by E. E. Burke
Jolie’s eyes filled with tears. Sweet man. If anyone’s love was pure, it was Hank’s.
As other kind smiles appeared, her nerves stopped jangling, and a profound sense of peace came over her. They could all share a good laugh after the wedding. Then she would have them sign in blood not to reveal her given name outside of this room.
“Make it legal, preacher.” Then she said to Hank. “Promise you’ll call me Jolie.”
He touched her face, lovingly. “To me, you’ll always be Jolie. Très Jolie.”
The End
Author’s Note
The Brides of Noelle came about as a result of the wonderful reader response to our Twelve Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides series, and will feature stories set in the same fictional town of Noelle, Colorado. We'll be following many of the characters you met in the Christmas stories, along with some new arrivals.
Brides of Noelle will feature brides for every season, starting with Valentine's Day. My book and Kit Morgan's latest, Ophelia, A Valentine's Day Bride, kick off the new series.
If you’re wondering whether Bear is actually a “seeing-eye dog”... Well, not exactly. After World War I, a doctor in Germany noticed the protective behavior of his dog around patients and set up some experiments, but the first recorded training of seeing-eye dogs occurred in England. That's not to say there weren't blind people who discovered how smart dogs were long before that. Hank, being a very smart man, connects with Bear, a very smart dog, and the two learn from each other. Yes, I'm taking liberties by having Hank "train" Bear, but I don't think it's so far off to be unbelievable.
When I first conceived this story, I was a little concerned about featuring a prostitute as the heroine because I wasn't sure readers would be able to relate to her. Although this is technically a Sweet Romance, I didn't sanitize Jolie. I did try very hard to humanize her and explore emotions that any woman could understand and appreciate. I thought her story would be fascinating to research and write. Finding her perfect hero, now that was a challenge!
I hope you’ll enjoy reading more about Noelle and meeting the new brides who show up in this growing mining community! Do drop me a line to let me know what other holidays or characters you’d like to read stories about. You can reach me at [email protected].
All the best,
E.E. Burke
Books By E.E. Burke
Twelve Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides
(Historical Romance)
The Drum
The Bride Train Series
(Historical Romance)
Valentine’s Rose
Patrick’s Charm
Tempting Prudence
Seducing Susannah
American Mail-Order Brides
(Historical Romance)
Victoria Bride of Kansas
Santa’s Mail-Order Bride
Also in audiobook
Victoria, Bride of Kansas
Santa’s Mail Order Bride
Steam! Romance and Rails Series
(Historical Romance)
Her Bodyguard
Kate’s Outlaw
A Dangerous Passion
Fugitive Hearts
Texas Hardts
(Contemporary Romance)
Maybe Baby
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About the Author
E.E. Burke is a bestselling author of emotionally powerful historical and contemporary romances that combine her unique blend of wit and warmth. Her books have been nominated for numerous national and regional awards, including Booksellers' Best, National Readers' Choice and Kindle Best Book. She was also a finalist in the RWA's prestigious Golden Heart® contest. Over the years, she’s been a disc jockey, a journalist and an advertising executive, before finally getting around to living the dream—writing stories readers can get lost in.
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