whirlwind romance with Chantry, where the passion between the two is undeniable, until she learns of the Kincaid family’s hand in her parents’ deaths years ago. Now she has a decision to make, one that will decide whether she can let go of the past and move forward from tragedy.
The Lady and the Outlaw
Leslie Powers has every reason in the world to hate Ward Cantrell, the devilishly handsome outlaw who kidnapped her. Instead she finds herself head-over-heels in love with him. When prompted by the sheriff to testify against Ward, Leslie firmly states that she was never Ward’s hostage. Now a free man, Ward courts his way through the young ladies of Phoenix society, appearing to seduce them with wanton abandon. Leslie believes he is a rogue and worse, but she can’t get him out of her mind or her heart. She’s seen behind his mask and knows there is more to him than meets the eye; something in him has captured her heart.
After Eden
Teresa Garcia-Lorca was raised as the favored daughter of “El Gato Negro,” the infamous Mexican revolutionary. She lived in sheltered bliss until the day the truth of her paternity comes out, and her former “father” becomes furious. Teresa and her mother are forced to flee for their lives to escape El Gato’s murderous rage. Her only hope lies in the home of her biological father, Bill Burkhart, but nothing could have prepared her for the treachery of gringo/white greed. Her new-found father’s bastard daughter, Judy Burkhart, has had everything—and every man—she’s ever wanted. Her indulgent world shatters when Judy learns she’s been disinherited in her father’s will. She and Teresa must learn to fight for all they have lost—and only one of them will end up with the man they both love.
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