"And what are you looking forward to at Sandy Bank besides relief from the heat?"
Phoebe glanced at James sideways through her lashes. "Only some extra rest for a few weeks as I find myself fatigued more than usual."
He studied her face with concern. "Are you ill? I thought you seemed thinner."
She chuckled at the fretting tone in his voice. "Don't worry, sweeting. I'm as healthy as anyone. I'll outlive you all."
He let out a dry laugh. "Then don't frighten me so. I know what it's like to be sickly, and it's no fun."
"Well," she admitted, "I've had a taste of it these past few weeks."
James looked at her with a question in his eye as they dropped off the street and tramped down onto the sandy shore.
"It won't last," she reassured him. "With a little rest and some quiet dinners at Sandy Bank, I'm sure I'll recover eventually—although I may be a little more plump than you are used to having me."
They stopped when their shoes sank into the sand but close enough to hear the gentle lap of the waves onto the shore. "But you're so much thinner now," he said with a confused frown.
Phoebe couldn't hold back a grin as she patted her stomach through her long, muslin gown. "Not everywhere," she winked.
His eyes went from her belly to her face and back down again.
A giggle escaped, and Phoebe exclaimed, "I'm going to have a child, you dolt. I thought you were raised on a farm."
James met her gaze with his mouth hanging open. She burst into laughter.
"A brickyard, really," he managed at last, then he laughed as his eyes flooded with tears. It made Phoebe wrap her arms around his neck.
"Well, your shopkeeper is going to have a baby," she murmured, and he piled kisses across her cheek. "Another Hathaway. Another Applewaite," she whispered to the man she loved with all her heart and soul.
James laughed with happiness then stumbled back, tossed his hat up into the air, and spun her about until all Phoebe saw were blurs of happiness and ever after on the distant horizon.
THE END
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Author's Note
Hi. I've never left a note in a work of fiction before, but I wanted to share the fun I had writing this book with you. I don't know how I lived in the South my entire life and never visited Charleston. During research for A Captain's Bride, I spent three days in this beautiful city. It was cold and rainy, but its haunting charm mesmerized me. The history is both astounding and regretful. The architecture is to die for. If you ever have a chance to visit, I highly recommend it. There's a really cool restaurant nearby called Poe's Tavern. There are awesome tours inside historical homes and on preserved plantations. The International African American Museum will open there in 2022.
Did you know Phoebe Applewaite was a real person? While working on my family history, I came across a Phoebe Applewaite born in 1741 in Virginia. She is my sixth cousin eight times removed and though we're distant, I instantly felt a connection to her when I read her lovely name. Creating her aloof namesake in this book came naturally because I've struggled with shyness and anxiety my entire life. I know what it's like to feel, "crushed against the window panes, separated from all of the buzzing conversations like she was trapped alone in a glass jar." We're not all fans of being in the spotlight, even if we want to be successful!
James? Mr. Hathaway was fun to write, too. I thought it was interesting watching him mature and change. I was blessed to have many friends growing up in Nashville—especially young men who were like brothers to me. How I love a cheerful, funny boy. In fact, I married one!
A huge "thank you" to my beta readers who helped me through the publishing process once I had the first draft down. Special thanks to Dawn Pearson, who is a stellar reader and belongs in the copyediting business. Thank you to my review team. I appreciate you! And last but first in my heart, thanks to my family who put up with my crazy hours during the first draft and the final copy. I know there will be errors, but I do everything possible to make my stories historically accurate and error-free.
I hope you enjoyed this romance story and join me again for book 3, A Buccaneer's Deal. Thank you for reading my books, leaving reviews, and sending me notes. Your support means everything.
Best wishes,
Danielle Thorne
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About the Author
Danielle Thorne writes historical and contemporary romance from south of Atlanta, Georgia. Married for thirty years to the same fellow, she's the mother of four boys, two daughters-in-law, and she has two grandbabies. There are also cats involved.
Danielle is a graduate of Ricks College and BYU-Idaho. Besides writing pursuits, she's active in her church and community. Free time is filled with books, movies, too much yardwork, and not enough wandering the country or cruising the beautiful, blue seas. She's worked as an editor for Solstice and Desert Breeze Publishing and is the author of non-fiction for young adults.
Her first book with Harlequin's Love Inspired line will be out July 2020.
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A Captain's Bride (Gentlemen of the Coast Book 2) Page 21
