A Perfect Hero (29 page)

Read A Perfect Hero Online

Authors: Samantha James

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Historical, #General

BOOK: A Perfect Hero
7.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve enjoyed the conclusion of the Ster
ling family trilogy. Writing this series was an un
forgettable experience, and I hope you’ll find it as memorable as I have. Sebastian, Justin, and Julianna came alive in my heart in so many ways . . .

Writing is a revealing process, sometimes as much for the author as for the reader. Indeed, in the course of writing this trilogy, it proved a truly spontaneous endeavor. Plotlines cropped up that I never expected—and so did several characters! And I discovered things about the Sterling family that took me completely by surprise.

I refer, of course, to the issue of their paternity.

Yes, Sebastian, Justin, and Julianna shared the same mother. But did they share the same father? That they did was never in doubt as I wrote book one,
A Perfect Bride.
But then Justin posed the question in book two,
A Perfect Groom,
and then even I began to wonder...Should they know the truth? What would happen if they did?

There is no question, I put these three charac
ters through their paces. Because of that, in my mind, no one deserves a happy ending more than these three.

As for the resolution of the Sterling siblings’ paternity, I must confess ...I wrestled with this issue—oh, how I wrestled with it!

But, ultimately, this was
their
story. And in the end, it was Sebastian, Justin, and Julianna who stepped forward and guided me. Who spoke to me and told me what they wanted and needed ...What mattered most . . . and how their story should end. They knew the bond they shared as children could never be shattered—it could never be any different. It could only grow stronger. And so the message throughout the tril
ogy really never changed.

It’s all about family . . . all about love.

My very best wishes,

About the Author

It was SAMANTHA JAMES’s love of reading as a child that steered her toward a writing career. Among her favorites in those days were the Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames series of books. She still loves a blend of mystery and romance, and, of course, a happily-ever-after ending.

The award-winning, bestselling author of fourteen romances and one novella, her books have ranged from medieval to Regency and the American West. Samantha is thrilled to be writing again in the Regency era and to present the third book in her series that began with
A Perfect Bride.

Please visit her on the web at www.samanthajames.com.

Don’t miss the next book by your favorite author. Sign up now for AuthorTracker by visiting www.AuthorTracker.com.

Resounding
praise
for
the incomparable
USA Today
bestselling author

“N
O ONE CAN WRITE A BOOK QUITE LIKE SAMANTHA JAMES.”
Catherine Anderson

“J
AMES DELIVERS DELICIOUS AND EXCITING ROMANCE.”

Publishers Weekly

“R
EADERS WILL ADORE HER ENDEARING, THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS.”

Romantic Times

“A
REMARKABLE WRITER.”
Lisa Kleypas

“S
AMANTHA JAMES WRITES EXACTLY THE SORT OF BOOK I LOVE TO READ.”
Linda Lael Miller

A Perfect Hero A Perfect Groom A Perfect Bride The Truest Heart His Wicked Promise His Wicked Ways One Moonlit Night A Promise Given Every Wish Fulfilled Just One Kiss My Lord Conqueror Gabriel’s Bride

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A PERFECT HERO
. Copyright © 2005 by Sandra Kleinschmit. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.

PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader June 2005 ISBN 0-06-079600-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.perfectbound.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900 Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada http://www.perfectbound.ca

New Zealand

HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O.
Box 1 Auckland, New Zealand http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 77-85 Fulham Palace Road London, W6 8JB, UK http://www.uk.perfectbound.com

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc. 10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 http://www.perfectbound.com

Seven
Julianna was up when Dane woke the
next morning. She…
107
Eight
For the second day in a row, Julianna
arose before…
121
Nine
The sharp blast of a pistol reverberated
through the clearing…
136
Ten
Dane would not soon forget the terrified
scream that brought…
155
Eleven
The last faint rays of evening trickled
in through the…
170
Twelve
Julianna was still trembling when he
settled her into his…
188
Thirteen
It was raining, a steady leaden mist so
reminiscent of…
209
Fourteen
It would have been impossible to say
who was the…
222
Fifteen
Dane’s labored breathing eased to a
trickle. Slowly, he raised…
236
Sixteen
“We have a most determined visitor,
my lady
."
253
Seventeen
Despite everything, Julianna half
expected Dane to appear at her…
272
Eighteen
“I do not mean to doubt you, kitten.
But weren’t…
283
Nineteen
“Granville. We’ve not seen much of
your face of late…
302
Twenty
The misty haze of twilight had just
begun to cling…
312
Twenty-One
It was not a time for reflection. Not
a time…
328
Twenty-Two
Later that morning, Sebastian climbed
the steps to Julianna’s town…
336
Epilogue
352
Author’s Note
356
About the Author
Praise
Other Books
by Samantha James
Copyright
Cover
About the Publisher

Other books

Herbie's Game by Timothy Hallinan
Noches de baile en el Infierno by Meg Cabot Stephenie Meyer
Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
Breaking the Rules by Melinda Dozier
Scarred Man by Bevan McGuiness
Composing Amelia by Alison Strobel