The Outcast (38 page)
“The Glendower name, the heirs to carry it, those were what the squire insisted upon.
You
were my condition, Patrice. I told him I wouldn’t settle for anyone else.”
Her heart leapt. But still, she was cautious. “Why?” She needed to hear him say it, just once.
“Because I have loved you all my life, and I’ve never wanted anyone else to share my future with me.
She closed her eyes, overcome by the words, by the wonder of hearing them spoken at last. Her legs weakened, refusing to support her. She sank down in the grass beside him, trembling inside and out. “Why—why didn’t you ever say so?”
It was his turn to evade her questioning stare. “Thought you’d think it was because I wanted the
name Sinclair and all that went with it.”
Her sudden chuckle startled him. He shot her an aggrieved look, only to be taken by the relief in her lovely features.
“The name Sinclair?” She laughed again, then sighed, opening the bag she’d carried with her since coming to the Glade. “Here’s all that comes with me, Reeve.”
As he watched bemused, she drew out two exquisite glasses, a pair of candlesticks, and a length of embroidered cloth. She spread them out carefully for his appraisal.
“This is all there is, all I have left of who I am. It’s not much to settle for.”
The intensity of his gaze engulfed her. “Looks like an awful lot to me. More than I can offer.”
“I don’t want the Glade, Reeve. I don’t want the name Glendower or the properties or the gold. I want you, just you, for the man you are, the man I love. That’s worth more to me than everything in Dodge’s bank vault, than the opinions of anyone in Pride.”
His arm went about her shoulders, drawing her to him so that she leaned upon his chest, her head resting back against his shoulder. His mouth moved in a light sweep across her hair.
“So there’s no reason I shouldn’t ask you to marry me?”
She closed her eyes again, willing time to stop so she could savor this moment forever. “None at all.”
“Deacon? Your mother?”
“Deacon will be agreeable to anything I want. Mother picked you long ago. I fear she’s been dreadfully disappointed in me for taking so long to grow up.”
“Jonah?”
She refused to let the name separate them any longer. “Jonah is dead, and I shall always miss him. But Reeve, you and I are alive and in love, and no ghost or ghosts are going to stand between us.” She rolled to look him in the eye. “There’s something more I need to tell you. About your father’s last words.” She touched her love’s face, soothing away the creases furrowing his brow. “He asked that you forgive him. And he wanted you to know that he had asked your mother, and she was the one who refused him. Probably for the same silly reason that you refused to tell me how you felt before you rode off to enlist. Pride. I know enough about pride to know it’s no substitute for love. I love you, Reeve. Ask me now.”
His hand fanned wide across her damp cheek. “Marry me, Patrice.”
“I will.”
He hugged her in tight. A tremendous weight let go within him, a tether to the past. “Thank you, Jonah.”
Patrice lifted up slightly. “What did you say?”
Reeve smiled. “I said I love you, Patrice.”
And she was happy to believe him at last.
Dear Reader,
Here at Avon Books, we’re thrilled over Stephanie Laurens, author of this month’s Treasure, DEVIL’S BRIDE. Stephanie, a bright new voice in historical romance, has written a sensuous, witty love story with an unforgettable hero. When an intrepid governess is caught in a compromising position with a dashing duke he proposes marriage. But is this a match made in heaven?
The MacKenzies are back!
Fans of Ana Leigh’s MacKenzies series, will be happy to know this unforgettable Colorado family is back. And if you haven’t yet discovered the MacKenzies, what are you waiting for? This month, don’t miss THE MACKENZIES: DAVID … and get to know the rollicking MacKenzie cousins.
Fans of dark and dangerous heroes won’t be able to resist Cassian Carysfort, Lord Bevington, hero of Margaret Evans Porter’s THE PROPOSAL. Cassian has decided that Sophie Pinnock will become his mistress, but she is not easily persuaded in this sensuous love story set in 18th-century England.
Our lovers of contemporary romance we present Curtiss than Matlock’s IF WISHES WERE HORSES. Curtiss Ann’s special ability to create emotional, heartwarming love stories between strong, steadfast heroes and down-home, delightful heroines is unsurpassed. Discover why best-selling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips has said, “Her books are wise and wonderful.”
Happy reading!
Lucia Macro
Senior Editor
ROSALYN WEST made a smashing debut at
Avon Books with her first book, A MAN’S TOUCH.
Critics called it “one of the best books of the year”
and Rosalyn West “one tremendous talent.”
Her second book, A WOMAN’S HEART, was an
even bigger hit. THE OUTCAST is her third book.
Rosalyn West lives in southwestern Michigan
and is currently at work on a post-Civil War series
which follows friends who return from the war
to find not only their lives changed, but themselves,
as well. She invites reader to write her for
promotional materials and a newsletter update
by sending a SASE to:
P.O. Box 896
Portage, MI 49081
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
A DIME NOVEL HERO
by Maureen McKade
THE HEART BREAKER
by Nicole Jordan
HIGHLAND BRIDES: THE LADY AND THE KNIGHT
by Lois Greiman
A PRINCE AMONG MEN
by Kate Moore
A ROSE IN SCOTLAND
by Joan Overfield
A TOUGH MAN’S WOMAN
by Deborah Camp
The Wild One
by Danelle Harmon
Coming Soon
THE MACKENZIES: DAVID
by Ana Leigh
THE PROPOSAL
by Margaret Evans Porter
And Don’t Miss These
ROMANTIC TREASURES
from Avon Books
AFTER THE THUNDER
by Genell Dellin
BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN
by Julia Quinn
MY WICKED FANTASY
by Karen Ranney
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
AVON BOOKS
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Copyright © 1998 by Nancy Gideon
Inside cover author photo by McClain Studios
Published by arrangement with the author
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-94307
ISBN: 0-380-79579-5
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EPub Edition © OCTOBER 2012 ISBN: 978-0-062-24328-7
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