by Bobbi Smith
"Lianne, I don't want your gratitude . . ." he replied.
His words almost sent Lianne into a panic, for she believed she knew what he really wanted. She tried not to think about being in his arms or kissing him or the last time they were in this cabin together.
"I'm afraid gratitude is all I can give you, Spectre." Lianne bravely lifted her eyes to his. She wanted him to know that she was being completely honest with him. "You see I love my husband. He's the only man I want."
Adam felt like a damn fool, standing there listening to her profess her love for him.
"Lianne," he cut her off, ready to put an end to the charade, "do you remember the last time we were together when I told you that there were those who would kill to know my identity?"
"Yes."
"That's over now." Adam was resolved to go through with this even though he knew she would be angry.
"It is?"
"There's no more need for the disguise, Lianne. I'm free of the past now . . ."
The tension was thick in the room as Adam reached up to take off his disguise. Lianne watched breathlessly as Spectre untied the mask.
"Adam!" For just a second, she didn't react as she stared in total disbelief at her husband. Then her temper erupted. "Adam! It was you all the time? You were Spectre!"
Lianne glanced from the discarded mask to Adam and back again. Rage filled her. Adam was Spectre . . . Spectre was Adam . . . He had taken her captive! He had made love to her on this very boat, knowing she was frightened, knowing she believed he was going to kill her! That night in their room . . . of course, he had known her husband was gone! She gave a bitter, slightly hysterical laugh as she turned flashing, anger-filled eyes on him.
"Lianne, I can explain everything . . ." he offered a bit lamely.
"Oh, I'll just bet you can," she snarled, "but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you! All this time, you led me on! You tied me to that bed and — "
"And I'll do it again, if you don't shut up and listen to what I've got to say," Adam finished for her with some satisfaction.
She gasped and started to rush from the room, but he moved more quickly, blocking her path and catching her in his arms.
"Let me go, Adam Trent! You're a no-good, lowdown, swine! You're a — "
"Enough!" he thundered, and he was relieved when she fell silent. True, she was sulking, but at least she was quiet. "Now, I want you to sit down in that chair and not say another word until you've heard me out. When I'm finished telling you everything, if you still want to leave me, I won't try to stop you. Just keep in mind that I love you more than anything in this world, Lianne — anything."
Their gazes met and locked. When Lianne tried to move away from him, this time Adam let her go. She sat down where he'd directed, giving him a frigid glare.
Adam was nervous as he began to talk, but he knew it was too late to worry about anything except explaining himself and his motives.
"You know Becky and I own a plantation home in Charleston," he said and at her answering nod, he continued. "I also own a successful shipping firm with Beau —Crescent Shipping." Adam saw the flicker of surprise in her eyes. "It was almost a year ago . . . I was in Houston on business when I met and became engaged to a young woman named Elise Clayton."
This news sent a shaft of pain through Lianne, but she betrayed no emotion as he went on with his story. Her anger was still vibrant within her, and all she wanted to do was get as far away from Adam as possible.
"We were returning to Charleston with her aunt so she could meet Becky, when we were attacked by Shark. The Windwood was a merchant vessel, easy prey for someone like him. We had little chance to defend ourselves." Adam's expression turned bleak as he remembered.
Lianne found she was holding her breath as he talked. She could hear the anguish in his tone as he described the carnage Shark wreaked aboard his vessel.
"Many of my men were killed. Beau was seriously injured. Elise's aunt was attacked and killed. Elise was . . ." Adam paused, trying to find the right way to phrase it. "Elise was raped, but they didn't bother to kill her when they were through. They just left her lying there . . . I vowed then and there that if we were rescued, I was going to get even with Shark —someway, somehow."
Lianne couldn't believe what he was telling her. "What happened to Elise?"
"We were rescued. When we made it back to Charleston, Becky and I sought out every doctor available, but none of them gave her any chance for recovery. She had withdrawn completely from reality and showed no sign of ever returning to normal."
Lianne found herself imagining Adam's torment to see the woman he loved in such condition.
"I had my fastest ship —the Sea Shadow — outfitted with guns, and I became Spectre. Once Beau had recovered, we went out and began searching the Gulf for Shark. From what we'd overheard during the attack, we knew that Shark was really a slave smuggler and that he had a woman partner in New Orleans. When our search of the Gulf didn't work, I decided to come to New Orleans and try to find him through his partner. That's what led me to Suzanne."
"Suzanne? And Shark?" Lianne was taken completely by surprise at this.
Adam nodded, sensing that her outrage with him was fading a bit. "Evidently, they'd been bringing slaves in illegally for some time. I got engaged to her just to be able to keep an eye on her activities. I knew Shark was due to show up at any time, and I had to be there to catch him . . . but then there was you." Adam gave her a long, searching look.
"Me? You hated me then," she charged.
"I never hated you. I just didn't want to fall in love with you, Lianne. I didn't want to feel the things you were making me feel. I fought it desperately. Trapping Shark was my only priority. That was all that mattered to me —that and Elise . . ."
"Elise . . . Where is she now?" Lianne was startled when her question brought a smile to his face.
