She reached out, unsure how to help but knowing she had to try.
“Wait. The less we handle the kitten the better.” Using a handkerchief pulled from his pocket, he carefully broke the membrane and wiped the kitten’s face.
Though its body unfurled slightly, it didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
Charles’s mouth was pressed in a thin line, and Rose wanted to scream at Romeo. Take care of this one. It needs you.
“If it doesn’t start breathing soon, it’s not going to survive.” He swept the kitten into his handkerchief, laid flat on his palm. “Come on, little one.”
Tears gathered in Rose’s eyes. The creature looked so small, so helpless, with its eyes closed tight and its chest motionless. She leaned over Charles’s hand, wishing she could somehow breathe life into the kitten.
Desperate, she lifted a corner of the handkerchief and rubbed it over the kitten’s chest. The fur there turned soft as down, but her patient remained in a precarious twilight—not quite alive, not quite dead. Several drops of crimson stained the crisp white cotton handkerchief. That couldn’t be good. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and because she didn’t know what else to do, what else to try, she rubbed the kitten’s chest harder.
Charles reached for her wrist, stilling her. “I’m sorry, Rose.”
No. This kitten was like her. Fragile and broken, but not dead.
She closed her eyes and made one last, fervent wish.
Overhead, thunder cracked, sending birds fluttering. Raindrops pattered on the canopy of leaves, searching for a path through the dense foliage. Several plunked on her head, streaked down her forehead, and mingled with her tears. But Charles’s warm strength flowed through her, and she willed it to flow through the kitten as well.
“Rose. Look, he’s moving!”
Unbelieving, she opened her eyes. The kitten yawned and stretched its paws, writhing on Charles’s hand.
He gazed at her with wonder. “You did it. I should never have doubted you.”
His words made her glow on the inside, but then his face dimmed.
“We still have a problem, though. It shouldn’t be bleeding this much.” He pointed at the kitten’s belly. “See where the cord ripped? We need something to tie around it. I don’t suppose you have anything in your bag?”
Frowning, she shook her head. She had string at the house, of course, but by the time she ran there and back, it could well be too late.
Where to find string or thread? She flipped over the edge of her gown, hastily yanked a thread from the hem, and held it up for Charles to see.
“It’s perfect. Your fingers are better suited for this than mine. I’ll hold him while you tie the strand tightly around the cord. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt him. Or her,” he added with a heart-stopping smile. “We’ll have plenty of time to figure that out later.”
Her hands trembled so badly that the thread missed its mark and she tied a knot in the air.
But Charles spoke softly, his breath warm near her ear. “Take your time. This one’s a fighter. You’re almost there.”
The rain fell harder, plopping on the backs of her hands as she worked. Charles held his cap over the kitten to shelter it, and Rose remained focused on the task before her. She pressed on, ignoring the thunder, the blood, and, most daunting of all, her self-doubt.
At last, she pulled the strands tight and looked at Charles triumphantly.
“Well done.” The approval in his voice and in his eyes made her belly flip—in a strange and pleasant way.
She held up the ends of the thread, each several inches long.
“Here, hold our patient. I’ve got a knife.” In one smooth motion, he snapped open a pocketknife and cut the extra lengths off the thread. “Let’s return him to Romeo and his siblings. See if he can hold his own.”
Gingerly, Rose placed the kitten in the nest, just under its mother’s chin. It huddled close to her neck, nuzzling against her fur and soaking up her warmth.
Romeo remained vexingly aloof.
“He won’t take no for an answer,” predicted Charles. “Just you watch.”
Refusing to be ignored, the kitten crawled its way on top of its mother’s head and slid down her nose. At last, she began to lick its fur.
“Thank God!” Charles jumped up, lifting Rose and spinning her till she was breathless and dizzy. Lowering her slowly to the ground, he added, “He’s going to be fine.”
The kitten would be fine. And maybe—just maybe—she would be too.
Because standing there in the rain, with Charles’s hands firmly on the curve of her hips, she felt strong enough to face anything. Even her past.
His chest rose and fell as rapidly as hers did—faster than it should. His amber eyes turned a rich chestnut, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. Like he wanted to kiss her.
There was a long list of reasons why she shouldn’t let him.
She was a lady; he was a stable master.
She was gently bred; he bred horses.
She was expected to marry a gentleman; he came from a long line of servants.
And yet, in spite of all that, she placed her hands on his chest and lifted her chin, inviting him to kiss her. It was, perhaps, the most daring and reckless thing she’d ever done.
Charles was worth it.
“Rose… I…” He wrapped his hands around her wrists, his face clouding with regret. “This is… tempting. But there’s a line we cannot cross. If we did… if I did… there’d be no going back to how things were.”
Maybe she wanted to cross the line. Jump right over it. She gripped the lapels of his jacket, willing him to understand.
“I’m fond of you, but sometimes… I don’t know what you expect of me, what you want from me.”
I want you to heal me, to make me whole, to make me feel alive. I want you to kiss me.
