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ANNA
MARLEY STARED,unblinking,asaroyalguardinafreshlypressedblackuniformopenedthereardoor andbowedslightly.“Welcome toAugustine,Miss Marley.” His accentwas smoothandoffthe charts.He tookher handand helpedheroutofthecar
Foramoment,shefeltlikeroyalty.Thatwasalaugh.Shewasakidatheartandpoorerthanapreschoolteacher.Ohwait …she was a preschool teacher.Thatwas whyshe was sopoor andrelatedbetter tochildrenthanadults.She smiledather ownhilariousness
The chillyair nipped ather cheeks. Itwas earlyApril inthe Alps ofcourse itwas bitingcold. Who cared? She was standinginthecourtyardofthecastleofAugustineandshe,AnnaMarley,wasgoingtomeetsomebodyroyal
Thank you, dear Father above.
She followed all the members of the Augustine royal familywho had a social media account. She adored themall and wasn’tpickyaboutwhoshemet,butseeingthecrownprinceupcloseandpersonalwouldbethecrowninggloryofherlife.
Crowning?Ha!
“Thankyou,”shemanaged “Canyoudomeasolidandgivemeagoodtickle?”Sheraisedherrightarmtogivehimaccess toherarmpit.Itwashermostticklishspot.
“Pardonme?”Theyoungguardlookedabsolutelyhorrified
“Whenmylittleonesaresleepingduringlessons,”shetriedtoexplain,“Igivethemagoodtickleandwakethemrightup. It’smuchnicerthanapinchorcoldwater.”
Hisexpressionremainedserious.Nosmile.Nounderstanding.
“Ineedsomeonetowakemeupfromthisdream,”shetriedtoclarify,butthepunchlinewaslostonhislackofanykindof humor “Come on, evenyouhave to admit This is offthe charts!” She gestured around “How do youjuststand there all calmandsayinyourperfectaccent,‘WelcometoAugustine,miss’?Youshouldbescreaming,‘Welcometothemostepicand beautifulplaceonearth!’Theviewofyourvalleyaloneismorethanworthenduringthecoldsoakingthroughmyclothesand turningmynoseandcheeksred.I’mgoingtolookterribleforthecamerasandIdon’tevencare.I’m…in…Augustine!”She didahappydance.
Stillnothing Notevenatwinkleinhiseyes
She patted his arm. “Your home is off the charts, Mr. Too-Stiff Royal Guard. Yay for you! A little gratitude for your blessingswouldnotbeamiss”
He finallysmiled at her dramatics, but she doubted anyone could prod a laughout ofthis stiff. Not everybodywas her targetaudience Sheknewthat Nooneabovetwelveusuallyenjoyedhernonstopteasingandchatter Shedidn’tletitdampen herenthusiasmorhappinessforthisspecialmoment.
Hergazetraveledup,wayup,tothetip-topofthegloriouscastletoweringoverher.TheguardshutthedoortotheAudi, andbeforesheevenrememberedtothankthedriverwho’dmetherattheTraverseAirporthalfanhourago,hewasmotoring away.
As they’d driventhroughthe mountainpass fromTraverse, she’d gawked and prattled onaboutthe gorgeous mountains, greenpinetrees,new greenbudsonthedeciduoustreesandgreenpokingitswayoutoftheground,andthesnow decorating themountainfromthemidpointtothetiptopsofthosegloriouslytallpeaks
Whenthey’ddrivenoutofthemountainpassandshehadglimpsedtheAugustinevalleyinallitssplendor,herdriverhad laughedoutloudathowenamoredshewasandherverbalprayersofgratitudetotheirmakerforcreatingsuchperfectionand miraculouslyallowinghertoseeitinperson
Atleastthedriverhadthoughtshewasfunny.Mr.RoyalGuardwasprobablypaidhandsomelytobestiffandmakeevery non-royalaroundhimfeelawkward
Hereyesdartedaround,tryingtotakeineverydetailofthegranitecastlewallsthatsparkledinthespringsunshine.Huge windowsorglasspatiodoorswithdarlingpatioswereinterspersedalongthecastlewalls.Shehighlyapprovedofthenatural lightandprayedshecouldadmiretheviewfrominside Balconiesdecoratedmanyofthelevels
She noticed a cameramanfilmingher fromnextto the graceful, longsetofstairs leadingto the castle’s imposingdouble frontdoors Wherehadhecomefrom?Shehopedshe’dkepthertongueinhermouthasshegawked,butitwasn’tlikely “Oh,heythere.”Shewaved,putonherbestsmile,andsuckedin.“Youandmetogetherallweek?”
Thecameramanonlychuckledandgaveherathumbsup Ah,beingvideoedwasgoingtobeannoying.Whoknew how manytimesher tonguewouldgetawayfromher andshe’d prattleonhappilyforthewholeworldtomock?No.They’dlaughhappilywithher.Someofthem,atleast.
Themassivedoublefrontdoorsofthecastleburstopen,drawingherattentionandthecamera’sfocus Thankheavens She couldbreatheeasyforhalfaminute.
None other than the host of the show and billionaire heiress Mercedes Belle, Crown Prince Tristan August, and his breathtakingwifePrincessJenniferwalkedout.Theypausedatthetopofthesweepingstaircasetogiveheradramaticmoment toappreciatetheirsplendor
Thank you, thank you,shegushedtoheaveninhermind.
Goodnesssakes,thiswasanillustrious,gorgeous,andintimidatingcrowd.Herkneesbarelysupportedherasshestaredin awe Athrill rushedthroughher,equal parts terror andexcitement She,Anna Marley,was inthe presence ofCrownPrince Tristan. Every single woman she personally knew had harbored a crush on the charming, wealthy, royal, handsome crown princeatonepointoranother NowPrinceTristanwashappilymarried Anna’scrushonhimwaspackagedaway,butstill meetinghercelebritycrushwasn’tsomethingshe’deverplannedonhappening.
Add to thatshock, she was meetinghis perfectwife and Mercedes Belle. Stomach-tumblingdidn’tbeginto describe it. Thankheavens she’d found a knockoffLululemonathletic long-sleeve tee and runningpants atGoodwill thatlooked almost new.Shelookedasgoodasshepossiblycouldonanonexistentclothingbudget.
Annawouldneverinherlifetimemeshwiththiswealthyandfamouscrew,butherbestfriendMayahadinsistedthey’dbe classyenoughtotreather likesheorbitedintheir atmosphere.SheprayedMayawasrightanddiscreetlywipedher clammy palms onher blackpants Her shirtwas pale pinkand mightshow the sweatstain There was nothingto be done abouther stomachchurningorherkneesknockingtogether.
Twotough,handsomeguyswererevealedasthefirstthreestarteddownthesteps.Onemanwasablond,impressiveThorlookalike who hovered behind Mercedes, and the other was a dark-haired, blue-eyed Adonis. He wasn’t one of the royal princes. She knew themall bysight. Was he a model or actor? He was hotenoughto be either. There was somethingvery familiarabouthim,butshecouldn’tplaceit
Evenwithherloveofprattlingonandover-dramatizingeverything,shecouldn’tfindthewordstogivecredittothisman’s face and physical physique Ifthe royal castle and countryofAugustine were the mostpicturesque places onearth, this guy shouldbedescribedasthemostpicturesqueman.Hisfacewassculptedmanliness,withafirmjawlinejustbegginghertocup itwithherpalms,fulllipsshewantedtostudyforalongtimeandthenkissslowly,andpiercingblueeyesshehopedshedared stareinto Eyeslikethatmightbetoomuchforevenherpluckysoul ThismanwassofithismusclesrippledthroughhislongsleevedT-shirtandjoggerpants.Hisclotheswerehighqualityandthesetofhisbroadshouldersrevealedconfidence.
Please say you love me enough I get to spend a week with him,shementallybeggedheavenabove Hermomwascertain that heaven grew tired of Anna’s pleas, but she always argued to the contrary. She was blessed with inspiration and mini miracles almost daily Otherwise, she’d never have gotten her charity up and running, spreading through the country, and noticedbyMercedesBelle,aswellastheopportunitytowinamilliondollarsonthisblessedweeklongrealityshow.
