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    The Irish Trilogy by Nora Roberts


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      The Irish Trilogy

      Irish Thoroughbred

      Irish Rose

      Irish Rebel

      Nora Roberts

      Nora Roberts

      Hot Ice

      Sacred Sins

      Brazen Virtue

      Sweet Revenge

      Public Secrets

      Genuine Lies

      Carnal Innocence

      Divine Evil

      Honest Illusions

      Private Scandals

      Hidden Riches

      True Betrayals

      Montana Sky

      Sanctuary

      Homeport

      The Reef

      River’s End

      Carolina Moon

      The Villa

      Midnight Bayou

      Three Fates

      Birthright

      Northern Lights

      Blue Smoke

      Angels Fall

      High Noon

      Tribute

      Black Hills

      The Search

      Chasing Fire

      The Witness

      Series

      Irish Born Trilogy

      Born in Fire

      Born in Ice

      Born in Shame

      Dream Trilogy

      Daring to Dream

      Holding the Dream

      Finding the Dream

      Chesapeake Bay Saga

      Sea Swept

      Rising Tides

      Inner Harbor

      Chesapeake Blue

      Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy

      Jewels of the Sun

      Tears of the Moon

      Heart of the Sea

      Three Sisters Island Trilogy

      Dance Upon the Air

      Heaven and Earth

      Face the Fire

      Key Trilogy

      Key of Light

      Key of Knowledge

      Key of Valor

      In the Garden Trilogy

      Blue Dahlia

      Black Rose

      Red Lily

      Circle Trilogy

      Morrigan’s Cross

      Dance of the Gods

      Valley of Silence

      Sign of Seven Trilogy

      Blood Brothers

      The Hollow

      The Pagan Stone

      Bride Quartet

      Vision in White

      Bed of Roses

      Savor the Moment

      Happy Ever After

      The Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy

      The Next Always

      The Last Boyfriend

      eBooks

      The O’Hurleys

      The Last Honest Woman

      Dance to the Piper

      Skin Deep

      Without a Trace

      The Donovan Legacy

      Captivated

      Entranced

      Charmed

      Enchanted

      Cordina’s Royal Family

      Affaire Royale

      Command Performance

      The Playboy Prince

      Cordina’s Crown Jewel

      The MacGregors

      Playing the Odds

      Tempting Fate

      All the Possibilities

      One Man’s Art

      For Now, Forever

      The MacGregor Brides

      The Winning Hand

      The MacGregor Grooms

      The Perfect Neighbor

      Rebellion & In from the Cold

      Night Tales

      Night Shift

      Night Shadow

      Nightshade

      Night Smoke

      Night Shield

      The Calhouns

      Courting Catherine

      A Man for Amanda

      For the Love of Lilah

      Suzanna’s Surrender

      Megan’s Mate

      Irish Legacy Trilogy

      Irish Thoroughbred

      Irish Rose

      Irish Rebel

      Best Laid Plans

      Loving Jack

      Lawless

      Summer Love

      Boundary Lines

      Dual Image

      Nora Roberts & J. D. Robb

      Remember When

      J. D. Robb

      Naked in Death

      Glory in Death

      Immortal in Death

      Rapture in Death

      Ceremony in Death

      Vengeance in Death

      Holiday in Death

      Conspiracy in Death

      Loyalty in Death

      Witness in Death

      Judgment in Death

      Betrayal in Death

      Seduction in Death

      Reunion in Death

      Purity in Death

      Portrait in Death

      Imitation in Death

      Divided in Death

      Visions in Death

      Survivor in Death

      Origin in Death

      Memory in Death

      Born in Death

      Innocent in Death

      Creation in Death

      Strangers in Death

      Salvation in Death

      Promises in Death

      Kindred in Death

      Fantasy in Death

      Indulgence in Death

      Treachery in Death

      New York to Dallas

      Celebrity in Death

      Anthologies

      From the Heart

      A Little Magic

      A Little Fate

      Moon Shadows

      (with Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Marianne Willman)

      The Once Upon Series

      (with Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Marianne Willman)

