Melissa whimpered as he caressed her breasts and belly and then rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She was exhausted and wanted only to crawl into bed and nap for an hour, but it was obvious that Quinn wasn’t going to allow that. He continued to toy with her senses, and soon he was as hard and powerful within her as he had been before.
“Oh, God, Quinn,” she whispered, “please don’t make me wait—please.”
He shifted so that he was poised above her and kissed her once before granting her plea by thrusting deep within her. The culmination came to them both at the same time, and it was volcanic, wringing the last bit of strength from each of them.
They climbed into bed and slept, and since the trip from Port Riley to Victoria was not overly long, they had to hurry to be dressed in time to leave the ship.
Tuesday, December 29, 1891
Dearest Mama,
I know you and Harlan have been waiting and watching for this letter, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Your eleventh grandchild has arrived: Our baby girl was born the day after Christmas, and we plan to christen her Katherine, for you. Katie is very healthy, and so am I, thank you very much. The doctor wants me to stay in bed for another week, but I’m getting up tomorrow.
Needless to say, the holiday season has been a very happy time for us, and, we hope, for you as well. We spent Christmas Day in Port Hastings, where Maggie made a huge and delicious dinner for us all, and there were lots of presents, as always. Adam grumbled that the tree was nothing but a fire hazard, as usual, and we all ignored him.
Thank you for the beautiful set of silverware to go with the china you gave us as a wedding gift. It’s a perfect match.
Anyway, we were on the way home from Port Hastings in the new railroad car when Katie decided to join us. You should have seen Quinn’s face when he realized what was happening! He ran to look for a doctor in the passenger car, but all he came back with was a conductor. Between the two of them they brought your granddaughter into the world. Need I say that I’ve never gotten a better Christmas present?
I was glad to read in your letter that you had forgiven me for writing all those books without telling you. I cried for joy when you said that what made you furious was that you hadn’t gotten to read them. I’ve been clipping out the episodes of my newspaper saga about Harriet, the circus woman, and I’ll send them along soon.
It’s strange, but I’m beginning to find my work at the hotel almost as challenging and exciting as writing. (I imagine both pursuits will pale in comparison to being a mother.) Quinn lets me have a free hand at the Seaside, concentrating most of his efforts on the lumber operation and our investments.
We hear from Mary often, and she visits whenever she can. Her eyesight seems to be returning in stages, and we all have hopes, although one can never be completely certain how far the process will go. In any case, Mary is engaged to a nice young man who attends the university and is very happy.
You asked me for a report on the boys, and I can honestly tell you that they were all well and happy when I saw them over Christmas. Jeff has not only accepted Fancy’s work in the suffrage movement, he’s proud of it. Adam is working too hard, but you know how he loves that, and I suspect that Keith is writing a book, though he won’t admit to anything. (Quinn says you can bet it isn’t about a woman bound for destruction.)
I’m tiring now but will write more next week. Please give Harlan our love and esteem.
Your loving daughter,
Melissa
P.S. I want to have another baby right away, and I’ve told Quinn, too. Whispered it right in his bad ear!
LINDA LAEL MILLER is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty novels, including Princess Annie, The Legacy, and Daniel’s Bride. She began writing in 1983 and was named “The Most Outstanding Writer of Sensual Romance” by Romantic Times. With nearly five million copies of her books in print, Linda Lael Miller is among America’s most popular authors of contemporary and historical romance. Having completed her second time-travel romance, Knights, she is at work on her third, Outlaws, for Pocket Books. She lives near Seattle, Washington.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
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 Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright Page
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
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