Love and appreciate you,shetoldher HeavenlyFather. Thank You for always listening Even if I don’t get to be alone with Hot Extraordinary Man But please, if it’s possible, just one smoldering glance from those blue eyes?
ThismanwasmesmerizingenoughtodistractherfromevenCrownPrinceTristan.Shedecidedrightthenandthereshe’d callhimHEM Nobodybuther,andMayawhenshesharedherwittyacronym,wouldeverknow Butitwouldmakehersmile ifthingsgottough.Shecouldimagine,withallthedisclaimersMercedes’sassistant,JuliePandoran,hadhere-sign,thingsmay gettough Bodilyinjury,death,lostinthewildsofAugustinetonevercomehome?Whoknewwhatwouldbethrownatherin thenextweek.
Rightnow,eventhoughshewasterrifiedandthrilledabouttheadventuresoftheimmediatefuture,lifewasfarfromtough. Shewasstandingnexttothecastleshe’dalwaysdreamedofvisiting,abouttomeettheillustriouscrownprinceofAugustine andhissweetheartofawife,MercedesBelle,Thor,andherownpersonalandperfectHEM.
“Anna!” Mercedes cried out, rushing down the steps wearing a gorgeous pale blue formal gown that sparkled in the sunlightandsky-highheels.
ThorcaughtMercedes’selbow beforesheflew downthosestairs,brokeaheel,rippedthedress,andmadeher personal designerssob.Look-alikeThor sweetlyescortedthegrinningMercedestoAnnaandearnedsomepointsinAnna’smind.He seemedseriousbutthoughtful.
The restofthe crew followed, ata muchslower pace. Her HEMwas atthe verybackofthe small crowd. Apparently, Mercedeswastheonlyoneheck-bentonmeetingher.Annawasgratefulforthathonor,buttheultra-appealingblue-eyed,darkhairedHEMkeptdrawingher gaze like little Jace inthe presence ofhis heroBatmanor darlingMollytoanythingpinkand sparkly.
Annaprobablyshould’vepumpedupthestairstomeetthem,butshefiguredalevel-groundfirstmeetingwouldbebetter thanona staircase. As level as the ground could be, soaringabove the valleybelow as itwas and withher legs trembling. Eventhe toweringcastle’s courtyard was a good hundred feethigher thanthe valleyfloor So incredible She couldn’thave imaginedAugustineanybetterherself.
Theotherproblemwithrunningupthosestairs?NewshoeshadnotbeeninAnna’sbudget.Shetuckedthetoeofoneworn outSauconybehind the other Unfortunately, she also had a hole inthatsame sock Her left, bright-pinkand sparklytoenail shonethroughtheopening.
Whatcouldshesay?IthadbeenpedicuredayatthePlayTimeChicagolocationtwodaysago Farbeitfromhertotake awaythepleasureofthevivaciouseight-year-oldtwinsSadieandKatewantingtosparklehertoes.Ofcourseshehadhappily returnedthefavor
“You’re here!” Mercedes threw her arms around Anna’s neck, making it a little difficult to maintain Anna’s toe-hiding stance.“Wearesohonoredyoucame.”Thegorgeousblondewascrazyskinny,smelledlikeflowers,andherwelcomemade Annaneedtopraymore Theywerehonored?Goodness,thatwasarolereversal
Thank you, thank you. She’s so kind.
“I’mhonored,”AnnasputteredwhenMercedespulledback “I’mlikemynieceJasminewiththeBarbiemotorhomeasa Christmaspresent.I’mthrilled,inawe,honored,neverexpectedsuchagift,andI’mso,sograteful.”
Therestofthecrewreachedthem.PrinceTristanandPrincessJenniferhadwelcomingsmilesontheirfaces.HEMhada slight smile on his face, but he looked a little uncomfortable. He definitely wasn’t giving her a smoldering look like she wanted. He was in casual clothes like her and wore themwell model gorgeous kind of wearing themwell. Maybe he’d grownupwithmoney,thewaythematerialofhiscasualclothesdrapedsoperfectlyonhim
Hehadaninertconfidencethatradiatedfromhim.Why,then,didshesensehisdiscomfort?Wasitpossiblehealsofeltout ofplace,nervousforthechallengeahead,oranxiousaboutmeetingthewomanhe’dspendthenextsixdaysprotecting? If he washermatch.Shecouldn’timagineamilitaryherolikeJuliesaidshe’dbematchedwithwouldbenervousforanychallenge. Thesmallcrowdnexttohimwasultra-impressive.Maybehewassimplyinaweofthemanddidn’tfancybeingoncamera.
Anna gaped at the prince and Mercedes’s man’s tailored suits, Mercedes’s formal gown, and Princess Jennifer’s softlookingdressthatwrappedaroundherperfectshapelikeahugfromallofAnna’sniecesatonce.
“Ah,youareadoll”Mercedesdrewback,turningtofacetheroyalsandAnna’sHEM,butheldontooneofAnna’shands Annaappreciatedthesupport.ThorstayedclosetoMercedes’sotherside.“Yay!”Mercedescheered.“I’veadoredbeingpart oftheotherthreeshowsleadinguptothisone,butthisoneisalreadymyfavorite”
She beamed atPrincess Jennifer. Two gorgeous, wealthyblondes. Their hair was shiny, long, and insoftwaves. Anna’s hair would probably be termed ‘dirty blonde.’It was stick straight, and because she’d been told by Julie to wear athletic clothing,she’dembracedtheathleticlook,knowingshe’dneverpull offchiccasual Herhairwasalreadyinaponytail,and afterthatlongflight,anymakeupshe’dhadonwasgone.Nobodyhadeveraccusedherofbeingsomegreatnaturalbeauty. She bither lip and foughtto keep her shoulders back Please help my faltering confidence, she begged heaven This is wonderful and overwhelming.
“Somanyintroductions,”Mercedescontinued,hervoicepitchingupwithexcitement “Let’sstartwithourroyals” Prince Tristan inclined his head. He was obviously confident and royal. He could be king already and nobody would questionit.Thescarringontheleftsideofhishandsomefacefrombeingburnedmadehimappearalittlemoredowntoearth, butnothingcouldtakeawaythebearingofroyaltythatheworelikeasecondskin Hisblueeyesdidhaveatwinkleinthem, andshe’dseeninterviewswherehejokedandcharmedeveryoneinthecamera’sview.
“Allowmetointroduce ”Mercedespausedforemphasis,bouncingonherheels Herenthusiasmwascatching,butAnna didn’t need any help to be thrilled and terrified to meet these famous royals. “Crown Prince Tristan of Augustine and his angelicandbeautifulwife,PrincessJennifer”
Annacurtsiedandalmosttrippedwithherleftfootstilltryingtohidebehindtheright.Sheplantedbothfeetequallyasshe roseoutofhercurtsy.Thankfully,noonelookeddown.
MercedesturnedtoAnna “MissAnnaMarley,creatorofPlayTime,ano-chargefacilityforchildrenofallagestohavea safe space, be creative, and simplyhave fun. Anna has centers infive cities throughoutthe United States and is planningto updateeachplayplaceandexpandtonewareaswhenshewinsthemilliondollarsthisweek”
“Ah,Iloveyou,”AnnasaidtoMercedes.Shefocusedontheroyals,claspedher handstogether,drew themtoher chest, andbowed.“Iamdeeplyblessedandgratefultobeineachofyourpresence.IfIdietoday,thishonorwillbeatthetopofmy gravestone.”
PrinceTristanandAnna’sHEMbothchuckledsoftlyatthat.Yay!ShecouldmakeherHEMlaugh.
“We’rehonoredtomeetyou,”PrinceTristansaidnobly.“AndgratefulforyourservicetothechildrenofAmerica.Wepray youwon’tdietodayandwillhavemuchmoreimportantpeopleandexperiencestoengraveonyourheadstone.”
Everybodylaughedatthat ExceptforAnna,whowascertainshe’dswoon thataccent,thosekindwords,thetwinklein hisblueeyes.Goodness,hewasmoreincredibleinreallife.
“Iloveyou!”Annatoldhim Helaughed.Thankfully,hiswifedidn’tsickaroyalguardonherforherimpetuousness.
HerHEMlookedalittleshocked
Annagrimacedandcastaguiltyglanceathiswife.“Idon’tlovehimlikeyoulovehim.Ijustlovehowawesomeheis.A thousandapologies!”
