The River Nymph (30 page)
Authors: Shirl Henke
She placed her fingers over his mouth, grinning and giggling like a schoolgirl. “Yes, I am devious. I wanted you to be watching
my breasts when I dealt that final hand. You see, darling, I did cheat. I palmed a six of clubs and dealt myself that three
of hearts so I’d lose. I wanted the choice about us to be up to you. It still is. Just because you won the game…and
tonight…well, it doesn’t mean you have to accept my proposal of marriage.”
“I call that proposal and raise you a couple of babies,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
“Only two? I call those two and raise you another two,” she said as he enfolded her in his arms, and they sank back against
the pillows once more.
Late that night they sat in their undergarments, feeding each other bits of chicken, deviled eggs and other delicacies fromLuellen’s
kitchen as they talked about the shadows in their pasts before moving on to the bright promise of the future.
“Jacques Dubois told me about your aunt. It must have been horrible losing every woman you loved,” she said softly.
“I’ve never loved any woman the way I love you, Deelie. I’ve finished my mourning for Teal. She was a fine woman and I loved
her, but we were young and that way of life was endin’ for the Ehanktonwon even then. I’ll always regret what I did after
that, but you’ve put the ghosts to rest. Just promise you’ll never leave me.”
“Never.” She placed her finger in the cleft of his chin and felt the abrasion of whiskers. “I never imagined there could be
a man like you for me. Poor Lawrence was a boy who would never have let me be anything but a child if he’d lived. At first
it made me horribly guilty, but now I realize that I would’ve outgrown him even if life hadn’t pushed me in the direction
it did. I hated being outside ‘respectable society,’ being a gambler, but gambling brought me to you.”
“And got you the
Nymph,
” he reminded her with a grin. “You told me you wanted to take on high-falutin’ passengers. Have you finished fixing up the
cabins so we can charge more for fancy accommodations?”
She returned his grin and popped a bite of chicken in his mouth. “I wanted
us
to have the fancy accommodations. The hell with the passengers. Let them travel steerage!”
“Sensational Shirl Henke is one of the top ten authors of American romance.”
—
Affaire de Coeur
“A true shining star of the genre. Shirl Henke mesmerizes readers with the most powerful, sensual and memorable historical
romances yet!”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Henke incorporates witty dialogue and plenty of sexual tension into a suspenseful plot.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Texas Viscount
“Another sensual treat for readers who like their romances liberally laced with both danger and desire.”
—
Book list
on
Rebel Baron
“An explosive and passionate love story…. Henke cleverly takes the May-December romance to new heights in a wonderful
tale.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Rebel Baron
“The lively dialogue, biting repartee and sizzling sensuality crackle through the pages of this delicious and fast-paced read.
Henke captures you from page one…. A quick charmer of a read!”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Yankee Earl
“Readers will need oxygen to keep up…Shirl Henke knows how to spin a heated tale that never slows until the final safe
kiss.”
—
Midwest Book Review
on
Wanton Angel
Shirl Henke creates “passionate love scenes, engaging characters and a well-researched, fast-paced plot.”
—
Publishers Weekly
on
Bride of Fortune
AWARD-WINNER SHIRL HENKE!
“Shirl Henke is one of the brightest stars in romance. Her engaging characters and talent for storytelling grip readers from
first page to last!”
—Katherine Sutcliffe
“A riveting story about a fascinating period. I highly recommend
Paradise & More
.”
—Karen Robards
“A grand and glorious novel…. I couldn’t stop reading.”
—Bertrice Small on
Paradise & More
“
Return to Paradise
swept me away!”
—Virginia Henley
“A romantic romp of a Western. I loved it!”
—Georgina Gentry on
Terms of Surrender
“
White Apache’s Woman
is a fascinating book…an absolute must read for anyone who loves American history.”
—Heather Graham
“Fast paced, sizzling, adventurous…with a hot-blooded hero who will set your heart on fire.”
—Rosanne Bittner on
A Fire in the Blood
“A fascinating slice of history…with equally fascinating characters. Enjoy
Love a Rebel…Love a Rogue
!”
—Catherine Coulter
Other
Leisure
books by Shirl Henke:
TEXAS VISCOUNT
REBEL BARON
YANKEE EARL
WANTON ANGEL
WICKED ANGEL
WHITE APACHE’S WOMAN
RETURN TO PARADISE
LOVE A REBEL…LOVE A ROGUE
BROKEN VOWS
PARADISE & MORE
TERMS OF LOVE
McCRORY’S LADY
A FIRE IN THE BLOOD
TERMS OF SURRENDER
NIGHT WIND’S WOMAN
A LEISURE BOOK
®
February 2008
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2008 by Shirl Henke
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E-ISBN 13: 978-1-4285-0397-7
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