      Once Upon a Castle

      Once Upon a Rose

      Once Upon a Star

      Once Upon a Kiss

      Once Upon a Dream

      Once Upon a Midnight

      Silent Night

      (with Susan Plunkett, Dee Holmes, and Claire Cross)

      Out of This World

      (with Laurell K. Hamilton, Susan Krinard, and Maggie Shayne)

      Bump in the Night

      (with Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas)

      Dead of Night

      (with Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas)

      Three in Death

      Suite 606

      (with Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas)

      In Death

      The Lost

      (with Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney, and Ruth Ryan Langan)

      The Other Side

      (with Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas)

      The Unquiet

      (with Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas)

      Also available . . .

      The Official Nora Roberts Companion

      (edited by Denise Little and Laura Hayden)

      THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

      Published by the Penguin Group

      Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

      375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

      Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton A
    venue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

      Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

      Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

      Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

      Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

      Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

      Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

      Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have control over and does not have any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

      IRISH THOROUGHBRED

      An InterMix Book / published by arrangement with the author

      PUBLISHING HISTORY

      Harlequin Books edition / January 1992

      InterMix eBook edition / July 2012

      Copyright © 1981 by Nora Roberts.

      Excerpt from Irish Rose copyright © 1988 by Nora Roberts.

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

      For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

      a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

      375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

      ISBN: 978-1-101-58918-2

      INTERMIX

      InterMix Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

      a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

      375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

      INTERMIX and the “IM” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

      Contents

      Also by Nora Roberts

      Title Page

      Copyright

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter One

      Adelia Cunnane stared out the window without seeing the magic layer of clouds. Some formed into mountains, others glaciers, flattening and thinning into an ice-encrusted lake; but, for one experiencing her first air journey, she found the view uninspiring. Her mind was crowded with doubts and uncertainties that merged with a strong pang of homesickness for a small farm in Ireland. But both farm and Ireland were now very far away, and every minute that crawled by brought her closer to America and strangers. She knew, with a sigh of frustration, that nothing in her life had ever prepared her properly to cope with either.

      Her parents had been killed in a lorry accident, leaving her an orphan at the tender age of ten. In the weeks that followed her parents’ deaths, Adelia had drifted though a fog of shock, turning inward to ward off the agony of separation, the strange and terrifying feeling of desertion. Slowly, a wall had been constructed around the pain, and she had thrown herself into the work of the farm with an adult’s dedication.

      Her father’s sister, Lettie Cunnane, had taken over both child and farm, running both with a firm hand. Although never unkind, neither had she been affectionate: she had possessed little patience or understanding for the unpredictable, often tempestuous child.

      The farm had been the only common ground between them, and woman and child had built their relationship with the dark, fertile soil and the hours of labor it required. They had lived and worked together for nearly thirteen years; then Lettie had suffered a paralyzing stroke, and Adelia had been forced to divide her time between the duties of the farm and caring for an invalid’s needs. Days and nights had merged together as she waged the determined battle to shoulder the increasing responsibility.

      Her enemies had been the lack of time and the lack of money. When, after six long months, she was again left alone, Adelia was near the point of exhausted desperation. Her aunt was gone, and though she had worked unceasingly, the farm had had to be sold for taxes.

      She had written to her only remaining relative, her father’s elder brother, Padrick, who had emigrated to America twenty years previously, informing him of his sister’s death. His answer had been immediate, the letter warm and loving, asking her to join him. The last sentence of the missive was a simple, gentle command: “Come to America; your home is with me now.”

      So she had packed her few belongings, sold or given away what could not be taken with her, and said goodbye to Skibbereen and the only home she had ever known. . . .

      A sudden movement of the plane jolted Adelia back from memory. She sat back against the cushions of her seat, fingering the small gold cross she always wore around her neck. There was nothing left for her in Ireland, she told herself, fighting against the flutters of her stomach. Everything she had loved there was dead, and Padrick Cunnane was the only family she had left, the only link with what she had once had. She pushed back a surge of sudden, unaccustomed fear. America, Ireland—what difference did it make? Her shoulders moved restlessly. She would manage. Hadn’t she always managed? She was determined not to be a burden to her uncle, the vague, shadowy man she knew only from letters, whom she had last seen when barely three. There would be work for her, she reasoned, perhaps on the horse farm her uncle had written of so often over the years. Her ability to work with animals was innate, and she had absorbed a varied knowledge of medicine through her experiences, her skill being such that she had often been called on to aid in a difficult calving or stitch up a rent hide. She was strong, despite her diminutive stature—and, she reminded herself with an unconscious squaring of shoulders, she was a Cunnane.