Princess Jennifer stepped forward and extended her hand Anna took it The lady’s hand was soft and manicured and perfect,justliketherestofher.
“NobodyloveshimlikeIlovehim”Theprincesswinked “Butheisfabulous,andI’mnotupsetthatyourecognizethat” Shegrinnedandthensobered.“Iwasblessedbeforeourmarriagetoserveandlovechildrenthroughouttheworld.Whatyou areprovidingtogivechildrenbacktheirinnocentandfunchildhoodisbrilliantandtouching Thankyou”
“Iloveyou!”Annatoldthisperfectmodel ofaprincesswhowasmakingher emotional.Shefannedher face.“Butdon’t makemecry.Iuglycry,andnobodywantstoseethatnonsense.”
Everyonelaughed,exceptforThorandtheroyalguards HerHEMdidn’tbellylaugh,buthedidchuckle Shefoundherself moreexcitedtomeethimthantheroyals,andthatwassayingalot.
“Nocryingatall,”Mercedesdemanded “Andnow,themanIknowyouaredyingtomeet Yourprotectorandbestfriend thisweek.”Shegestureddramatically.“LieutenantQuaidRaven,retiredNavySEAL,hero,andall-aroundstud.” Quaid.Her HotExtraordinaryMan’snamewasQuaid.Shelikedthat.Alot.Shemighthavetocall himbyhisname,not HEM.Andyes!Herblue-eyed,dark-hairedperfectioninthemaleformwashermatch.Shewouldbeabletotalktoandhang outwiththisstudallweek.Howblessedwasshe?
Thank You for Your mighty miracles
He stepped forward and extended his hand, all militarystraightand crisp. His blue gaze focused inonher, and the only worryshehad besidesthismalemodelbeingleapyearsoutofherleague wasthatheseemedfartooserious Hadhebeen damaged bysomethinginhis militarycareer? She prayed not. Maybe he simplyneeded a talkative preschool teacher from Chicagotoprayforhimandmakehimsmile.
Sheputherhandinhis,anditthrilledherstraightdowntohercore.Hishandwaslarge,manly,warm,andperfect.
“Ooh,ooh,ooh,”shecriedout.“Thisisthemostperfecthandshakeever!Ilo…”
Shetrailedoffattheapprehensivelookinhiseyes,andthefactthathe’dreleasedherhandlikeshewasanelectricfence and stepped back. She’d almost told him that she loved him. She told everybody that she loved them her large family, especiallyall her nieces and nephews, the childrenand volunteers at her centers, friends at church, eventhe butcher at the grocerystore.
Forsomereason,itwastheabsolutewrongthingtosaytothistough,alluringmanwiththebesthandsintheworld.Why? Probablybecauseamanlikethiswouldnever lookatawomanlikeher asanythingmorethanafriend Heprobablythought lovemeantromance.Shesupposeditcould,butitneverhadforher.
Help me not embarrass him or myself
“It’snicetomeetyou,MissMarley,”hesaid,fartooseriousanddistant.Thoughhisgazewasstillfocusedonher,hewas watchingherwarily,obviouslynotcertainhowtotakeher Maybeworriedaboutspendingaweekalonewithher
“Now Ihate thatgreeting, all formal and stiff,” she told him, plantingher hands onher hips and tryingfor a feistystare down.“MynameisAnna,ifyouplease,kindandtoughprotectorofmine.”
Hisbearingwasallrigidandstandoffish Hisfacewastight,andshecouldseeamuscleworkinginhisjaw Nobodyelse saidanything,andshesuddenlystressedthathewouldn’tcallherbyhergivenname.
“Anna,”hesaidsoftly
Reliefrushedthroughher.Shelikedhearinghimsayhername,butshefearedthisguywouldn’trelaxwithaweekspentin herhappypresence He’dlaughedatsomeofhercommentsearlier Right?
Asshestaredathishandsomeface,somethingsnappedinhermind.Sherealizedexactlywhereshe’dseenhimbefore.This wasnotQuaidRaven.Hereyesaboutbuggedoutofherhead,andshegaspedinshock.
This man was the Thomas Oliver The famous billionaire crush of her teenage years Before she’d even thought about crushingonPrinceTristan,she’dbeencrushingonThomasOliver.HerandtherestofAmerica.
No It couldn’t be Thomas Oliver Could it? Thomas had beenkidnapped fromhis highschool graduationpartyeight yearsagoandhisrichiefamilyhadspentalargefortunetryingtofindhim.
CouldthispossiblybeThomas?
Ithadtobe.
Everybodygrewsilentasshestaredathimandwonderedhowithadtakenfifteenminutesforhertorealizewhohewas.
She’dstudiedhispicturesandvideosforhoursasasmittensixteen-year-old. Nowthatshe’dputittogether,shewasabsolutelycertain.
She rememberedandknew Thomas like she knew her ownsiblings She andMaya haddiedover how out-of-this-world handsomehewas,andAnnahadfantasizedaboutmeetinghim,havinghimlookatherwiththoseblueeyesandcharmherwith hissmoothwit
HislittlesisterJacqueline,asmodelgorgeousashewas,haddisappearedsixmonthsago,stolenfromafootballgameat her university Thomas and Jacqueline’s parents had blasted their photos and the storyall over America, evengoingontalk showstobegforhelp,whichnormallythebillionaireswouldneverdo.
Ah…Theirpoorfamily.Onlyonesister,Elizabeth,wasstillwithherdistraughtparents.Itwassuchaheartbreak. ThomasOliverwasstandingrightinfrontofher Sheknewhewas Shewantedtograbhishandanddraghimbacktohis distraughtmother’sarms.Hisfamilywouldbeecstatictofindhimaliveandhealthyandperfect.
Someoneclearedtheirthroat,andshewasyankedfromhervisionsofThomashugginghisclassymother Hergazedarted toeveryoneelsewatchingherwithcuriosity,andshecouldn’thelpbutwonderiftheyknewwhohewas.Theyhadto.Orwas shegoinginsaneandhejustlookedlikethatfamoushottie?
She methis gaze, and somethinglike pleadingwas inhis eyes. He was Thomas and he knew thatshe knew, and he was askinghernottospillhissecret.
Whatonearth? Had Mercedes kidnapped himand this was his chance atfreedom? Maybe he’d disappeared onpurpose eightyearsagoandnobodyknewwherehe’dgone.Thisshowwouldn’tairforsixmonths,fromwhatJuliehadtoldher.Was thishiswayoflettinghisfamilyknowhewasallrightbutnotlettingthem,orwhoeverwasafterhim,findhim?Hermindspun, buthewasliterallybeggingherwithhisgazenow.So…
“ThankyouforcallingmeAnna.”Shebeamedathim,andhisshouldersandthelinesaroundhiseyesandmouthrelaxed. “Itisincredibletomeetyou,LieutenantQuaidRaven.Offthecharts!Whatafabulousname.CanIcallyouQuaid,orwecould go straight for HEM?” She should’ve shut her mouthbefore the last sentence escaped, but she was understandablyrattled. She’dbeenexcited tomeetCrownPrince Tristan, but the Thomas Oliver standinginfrontofher was the mostthrillingand unexpectedmiracleshecouldeverdreamup.
“HEM?”Hisbrowwrinkled,andevenMercedesandPrincessJenniferlookedconcerned PrinceTristanwasstillgrinning atherlikehefoundherveryfunny.Thorhadn’tsmiledtheentiretime,soshedidn’tworrytoomuchabouthim.
“HotExtraordinaryMan,”shesqueakedout,prayinghe’dlikehernickname,hopingitwouldhelphimrelax. He tooka step back. Itwas a small step, should’ve beeninconsequential really, butithurt. As he stepped back, he also droppedhisgazefromhereyesandfastenedthemonhertoe.Heblinkedinsurpriseandliftedhisblueeyestomeethersagain. Nowtherewascompassioninhisgaze,andstillsomewariness Shecouldimaginehisthoughts Whatkindofapersoncame onarealitytelevisionshowandmetroyaltywithaholeintheirsockandshoe?
