The Angel Of Devil's Camp. Lynna Banning. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Lynna Banning
Издательство: HarperCollins
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Жанр произведения: Историческая литература
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      Lonely loggers. One genteel lady. A dangerous combination, Tom Randall thought. He was trying to run a business, not a tea party! And if obstinate Meggy Hampton didn’t hightail her moonlight and magnolias back south, the sweet sparks she was igniting would make the camp—and his passion—explode like the Fourth of July!

      Tom leaned in and inhaled the fragrance of her hair.

      “You have any idea what that does to a man?”

      “I should think it means they are perfectly starved for civilized conversation.”

      Tom snorted. “They’re starved, all right, but it’s not for conversation. They’re starved for something soft. Something that’s sweet scented and…” His thumbs began to caress her shoulders. “And warm. And alive.”

      He stepped in closer, bent his head to sniff the scent emanating from her skin. “It can make a man crazy, being alone,” he said in a rough whisper. “I can’t let a man near you without risking his life.”

      The Angel of Devil’s Camp

      Harlequin Historical #649

      Praise for LYNNA BANNING’s previous books

      The Courtship

      “The Courtship is a beautifully written tale with a heartwarming plot.”

      —Romantic Reviews Today (www.romrevtoday.com)

      The Law and Miss Hardisson

      “…fresh and charming…

      a sweet and funny yet poignant story.”

      —Romantic Times

      Plum Creek Bride

      “…pathos and humor blend in a plot that glows with perception and dignity.”

      —Affaire de Coeur

      #647 TEMPTING A TEXAN

      Carolyn Davidson

      #648 THE SILVER LORD

      Miranda Jarrett

      #650 BRIDE OF THE TOWER

      Sharon Schulze

      The Angel of Devil’s Camp

      Lynna Banning

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Available from Harlequin Historicals and LYNNA BANNING

      Western Rose #310

      Wildwood #374

      Lost Acres Bride #437

      Plum Creek Bride #474

      The Law and Miss Hardisson #537

      The Courtship #613

      The Angel of Devil’s Camp #649

      For my agent, Pattie Steele-Perkins

      With special thanks to David and Yvonne Woolston. And to fellow writers Suzanne Barrett, Tricia Adams, Brenda Preston, Ida Hills and Norma Pulle.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

       Chapter Twenty-Three

       Chapter Twenty-Four

       Chapter Twenty-Five

      Chapter One

      Seton Falls, South Carolina

      March 1872

      Mary Margaret pulled the parsonage door shut with a satisfying thunk and for the very last time twisted the key in the lock. She’d married off five sisters in the past three years, the last one just the day before yesterday. Now it is my turn.

      She marched down the walkway and out the front gate, lugging her satchel. For half a heartbeat, she wavered. The yellow rose rambling along the fence needed pruning, but with all the preparations for Charlotte’s wedding, Meggy had had no time for gardening. She forced her gaze away. It no longer mattered.

      She smoothed her black traveling dress, slipping her hand into the left pocket. The letter she’d carefully folded crackled under her fingers. Dear God in heaven, let this be the right thing to do.

      She heaved the tapestry bag into the buggy and climbed up onto the sagging seat. I will not look back. I will look to the road ahead and be joyful.

      At last! She was free. No more meals to eke out from the squash and dried beans donated by the congregation. No more wedding dresses for Charity or Charlotte, cobbled together out of old tablecloths and scraps of lace. She had remade most of her old ball gowns into dresses for her sisters, and sold the rest for food. A barrel of flour cost 150 federal dollars, a basket of eggs $25. The war had made such a struggle of life!

      She closed her eyes and pressed her knuckles against her lips. The war took everything, even our hearts and our souls. She and her sisters had survived, but the scars would always remain.

      Leaning