To Protect a Princess

Gail Barrett

Литагент HarperCollins EUR

Logan Burke was no hero… But Roma princess Dara Adams–the sole survivor of her royal family–needed the legendary guide to help her restore an ancient artifact to her people. Instead she found this enigmatic half-Gypsy with desire smoldering in his eyes and a secret sorrow in his soul. Logan had vowed never again to take a woman across the treacherous mountain terrain.But with a sniper on Dara's trail, the sexy loner had no choice but to sweep her from harm's way. As they went in search of a hidden Inca city, they journeyed deeper into the heart of danger–and discovered a passion that could be their undoing….

Without warning, Logan moved close and grasped her chin. Lightning flickered behind him. His dark eyes seared into hers.

And then he kissed her—a deep, rough kiss that wiped out every thought.

Just as abruptly, he stepped back, grabbed the gelding’s reins and turned into the turbulent night.

The wind whipped against her. Dara shivered, tightened her grip on the rope, determined to forget the kiss, forget the need sizzling in her veins, and concentrate on what mattered most—surviving the night.

They had a sniper close behind them, lightning threatening to strike, a treacherous mountain to cross.

She dragged in an unsteady breath and prepared herself to face the danger ahead.

But as she stepped into the seething night, the feel of Logan’s kiss still lashing her nerves, she feared that the real danger might be the temptation brewing inside herself.

Dear Reader,

There’s something about a long-lost city that really ignites my imagination. Add in towering, mist-clad mountains and ancient trails, and I’m hooked! So what better place to set this second book of THE CRUSADERS miniseries than Peru, a fascinating, profoundly spiritual land filled with pyramids, mummies, mysterious energy lines and sacred ruins.

Better yet, hiding out in the forbidding mountains I found my favorite type of hero—cynical, solitary Logan Burke. An honorable man with a wounded soul, Logan is convinced he isn’t a hero. Fortunately, he’s about to meet a determined princess who will prove him wrong.

I hope you enjoy their dangerous and exciting journey!

Gail Barrett

To Protect a Princess

Gail Barrett

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

GAIL BARRETT

always dreamed of becoming a writer. After living everywhere from Spain to the Bahamas, raising two children and teaching high school Spanish for years, she finally fulfilled that lifelong goal. Her writing has won numerous awards, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart. Gail currently lives in western Maryland with her two sons, a quirky Chinook dog and her own Montana rancher-turned-retired Coast Guard officer hero. Write to her at P.O. Box 65, Funkstown, Maryland 21734-0065, or visit her Web site, www.gailbarrett.com.

To my sister, Mary Jo Archer, for her wonderful support.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I’d like to give a huge thanks to author Adrianne Lee for her brainstorming help; farrier Kevin King for information about mules; Darlene Leivonen for answering my endless questions about horses; and especially Judith Sandbrook, for her super critique help. Thank you all!

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 1

Yanahirca, Peru

Trouble was coming.

The warning shivered down Logan Burke’s neck like the graze of a cobweb, that whisper of danger, danger, he’d learned not to ignore. He knocked back his shot of whiskey, hissed as it scorched a raw, hot path through his gut, then slid his left hand to the Imbel .45 tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

The men lurking in the shadows of the cantina shifted, and the muscles along Lo