Annajuttedoutherchin,daringhimtosaysomethingandprayingnobodyelselookeddown She’dheldhertongueandnot revealedhewasafamous,wealthymissingpersonthatherteenageselfhadidolizedandwhosefamilywasdyingtofind. Would he returnthe favor? Their gazes held and a silentunderstandingpassed betweenthem. They’d keep eachother’s secrets Eventhoughshewasburningtoaskhimquestions,she’dwait Atsomepoint,they’dbealonewithoutcamerasonthem andshecouldhearhisstory.Shehoped.
“I’dpreferQuaid,”hesaid
“Quaiditis.”Shenoddedtohim,appreciatinghehadn’tsaidanythingaboutherholesbutsadthatheseemedputoffbyher andnotthecharming,smiling,blue-eyessmolderingThomasshe’ddrooledoverasayouth He did give her a verysmall smile ofgratitude. He knew she could blow his entire cover and fake name righthere and now.
I’d prefer Quaid
Quaid didn’t want to be her HEM. Definitely not cool. Hiding from someone or maybe still in bondage to whoever kidnappedhim?Nowthatwasintriguingandamysteryshewasexcitedtosolve
Yetshedoubtedhewasinterestedinher.How couldsheblamehim?Shewasmilesfromthemodel-gorgeouswomenhe couldbewitheverydayoftheweekifhewanted
Her very own HEM and he didn’t like the acronym and definitely wasn’t drawn to her. Anna wasn’t surprised. Only devastated.
LIEUTENANT QUAID RAVEN,
bornThomasOliver,‘StoneCold’tohismilitarybuddies,hadnoideahow torespondtotheengagingandpossiblyunstablewomanstandinginfrontofhim.Shewashilarious,inaveryoddandquirky sortofway,andshehadproclaimedshelovedthefamedCrownPrinceofAugustineofallpeople Infrontoftheman’swife
Quaid had endured his childhood and youthsurrounded bythe wealthiest people inAmerica. Wealthand power didn’t impresshim.Evenstill,hewasblownawaytobestandingnexttoPrinceTristanandPrincessJennifer.Theyweregracious, charming,andobviouslyinlovejustlikethemediaportrayedthem Yetpeoplethoughtthesamethingsabouthisfamily,andit wasallabrilliantly-concocted,expertly-performedlie.
Of course he’d knownwho Mercedes Belle was, but evenworse he was certainshe recognized him Miraculously, Mercedes hadn’tsaidanythingandgivenhimaway.Was she onlybidingher time for maximumimpactonher realityshow? Chillsprickledhisskin.
He’dbeenstiffandslightlyuncomfortablethepasttwentyminutes,makingsmalltalkwiththeroyals,Mercedes,andShawn astheywaitedforQuaid’smatchforthisrealityshow toarrive.Hebecamemorecertainbytheminuteheshouldneverhave committedtothis
Hecouldonlyhopenobodyrevealedhisrealname.Thecrownprinceandhisbridedidn’tseemtoknowwhohewas,but Mercedesdefinitelydid HerboyfriendslashbodyguardtheViking-wannabeShawndidn’tseemtorecognizehim,butthatguy wasevenbetteratastone-coldfacethanQuaidwas,sowhoknew?
Quaid’sfriendCashTrapper,whohadropedhimintothisrealityshow,hadpromisedvoiceandface-obscuringtechnology. Quaidhadonlyagreedtoputhimselfinthisprecarioussituationbecauseheneededthemilliondollarstokeeprelocatinghis sister,Jacey,andstayonestepaheadofhismother’sgoons.Quaidhadsuccessfullyhiddeninthemilitarywithhisnewname andID foryears,buthadtoretireearlywhenhegotwordfromJaceythatsomeonehadtippedhisparentsoffandhewasn’t safe.
He’dhidoutinCash’sgymforvetsandat-riskyouththepastyear Hehadassumedhewassafeandincognitoinanother worldhisparentswouldneverbepartoforunderstand,butthenhe’dseenapostonsocialmediathathadthrownhislifeinto upheavalagain.
Jaceywasgoingtobemarriedtoasnakedisguisedasaforty-year-oldbillionaire Crude,two-facedandsleazierthantheir ownmother,RichardNapoleanwasawomanizerandscumineverysenseoftheword.
Theonlythingmoremiserablethanbeingintheirmother’sservitudewouldbemarryingthatkindoffilth Richardhadbeen marriedfivetimesalready.He’ddivorcedseveralbeautifulwomenafterhe’dgrownboredofthem.Twoofhiswiveshaddied tragically thoughsuspiciouslywasmorelikeit
Jaceyhadn’tusedthesecurephonehe’dhadafriendslipintoherpurseatabanquetyearsagoandcontactedhimlikeshe shouldhave.Hisangelicyetsassylittlesister hadsacrificedher ownhappinessher entirelife,butthiswasaboutsafety.He refusedtostandbyandletJaceybe forcedintoa nightmarishmarriage Nomatter thatJaceypretendedshe was fine andhe didn’tneedtointervene,he’dknownitwaspasttime.Hissisterwasdonebeingaself-appointedmartyrtoprotecthim.
WiththehelpofhisfriendandfellowSEALMilesColeville,he’drescuedJaceyandhiddenherattheColevilles’ranchin Montana.Hehadtokeephermoving.Themoneyhe’dsavedfromthemilitaryandhisretirementwasn’tenoughtoplaykeep awaywithhismother’sbillions,herhiredthugs,andtheloyaltyshehadinmanyinfluentialcirclesbecauseofhervarioustools charm,beauty,intimidation,money,mindgames,extortion,andblackmail.
Quaidfocusedbackonthewomanhewouldspendthenextsixdayswith.Shemightbemoreuncomfortablethanhewas. AnnaMarleyhadshownthetell-talesignsofdiscomfort wipingherpalmsonherpants,shiftingherweightcontinually,her gazeflickeringaround.Yetsomehow,she’dteasedwiththeroyalsandthebillionaire,madethemalllaugh,toldthemsheloved them, and kept her head high and her shoulders back And she had done it all in second-hand athletic wear that had been
washedtoomanytimesandwithaholeinnotonlyhershoebuthersocktoo.Hersparklingpinktoewinkedupathimwithouta careintheworld.
Impressive Brave Naïve Outoftouchwithreality?
Hefeltcompassionforher;obviouslyshewasonpoverty’sedgeifshecouldn’tevenaffordsockswithoutholesinthem. He’dseentruepovertyinhismilitaryservice Povertythatwouldwrencheventhehardestmen’shearts littlechildrenwith distendedabdomensandwantintheir darkeyes.AnguishthatmostAmericans wouldnever understand.Thewayhehadfelt insidethroughouthischildhoodandteenageyearshadbeenreflectedinthosechildren’sphysicalappearance
Anna was healthy,obviouslynotstarving,butsocks were inexpensive.He didappreciate the sparklypinktoenail polish shiningthrough,however.Itwas somethingJaceywoulddotoupsettheir mother andshow shestill hadbackboneandspice despite a lifetime of being a prisoner As eccentric as Anna had appeared the past ten minutes, maybe she was making a statement.
Quaidwasdrawntohersparklingpersonality,shimmeringgreeneyes,andincrediblesmile There’dalsobeensomething intriguingand almostcomfortingabouther touch. Hence whyhe’d pulled awayso quickly. Well, thatand she was aboutto proclaimshe loved him Teenage and college fangirls used to claimtheyloved himduringthe stretchwhenhis mother had forcedhimtodomodelingstints.She’ddoneittodemeanhimandtoensurehecouldn’tescapebecausehisfacewouldbeso well-known.Thankfully,he had escaped.
Nowomanintheworldbesideshislittlesisterhadevertrulylovedhim
Quaid studied his counterpart to push the humiliating modeling and women-swarming memories away. Anna wasn’t a classicbeautylikehismotherandsisters,PrincessJennifer,orMercedes Hernosewastoosharp,herfacetoothin,andher hairmoreofadirty-blondethanthesmoothmahoganyofhismomandhissistersortheperfectgoldenwavesoftheprincess andMercedes.
Whatwasitthatwassoappealingabouther?Genuinecametomind.TheexactoppositeofhismotherandElizabeth,very similartotheonlypersonhelivedfor Jacey.
