Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ You have no right, Catherine CASTAWAY HEARTS #excerpt

     When she turned toward the house, her thoughts turned to Dawson, too. The man seemed different this day than he had the day before, the expression on his face softer, kinder. She turned away, but in her mind, she could still see his face. His eyes penetrated her thoughts. Her heart quivered and her stomach dipped with nervous apprehension.
     She wanted to hate him, to tell him to go away and leave her alone. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel she didn’t hate him near as much as she wished she could. Even after the harsh way he spoke to her, she still felt the crackle of attraction between them. She hated how often her thoughts turned to him and what he would have looked like in a sailor’s uniform.
     You have no right, Catherine—no rights whatsoever to think of Dawson in those intimate ways. Think of Nathaniel. He’s the man who’ll be your husband.

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ CASTAWAY HEARTS~ #excerpt Don't dwell on this waif...

Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of—her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.

Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.

Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?

****

Dawson gave the horse a good prod with his heels, and she took off. The wind whipped through his hair and the moonlight illuminated his way through the lush forest across the road from his home, down the embankment to the edge of the beach. Even in the dark, guided by the pale moonlight, his horse knew the way. This was not their first midnight ride.

As they reached the clearing, Dawson gave another prod. Gypsy opened up and flew across the sand. She sensed her master’s troubled heart and in turn mirrored his desire for freedom and wild abandon. Dawson let her run, her thunderous hooves muffled by the gritty sand beneath.

The horse galloped across the sand for a good quarter mile before Dawson gave her a nudge and pulled back on the reins to slow her to a halt. He stared out at the sea, the moon, the stars, and found he felt small, petty, and irritated still.

Aggravation crept into his heart as he looked out into the bay. Nathaniel knew what Dawson went through in his youth and yet his foolish little brother still wanted to take a bride.

Dawson threw a glance over his shoulder to the cliff-side home of Captain and Mrs. Barrett. The building housed the one idea he never imagined he could want.

Catherine.

Don’t dwell on this waif. She’s not yours to want after or worry about.

His brother was another story. Nathaniel had a great mind for sailing, but he had always been bohemian, never content to stay still for long.

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ CASTAWAY HEARTS~ #excerpt He forgot how a woman deep in love looked...

Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of—her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.

Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.

Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?

****

Dawson couldn’t sleep. Silence hung thick over the large plantation, but a storm raged within him.

He hadn’t meant to snap at Catherine or even tell her what he thought of marriage at all.

In her eyes, he saw the earnest plea when she asked about Nathaniel, so open and raw with emotion and need. It made him flinch. He forgot how a woman deep in love looked, how innocent and hopeful and desperate.

He would explain his actions to Captain Barrett upon their next encounter, for he had no excuse for his behavior. To run off without thanks for the fine dinner and company had been bad form on his part.

Dawson’s life had been solitary for so long, though he hated to admit it. Empty most the time, the plantation haunted him with its excruciating stillness, other than the few servants who tended to the upkeep of the house, the laundry and his meals.

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ CASTAWAY HEARTS~ Now she felt free. #excerpt

Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of—her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.

Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.

Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?

****

Catherine tossed and turned. She could not sleep. Dawson’s words and the way he looked at her when she asked about Nathaniel preoccupied her thoughts. His eyes made her feel defiant and wild…and weak in the knees.

Unable to stay still, she threw off the quilt and sheet and slapped her bare feet on the cool hardwood floor.

A warm summer breeze blew past the curtains and it almost seemed light out. Catherine tiptoed to the doorway leading to the balcony and eased it open for fear the hinges would squeal under the strain. She stepped out past the screen door on silent feet, uncertain if it would squeak as well and placed her hands on the banister. A thin cool layer of dew moistened her fingertips. She shook the drops loose and wiped her hand dry on the side of her gown with a shiver.

The moon rose up, almost full, lighting the outdoors as though it were daylight. The sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore called to her.

She discovered a set of stairs at one end of the balcony. Pausing at the top with a moment’s hesitation, Catherine snuck out and ran down the hillside and around the cliffs. She held her nightgown up off the ground and let the sand slide between her toes, reminded of all the blissful summer days she and Grandmother Emily spent on the shore in search of shells on one of their many picnics.

Cooler than she anticipated, it didn’t deter her from meandering along the shoreline, close enough to feel the frosty bite of the seawater as it sluiced over her feet.

Ah….

Now she felt free.

Now she felt at home.

The shoreline and the roar of the ocean waves soothed her soul and drowned out all her other worries.

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ CASTAWAY HEARTS~ #excerpt Handsome and she hated him for it.

 Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of—her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.

Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.

Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?

 ****

   Once within the entryway of the house, out of her grandparents’ vision, she dashed up the stairs and into her room. She slowed down long enough to shut the door without rattling its hinges then threw herself across the bed. Pent up tears streamed out of her eyes and scalded her cheeks.

   How could it be Nathaniel was so kind, good, and sweet and his brother the opposite?

   She never met a man so dead set against marriage or more dead set against her in all her life.

   He doesn’t know me!

   How could Dawson think he knew what was best for her or Nathaniel?

   How could he pass such harsh judgment before they spoke more than a few words to one another?

   It only made sense that if word came from Nathaniel while away, it would reach Dawson first, and Catherine hoped he would be kind enough to keep her apprised of Nathaniel’s journey. To make friends with the Randolph family had been a goal she planned with good intention, for it would make life much easier when Nathaniel returned and announced their engagement. She would already feel like part of their family.

   What a cruel twist of fate. Dawson was arrogant, impersonal and so very opinionated. Worse yet, Catherine thought him the most beautiful creature she ever laid eyes on.

   He was handsome and she hated him for it. Even more so, she hated to admit him even more attractive than Nathaniel was.

   Curses, what makes me think such horrid thoughts? Catherine’s heart stuck in her throat.

   Her silent admission of attraction left her awestruck. 

   He is not my intended. He is the brother of my intended.

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ CASTAWAY HEARTS Marriage isn't the obvious conclusion... #excerpt

Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of—her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.

Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.

Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?

****

       “How dare you, Mr. Randolph. You know very little of me or my heart.” The slender column of her throat quivered as she held herself in control. “It’s obvious you know your brother even less. We love each other. What other possible conclusion is there than to enter into holy matrimony when two people love each other?”
      “Marriage isn’t the obvious conclusion to anything. Sometimes love’s not enough to make it endure, though I have a feeling it’s not truly about that anyway,” Dawson bit back. “Those who marry are foolish, as it is. Those who do so with naïve fantasies and daydreams are even bigger fools. That would make my brother the biggest fool of them all if he were to marry you.”
       “I’ve heard enough from you, Mr. Randolph. Your opinion is of little or no consequence in the matter and you may keep your assumptions to yourself. It’s clear you know nothing.”
        Catherine gathered her skirts in her white knuckled fists and stormed away, strands of her auburn hair, loosed from her hairpins, whipped around in the breeze.
        Damned fool! Dawson cursed himself and stomped off down the hill toward his horse. Women weren’t worth the aggravation.

Happy Father's Day!