Tides of Love (Seaswept Seduction Series) (44 page)

Hannah had lulled Rory to sleep every night when he was a baby, right here, until he got too big and wanted only to scramble around the floor, dragging his butt and legs behind him, chewing on every nasty bug or dust ball he could get his hands on. Other than requiring that Zach watch what he dropped on the floor—something as simple as a button could be a dreadful hazard—and see that his son ate regularly and had clean diapers on his bottom as often as a person could make that happen, that first year or two of his son's life had passed without event.

Then Rory's mind had opened up and the questions started.

Excruciating questions. Where did stars come from? Why is the sky blue and not orange? What are oyster shells made of? By God, Zach had wished for Noah then—the professor, as everyone in town except his family called him—to ease the burden of lying all the time about stuff. Making up answers left and right. His other brother, Caleb, wasn't even as smart as Zach, so he was of no use in those instances at all.

It was a big responsibility raising a child. To Zach's way of thinking, there was no bigger and no more rewarding an experience. Unfortunately, it offered the best chance in life to suffer as if you were being roasted in Satan's den.

Anything that hurt Rory hurt Zach ten times worse.

She had wondered—this odd woman he kissed earlier in the evening—why he cautiously considered taking risks. Savannah Connor wasn't a parent and therefore couldn't understand that the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

The weight of
his
world.

Zach glanced toward the bed, resisting the urge to tuck Rory's foot back under the covers or trace the shape of his toes just for the simple pleasure of touching him.

Zach's family, his entire
meaning
, lay snuggled beneath those covers, breathing in raspy, little-boy breaths, probably dribbling spittle on the blue pillowcase, his fist clenched around a tattered rag doll.

Savannah couldn't know that Zach had cried as much at his wife's funeral because his family would never grow any larger, than he did because his wife and unborn child lay in the nicest pine box he could find on short notice in the dead of winter.

He
had
loved Hannah.

Of course, he had been the worst sort of husband for her: too full of passion and eagerness and dreams. But he'd loved her, soul-deep. And he had tried the best he knew how to care for her, to shelter her. Just as he had tried to do the best by his brothers after his mother's death.

By blind chance, he had come home that month, a pilot who could navigate every inlet and shoal in the Banks with his eyes closed, a young man seeking to grab the world by the short hairs, as cocky and irresponsible and fun-loving as any young man of twenty had a right to be.

Yes, he'd come home to a dying mother and two adolescent boys in need of he didn't know what. One with a temper Zach couldn't control, the other with a mind Zach didn't understand.

That had ended his cocky irresponsibility quicker than a fist against a brick wall.

He hadn't missed the rowdy life. Living in the rank galley of a boat, eating high on the hog right out of port, then watching the supplies dwindle until he'd kill for a cracker that wasn't covered with mold. Working all hours, until his back ached and his knees locked, staring at the damned horizon so long his eyes crossed.

So he had settled in Pilot Isle for good. Married Hannah, and then along came Rory. And his life was no longer his at all. Even if he loved them with everything he had to give, and he did, Rory, Hannah, Noah, and Caleb had exacted a price. A price he was willing to pay until the day he kicked.

Still, a price.

Then, today, surprise of all surprises, Savannah Connor—bold and brash and maybe a touch crazy—had offered him a mirror.

When he'd looked into it, he'd seen that fun-loving young man staring back.

The temptation to take what she offered seemed more than he could refuse. Touching her had been like standing inside one of Edison's bulbs: the glow had dazzled, warmed, and enchanted. He had been Zach Garrett and nothing more, kissing a woman for the unadulterated joy of it, feeling her nails lightly scratching his neck, her firm breasts flattening against his chest, her sweet breath stealing into his throat.

He had forgotten the pleasure of a woman's touch.

Zach breathed deeply of little boy, paint and dog, wondering if Savannah understood the road she had started down. It was a treacherous road, a ruinous road for an unmarried woman. He was a bit older, and wiser by far, even though she was from New York City.

The good deed would be to turn her away.

Right now.
Tomorrow
.

Only, the wicked side of him, a side no one in Pilot Isle would have guessed existed, was hard at work building a wall around good intention. He had not been lonely those piloting years; he learned things he had never considered bringing into his marital bed. Hannah had been too fragile, too sweet and innocent.

Savannah Connor was another case altogether.

Untried, he had no doubt. Gullible in her own way, he reckoned, but
fearless
.

A fearless pain in his ass.

He laughed as he thought it: just as he'd once been.

Was it insane to imagine he could find that young man with her, not for love's sake but simply for
life's
sake? For
his
sake and his alone?

Noah and Caleb told him, sometimes daily, that he had to move on, remarry and have more children.

He didn't want that.

He couldn't love that deeply or give of himself in that way again. Yet, he was tired, dog tired, of apologizing for wanting to
live
.

Smiling softly, he closed his eyes, imagining what it was going to be like
negotiating
with that hellion.

And since he'd decided to take her up on her life-and-choices challenge, imagining if she'd let him negotiate her right out of her fancy clothes.

Meet Tracy Sumner

Tracy's story telling career began when she picked up a copy of LaVyrle Spencer's
Vows
on a college beach trip. A journalism degree and a thousand romance novels later, she decided to try her hand at writing a southern version of the perfect love story. With a great deal of luck and more than a bit of perseverance, she sold her first novel to Kensington Publishing.

When not writing sensual stories featuring complex characters and lush settings, Tracy can be found reading romance, snowboarding, watching college football and figuring out how she can get to 100 countries before she kicks (which is a more difficult endeavor than it used to be with her four-year-old son in tow). She lives in Charlotte, NC, but after spending a few years in "the city", considers herself a New Yorker at heart.

Tracy has been awarded the National Reader's Choice, the Write Touch and the Beacon—with finalist nominations in the HOLT Medallion, Heart of Romance, Rising Stars and Reader's Choice. Her books have been translated into German, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish. She loves hearing from readers about why she tends to pit her hero and heroine against each other from the very first page or that great romance she simply
must
order in five seconds on her Kindle.

Ciao!

Also by Tracy Sumner

Tides of Passion

To Seduce a Rogue

To Desire a Scoundrel: A Christmas Seduction

Praise for

TIDES OF PASSION

Reader's Choice for Best Long Historical

Beacon for Best Historical

"A fresh voice in romantic fiction!"

~
Affaire de Coeur

*

"Terrific dialogue... and hot loves scenes. If you haven't read Tracy Sumner before,
Tides of Passion
is a good place to start."

~All About Romance

*

"Delicious and amusing... witty dialogue, sparkling humor

and a snappy narrative. A must read!"

~
thebestreviews.com

*

"This novel realizes with a great and witty gusto that independence isn't so much about being on your own

as it is about choosing to be together."

~
Romantic Times

*

Praise for

TIDES OF LOVE

"I picked up
Tides of Love
... just to give the book a quick peak. That quick peak turned into four hours of reading that didn't stop until I finished the book!"

~The Romance Reader

*

"Descriptive flair... give this one a try!"

~All About Romance

*

"A powerful relationship novel that explores

the heartache and triumph of love."

~
Romantic Times

*

"A beautifully written romance! Sizzling love scenes."

~Reviewer Carol Carter

*

Praise for

TO DESIRE A SCOUNDREL

A CHRISTMAS SEDUCTION

"A sexy tale filled with great verbal repartee."