AVAILABLE NOW!!!
© 1996,
2011 by Rebecca Sinclair
Published
by: ePublishingWorks! ~ ISBN:
978-1-61417-074-7
1i!
Cover by Kim Killion @ HotDamnDesigns.com
~ Perfect Strangers ~
by Rebecca Sinclair
~ excerpt ~
Gabrielle sneezed, sniffled, and then wiped her eyes and nose on the
cloth. Distracted, it took a second for the reality of the situation to seep
in. Sweet Lord, she was alone in the chamber with none other than The Black
Douglas.
Her heartbeat accelerated, heating the already fevered blood in her
veins. She shivered and yanked the blanket up protectively close beneath her
chin.
"Cold?" Connor asked as he eased himself onto Mairghread's
recently vacated seat. The wooden chair legs groaned beneath his weight.
"Aye, a bit chilly," Gabrielle lied. Her shiver had nothing to
do with the damp night air and everything to do with this man's commanding
presence. However, there was no reason he should know that.
"Then Mairghread was right for once.’Tis maun soup ye be needing to
warm ye up on the inside and chase away those fever chills." Gabrielle
watched, transfixed, as he dipped the spoon into the soup, coming up with a
hearty mouthful.
Compared to the gnarled old hand that had so recently held it, Connor's
big hand dwarfed the spoon handle until the utensil looked sized for a child.
"Here ye go, lass. Eat up and get well. The preacher will not wait
fore'er, don't ye ken?"
"If you're thinking... Oh, nay, I will not. I—" Her words were
cut short as, seizing the opportunity of her open mouth, Connor shoved the
spoonful of soup past her lips. He used the bowl of the spoon to not only catch
the drop of broth that trickled down her chin but to also nudge her gaping
mouth shut before more broth could spill out.
Gabrielle chewed swiftly, barely noticing that the once-tasty soup now
had the flavor of mud. A wave of irritation swept through her. Oh, but it was
difficult to suppress the urge to finish what she'd started, and tell this
heathen exactly what she thought of him and his impatient preacher.
She swallowed down the soup and was in the process of opening her mouth
to vent her mounting ire... only to find she had no breath left in her lungs to
vent it with. Her breathing had paused just beneath her hammering heart when
Connor plucked the cloth from her hand and wiped the residue of broth from her
chin.
Gabrielle stared at him. The gesture left her speechless. Nay, that was
wrong. It wasn't the gesture that stunned her so much as the gentleness with
which he'd accomplished it.
While The Black Douglas was known for many things, consideration wasn't
one of them. Was it possible the rumors and ballads about this man were wrong?
That he wasn't in truth the heartless, barbaric monster they all painted him?
Gabrielle suppressed a groan. Dear Lord, she must be sicker than she
originally thought to even be considering such a notion. Was this not, after
all, the same man who'd flagrantly—and much too easily, as far as she was
concerned—stolen her, his brother's fiancée, right out from under the other
man's nose?
Was this not the same man who claimed it a rightful theft, the same man
who'd then boldly bragged about marrying her himself?
Aye, it was. But, Gabrielle found all of those misdeeds hard to remember
when the feel of Connor's strong, cloth-covered fingers gently skimming her jaw
still lingered and tingled in her veins.
"Here, lass, swallow down another
bite.’Tis good and hearty fare, just the thing for a sick wench." He'd
dipped the spoon back into the bowl and now held it close to her tightly
compressed lips.
Gabrielle shook her head. She was wise enough this time not to open her
mouth to voice the protest that itched the tip of her tongue.
Her attention had been locked on the closed door at the foot of the bed.
It now lifted to his face. From a distance, his eyes had looked... well, merely
gray. Up close, she saw that there was nothing "merely" about them.
The irises were predominantly slate colored, yet now she noticed they were also
flecked with intriguing shards of brilliant blue. The darkness of his eyebrows,
and the uncommonly long, thick black eyelashes, contrasted sharply,
complementing and enhancing their color.
