Savage Thunder by Johanna Lindsey
He had been a recluse, and he left his home these days only to visit Kimberly and her family at Kregora Castle, though, as was more often the case, she had to do the visiting instead. She never minded. She rather liked the fancy surrounding his home, the gloomy atmosphere, the barren trees, the hovering dark clouds usually present, reminding her of a witch’s castle high up on a cloud-covered mountain, rather than the old fortress-converted-to-manor set on a rocky promontory that it was. And there was nothing gloomy on the inside, with her boisterous brothers in residence.
Nor was there any truth to the legend that her brothers were always trying to kill each other, though some of their fights might make it seem otherwise. They merely fought as brothers will, not with any deadly intent. If anything, they were fanatically loyal—insult one and you’d have the whole pack to deal with.
The harem tale was also silly, though understandable considering the number of sons Ian had sired. Although they all shared the same father, only a few of them shared the same mother, and all of them were bastards. Ian had never married. He’d wanted to, had loved Kimberly’s mother most of his life, but her parents had forced her to wed the earl of Amburough instead, the man Kimberly had thought was her father until he drunkenly confessed that Ian had that distinction.
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.
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Praise
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author!
“IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SENSUALITY, YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED IN
JOHANNA LINDSEY.”
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
ALL I NEED IS YOU • ANGEL
BRAVE THE WILD WIND • CAPTIVE BRIDE
DEFY NOT THE HEART • FIRES OF WINTER
A GENTLE FEUDING • GENTLE ROGUE
GLORIOUS ANGEL • HEART OF A WARRIOR
HEART OF THUNDER • A HEART SO WILD
HEARTS AFLAME • THE HEIR
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS • JOINING
KEEPER OF THE HEART • LOVE ME FOREVER
LOVE ONLY ONCE • THE MAGIC OF YOU
MAN OF MY DREAMS • ONCE A PRINCESS
PARADISE WILD • A PIRATE’S LOVE
THE PRESENT • PRISONER OF MY DESIRE • THE PURSUIT
SAY YOU LOVE ME • SECRET FIRE • SILVER ANGEL
SO SPEAKS THE HEART • SURRENDER MY LOVE
TENDER IS THE STORM • TENDER REBEL
UNTIL FOREVER • WARRIOR’S WOMAN
WHEN LOVE AWAITS • YOU BELONG TO ME
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: 0-380-75300-6
www.avonromance.com
SAVAGE THUNDER. Copyright © 1989 by Johanna Lindsey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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: 978-0-06-210664-3
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Johanna Lindsey, Savage Thunder