      Surely, she told herself with more confidence, there would be a place for her at Royal Meadows, where her uncle worked as trainer for the Thoroughbred racing stock. There’d be no fields needing plowing, no cows needing milking, but she’d earn her bread and butter if she had to work as a scullery maid. She wondered suddenly, with a small frown, if they had scullery maids in America.

      The plane touched down, and Adelia disembarked and entered the Dulles terminal in Virginia, where she found herself gaping in confusion, fascinated by the scene, confused by the babble of foreign tongues, the odd mixture of people. Her eyes lingered over an East Indian family in full native dress. She turned to observe two teenagers in faded denims strolling by hand in hand, followed by a scurrying middle-aged businessman clutching a leather briefcase.

      Later, standing in the lobby, she looked around hoping to see a familiar face. Everyone rushing and hurrying, she thought. A body could be trampled and never seen again. . . .

      “Dee, little Dee!” A man hurried toward her, a stockily built, compact man with a full thatch of curling gray hair, and she caught a glimpse of eyes as bright and blue as her father’s before she was enveloped in a warm, crushing hug. The thought occurred to her that it had been a lifetime since anyone had held her so close.

      “Little Dee, I would have known you anywhere.” He pulled back and studied her face, eyes misty, smile tender. “It’s like looking into Kate’s face again—it’s the image of your mother, you are.”

    &nbs
    p; He continued to stare at her while she searched for her voice, his gaze taking in the deep, rich auburn hair falling in gleaming waves to her shoulders; the large, deep green of thickly lashed eyes; the tip-tilted nose and full mouth, which Aunt Lettie had described as impudent; the face now of a startled pixie.

      “What a beautiful sight you are,” he said at last on a sigh of pure pleasure.

      “Uncle Padrick?” she asked, finding a multitude of questions and emotions racing through her.

      “And who else would you be thinking I might be?” He looked down at her with those well-remembered eyes, filled with love and laughter, and doubts, fears, and questions vanished in a wave of joy.

      “Uncle Paddy,” she whispered as she flung her arms around his neck.

      As they drove along the highway from the airport, Adelia stared about her in fresh amazement. Never had she seen so many cars, and all flying by at an outrageous speed. Everything moved so fast, and the noise, she marveled silently; the noise was enough to wake the dead. Shaking her head, she began to bombard her uncle with questions.

      How far was it they were going? Did everyone drive so fast in America? How many horses were at Royal Meadows? When could she see them? Questions buzzed in her mind and through her lips, and Paddy answered them tolerantly, finding the soft lilt of her voice as sweet as a summer breeze.

      “Where is it I’ll be working?”

      He removed his eyes from the road a moment and glanced at her. “There’s no need for you to be working, Dee.”

      “Oh, but Uncle Paddy, I must,” she disagreed, turning to face him. “I could work with the horses; I’ve a way with animals.”

      Thick gray brows drew together in a doubtful frown. “I didn’t bring you all this way to be putting you to work.” Before she could protest, he went on. “And I don’t know what Travis would be thinking about me hiring my own niece.”

      “Oh, but I’d do anything.” She brushed back masses of chestnut hair. “Groom the horses, muck out the stalls, cart hay—it doesn’t matter.” Unknowingly, she used her eyes in an outrageous manner. “Please, Uncle Paddy, it’s crazy I’d be in a week, not having some sort of work to do.”

      Her eyes won the small battle, and Paddy squeezed her hand. “We’ll see.”

      So engrossed had she been in their conversation and the fascinating stream of traffic that she had lost all track of time. When Paddy pulled into a drive and halted the car, Adelia gazed about her with new wonder.

     

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