“My touch makes you feel something?”
“Very much so,” she breathed. “…It’s something very special too. I was devastated at the thought that I might never have the chance to…”
Daniel didn’t hesitate. His lips swooped down and captured hers before she could resist or pull back instinctively like before. Instead, she found herself melting into his arms and treasuring this blossoming feeling of love in her soul. His free hand cradled her face, cupping it tenderly. As he ended the kiss, she noticed that both of them seemed to be breathless and recovering from the sensations shared between them.
“I was so scared that you would be hurt by my uncle or that I would never see you again,” he admitted huskily, resting his forehead against hers, “Emma, I’ve wanted to kiss you over and over again for weeks now but was terrified to drive you away. You’ve come to mean so much to me and I want us to be happy.”
“I do too, Daniel,” she confessed, feeling such an outpouring of truth and love from him. It was as if she could feel the invisible chains of their emotions interlocking between them, drawing their very souls together. This very moment is what would make them man and wife, a true couple. It wasn’t the kisses or the marriage bed – it was the way they bonded and admitted their love to each other.
“I never anticipated to fall in love with you, my little proxy bride. Here I find myself turning to putty in your arms and wanting to lay the world at your feet. You have my heart, sweet wife. I will love, honor, and cherish you truly until we are no more.”
“And you have mine, Daniel - forever.”
Epilogue
1783
New York
Emma sat on the picnic blanket under the oak tree and watched the scene before her. She had been so fortunate to be a part of this transitional time that brought both the good and the bad. There was never a day that didn’t pass that she didn’t miss her brother and father. That recollection of when her life had changed forever was scarred in her memory, but time made all the horrors a little easier to handle.
Time, family, and Daniel’s love.
She watched as her son, Samuel, toddled over to where Daniel was kneeling and holding out his hands. Her husband had insisted on naming their son after Emma’s brother, knowing how close they had once been before his death. If she didn’t love Daniel so much already, she would have fallen forever right then and there. He had held the squalling infant against his chest and looked at her so tenderly, his eyes streaming with unfettered pride, joy, and gratitude for this life they had together. Nearby, Alden was tickling his own son in the grass.
“They are both truly good men, are they not?” Madeline said softly, leaning towards where Emma sat. Both women were quite ungainly in their advanced pregnancies. The two women had corresponded several times over the years and met each other as time allowed. Emma knew that this chance to celebrate the end of the war and the reunion of their growing families could not be passed up. She’d felt quite the kinship when she was able to finally meet the brave Frenchwoman who’d captured Alden’s heart long ago.
“They are great men, wonderful fathers, and incredible husbands.”
“This is a good time to be alive, non?”
“Sister, it is a blessed time in both of our lives,” Emma corrected lovingly, feeling the baby kick her abdomen fiercely as Daniel swung little Samuel up into the air in his arms before the two of them waved at her from a distance. As the men rejoined them in the shade, Emma braced herself for the tackle that was surely coming from her adventurous two-year-old as he flung himself into her arms with enthusiasm and love.
“Mama! Mama! Did you see Papa?”
Ruffling his hair, Emma laughed and hugged him. The baby in her stomach gave another mighty kick as if he/she could sense the excitement of their sibling nearby.
“Be gentle with your lovely Mama, Samuel. We don’t want to hurt her,” Daniel chided softly, before taking a seat beside her and sprawling out along the picnic blanket.
“She’s my very heart and soul,” Daniel whispered, laying his head in her shrinking lap and looking up at her - only to be interrupted as their son plopped down onto her husband’s stomach, knocking the breath out of him, before they started wrestling again. She watched the two of them roll away playfully, knowing that Samuel would sleep well tonight and give them a bit of privacy to celebrate their love together.
“And you both are mine,” Emma whispered aloud, grateful to have been given this man, his heart, and this life in a brand-new country that was beginning. Life was truly good and opportunity for even more happiness seemed to be flourishing on the horizon.
Lawfully Pledged
Read Alden’s story in Lawfully Pledged
Madeline Anjou refuses to leave her home and dreams of liberty behind. She loves living in the Colonies, even on the brink of war. She might have a French heritage but deep in her beats the soul of a true patriot. When she is brought in for questioning, she never expects to be rescued by Alden Knox in the middle of the British encampment.
Alden Knox is a double agent for the Cause and walking a very dangerous path. He knows it’s only a matter of time before treachery ignites the desire for independence from Britain. What he doesn’t anticipate is the spark he feels for the beautiful rebel he rescues.
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Lawfully Yours
Lawfully Yours - available on Kindle Unlimited
Emily and Elias Jessup left their home in southern Texas, tired of living a life of poverty. They soon find out that life is no better alone on their own. With not a penny to their name and no job prospects, the siblings turn to stealing from the rich to survive. Constantly on the run from the law, the two know their days are numbered before the law catches up to them.
Cade Singleton heard stories of the Jessup siblings preying on the rich. When the bounty is increased high enough to entice him into pursuing them, he wants nothing better than to make them see justice.
When he finally catches up to them in a rural area just south of Dallas, Cade captures Emily and decides to use her for bait to apprehend her brother. Can this bounty hunter find it in his heart to see past Emily's lawless ways and be able to see the kind-hearted woman that lies beneath? Can Emily start over and be freed from her past through loving Cade? And will the Jessup siblings finally find redemption?
An Agent for Gillian
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Two wrongs don’t make a right – or do they?
Gillian Jameson had lost her world when her husband died. Alone, scared, and desperate for something to fill the emptiness in her soul- she turns to the Pinkerton Agency for help. What she never expected was to be married again, especially to a man like Cade Malone.
Cade had a recklessness to him that was born of sheer desperation. His wife and child were gone. He was running from memories that haunted him with every breath and nightmares that plagued him each night. What he needed was a reason to go on- and it certainly wasn’t in the form of a new partner.
Can two broken souls form a bond between them? Will seeing another person who is struggling to deal with the trauma in their lives be just the thing to help old wounds heal – or would falling for each other simply create another emotional scar that is just too great to bear?
An Agent for Meghan
Meghan Chambers is spoiled and she knows it. Growing up, she had everything you could ever ask for except affection. The close bond she has with her sister Bernadette is essential to her happiness, but when her sister is ordered to marry a stranger – a new adventure together sounds like just the thing to keep the duo in cahoots! There’s nothing quite so exciting, daring, or carefree as tracking down a villain – until she meets Jack Gaines.
Jack takes one look at the pampered princess that he is being saddled with and laughs in sheer disbelief. There’s no way he’s going to willingly agree to be married to a hoity-toity-rich-girl like Meghan. He is tough, lethal, and was hi
red to track down a killer - not bungle a pretend marriage with a partner who looks like a prima donna.
When Meghan proves to be more than just the frills and lace on her dress, can she earn Jack’s respect and trust when they need it most? Can Jack let down his guard to see that sometimes it’s okay to show a little tenderness and compassion towards his wife, the newest Pinkerton Agent.
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About the Author
Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at [email protected]
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Copyright © 2019 by Ginny Sterling
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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