She shook her head to clear it, ignoring the
way the gesture set her temples to throbbing anew. "I'll not be marrying
you, Connor Douglas, so get that notion out of your head right now."
This time, Gabrielle was prepared. She kept her teeth clenched together
as she talked, giving him no opportunity to shove more food into her mouth.
Connor frowned and looked vaguely disappointed.
Gabrielle gritted her teeth until her jaw hurt almost as much as her
pounding head and aching throat. Did he truly think her so stupid she would
fall for that trick more than once? If so, the man had a good deal to learn
about Careltons and their intelligence... not to mention their stubborn
determination!
"Right now me main concern is nursing ye back to health. What's
done is done, and cannot be undone. What happens after ye're well will happen.
There's naught ye can do aboot it. Ye're... er, a robust lass, I'll grant ye
that, but naught more than a lass all the same. If I chose to wed ye, there's
not a thing ye can do to stop me."
"That's where you're wrong. There are several things I can, and will,
do," Gabrielle replied tightly, even as her fevered mind scrambled to
think of what even one of those things might be. "You realize
that..."—ah-ha!—"that Elizabeth will have your head when she finds
out what you've done, do you not?"
"Elizabeth isn't my sovereign, she's yers." Connor replaced
the spoon in the bowl, and then sat back in the chair, his shrewd gray gaze
never leaving her.
"And aye, the messenger she sent this afternoon did mention
something aboot separating me head from me shoulders, but I paid the threat no
heed."
She sucked in a quick breath. The Queen had sent a messenger? And The
Black Douglas had blatantly ignored the threat the messenger carried? Was the
man insane?! Did he not know that, while Elizabeth could ignore much, never
could the woman stand to be ignored herself?
"What about your young king?" Gabrielle asked, and winced.
Even to her own ears, her voice sounded weak, shaky, lacking its previous
conviction. "Methinks James will be equally displeased with what you've
done."
A reckless grin that made Gabrielle's heart skip a beat tugged at one
corner of Connor's mouth. "Och! But there's the rub. Ye're right aboot him
not being pleased, but I've gotten him angrier in the past. Jamie threatens
only a fine."
When she regarded him suspiciously, he shrugged and added, "His
messenger arrived as the Queen's was leaving, and shortly a'fore twa sent by
the March Wardens. Squeezed in between those was a messenger from the Maxwell.
Er, I think that be the order. Truth to tell, I dinny remember exactly, there
were so many messengers coming and going. 'Tis been a busy afternoon."
That even one messenger had come was music to Gabrielle's ears. Surely
with so many protests and threats The Black Douglas would have to let her go
now. Wouldn't he?
Her gaze raked his face; Connor's features were ruggedly carved, his
expression decisive. A glint of persistence shimmered like liquid gray fire in
his eyes.
An uneasy feeling prickled along the nape of Gabrielle's neck. The Black
Douglas looked more determined than ever to keep and wed her.
She shuddered. This would never do!
h
5 Star Review on Amazon.com:
“This is a story about a
man and a woman who begin as strangers and enemies, to be joined into a love to
survive all of time. It’s full of twists and turns, action, danger, and romance.
It had the right amount of everything. I truly enjoyed reading it and I'm sure
to read it several more times in the years to come.”
5 Star Review on Barnes
& Noble.com:
“Historical romance at its very
best, PERFECT STRANGERS delighted this reader with its proud heroine and
fabulous hero. Their rocky start takes them on a conflict-filled journey, but,
in the end, their love for one another cannot and will not be denied.”
h
Praise
for Montana Wildfire:
Praise
for California Caress:
“...filled with
Passion and romance—tantalizing and titillating moments to keep your inner
romantic sated...Great cast of supporting characters that...you will fall in
love with. A... sexy gunslinger, damsel in distress and [a] love that may never
find a way! Well balanced plot with equal amounts of love and action and
suspense. A western romance that will have your heart racing and the page
flipping.” – kitty_cat, a reader; fr.
the Barnes & Noble.com website
