Corbin's Fancy
Authors: Linda Lael Miller
“ONE OF THE HOTTEST ROMANCE AUTHORS WRITING TODAY.”
—
Romantic Times
Linda Lael Miller
CORBIN’S FANCY
When a traveling carnival left Fancy Jordan stranded in the rugged Washington Territory, she thought her luck had run out. Alone, penniless, she welcomed a most intriguing offer—to live in the home of Jeff Corbin’s brother and coax the wounded, withdrawn Jeff back to health and happiness.
But a villainous attack on his ship had hurt only his body—a far deeper sorrow tortured him, heart and soul. For as the beautiful gamine fell deeply in love with this handsome, brooding man, she faced a phantom rival…one that only the most splendid, most heartfelt passion could conquer!
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Sigrid Estrada
LAEL ST. JAMES
is a pseudonym for
LINDA LAEL MILLER,
the beloved bestselling author of more than thirty novels, of which there are more than twelve million copies in print. Most recently she received acclaim for her
New York Times
bestsellers
Courting Susannah
and
One Wish,
and her tales of life and love in the fictional towns of Springwater, Montana, and Primrose Creek, Nevada. Ms. Miller resides in the Scottsdale, Arizona, area.
Books by Linda Lael Miller
Banner O’Brien
Corbin’s Fancy
Memory’s Embrace
My Darling Melissa
Angelfire
Desire and Destiny
Fletcher’s Woman
Lauralee
Moonfire
Wanton Angel
Willow
Princess Annie
The Legacy
Taming Charlotte
Yankee Wife
Daniel’s Bride
Lily and the Major
Emma and the Outlaw
Caroline and the Raider
Pirates
Knights
My Outlaw The Vow
Two Brothers: The Lawman & The Gunslinger Springwater
Springwater
Seasons series:
Rachel
Savannah
Miranda
Jessica
A Springwater Christmas
One Wish
The Women of Primrose Creek
Bridget
Christy
Skye
Megan
Courting Susannah
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This book is a work of historical fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents relating to nonhistorical figures are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of such nonhistorical incidents, places or figures to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An
Original
Publication of POCKET BOOKS
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 1985 by Linda Lael Miller
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0-671-73767-8
ISBN: 9781476710709 (eBook)
First Tapestry Books printing August 1985
First Pocket Books printing April 1990
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.
Contents
For Sally Jean Lang—the girl with snowflakes in her hair
Port Hastings, Washington Territory
December 24, 1887
T
HE GREAT HOLLY WREATH JIGGLED ON ITS HOOK AS JEFF
Corbin slammed the front door behind him, wedged his hands into the pockets of his heavy seaman’s coat, and stomped down the steps.
Almost immediately, the door opened again. “Damn you,” barked a hoarse voice, “wait a minute!”
Jeff paused in the middle of the snowy walk, his shoulders tense, his jaw set in a hard line. He did not turn to face his brother; feeling the way he did, he couldn’t. Even when Adam came to stand before him, Jeff refused to meet his eyes or acknowledge his presence.
“How long are we going to keep this up?” Adam demanded, his hands rising to his hips.
Jeff said nothing, though imagined shouts of anger and hurt were reverberating through his mind. Because
he rarely hid his feelings, it was especially difficult for him to remain silent.
“It’s Christmas, Jeff,” Adam reminded him, with uncommon patience. “You can’t leave now.”
“I
have
to leave now,” Jeff breathed, his gaze still carefully avoiding his older brother’s. His mind and heart were full to aching with pictures of Banner, his sister-in-law, and of the children she had borne Adam. They were twins—a boy and a girl.…
“Jeff.”
Jeff forced himself to look at Adam. The wind was bitterly cold that Christmas Eve; it stung both men and blew between them, severing the chain that had once joined their two souls. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “The
Sea Mistress
sails at dawn and the crew is already aboard.”
“Damn the
Sea Mistress!”
hissed Adam, lifting one hand to the back of his dark head in frustration. “I had to keep Papa’s illness a secret from you and everyone else, Jeff! Don’t you understand that?”
Jeff nodded. “I understand,” he said, but it was only a half-truth. For five years he’d believed his father dead; finding out that the man had been alive all the time had jarred him deeply.
“You don’t understand,” rasped Adam. “Jesus, Jeff, he had leprosy—”
“I know. And he had you to take care of him. The devoted son. Why in hell would Papa have needed me when he had you?”
Adam flinched slightly, but stood his ground. “It’s more than that, isn’t it?”
Jeff lifted his chin. “Yes, it’s more than that,” he replied evenly. “I love your wife, Adam. I love Banner
and I wish to God that those two babies in there were mine. Does that make the problem clear enough?”
The explosion Jeff half expected didn’t come; Adam only sighed and tilted his head back to search the snow-shrouded heavens. Glistening, prismlike flakes gathered on his lashes and the strong planes of his face. “You’ll get over what you’re feeling now, Jeff. Just give yourself some time—”
Battling his emotions, Jeff made his way around the barrier of his brother’s tall frame and started toward the gate. “Time heals all wounds, doesn’t it, doctor?” he called back, glad that Adam could not see his face. “I’ll be gone about six months, so don’t wait up.”
Suddenly, Jeff felt himself whirled around. He was thrust backward against the heavy stone fence. Fury stung him, but its pulsing venom left him oddly weak and quite immobile.
“You are going to listen to me,” Adam drawled, glaring into Jeff’s face like a blue-eyed demon.
Jeff managed to thrust his brother’s powerful hands away from the lapels of his coat, but he could do no more, and his breath was coming hard, as though he’d just run a great distance. “Go to hell,” he said.
“I love you, too, Jeff,” Adam replied. Then he sighed again and spoke without the sarcasm that was so much a part of his nature. “Please, don’t go. Not like this—”
It happened. The sobs Jeff had been holding back broke free, tearing themselves from the depths of his chest, harsh and raw. “God damn you,” he choked out.
“Damn
you, Adam—I
can’t stay—”
Adam drew his brother close, held him for a moment, then stepped back. His voice was hoarse. “You
know, don’t you, that I wouldn’t have seen you hurt like this for anything in the world?”