Authors: Johanna Lindsey

Tender Is the Storm (25 page)

BOOK: Tender Is the Storm

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Ian might not have married, but he never denied any of his children either. He brought them all into his home, even those sired as far away as Aberdeen—at least, all that he knew of. The harem aspect of the tale might have arisen because he’d allowed a few of their mothers to abide in his home as well, even after he had no further interest in them personally. Whichever woman he favored at the time, he was usually faithful to her. Or so he assured anyone who bothered to ask him about it.

It made for a very…odd family relationship, to be sure, and Kimberly might have been glad that she’d grown up elsewhere—if the man who’d raised her
hadn’t been such a tyrant and unloving parent. A few of her brothers had other sisters, but she was the only sister they
all
could claim as theirs, so she was included in their sphere of loyalty. If anything, being the only female among them, and despite her being the oldest of them, she was more protected than the rest. That protection had extended to Melissa when she was born. Since they’d all been there for her birth, they considered her
theirs
.

Lachlan had had a bit of trouble with that over the years. If he and Kimberly had a spat or if he simply frowned at her wrong, he was likely to get trounced by the lot of them, if even one was around to see it. And heaven forbid if he ever attempted to scold Meli when they were visiting. It was a wonder he did tolerate them, as many times as they’d attacked him first, without asking what the trouble might be. Must be a Scottish thing, that he found their attitude acceptable and as it should be, and never held it against them.

But Kimberly loved her brothers dearly, all sixteen of them, and she was quick to make excuses for their shortcomings, which they did happen to have in abundance. They were an argumentative, hot-tempered bunch. It was surprising, really, since Ian had raised them, and he had a more mellow temperament. At least, he had prior to returning to Scotland to nurse his broken heart. And he’d been nothing but mellow since Kimberly had joined the family.

About the Author

Johanna Lindsey
has been hailed as one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of "first-rate romance"
(New York Daily News)
, Lindsey is the author of forty-seven previous national bestselling novels, many of which reached the #1 spot on the
New York Times
bestseller list. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Praise
#1
New York Times
Bestselling Author!

“IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SENSUALITY, YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED IN

J
OHANNA
L
INDSEY
.”

Chicago Sun-Times

“One of the most reliable authors around. Her books are well-paced and well-written, filled with strong characters, humor, interesting plots—and, of course, romance.”

Cincinnati Enquirer

“The Queen of Romances.”

Gannett News Service

“The charm and appeal of her characters are infectious.”

Publishers Weekly

“First rate romance.”

New York Daily News

“Johanna Lindsey has a sure touch where historical romance is concerned.”

Newport News Daily Press

Other Books by Johanna Lindsey

A
LL
I N
EED
I
S
Y
OU
• A
NGEL

B
RAVE THE
W
ILD
W
IND
• C
APTIVE
B
RIDE

D
EFY
N
OT THE
H
EART
• F
IRES OF
W
INTER

A G
ENTLE
F
EUDING
• G
ENTLE
R
OGUE

G
LORIOUS
A
NGEL
• H
EART OF A
W
ARRIOR

H
EART OF
T
HUNDER
• A H
EART
S
O
W
ILD

H
EARTS
A
FLAME
• T
HE
H
EIR

H
OME FOR THE
H
OLIDAYS
• J
OINING

K
EEPER OF THE
H
EART
• L
OVE
M
E
F
OREVER

L
OVE
O
NLY
O
NCE
• T
HE
M
AGIC OF
Y
OU

M
AN OF
M
Y
D
REAMS
• O
NCE A
P
RINCESS

P
ARADISE
W
ILD
• A P
IRATE’S
L
OVE

T
HE
P
RESENT
• P
RISONER OF
M
Y
D
ESIRE
• T
HE
P
URSUIT

S
AVAGE
T
HUNDER
• S
AY
Y
OU
L
OVE
M
E

S
ECRET
F
IRE
• S
ILVER
A
NGEL

S
O
S
PEAKS THE
H
EART
• S
URRENDER
M
Y
L
OVE

T
ENDER
R
EBEL
• U
NTIL
F
OREVER

W
ARRIOR’S
W
OMAN
• W
HEN
L
OVE
A
WAITS

Y
OU
B
ELONG TO
M
E

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Excerpt from
The Pursuit
copyright © 2002 by Johanna Lindsey
ISBN: 0-380-89693-1
www.avonromance.com

TENDER IS THE STORM
. Copyright © 1986 by Johanna Lindsey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition © APRIL 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-210670-4

40 39 38 37

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