Rue Allyn joins the blog today with an excerpt from her novella, Wait for Me, from Storm & Shelter, a Bluestocking Belles and Friends Collection. I’m thrilled to be one of the author friends with a story included in this awesome collection. You can pre-order your copy today for only 99 cents!

Wait for Me

Enemies by nature—Esmeralda Crobbin, aka the pirate Irish Red, and Captain, Lord Brandon Gilroy have met before.

Fate trumps nature—When a fierce storm creates a chance encounter and forced proximity, Erstwhile pirate, Esmeralda discovers Captain Gilroy is more than a uniform stuffed with rules and regulations. Gilroy learns the pirate is a woman of serious honor and responsibility. Both love the sea with boundless passion, but can they love each other?

Excerpt

She landed with the expected splat but unexpectedly not in the mud. Whatever she’d tripped over had broken her fall and kept her breathing. The object was large, seemed to be covered in cloth, and as she pushed up into a seated position, she discovered it was rather lumpy. It also groaned. A very human sounding groan.

Good lord I’ve landed on a man. Well it might be another woman, but the size and shape of the body beneath her was more suited to a male. Aware of where she sat, she scrambled off, to lean over him, her knees sinking into the muck.

She leaned closer and peered through the soggy light, feeling with her hands to locate his head and check for injuries. She found only a shallow bump on the back of his head. Thank heaven he lay on his back. The rain had kept his face clear of sludge, and beneath her palms his chest rose and fell. He was alive for now. But how long had he been here, and what caused him to be lying in the mud?

On that thought, his eyes opened. They were blue, though she couldn’t see the exact color in the rainy dawn. They might have been gray.

He blinked rapidly. She fished in a pocket for her handkerchief. Damp as it was, it would clear his vision. She used the kerchief to wipe water from his eyes and face. She bent to place the cloth in her pocket, and when she returned her gaze to his, he glared at her. A very familiar glare. A glare that had haunted her for the past three years. Now I know fate is laughing at me. Before her lay the one man who hated her most in the world. The storm had placed him exactly where she would to trip over him then feel compelled to help him before she had any clue as to his identity. “By all that’s holy, Lieutenant Gilroy.”

“You! What are you doing here? Why am I lying in this muck with you atop me like a doxy? And my rank is now Captain.”

Captain or not, she wasn’t atop him, but accuracy seemed irrelevant at the moment. To put him in his place she stood. “I might ask the same of you. I found you lying here unconscious.” He doesn’t need to know I tripped over him. “I was checking for injuries just before you woke. Had I known it was you, I would have left you to drown in the flood. However, having gotten completely filthy attempting to aid a stranger, I might as well help you up.” She held out a hand.

He lifted himself to a sitting position and looked at her hand.

As the rain began to patter again, his hesitation was completely unreasonable. “What’s the matter? My hand is no dirtier than your own.” She noted his lack of uniform. “You are or were a naval officer and cannot possibly be so fastidious that a bit of mud would deter you from accepting assistance.”

About Storm & Shelter

When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.

One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming Regency romance novellas by authors Grace Burrowes, Mary Lancaster, Jude Knight, Sherry Ewing, Rue Allyn, Alina K Field, Cerise Deland, and Caroline Warfield.

Release Date: April 13, 2021

Buy Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3kgRmLG

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/b5k2pO

About Rue Allyn:

Author of historical and contemporary romances, Rue Allyn is insatiably curious, as well as an avid reader and traveler. She loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real-life adventures. Crazy Cat stories are especially welcome. Contact her at Rue@RueAllyn.com. She can’t wait to hear from you. Keep up with Rue Allyn by subscribing to her newsletter and get a free download of one of Rue’s books.

Find Rue Allyn On-Line:

Website: https://RueAllyn.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RueAllynCrew/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RueAllyn

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rue-Allyn/e/B00AUBF3NI/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5031290.Rue_Allyn

Pre-order your copy of Storm & Shelter today for only 99 cents! Hurry–the price will go up after April 13th!