Evenifshe’dnever model or turnheads everywhereshewent,Annahadappealingphysical characteristics as well She wasfit.Inherwell-wornathleticpantsandshirt,itwaseasytoseeleanlinesoftonedmuscle.Hergreeneyeswereuniqueand pretty with dark brows and lashes framing them She wore no makeup to enhance her eyes or her lips, definitely her best feature.Itwashersmilethatdrewhiminthemost.
Quaidhadn’tseenmanyauthenticsmiles likehers.Therehadn’tbeenalotofsmilinginhis childhood,teenageyears,or adult years. His youthhad beenfilled withbeing‘proper and perfect’and representingthe ‘Oliver legacy.’Throughout his militaryyears and the laidbackpastyear inCash’s gym, he’d tried to eradicate the formal and fake fromhis life. He’d run awayfromhomemoretimesthanhecouldcountbeforehistenthbirthday Hismother’slackeyshadalwaysfoundhim,brought himback,andbeathimforher.Heloathedthosemenalmostasmuchashedidhisownmother.
Thenightofhistenthbirthdayparty,theirbelovednannyMariahadhelpedQuaidandJaceyescapewhilehismotherwas busysayinggoodbyetoguests.They’dbeencaughtandhismotherhadshownhowfarshe’dgotokeephiminline.Aftergiving himalecture,shehadorderedherguardstoholdhim.He’dbeggedandscreamedandfought,knowingwhatshewascapable ofbutprayinglikeMariahadtaughthim Ascoollyasabutcherslaughteringachickenfordinner,hismotherhadsnatchedthe knifefromherguard’shandandslitMaria’sthroat.
It had broken him More suddenly than his father’s race horses during long reigning and more deeply than a religious minoritylivinginSyria.Hisresentmentfor her control remained,butthehorror andanguishofthatnighthadbeenenoughto keephiminlineforeightyears He’dcausedMaria’sdeathbylettingherhelphimandJaceytrytoescape Evenasaten-yearold,he’dknownbetter.Hismomhadtaughthimwellhowruthlessherpunishmentswouldbe.
Duringhisexclusiveprivateschool’sgraduationparty,mostlyduetohisbestfriendKennethGregoryliterallyriskinghis ownneck,he’dmiraculouslygivenhisbodyguardstheslip HisandKenny’syoungadultyearshadbeenfilledwithtraining, fighting, and surviving, and prayingnobodyrecognized Quaid fromall the photos circulatingabout the ‘kidnapped Thomas Oliver’UntilKennydied
“Areyoutwobeautifulpeoplereadytohearyourchallengefortheweek?”Mercedesasked,thankfullydrawinghimfrom hisperusal ofAnnaandhismemoriesofhismessed-upfamilylife,worriesoverJacey,andsorrow overMariaandKenny’s deaths.
“Readyaswe’lleverbe.”Annagavehimaconspiratorialsmile.“Right,HEM?” Hiseyeswidened Wasshereallygoingtocallhimthat?HotExtraordinaryMale?He’dbeintroubleforstereotypingifhe ever admittedtoanacronymlikethat.Hadn’theaskedher tocall himQuaid?Hewasproudofhisself-givennameandhad buriedThomasOliverforgood HewasQuaidRaventhroughandthrough AsThomashe’dbeenstereotypedforhiswealth, name,face,andbody.WithAnna,itseemedmoreateaselikeitwouldbewithoneofhismilitarybuddies.
“Ready,”hesaid,forcinghimselftostepclosertoherandpivottofaceMercedes,Shawn,andtheroyals.Interestingthat Mercedeshadn’tintroducedherbodyguard,boyfriend,whateverShawnwastoher,toAnna.Afewtimesintheirconversation, beforethey’dbeeninformedinthecastle’slibrarythathiscounterparthadarrived,MercedeshadlostherfocusandShawnhad
gentlybroughtherback.Therewassomethingoffaboutbothofthem,ormaybeitwastheirrelationshipthatwasoff.
Cash,Bennett,andEli fromCash’s HealthyLife Gymwhere Quaidhadsuccessfullyhiddenoutfor the pastyear helping other vets and at-riskyouthindowntownChicago, had all finished their weeklychallenges He hadn’tseenBennettas he’d gonestraighttoTennesseetoseehismamaandhadn’treturned.Elihadn’treturnedfromhisadventurebeforeQuaidhadgotten onthe flightto Europe Eli had texted thathe was all rightand would have anincredible storyfor himwhentheysaw each otheragain,whateverthatmeant.
Cashhadbeeninjured,barelysurvived His friendhadn’tbeenable totell Quaidmuchas they’dall signedstrictNDAs thatprohibitedthemfromtalkingabouttheirshowbeforeitaired.HehadquietlywarnedQuaidtostayalertandkeepaneye onShawn.Therewasobviousanimositythere.
Cash was the primary contact with Mercedes, and he had confronted Mercedes and Shawn about some things that had happened during his and Bennett’s weeks. Again, Quaid didn’t have details and he didn’t think Cash had any satisfactory answers Cashhad also beenbusysettingup more gyms and everyspare minute was dedicated to the beautiful and sweet redheadhe’dmetrecently,BryleeAuburn.QuaidwashappyCashhadfoundsomeone.Theybothdeservedeverygoodthing.
Quaid didn’t want to be Shawn’s best friend, but the man didn’t appear dangerous He seemed very solicitous of Mercedes’sneedsandlikehewasonlyposturingtoprovehecouldandwouldprotecther.Quaidhadmetbiggerpunksinhis life alotoftheminthecircleshisparentshadforcedhiminto.Manyofthemenheknewfromthemilitarymightpostureor trytobethealphamale,buttheywereloyal,foughtforwhatwasright,andwouldn’tstabhimintheback WouldShawntryto? Quaid would welcome the challenge. He sparred everyday, butitwasn’tlike the challenge offightingwhenyouknew you mightbekilledbyyouropponent Hemissedthemilitary Itwastheonlytimehe’dtrulylived,inhismind Evenwiththestrict rules,he’dfeltfree,choosingtoserveandfightandprotect.
“I’vegraciouslyagreedtoallowPrinceTristanandPrincessJennifertosharethedetailsofyourmillion-dollaradventure.” Mercedesgrinnedandsweptherarmtotheroyalcouple.
“Sogracious,”PrinceTristanteased.Quaidnoticedtheprinceteasedmostofthetime;heremindedQuaidofhisfriendEli. Alwaysfunnyandpositive ElihadlosthislegrescuingthegentlegiantBennettfromcaptivity Eli’sgirlfriendhadcheatedon himatthesametime.Evenwithsuchdeepscars,Elicouldjoke.PrinceTristanhadsomedecentscarringonhisfaceandneck. Evenacrownprinceknewpain,apparently
“Allright.”PrinceTristangrinned.“Sincemygorgeouswifeistheonewhobeggedtosharetheadventures” hewinkedat herandshegavehimamockscowl “I’llletherstartusoff.”
“Thankyou,T.” Princess Jennifer’s blue eyes litwithexcitementas she turnedtoQuaidandAnna.“Your episode ofthe Chance for Charity realityshow has beendubbed ‘Impossible Climb.’Itwill notbe impossible, butdefinitelychallenging. Shallwecallitimprobable?”
“Idon’tloveeither,”Annasaid,edgingclosertohim.
Quaidfeltthewarmthofherarmbrushinghis Hewantedtoedgetheotherdirection,buthecouldn’tbeobviousaboutit Hedidn’thatehumantouch;hesimplychosenottotouchmostpeopletokeephis distancephysicallyandemotionally.He’d experienced firsthand the devastationclose humanrelationships could cause to himand anyone who gotclose to him, so he focused onavoidingfuture emotional damage Whenyouflinched eachtime someone touched you, theyusuallygotthe hint He’dtrainedhimselftodoit.
Waita moment Whyhadn’the flinched whenAnna had brushed his arm? He had to be verycareful notto lethis guard downduringhisweekalonewithher.
“You’llconquertheimpossible,”Jennifersaid “You’vegotLieutenantRaven He’sastoughandexperiencedasT’stwin, GeneralRay.”