She held her breath as he searched her face. With a sigh, he looked away, and she knew that for once, her silence had disappointed him. She’d disappointed him.
He released her and took two steps backward. “If ever you need a friend, you may depend on me. But I think it’s best if you don’t visit the stables for a while.”
She gasped, reached for his arm, and opened her mouth.
He froze, expectant.
And all the things she wanted to say to him, all the feelings she wanted to confess, died somewhere between her heart and her throat. She pressed her lips together.
He nodded, as though he should have known better than to hope for more. “Good-bye, Lady Rose.”
ALSO BY ANNE BARTON
When She Was Wicked
To All the Rakes I’ve Loved Before (e-novella)
Once She Was Tempted
ACCLAIM FOR THE HONEYCOTE NOVELS
ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED
“Anne Barton is a delightful new voice in historical romance! Once She Was Tempted is a charming read with characters who are easy to love—a wounded earl and a determined heroine whose heart won’t be denied.”
—Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author
“A delightful tale filled with sexual sizzle and banter… Barton’s strong prose and wit will have readers clamoring for more.”
—RT Book Reviews
“An incredible romance that made me want to climb right into the book and be a part of it all… Barton is really becoming one of my favorite writers.”
—HerdingCats-BurningSoup.com
“Exciting… Fast-paced, sweet romance… Reminds you of Beauty and the Beast, except the hero is no beast, but a dark-tempered, handsome, sexy earl. Well done, Anne!”
—MyBookAddictionReviews.com
“A stunning, heartwarming, and unbelievably sweet romance… brilliant characterizations… [an] engaging story with an enchanting set of secondary characters, written in eloquently elegant prose.”
—BuriedUnderRomance.com
WHEN SHE WAS WICKED
“Sensual and solid, this debut is a story demanding to be read. The characte
rs are believable and relatable, and Barton smartly blends issues of morality and Regency-era social class with passion and excitement.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Delightfully smart, fun, fast-paced, and just different enough for readers to take note of Barton’s charming voice, this novel is filled with wry humor, and compassion intrigues readers. The intrepid heroine, arrogant hero, memorable secondary characters, and the colorful depiction of the era add to the reading enjoyment.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Break out the bubbly for Anne Barton’s delightful debut!”
—Vicky Dreiling, bestselling author of What a Reckless Rogue Needs
“When She Was Wicked is a delightful debut! Anne Barton’s cast of characters is charming and witty. Owen is the type of hero that readers fall in love with from the very first introduction, and Anabelle is ingenious and resourcefully cunning—a girl after my own heart.”
—Tiffany Clare, author of The Secret Desires of a Governess
“5 stars! I predict great things from this author. Anne Barton will become an author to watch. Her voice is strong and unique. Her writing is reminiscent of historical heavy-hitters such as Julia Quinn, Tessa Dare, and Lorraine Heath. Her endearing characters and eloquent writing make her one of the most promising new authors in this genre… I can’t wait to read her next book.”
—LongandShortReviews.com
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
UNLEASHED
by Rachel Lacey
Cara has one rule: Don’t get attached. It’s served her well with the dogs she’s fostered and the children she’s nannied. But one smile from her sexy neighbor has her thinking some rules are made to be broken. Fans of Jill Shalvis will fall in love with this sassy, sexy debut!
MADE FOR YOU
by Lauren Layne
She’s met her match… she just doesn’t know it yet. Fans of Jennifer Probst and Rachel Van Dyken will fall head over heels for the second book in the Best Mistake series.
SCANDALOUS SUMMER NIGHTS
by Anne Barton
Fans of Tessa Dare, Julia Quinn, and Sarah MacLean will love this charming and wickedly witty new book in the Honeycote series about the passion—and peril—of falling in love with your brother’s best friend.
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A delightful retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast with a wonderful, sensual, and playful twist that fans of Elizabeth Hoyt won’t want to miss!
THE BURIED
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“It’s cold. And dark. I can’t breathe.”
Grace and “Hatch” thought they’d buried the past, but a killer on a grisly crime spree is about to unearth their deepest fears. Don’t miss the next gripping thriller in the Apostles series.
SHOOTING SCARS
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Ellie Watt has been kidnapped by her thuggish ex-boyfriend, leaving her current lover, Camden McQueen, to save the day. And there’s nothing he won’t do to rescue Ellie from this criminal and his entourage of killers in this fast-paced, sexy USA Today bestseller!
THE WICKED WAYS OF ALEXANDER KIDD
by Paula Quinn
The newest sinfully sexy Scottish romance in New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn’s Highland Heirs series, about the niece of a Highland chief who stows away on a pirate ship, desperate for adventure, and the pirate captain whose wicked ways inflame an irresistible desire…
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
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-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
About the Author
A Preview of One Wild Winter’s Eve
Also by Anne Barton
Acclaim for the Honeycote Novels
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Anne Barton
Excerpt from One Wild Winter’s Eve © 2014 by Anne Barton
Cover design by Diane Luger
Cover art by Chris Corcozza
Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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ISBN 978-1-4555-5180-4
E3