“James might have enjoyed the day, but Hawk's mood was black and the girl's even blacker. The camp was like a battle line.”

“Another hour of strained silence passed. Hawk left to speak with an aquaintance in another car."Would you like to tell me about it?" James offered as soon as his friend was out of earshot.Mandy looked out the window, shamefaced. "I'd really rather not discuss it, if you don't mind.""You know, even if he is a friend, I'd be happy to black his eye if-""No!""Whatever you say." He sighed resignedly, leaning back against the tapestry seats.”

“Night camp wasn't much better. The air was thick with hostility,sideways glances, and accusing stares.”

“Hawk was like a man gone mad. He'd hardly slept all night for worrying about her, and here she was, calmly riding back to Fort Laramie and her lover. He longed, at that moment, to put his hands around her slender throat and choke some sense into her.”

“James and I happened onto the scene and foiled the robber's plans. We're good at that-foiling plans,I mean. Don't you agree,Miss Ashton?""There seems to be very little on which we agree, Mr. Langley.”

“His skin was dark, his face tanned, little crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Sun lines, not laugh lines, she was sure. She couldn't imagine the devil captain ever laughing at anything except, perhaps, someone else's pain.”

“I can't believe this." Temper still high, she planted her hands on her hips. "For weeks, I have imagined you making love to me.I even tried to seduce you." So he had been right about that. "Now-when we are in the middle of the Duke of Sheffield's ball-you decide you want me.""I've never stopped wanting you,Grace."She started to back away. "You made me look like a fool."Ethan stalked to her, matching her step for step. Now that his mind was made up,he intended to have her and soon. "You didn't look the least like a fool. You looked like a woman whose husband desired her."Her back came up against the door."You...you are still the pirate you were aboard your ship!""That's right.And I intend to plunder the treasure I acquired the day we were wed.”