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~ 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 #historical #romance #excerpt

I'm going to be taking a break from sharing snippits from Love By Design, as I need to rethink and probably do more editing on it, and any other unpublished stories I have for the time being. I've been attempting to do some reassessing and taking note of what does or does not work for my novels.

Also- with summer vacation beginning for my kids, I'm certain to lose track and forget to post every Sunday, but I will try to remember when I can. It might not always be every Sunday and it will most likely be from my published debut historical romance- Castaway Hearts, which is available where most books are sold, in print or ebook.(follow link on image to Amazon or the buy links in the lefthand column here on my blog)

Here is the Blurb for CASTAWAY HEARTS-
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?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today I'll leave you with a snippit from Dawson Randolph's POV after he discovers that his seafaring brother, Nathaniel, is secretly engaged to the young Catherine Barrett, the granddaughter of one of his closest companions. 

Marriage was an institute for tenderhearted fools. He might have been one himself years ago, but he would never be a fool again. Dawson stood and crossed to the windows and stared out across the fields full of tobacco.

At thirty, Dawson had his home and his crops and the occasional visits with friends. He had no mind to think of marriage and believed his younger brother would find it in his best interest not to think about it either. He would do what he could to dissuade Nathaniel from it. It would breed only heartache and sadness.

Dawson knew this fact very well.

Nevertheless, much as he believed it, the moment Catherine Barrett rounded the corner into the parlor of her grandparents’ house, Dawson could not take his eyes from her.