“Thankyou,”Quaidsaid,sincereinhisgratitude.He’dseenthecrownprince’stwin,GeneralPrinceRaymondAugust,on television Themanwassingularlyimpressive Ageneralatthirty Incredible
Quaidhaddreamtofbeingageneral sincehewasapreschooler.Imagine notonlybeingtheoneinchargeofyour own destiny,butinspiring,protecting,anddirectinganentirearmy
He’dmadesteadyprogresstowardthatgoalasaNavySEALbuthadn’tbeensurprisedwhenhehadreceivedthemessage fromJacey Ofcoursehisdreamsandgoalswerejustanotherthinghismotherhadrippedfromhisgrasp He’dhadtoretireat twenty-sixandrunonceagain.He’dlostKennytheyearbefore theonlyotherpersonhehadtrulytrustedandloveddeeply, besidesJacey.Well,andMaria,buthe’dburiedthepainsodeepsometimeshecouldgodayswithoutthegruesomeimageof herdeathcomingtomind
EvenCash,Bennett,andElididn’tknow aboutQuaid’spast.TheyallthoughthehadPTSD.WithlosingKennyandother comradesduringhismilitaryservice,hecouldeasilyclaimbattle-inducedPTSD ThoughKenny’sdeathhadbeenhorrificand Quaid felt like he’d lost a piece of himself, only Jacey would understand that it hadn’t been the military scars that had destroyedhim,buthisownmother.
“Youcansee our gorgeous mountains.” Jennifer gestured behind her. “Your challenge is to hike, climb, and explore the Augustinemountains.”
Thatdidn’tsoundtoobadaslongastheyhadthepropergear.Hewonderedwhatthechallengewasspecifically.Simply survivinginthewild?
“Therearedozensofcavesinourmountains T’sbrotherCurthasexploredallofthem CurtandAliyaagreedtohelpout, hiketohisfavoritecavesandsetupfoodandshelter,generatorsandchargingstationsforthecamerasintendifferentcaves. You also have emergency sleeping bags and an emergency shelter in one of your backpacks, but it will be much more comfortableifyousleepinoneofthecaves.Youhavefoodinyourbackpacks,butnothinglikethedeliciousfoodCurthasleft foryouinthecaves Motionsensorcamerasaresetupinthecaves,soyouwon’thavetoworryaboutrecordinginthere,but you’llhavetoweartheGoProsatallothertimes.”Shegrinned.“Suchafabulousadventure,yes?”
“Yes,Iloveit,”Annaagreedhappily.“Howexciting!”
Quaidcouldn’thelpbutlookathiscounterpart Thosegreeneyesweremesmerizing Notthatitmatteredtohim Didshe everstopsmilingandteasing?SheremindedhimfartoomuchofJacey,butthatwasactuallyagoodthing.Itwouldnotonly makehimmoreprotectiveofAnnaandwantingtohelpherwinthemoneyforhercharity,butitwouldalsoremindhimofhis motivationforbeingontheshow thefinancialmeanstokeepJaceysafe.
Thatmeantkeepinganemotional distancefromthisrayofsunshine Ithadneverbeenhardforhimbefore Womenthrew themselvesathimconstantlyandhemightgoononedateorkissaprettygirl,buthenevergotemotionallyinvolved.Awoman offtheNavybasehadneverseenhimwithoutsunglassesandabaseballcapon.
Toobadhehadn’twornbothtodaysoAnnaandMercedeswouldn’thaverecognizedhim “IfyoufindthetencavesbeforeSaturdayatsunset,Annawinsamilliondollars.”
Anna clapped her hands and Quaid nodded his understanding He suddenlyrealized whythe gracious crownprince had shown him the map of Augustine’s eastern mountain range, talked through it with him, and let him study it. Quaid liked geographyand the map had reminded himofhis time withthe SEALs inthe ItalianAlps. Thanks to thatgift, he had a sharp mental picture of the map. He was already impressed with Prince Tristan but the man rose a few more notches in his estimation.
“Yayus!” Anna exclaimed “We’re goingto wina milliondollars and make so manychildrenhappy Thankyou, Jesus” Sheglancedupatthebluesky.“Youbringalllightandgoodness.”
Quaidblinkedather Didshemeanthat?KennyhadlovedhisSaviorandpromisedthatHeprotectedKennyandQuaid,but Kennyhaddied.Notmuchprotectionfromheaven.
Cash and Bennett prayed, too. Quaid didn’t mock anyone’s faith and respected the sincere believers he’d met, but personallyhehadnevergivenhisFatherinHeavenmuchheadspace.IfHelovedKennysomuch,whywouldn’tHekeephim safe?IfHecaredforQuaidorJaceyatall,whyputtheminafamilywithamotherwhowasthedevilinafemaleform? The Devil Wears Prada wasn’tajokeathishouse ItwassaferforQuaidnottogettoocaughtupinhopeorfaith Theonlyhope forhislifewastoprotectJacey.
Anna turned to him, and Quaid flinched but stood his ground He instinctivelyknew he should backawayfromsucha beamingyetmischievousgrin.
“AsmynephewCameronwouldsay,‘You’remybest,Quaid!’”
Thenshethrewherarmsaroundhim
Thankfully,itwasbrief.ThatwastheonlypositiveQuaidcouldfind.Hestoodstiffanddidn’trespondtoher impetuous hug The fleeting embrace shook himto his core This woman’s warmarms around himfelt like he’d been encased with sunshineandshownavision thathislifecouldbemorethanrunning,self-sacrifice,andhidinghimselfandJacey.
Annadrewbackandhergrinwasn’tquiteasbig Becausehehadn’tphysicallyresponded?Quaidyankedhisgazefromher sohewouldn’tgrabherandhugherforaslongasshewaswilling.
Thatwouldbeidiotic.
Quaid pushed awaythe visionofa happyfuture for himas well ProtectJacey Thatwas his life’s missionand all that couldmatter.
Maybe someday Whenhis parents were dead and Jaceywas safe Thenhe could lookata relationship for himself So, twentyto thirtyyears fromnow. It was at least a goal to shoot for. He doubted he’d survive twentymore years, but goals helpedsharpenfocus
“Thereissomedeepsnowonthenorthfacingslopesandinsomeofthevalleys,butCurtandAliyagotthrough,andyou’ll havetopofthelinegear,”PrinceTristanexplained.
Quaidwas grateful theywouldprovide themwiththe bestgear available He wasn’ttooworriedabouthimself,butthis whimsical,too-lovingwomanwouldn’tmakeittenstepsintoAugustine’sportionoftheAlpsinspringtimewithaholeinher shoeandhersock
“How longdidittakePrinceCurtis andPrincess Aliya?”Quaidasked.He’dheardaboutthepair ofroyals aSouthern sweetheartandareclusiveprincemarried,bothofthemadventurersandfreespirits.He’dlikeastorylikethat.Iftherewas anywhereonearthsafefromhismother’sreach.
“Fourdays.Theyhadsnowshoesandtheyhadtocarryalotofgearandretracetheirstepstotheirhouseoften.Theyalso
spenttimesettingupyoursleepingspotsandmeals,”PrinceTristansaid.“Theyknow thesemountainswell,hikedstraightto the caves theywanted to hide the supplies in, sometimes usingsnowmobiles or dirtbikes, and theyhad clear weather.” His blueeyestwinkled
Hewasbasicallysayingitwaspossibleforthem,butnotprobable.They’dhavetoscourunknownareastofindthecaves. Thesemountainsweresteep,ahugeexpansefilledwithsnow,andtherewasprobablyaspringstormonthehorizon “Whatelseisinourbackpacks?”Quaidasked.
“Everythingyouneed,”PrincessJennifersaid,“tosurviveforsixdaysinthemountains food,waterwhichyoucanrefill inourmanydeliciousstreams,theemergencybedding,Yaktrax,rope,firstaidsupplies,climbinggear…”Shelookedtoher husband.QuaidlikedtheirAugustineaccentsandadmiredtheirlovingrelationship.
“Willweneedfirstaidsuppliesandclimbinggear?”Anna’seyeswerewideasshelookedatMercedes “Possibly.” Mercedes shrugged. She looked uneasyand apologetic, but … “This is anadventure realityshow, and you signeddisclaimersacknowledgingthedanger”
“AndthatImightdieorloseafoottofrostbite,”Annawhispered.