"I brought Elise here to New Orleans with Becky and me, because I wanted to be sure she was getting the right medical care. I rented a house for her in town and set up round-the-clock nursing care. I even hired the best doctor I could find here to treat her, although in the beginning he wasn't any more encouraging than the others had been."
"No one could ask for more," Lianne said supportively, finding herself sympathizing with his plight.
"Then, right after we were married, I got a note from Dr. Williams telling me that Elise had begun to make progress. The odds were good that she would recover."
"Oh, Adam . . ." Lianne's heart went out to him. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be, Lianne," he replied quickly. "I was in love with you, but I still wouldn't admit to it, especially since you kept telling me that you hated me."
"I hated what you made me feel," she confessed, suddenly wanting him to understand. "Every time you came near me, I wanted you, yet you were 'in love' with Suzanne."
"I had to keep up the pretext. I had to get Shark," he said simply.
"What about Elise? Did she get better?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, it turned out that Dr. Williams had fallen in love with Elise during all their time together and she with him. She's fully recovered now and happy. I've seen her and we've talked. She's ready to start her life over again with him."
"I'm glad for her."
"She's a lovely lady, and she deserves all the happiness she can find. But Elise's recovery didn't help my situation. I still couldn't break completely with Suzanne until I had what I wanted from her . . . contact with Shark."
"And I believed that you loved her and were with her every time you left me alone!" Lianne mourned all the misunderstandings that had kept them apart.
"Hardly," Adam replied. "I tried to avoid her, if you want to know the truth. Suzanne held no attraction for me, but I had to act the part. You were the only woman I wanted. Most of the time when I was away from you, I was either here with Beau, or I was in town with Elise and the doctor."
Lianne almost got to her feet so she could go to him, but the memor
y of his little game as Spectre held her back. A flare of fury remained, but it was much abated compared to what she'd felt at first.
"But why the charade with me as Spectre? Why did you have to kidnap me that night in the bayou?"
"First," Adam countered, "you tell me what you were doing there."
"I followed you to force you to choose between Suzanne and me. I couldn't bear the humiliation any longer, and I was so afraid that Alex would be hurt if you left me and went to her after the baby was born."
"Would Alex have been the only one hurt?" he asked.
"You know better than that now, Adam. But that night I was going to face you down and demand that you make your choice."
"I'm glad you got sidetracked," Adam told her with a wicked grin.
"Adam Trent!" Lianne said with justified outrage. "You kidnapped me. You tied me up. You — "
"I didn't know what else to do with you! I didn't know what you were doing there or why you'd followed me. All I knew was that I couldn't let you discover my other identity. As for the rest . . ." Adam looked contrite. "I never have been able to control my desire for you with any great success. I was desperate to make love to you, and since you'd vowed that you hated me, I decided to take you as Spectre." Before she could say anything more, he went on, "I know it was wrong. I know I took advantage of you. But, Lianne, I was crazy in love with you, and you rejected me at every turn."
"I turned you away because I thought you loved Suzanne."
"I know. That's what I wanted you to think in the beginning," he answered. "I only hope that you can forgive me, Lianne. I love you as Adam, and I love you as Spectre. You hold my heart, love. You're my world, my future . . . you and our child."
Adam fell silent as he waited for her to make her decision.
Chapter Forty-one
Lianne stared up at her husband, seeing with joy the total openness and trust in his expression. She got to her feet slowly, her eyes dark with emotion. Until this moment, she'd had no idea of the torment Adam had been through. Now she understood what Becky had been trying to tell her in the garden, and her heart filled with love for him. He was her world, too, and her future. It was as she'd told Spectre. She loved her husband and wanted only him.
Adam was uneasy as he watched her stand. Her expression was inscrutable, and he worried that she was going to leave him. Preparing himself for the worst, he remained perfectly still and waited.
Lianne saw the momentary flash of fear in his eyes, and without another moment's hesitation, she flew into his arms. "I love you, too, Adam. It seems I have forever . . ."
Adam clasped her to him in a joyous embrace as his mouth sought hers. Enraptured they stood wrapped in one another's arms, savoring the newness of their commitment. Without ending the kiss, he lifted her into his arms and moved to the bunk. He laid her gently upon its softness, then helped her strip away her clothing. He shed his own and joined her there.
"No ropes this time?" Lianne asked teasingly as she eagerly reached for him.
"No ropes and no more deception," Adam told her, his voice hoarse with emotion as he moved over her and fitted himself to her intimately. His gaze was loving as he looked down at her. "There'll never be any secrets between us again, Lianne."
Lianne shivered pleasantly as she recognized Spectre's husky tone for the first time.
"The past is over, Adam. Let's put it from us and think only of our future," she murmured as she drew him down for a flaming kiss that ignited into a wildfire of desire.
They came together in a blaze of passion that took them both to the searing splendor of breathless ecstasy. The heights of rapture attained, they clung to each other knowing that the rest of their lives would be as perfect.
The End
Want more Western historical romance
from Bobbi Smith?
Here's an excerpt from
DREAM WARRIOR
Prologue
Spring 1859, Dakota Territory
"Easy, boy." Gray Eyes, the eight-year-old, half-breed Cheyenne boy, spoke quietly as he approached the sleek young stallion he sought to tame. "Easy, Wild One."
