The Fire Within
Megan Had To Make A Choice Things had changed the day war came to her mountain. Now it was time to decide between the Rebel to whom she'd been promised, and the Union captain, Caleb Morgan. To choose Caleb would mean turning her back on everything that had gone before, yet how could she surrender the man who had captured her heart!Captain Morgan was certain of only two things in life: that he hated the war, and that he loved Megan, a woman of courage and compassion who had rescued him from the cold embrace of death. Yet how could he ask her to leave behind the only life she'd ever known, and break her promise to another man?
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“I would never do anything to hurt you,” Caleb said softly.Letter to ReaderTitle PageAlso byAbout the AuthorDedicationChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenEpilogueWeddings by De WildeCopyright
“I would never do anything to hurt you,” Caleb said softly.
“If I hadn’t pulled away, something might have happened that would be all wrong. I can’t want you!” But Megan did want him, right or wrong. “You can’t care for me!”
“I already do.”
“No! We’re enemies!”
“You know we aren’t. The war doesn’t have anything to do with us. Or with how we feel.” Tears glazed Megan’s eyes and he wanted to hold her and kiss them away.
“I can’t love you,” she whispered. Then she pulled away and hurried from the room.
For a moment Caleb stood there. He slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, his leg hurting like demons were playing in it. Love? Until she had said the word it hadn’t occurred to him. Now it refused to leave his mind. Love. He was falling in love with her—the one woman in the world he couldn’t have...!
Dear Reader,
The award-winning author of close to three dozen books that range from mainstream to contemporary and historical romance, Lynda Trent has written another stirring tale with this month’s The Fire Within. Don’t miss this story of a young woman whose plan to trade a wounded Union captain for her Confederate fiancé is threatened when she falls in love with her prisoner.
In her third historical for Harlequin, Man of the Mist, Elizabeth Mayne tells the heartwarming story of childhood sweethearts who, as adults, must unravel their feelings of hurt and betrayal and learn to accept that their love was meant to be.
Our other titles include a new Medieval from Margaret Moore, The Norman’s Heart, the delightful story of a staid nobleman and his willful bride. And Birdie, by Taylor Ryan, the Regency Era story of a young woman who must battle countless odds on her journey to happiness.
Whatever your taste in reading, we hope Harlequin Historicals will keep you coming back for more. Please keep a lookout for all four titles, available wherever books are sold.
Sincerely,
Tracy Farrell
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to:
Harlequin Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
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Books by Lynda Trent
Harlequin Historicals
Heaven’s Embrace #59
The Black Hawk #75
Rachel #119
Beloved Wife #154
Thornbeck #232
The Fire Within #314
Harlequin Books
Historical Christmas Stories 1991
“Christmas Yet to Come”
LYNDA TRENT
started writing romances at the insistence of a friend, but it was her husband who provided moral support whenever her resolve flagged. Now husband and wife are both full-time writers of contemporary and historical novels, and despite the ups and downs of this demanding career, they love every—well, almost every—minute of it. The author is always glad to hear from her readers.
To Clark and Sharon and love everlasting
Chapter One
Caleb Morgan leaned close to his horse’s neck as the animal reared and plunged. His long sword gleamed in the sunlight, red streaks running from its tip. He was exhausted from the battle but he couldn’t sound retreat. Not when there was still a chance they could defeat the Rebels. His dark blue uniform was stained with gunpowder and enemies’ blood, and his horse was lathered with sweat.
With a shout, Caleb encouraged his men to greater effort. As their captain he had their loyalty and their respect. He never sent a man into territory too dangerous for him to go as well. Caleb turned the horse into the fight and kicked him into a charge. The horse had seen many battles and plunged forward, his ears flattened viciously. When it came to a heated battle, this mount was priceless.
All around him Caleb saw men, some in blue, others in gray or butternut, slashing at one another and shouting in pain or battle fury. In the midst of a battle, they looked curiously the same. The acrid odor of gunpowder filled Caleb’s nose and he shoved his sword at the nearest Rebel. It made contact and the man shouted as he grabbed at the wound on his arm. Caleb took him down with the next thrust.
His horse reared again, pawing at a man who had run too close. The animal liked battle more than Caleb did. In quieter times Caleb wondered if the animal would ever be docile again—assuming the cursed war would ever end. At times it seemed as if the fighting and ceaseless marching would go on forever. To a man like Caleb who loved his home and family, it was as if hell had broken out on earth. Caleb was gentle by nature and a soldier by necessity. He was good at both.
“Captain Morgan! The flag!” a voice shouted beside him.
Caleb looked up to see the flag bearer stagger and fall. He spurred his horse forward and caught the flag before it could hit the ground. He wouldn’t allow the enemy to capture it. His men shouted approval and one grabbed at the wooden pole. Caleb released it and went back into the thick of the battle.
