Regina Scott - The Bride Ship

SWEETHEART REUNION

What was his brother’s widow—his first love—doing on a ship full of prospective brides headed out West? Clay Howard had been tasked with escorting the Boston belle home, but he didn’t anticipate Allegra being so strong-willed—or that he’d wind up traveling with her just to keep her from leaving without him!

Allegra Banks Howard isn’t going to let Clay interfere with her plans for a new life with her daughter on the frontier. True, Allegra needs his wilderness savvy, but if Clay thinks he can rekindle what they once shared, he had better think again. Because risking her heart for a second chance at being his bride isn’t something she’ll undertake lightly….

Frontier Bachelors: Bold, rugged—and bound to be grooms

“It’s not your responsibility to save me from myself. Frankly, it’s not your responsibility to save me at all.”

Oh, but she was going to have a mutiny on her hands any moment. She could almost see the arguments mustering behind Clay’s pale eyes. It wasn’t in him to give up on something he believed. Perhaps that was one of the things she admired most about him.

But Allie wasn’t about to give up either.

She pulled away from him. “Let me offer you a compromise, though I know how much you hate the concept.”

Clay cocked his head. “I’m listening.”

That was more than she’d once thought possible. “Give me the opportunity to make my own mistakes,” she said, “to chart my own course, just as you did when you left Boston. And I promise, if I feel myself incapable of resolving a problem, I’ll come to you for advice.”

She held out her hand. “Do we have a bargain, sir?”

He eyed her hand a moment, then swallowed it in his grip. His fingers were as firm as his convictions. “We have a bargain, madam, though I have my doubts that either of us can keep it.”

REGINA SCOTT

started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn’t actually sell her first novel until she learned a bit more about writing. Since her first book was published in 1998, her stories have traveled the globe, with translations in many languages, including Dutch, German, Italian and Portuguese.

She and her husband of over twenty-five years reside in southeast Washington State with their overactive Irish terrier. Regina Scott is a decent fencer, owns a historical costume collection that takes up over a third of her large closet, and she is an active member of the Church of the Nazarene. You can find her online blogging at www.nineteenteen.blogspot.com. Learn more about her at www.reginascott.com, or connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott.

The Bride Ship

Regina Scott

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

—Proverbs 31:25

To my Larry, who encourages me to take the right path, and to the Lord, who always lights the way.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text SWEETHEART REUNION What was his brother’s widow—his first love—doing on a ship full of prospective brides headed out West? Clay Howard had been tasked with escorting the Boston belle home, but he didn’t anticipate Allegra being so strong-willed—or that he’d wind up traveling with her just to keep her from leaving without him! Allegra Banks Howard isn’t going to let Clay interfere with her plans for a new life with her daughter on the frontier. True, Allegra needs his wilderness savvy, but if Clay thinks he can rekindle what they once shared, he had better think again. Because risking her heart for a second chance at being his bride isn’t something she’ll undertake lightly…. Frontier Bachelors: Bold, rugged—and bound to be grooms

Introduction “It’s not your responsibility to save me from myself. Frankly, it’s not your responsibility to save me at all.” Oh, but she was going to have a mutiny on her hands any moment. She could almost see the arguments mustering behind Clay’s pale eyes. It wasn’t in him to give up on something he believed. Perhaps that was one of the things she admired most about him. But Allie wasn’t about to give up either. She pulled away from him. “Let me offer you a compromise, though I know how much you hate the concept.” Clay cocked his head. “I’m listening.” That was more than she’d once thought possible. “Give me the opportunity to make my own mistakes,” she said, “to chart my own course, just as you did when you left Boston. And I promise, if I feel myself incapable of resolving a problem, I’ll come to you for advice.” She held out her hand. “Do we have a bargain, sir?” He eyed her hand a moment, then swallowed it in his grip. His fingers were as firm as his convictions. “We have a bargain, madam, though I have my doubts that either of us can keep it.”

About the Author REGINA SCOTT started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn’t actually sell her first novel until she learned a bit more about writing. Since her first book was published in 1998, her stories have traveled the globe, with translations in many languages, including Dutch, German, Italian and Portuguese. She and her husband of over twenty-five years reside in southeast Washington State with their overactive Irish terrier. Regina Scott is a decent fencer, owns a historical costume collection that takes up over a third of her large closet, and she is an active member of the Church of the Nazarene. You can find her online blogging at www.nineteenteen.blogspot.com . Learn more about her at www.reginascott.com , or connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott .

Title Page The Bride Ship Regina Scott www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bible Verse She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. —Proverbs 31:25

Dedication To my Larry, who encourages me to take the right path, and to the Lord, who always lights the way.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Pier 2, New York Harbor January 16, 1866

Head high, Allegra Banks Howard held her daughter’s hand and marched down the rough planks of the pier to join the queue of women about to board the S.S. Continental . In the frigid air that blew up the Hudson, the four-year-old’s skin looked nearly as blue as her wide eyes inside the hood of her fur-lined cloak.

“I’m not seeing that fellow who’s been following you,” her friend Madeleine O’Rourke reported, standing beside Allie on tiptoe to peer through the crowd that surrounded them.