It was almost dark, but Gray Eyes didn't notice. His concentration fierce and his expression determined, he closed in on the spirited black horse that had been a gift from his grandfather, Tall Shadow, the chief of the tribe. His grandfather had known how smart and independent the horse was and had offered to help train it, but Gray Eyes had turned him down. He was determined to break the stallion by himself.
Wild One was living up to his reputation for having a mind of his own. Gray Eyes had been working with the horse since early that morning, but had met with little success so far. Still, he refused to be discouraged. He wouldn't let the physical pain and exhaustion he felt or the other Cheyenne boys' mocking laughter stop him. He was going to master this horse, and once he did, it would be the finest mount in the tribe.
As Gray Eyes approached the stallion again, the horse rolled his eyes and laid back his ears as he sidled away. Tired though he was, the horse was just as stubborn as the boy and would continue this struggle for domination. He would not yield his freedom easily.
Driven by his burning need to succeed, Gray Eyes concentrated on mounting again. He'd learned early in life that he was different from the other boys and that the white man's blood that ran in his veins from his now-dead father had somehow tainted him. He'd always felt he'd had to earn their respect, and he'd done so with a vengeance, always working to be the best. It had become a way of life for him, and taming this horse would be no different from any of the other challenges he'd faced. Finally, ready to engage the battle once more, he grabbed Wild One's rein and vaulted onto his back, gripping the stallion tightly with his legs.
The stallion fought with all its strength. Desperate to dislodge the boy from its back, he twisted and turned, bucked and writhed. But no matter what the horse tried, the youth matched its efforts with equal fervor.
The battle for supremacy seemed endless to Gray Eyes. Every violent, jarring movement of the horse sent pain shooting through his already battered body, but he would not admit defeat, he would not give up. Hanging on for dear life, he suffered the stallion's severest test and somehow, ultimately won.
When the steed finally stood quivering beneath him, Gray Eyes let out a whoop of victory. The taunts of the other boys were forgotten. He had done it. He had conquered the proud stallion and made him his own! Gray Eyes held his head high as he rode the prancing Wild One. In his triumph, he looked every bit the future warrior.
Everyone heard his cry and came running. All eyes followed him as he guided the magnificent stallion through the village. His control of the animal earned the respect and approval of all, and they loudly praised his ability as he rode by.
Tall Shadow stood with his daughter, Gray Eyes's mother Morning Wind, watching his grandson. His black eyes shone with pride. "For one so young, your son has done a remarkable job. Few others could have tamed that one. Once again he has proven his worth."
"My son has always known his own worth," Morning Wind told him.
"He will be a fine warrior one day."
"I know," she replied, her smile fading a bit as her gaze followed her son.
"This does not please you?" Tall Shadow heard the note of reluctance in her tone and wondered at it.
"It saddens me that my son does not wish to learn more about his father." As much as Gray Eyes tried to be fully Cheyenne, there could be no denying his resemblance to his father, Jack Marshall. At the thought of her husband who'd died when their son was an infant, an intense longing filled Morning Wind. She deeply regretted that father and son had never gotten to know each other.
"There is no reason to worry. Gray Eyes will grow to be a good man. No father could ask more of his son."
Morning Wind fell silent. She knew her father believed what he was saying, but Gray Eyes was no ordinary Cheyenne boy. He was Jack Marshall's son, and she wanted him to be as proud of his white heritage as he w
as of his Cheyenne background. Jack had been a fair and honest man, respected by all in the tribe. She wanted Gray Eyes to hold his father in the same high esteem. In honor of his memory, she'd insisted her son take lessons from the missionary who came to their village. Gray Eyes resented the lessons, but she'd remained firm. She would not allow him to deny his father's existence.
Tall Shadow glanced at his daughter and saw the sadness in her eyes. "Your love for this man has never faded."
"No, Father, and it never will."
"There are many warriors who would have you for a wife."
"I want no other man to raise my husband's son."
"A boy needs a father."
"He has you. Who else could do a better job of bringing him to manhood?"
At that moment, Gray Eyes encouraged Wild One to rear as he let out a war cry. The horse pawed the air and then raced away with long, powerful strides as his master gave him his head. The other boys ran for their own mounts to give chase. Their shouts of praise for Gray Eyes's accomplishments filled Morning Wind's heart with joy.
Morning Wind couldn't help but smile again as she watched her son disappear over the hill. She knew in that moment that he would indeed grow to be a fine man. She only hoped that one day he would come to appreciate the ways of his father.
1861
Gray Eyes was weary. For five days now, the ten-year-old boy had survived alone in the wilderness as he'd searched and prayed for a vision from the heavens—a message that would show him the path he was to follow for the rest of his life, a message that would give him the power he needed to become a brave and fearless warrior. But the days and nights had passed without the desired revelation, and despair had begun to grow within him. The fear that his father's blood was a curse upon him that would prevent him from fulfilling his vision quest tormented him. Many of his friends had already received their visions, some in as little time as a day. Yet here he was, still praying and still waiting.