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    Love and War
    Love and War
    Love and War
    Ebook69 pages54 minutes

    Love and War

    By Gabriella Mahoney

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Part 2 of the Island Temptress story.

    The island village has burned to the ground and the natives are left to assume that Stephen Garrott is to blame. But Stephen knows that there is more to this than meets the eye. He must find a way to help these people rebuild before the winter storms arrive while protecting the woman he loves from a man bent on destruction.

    This short novelette is approximately 14,700 words.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGabriella Mahoney
    Release dateDec 10, 2014
    ISBN9781311580528
    Love and War
    Author

    Gabriella Mahoney

    Gabriella Mahoney is a California girl that has been writing since grade school. As an incurable bookworm, she remembers when her best friend first introduced her to Georgette Heyer and the world of Regency romance like it was yesterday. Gabriella likes to write in a variety of genres but she is especially fond of short form fiction and exploring the new romantic possibilities it creates.

    Read more from Gabriella Mahoney

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      Book preview

      Love and War - Gabriella Mahoney

      Love and War

      Part 2 of the Island Temptress Story

      By Gabriella Mahoney

      ***

      Published by Gabriella Mahoney at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014 Gabriella Mahoney

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ***

      Chapter 1

      It was a damp and dreary morning by the time Captain Stephen Garrott opened his sleep-heavy eyes. The stone floor of the cave covered only by a thin woven blanket had proven itself to be a bed more comfortable than the finest down mattress. He could not recall a time when he had been as tired as he was the previous night. The emotional and physical exhaustion of being shipwrecked, captured and narrowly avoiding death twice had taken its toll.

      However it was not just fatigue that had allowed him to sleep so deeply. Something had happened last night. Stephen usually slept very little and lightly, his body too anxious for the challenges of his waking hours to afford him much rest. Last night had been different. He woke up feeling relaxed… at peace. For the first time in his life he felt no urge to immediately leap out of bed and into action.

      He became aware of a missing presence. He had only known Clara for a short time and yet it felt odd to not wake up with her next to him. She had unwittingly charmed her way into his heart. She was the missing link his soul had been searching for.

      He saw that Clara was sitting by the cave’s entrance hugging her knees. It was a position that made her look vulnerable and a great deal younger, like a little girl starring out at the lawn through a rain-soaked window. Stephen found himself wanting to go and comfort her but he held back. He cared for this woman but above all he did not want to frighten her away by moving too fast.

      She must have heard him moving for she turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. The village was on fire last night.

      Stephen blinked in surprise, unsure if his groggy brain had heard her correctly. What?

      I could see the glow of the flames from here. The rain must have helped put it out. I can see nothing but tendrils of smoke now.

      How could this happen?

      Clara shrugged. A dropped torch… a stray spark from a fire… anything really, I suppose.

      Stephen pressed his lips into a grim line. There was truth in what she said. Anything could have sparked a fire. But he had seen the construction of the huts. These islanders had built sturdy, careful dwellings. It seemed highly unlikely that they would be so careless. Granted, accidents did happen. But something wasn’t right.

      I sat here and watched, Clara said miserably as she turned to look back out the cave’s opening. I watched and did nothing. I figured that one more set of hands would make no difference by the time I arrived. But what if I was wrong? What if people died because I wasn’t there to help?

      Stephen said nothing. He had no words of wisdom to offer because he knew it wouldn’t help. He felt the same sense of failure and guilt when he thought about his crew. He had been following orders in pursuing the French privateer and nothing about his battle plan had been especially rash. But he still couldn’t help but feel that he could have done something more.

      Stephen found that more than anything he wanted to go over to Clara and kiss away her sorrows. He wanted to protect her from anything and everything that caused her pain or sorrow. But he contented himself with simply getting up and wrapping his arms around her. Clara stiffened at his touch. But he sensed her reaction stemmed from surprise rather than disgust. She wasn’t used to physical

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