Quaidwasn’tevenawarehe’ddoneituntilhisarmbrushedhersandthenhishandwastouchingherhand Notholdingit, just the back of their hands touching lightly. It felt like a grounding wire. Anna’s touch could hold himdown to earth and electrifyhimatthe same time. He needed to pull away, butfirsthe had to reassure her. He’d wantanyofhis friends or the ColevillebrotherstodothesameforJacey Hebentandwhisperedinherear,“I’llkeepyousafe,Anna.Noworries.”
“Noworries?”Shegazedupathim Trustanddeterminationfilledhergaze “You’vegotme,Quaid?” Helikedhersayinghisname,nottheweird‘HEM’nickname.Helethimselfsmileather arealsmile.“Yeah.Ido.”
“Yes!”Sheimpulsivelyflungher armsaroundhisneckagain,andthistimeshecalledout,“Iloveyou,myownpersonal HEM!”
Quaid was struck by so many things at once. Her body was firm, warm, and enticing against him. Electrifying and grounding definitely Shesmelleddelicious,likepeaches andcream Sheabsolutelydid not love himand never could or should.Shewasfartooimpetuous.SheandJaceywouldadoreeachother.
Hehadtogetsomedistancefromherandsomehowkeepit Whilehikingandsleepinginthesamecavesforsixdays He was introuble.He shudderedtothinkwhathis mother coulddotosuchaninnocentsweetheart.Thathorrific thoughthelped himcenter.
NoddingtoAnna,heremovedherarmsandsteppedaway,butnotbeforehereadthedisappointmentinherincrediblegreen eyes.
Heswungtofacetheroyals,Mercedes,andShawn Theyall hadwideeyes,watchingthemliketheywereasoapopera Great.
Pop some popcorn, grab a soda, and pull up a chair to watch the show,healmostquipped Thatsurprisedhim.Hehadn’tteasedlikethatwithoutKennyorJaceytoteasewith.
Annashiftednexttohim.Hedidnotlookather.He’dbeentryingtoreassureherwiththebrushofhishandandhiswords, butshe’dtakenitmuchtoofar How wouldthenextsixdaysgo?Afun-lovingandspontaneouswomanlikeAnnamighttake anyencouragementmuchtoofar.He’dhavetobeonconstantguard.Luckily,thatwasnothingnewforhim.
“Didweforgetanything?”PrinceTristanaskedMercedes
Thetoo-skinnybillionaireturnedtoShawn,appearinguncertain.SomethingwaswrongwithMercedes.Quaidwishedhe couldhelpthelady,butShawnseemedtotakefabulouscareofher Quaidwasgratefulshehadn’trevealedwhohewas “Talkingintothecamera,”Shawnprodded.
“Ohyes!”Mercedesturnedtothemwithabrightsmile.Itwasalmostasifshesmiledbigenough,shecouldhidewhatever wasgoingwronginherlife Quaidhaddonesomethingsimilarforyears,buthedidn’tsmile Asayouth,he’dhidbehindhis ‘ultra-handsomeface.’Asanadult,he’dhadhisfightingskills.
“Everynight,youhavetoeachtakeacamera,findalittlebitofprivacy,whichwillbedifficult,andshareyourthoughtson theday’sadventuresandyouradventuringpartner.”Shebeamedasifthey’dsharesomeromanticthoughtsorlongings.
Silly and unrealistic, but that was reality television Thankfully, it wasn’t The Bachelor, and more importantly, they’d obscurehisfaceandvoice.
Anna shifted nextto him;her warmthand peaches and creamscentmade his pulse quicken. She was tempting, and there wasdefinitelyachemistrybetweenthemhehadn’tpreviouslyexperienced Still,anykindofromanceforhimwasoutofthe questionand verydumb. He had to protectJacey, and he would never puta womanindanger the likes ofwhichhis mother could dole out She’d killed Maria to ‘teachhima lesson’He’d internalized thatlesson, butnotinthe wayhis mother had hoped.Hecouldneverallowhismotherthatkindofleverage.
“Well…anyquestionsbeforeweoutfityou?”PrincessJenniferasked.
“Yes.”Anna’svoicewastremulous.“Dowegetatourofthecastle?” TheroyalsandMercedesalllaughedatthat.
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The ships and sailors of old Salem
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Title: The ships and sailors of old Salem the record of a brilliant era of American achievement
Author:
Ralph Delahaye Paine
Release date: June 2, 2024 [eBook #73759]
Language: English
Original publication: Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co, 1912
Credits: Bob Taylor, Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SHIPS AND SAILORS OF OLD SALEM ***
A
MERICAN ships and sailors have almost vanished from the seas that lie beyond their own coasts. The twentieth century has forgotten the era when Yankee topsails, like flying clouds, flecked every ocean, when tall spars forested every Atlantic port from Portland to Charleston, and when the American spirit of adventurous enterprise and rivalry was in its finest flower on the decks of our merchant squadrons. The last great chapter of the nation’s life on blue water was written in the days of the matchless clippers which swept round the Horn to San Francisco or fled homeward from the Orient in the van of the tea fleets.
The Cape Horn clipper was able to survive the coming of the Age of Steam a few years longer than the Atlantic packet ships, such as the Dreadnought, but her glory departed with the Civil War and thereafter the story of the American merchant marine is one of swift and sorrowful decay. The boys of the Atlantic coast, whose fathers had followed the sea in legions, turned inland to find their careers, and the sterling qualities which had been bred in the bone by generations of salty ancestry now helped to conquer the western wilderness.
It is all in the past, this noble and thrilling history of American achievement on the deep sea, and a country with thousands of miles of seacoast has turned its back toward the spray-swept scenes of its ancient greatness to seek the fulfillment of its destiny in peopling the prairie, reclaiming the desert and feeding its mills and factories with the resources of forest, mine and farm.
For more than two centuries, however, we Americans were a maritime race, in peace and war, and the most significant deeds and spectacular triumphs of our seafaring annals were wrought long
before the era of the clipper ship. The fastest and most beautiful fabric ever driven by the winds, the sky-sail clipper was handled with a superb quality of seamanship which made the mariners of other nations doff their caps to the ruddy Yankee masters of the Sovereign of the Seas, the Flying Cloud, the Comet, the Westward Ho, or the Swordfish. Her routes were well traveled, however, and her voyages hardly more eventful than those of the liner of to-day. Islands were charted, headlands lighted, and the instruments and science of navigation so far perfected as to make ocean pathfinding no longer a matter of blind reckoning and guesswork. Pirates and privateers had ceased to harry the merchantmen and to make every voyage a hazard of life and death from the Bahama Banks to the South Seas.
Through the vista of fifty years the Yankee clipper has a glamour of singularly picturesque romance, but it is often forgotten that two hundred years of battling against desperate odds and seven generations of seafaring stock had been required to evolve her type and to breed the men who sailed her in the nineteenth century. It is to this much older race of American seamen and the stout ships they built and manned that we of to-day should be grateful for many of the finest pages in the history of our country’s progress. The most adventurous age of our merchant mariners had reached its climax at the time of the War of 1812, and its glory was waning almost a hundred years ago. For the most part its records are buried in seastained log books and in the annals and traditions of certain ancient New England coastwise towns,[1] of which Salem was the most illustrious.
This port of Salem is chiefly known beyond New England as the scene of a wicked witchcraft delusion which caused the death of a score of poor innocents in 1692, and in later days as the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is not so commonly known that this old town of Salem, nestled in a bight of the Massachusetts coast, was once the most important seat of maritime enterprise in the New World. Nor when its population of a century ago is taken into consideration can any foreign port surpass for adventure, romance
and daring the history of Salem during the era of its astonishing activity. Even as recently as 1854, when the fleets of Salem were fast dwindling, the London Daily News, in a belated eulogy of our American ships and sailors, was moved to compare the spirit of this port with that of Venice and the old Hanse towns and to say: “We owe a cordial admiration of the spirit of American commerce in its adventurous aspects. To watch it is to witness some of the finest romance of our time.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne was Surveyor in the Custom House of Salem in 1848-49, after the prestige of the port had been well-nigh lost. He was descended from a race of Salem shipmasters and he saw daily in the streets of his native town the survivors of the generations of incomparable seamen who had first carried the American flag to Hindoostan, Java, Sumatra, and Japan, who were first to trade with the Fiji Islands and with Madagascar, who had led the way to the west coast of Africa and to St. Petersburg, who had been pioneers in opening the commerce of South America and China to Yankee ships. They had “sailed where no other ships dared to go, they had anchored where no one else dreamed of looking for trade.” They had fought pirates and the privateers of a dozen races around the world, stamping themselves as the Drakes and the Raleighs and Gilberts of American commercial daring.
