Book excerpt: Love was never part of his plan...then again, neither was she… Seafaring Scotsman Jack Kent has enjoyed his share of trysts with bored society wives, but pleasure--not love--has always been his aim. Until the day he finds his carriage--and his life--invaded by a disheveled American heiress. Even rumpled and torn, nothing can hide Amelia Belford’s enchanting beauty or her fiery will to be free. And for the first time Jack is faced with a woman who arouses in him something more than desire. Amelia never dreamed her desperate flight from an arranged marriage would find her scrambling out of a church window, landing in a tangle of twigs, and finally darting into the carriage of a stranger. And she never imagined she’d then set sail for his ancestral home--and discover passion in his arms. But Amelia is not the only one with a scandal to her credit. She soon senses pain behind Jack’s caresses--secrets he will not reveal. Just as she breaks through his reserve, a devastating scheme forces them apart. Could the same adventurous spirit that brought them together also be their undoing? Only the truth--and one more impetuous act of courage--will tell.