Miranda Jarrett - The Secrets Of Catie Hazard

Cover Page

Praise Further praise for the author— Sparbawk’s Angel “Ms. Jarrett successfully mixes genres to bring forth an unusual, delightful, and precious reading experience. 5 s.” — Affaire de Coeur “This reviewer can’t wait to see where Ms. Jarrett takes us next!5 s.” — Booklovers “Miranda Jarrett performs magic in this very special romance. 4½.” — Romantic Times “…lighthearted and utterly charming romance…” — The Paperback Forum “…another delightful Sparhawk book…” — Rendezvous 1996 RITA finalist Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner, Sparhawk’s Lady “…a hero to die for and a heroine who is his perfect match. Another keeper.” —award-winning author Theresa Michaels “…a splendid story, superbly written. 5*.” — Affaire de Coeur

Excerpt One kiss, she told herself. One kiss to let herself pretend she was seventeen again. She swayed against Anthony as she opened both her lips and her soul to him. “Catie.” Slowly she opened her eyes, bewildered and bereft. What would make him stop now? “Catie, look at me,” he said. “I do not know how it can be possible, and yet it must be so.” He searched her face, and the first wisp of fear began to curl in Catie’s stomach. “Years ago, the night before I sailed for London, there was a girl I met in a tavern near the water.” “You are mistaken, sir.” Catie jerked free, her heart pounding. Relentlessly he followed. “A little serving girl afraid of her own shadow and still unaware of what her pretty face could do to a man.” “No,” said Catie, her eyes wild as she backed away from him. “No.” “Yes, Catie,” he said softly. “You are that lass.”

Title Page The Secrets Of Catie Hazard Miranda Jarrett www.millsandboon.co.uk

About The Author MIRANDA JARRETT was an award-winning designer and art director before turning to writing full-time, and considers herself sublimely fortunate to have a career that combines history and happy endings, even if it’s one that’s also made her family regular patrons of the local pizzeria. A descendant of early settlers in New England, she feels a special kinship with her popular fictional family, the Sparhawks of Rhode Island. Miranda and her husband—a musician and songwriter—live near Philadelphia with their two young children and two old cats. During what passes for spare time she paints watercolor landscapes, bakes French chocolate cakes and whips up the occasional lastminute Halloween costume. Miranda admits herself that it’s hard to keep track of all the Sparhawk family members, and she has prepared a family tree to help, including which characters appear in each book. She loves to hear from readers, and if you write to her and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope, she’ll send you a copy of the family tree along with her reply. Her address: P.O. Box 1102, Paoli, PA 19301-1145.

Dedication For Angela, Deborah, Margaret and Karen, the cream of the crop of the sixth floor, and most especially for Tracy, who never believed that Yankee love stories were an oxymoron. With much respect and fondest wishes Au revoir, guys.

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

Epilogue

Copyright

Sparbawk’s Angel

“Ms. Jarrett successfully mixes genres to bring forth an unusual, delightful, and precious reading experience. 5 s.”

— Affaire de Coeur

“This reviewer can’t wait to see where Ms. Jarrett takes us next!5 s.”

— Booklovers

“Miranda Jarrett performs magic in this very special romance. 4½.”

— Romantic Times

“…lighthearted and utterly charming romance…”

— The Paperback Forum

“…another delightful Sparhawk book…”

— Rendezvous

1996 RITA finalist Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner,

Sparhawk’s Lady

“…a hero to die for and a heroine who is his perfect match. Another keeper.”

—award-winning author Theresa Michaels

“…a splendid story, superbly written. 5*.”

— Affaire de Coeur

One kiss to let herself pretend she was seventeen again. She swayed against Anthony as she opened both her lips and her soul to him.

“Catie.”

Slowly she opened her eyes, bewildered and bereft. What would make him stop now?

“Catie, look at me,” he said. “I do not know how it can be possible, and yet it must be so.”

He searched her face, and the first wisp of fear began to curl in Catie’s stomach. “Years ago, the night before I sailed for London, there was a girl I met in a tavern near the water.”

“You are mistaken, sir.” Catie jerked free, her heart pounding.

Relentlessly he followed. “A little serving girl afraid of her own shadow and still unaware of what her pretty face could do to a man.”

“No,” said Catie, her eyes wild as she backed away from him. “No.”

“Yes, Catie,” he said softly. “You are that lass.”

www.millsandboon.co.uk

was an award-winning designer and art director before turning to writing full-time, and considers herself sublimely fortunate to have a career that combines history and happy endings, even if it’s one that’s also made her family regular patrons of the local pizzeria. A descendant of early settlers in New England, she feels a special kinship with her popular fictional family, the Sparhawks of Rhode Island.

Miranda and her husband—a musician and songwriter—live near Philadelphia with their two young children and two old cats. During what passes for spare time she paints watercolor landscapes, bakes French chocolate cakes and whips up the occasional lastminute Halloween costume.

Miranda admits herself that it’s hard to keep track of all the Sparhawk family members, and she has prepared a family tree to help, including which characters appear in each book. She loves to hear from readers, and if you write to her and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope, she’ll send you a copy of the family tree along with her reply. Her address: P.O. Box 1102, Paoli, PA 19301-1145.

For Angela, Deborah, Margaret and Karen,

the cream of the crop of the sixth floor,

and most especially for Tracy,

who never believed that Yankee love stories

were an oxymoron.

With much respect and fondest wishes

Au revoir, guys.

Newport

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

June 1767

All evening long the gold-haired gentleman had been watching her, watching her as surely as a hawk watches a rabbit, and there wasn’t a thing, not a blessed thing, that Catie could do to stop him.

No matter that he laughed at the ribald jests his two friends were telling, or raised his tankard in their noisy toasts, or roared his approval of the blind fiddler’s tunes along with the others crowded into the Crossed Keys tonight. Through it all, Catie felt the man’s green-eyed gaze always on her as she moved among the tables, trailing her, following her, never leaving her for an instant.