In the Salem of his time, however, Hawthorne perceived little more than a melancholy process of decay, and a dusky background for romances of a century more remote. It would seem as if he found no compelling charm in the thickly clustered memories that linked the port with its former greatness on the sea. Some of the old shipmasters were in the Custom House service with him and he wrote of them as derelicts “who after being tost on every sea and standing sturdily against life’s tempestuous blast had finally drifted into this quiet nook where with little to disturb them except the periodical terrors of a Presidential election, they one and all acquired a new lease of life.”
They were simple, brave, elemental men, hiding no tortuous problems of conscience, very easy to analyze and catalogue, and perhaps not apt, for this reason, to make a strong appeal to the genius of the author of “The Scarlet Letter.”
Custom House document with signature of Nathaniel Hawthorne as surveyor
Page from the illustrated log of the Eolus. Her captain drew such pictures as these of the ships he sighted at sea
“They spent a good deal of time asleep in their accustomed corners,” he also wrote of them, “with their chairs tilted back against the wall; awaking, however, once or twice in a forenoon to bore one another with the several thousandth repetition of old sea stories and mouldy jokes that had grown to be passwords and counter-signs among them.”
One of the sea journals or logs of Captain Nathaniel Hathorne,[2] father of the author, possesses a literary interest in that its title page was lettered by the son when a lad of sixteen. With many an ornamental flourish the inscription runs:
Nathaniel Hathorne’s Book—1820—Salem.
A Journal of a Passage from Bengall to America
In the Ship Americaof Salem, 1798.
This is almost the only volume of salty flavored narrative to which Nathaniel Hawthorne may be said to have contributed, although he was moved to pay this tribute to his stout-hearted forebears:
“From father to son, for above a hundred years, they followed the sea; a gray-headed shipmaster in each generation retiring from the quarterdeck to the homestead, while a boy of fourteen took the hereditary place before the mast, confronting the salt spray and the gale which had blustered against his sire and grandsire.”
Even to-day there survive old shipmasters and merchants of Salem who in their own boyhood heard from the lips of the actors their stories of shipwrecks on uncharted coasts; of captivity among the Algerians and in the prisons of France, England and Spain; of hairbreadth escapes from pirates on the Spanish Main and along Sumatran shores; of ship’s companies overwhelmed by South Sea cannibals when Salem barks were pioneers in the wake of Captain Cook; of deadly actions fought alongside British men-of-war and private armed ships, and of steering across far-distant seas when “India was a new region and only Salem knew the way thither.”
Such men as these were trained in a stern school to fight for their own. When the time came they were also ready to fight for their country. Salem sent to sea one hundred and fifty-eight privateers during the Revolution. They carried two thousand guns and were manned by more than six thousand men, a force equal in numbers to the population of the town. These vessels captured four hundred and forty-four prizes, or more than one-half the total number taken by all the Colonies during the war.
In the War of 1812 Salem manned and equipped forty privateers and her people paid for and built the frigate Essexwhich under the command of David Porter swept the Pacific clean of British commerce and met a glorious end in her battle with the Phoebeand
Cherub off the harbor of Valparaiso. Nor among the sea fights of both wars are there to be found more thrilling ship actions than were fought by Salem privateersmen who were as ready to exchange broadsides or measure boarding pikes with a “king’s ship” as to snap up a tempting merchantman.
But even beyond these fighting merchant sailors lay a previous century of such stress and hazard in ocean traffic as this age cannot imagine. One generation after another of honest shipmasters had been the prey of a great company of lawless rovers under many flags or no flag at all. The distinction between privateers and pirates was not clearly drawn in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the tiny American brigs and sloops which bravely fared to the West Indies and Europe were fair marks for the polyglot freebooters that laughed at England’s feeble protection of her colonial trade.
The story of the struggles and heroisms of the western pioneers has been told over and over again. Every American schoolboy is acquainted with the story of the beginnings of the New England Colonies and of their union. But the work of the seafaring breed of Americans has been somewhat suffered to remain in the background. Their astonishing adventures were all in the day’s work and were commonplace matters to their actors. The material for the plot of a modern novel of adventure may be found condensed into a three-line entry of many an ancient log-book.
High on the front of a massive stone building in Essex Street, Salem, is chiseled the inscription, “East India Marine Hall.” Beneath this are the obsolete legends, “Asiatic Bank,” and “Oriental Insurance Office.” Built by the East India Marine Society eighty-four years ago, this structure is now the home of the Peabody Museum and a storehouse for the unique collections which Salem seafarers brought home from strange lands when their ships traded in every ocean. The East India Marine Society still exists. The handful of surviving members meet now and then and spin yarns of the vanished days when they were masters of stately square-riggers in the deep-water trade. All of them are gray and some of them quite feeble and every
little while another of this company slips his cable for the last long voyage.
The sight-seeing visitor in Salem is fascinated by its quaint and picturesque streets, recalling as they do no fewer than three centuries of American life, and by its noble mansions set beneath the elms in an atmosphere of immemorial traditions. But the visitor is not likely to seek the story of Salem as it is written in the records left by the men who made it great. For those heroic seafarers not only made history but they also wrote it while they lived it. The East India Marine Society was organized in 1799 “to assist the widows and children of deceased members; to collect such facts and observations as tended to the improvement and security of navigation, and to form a museum of natural and artificial curiosities, particularly such as are to be found beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.”[3]
The by-laws provided that “any person shall be eligible as a member of this society who shall have actually navigated the seas near the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, either as master or commander or as factor or supercargo in any vessel belonging to Salem.”
From its foundation until the time when the collections of the Society were given in charge of the Peabody Academy of Science in 1867, three hundred and fifty masters and supercargoes of Salem had qualified for membership as having sailed beyond Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope.
More than a century ago, therefore, these mariners of Salem began to write detailed journals of their voyages, to be deposited with this Society in order that their fellow shipmasters might glean from them such facts as might “tend to the improvement and security of navigation.” Few seas were charted, and Salem ships were venturing along unknown shores. The journal of one of these pioneer voyages was a valuable aid to the next shipmaster who went that way. These journals were often expanded from the ship’s logs, and written after the captains came home. The habit of carefully
noting all incidents of trade, discovery, and dealings with primitive races taught these seamen to make their logs something more than routine accounts of wind and weather. Thus, year after year and generation after generation, there was accumulating a library of adventurous first-hand narrative, written in stout manuscript volumes.
It was discovered that a pen and ink drawing of the landfall of some almost unknown island would help the next captain passing that coast to identify its headlands. Therefore many of these quarterdeck chroniclers developed an astonishing aptitude for sketching coast line, mountains and bays. Some of them even made pictures in water color of the ships they saw or spoke, and their logs were illustrated descriptions of voyages to the South Seas or Mauritius or China. In this manner the tradition was cherished that a shipmaster of Salem owed it to his fellow mariners and townspeople to bring home not only all the knowledge he could gather but also every kind of curious trophy to add to the collections of the East India Marine Society. And as the commerce over seas began to diminish in the nineteenth century, this tradition laid fast hold upon many Salem men and women whose fathers had been shipmasters. They took pride in gathering together all the old log books they could find in cobwebby attics and battered seachests and in increasing this unique library of blue water.
Older than the East India Marine Society is the Salem Marine Society, which was founded in 1766 by eighteen shipmasters, and which still maintains its organization in its own building. Its Act of Incorporation, dated 1772, stated that “whereas a considerable number of persons who are or have been Masters of ships or other vessels, have for several years past associated themselves in the town of Salem; and the principal end of said Society being to improve the knowledge of this coast, by the several members, upon their arrival from sea communicating their observations, inwards and outwards, of the variation of the needle, soundings, courses and distances, and all other remarkable things about it, in writing, to be lodged with the Society, for the making of the navigation more safe;
