Rose Red: an Everland Ever After Tale

by Caroline Lee

  Max DeVille was gregarious and charming and had a laugh that stood out in a crowd, which is what caught her attention just then. But it was his companions that held it. Skipper King and his partner Rupert Cole had obviously just told the joke that made Max laugh, and the fourth man smile. That fourth man, however, wasn’t looking at either of his friends. He was looking right at Briar, and her throat went dry when she realized it. Dry enough to need another hasty sip of lemonade.

  Gordon MacKinnon wasn’t the most handsome man in Everland. He wasn’t the funniest, or the friendliest. And he definitely wasn’t the richest. But he was… Another sip of lemonade. He was Gordon. He was special, somehow. And he was staring at her, like she was something special, too.

  Oh, heavens! She lifted the cup to her lips again, hoping it would hide the sudden flush her grandmother said made her look like a raspberry.

  “Briar, honey, you’re sucking on air.”

  Snow’s faintly amused tone dragged Briar’s eyes away from Gordon’s, to glance down at her glass. Empty.

  But then, Gordon MacKinnon’s stares often did that to her; made her act the fool, made her forgetful and confused when she normally was level-headed. She scowled at her glass, knowing she shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since he’d arrived in Everland with Vincenzo Bellini last spring, he’d been able to turn her into a ninny just by looking at her.

  “Briar? Is everything alright?” Zosia’s question was quiet and sweet, just like she was. The Jewish girl had thick curly hair, and a liking for Briar’s caramel cookies that made her almost as plump as Briar herself was. Starting last spring, Briar had visited Spratt’s Eatery—Everland’s only dining establishment, which belonged to Zosia’s parents—once a week to bake all manner of delicious cakes and cookies for them to sell as desserts. When word got back to Ma and Pa—and of course it did, with the whole town suddenly eating at Spratt’s on Thursdays—they were irritated, but couldn’t deny that the extra income was nice.

  It was there, in Zosia’s parents’ kitchen, that she’d met Gordon for the first time.

  “Briar?”

  Heavens, she really was wool-gathering, wasn’t she? She forced another smile, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt. “I’m fine, thank you. Just thirsty.” She sought about for a change in topic, something to distract them. “I’m really going to miss Zelle, you know? I’m happy for her, and I know that they’re coming back home after they get everything arranged and sold in Russia, but…”

  Snow glanced at Zosia, and smiled sort of sadly. “But she’s your best friend. We understand.”

  Zosia nodded. “Sometimes, when things are rough at home, your best friend is the only one who understands you.”

  These two ought to know. Snow’s dark skin marked her as an outsider as surely as Zosia’s religion did for her, even though they did their best to fit in. Zosia attended St. Alice’s regularly with the rest of the congregation, but it didn’t matter. And while Snow volunteered for all the events the Ladies’ Club put on, her beauty didn’t make her acceptable to the townfolk, and she knew it. But as Zosia said, best friends understood and accepted you.

  And now Briar’s best friend was leaving her for the winter…and she’d never even told Zelle about Gordon and his looks and how sometimes he smiled at her and made her feel like—

  “Excuse me. I think I’ll go get a tart.” It was probably rude to leave Snow and Zosia so abruptly, but Briar didn’t think she could carry on with the polite conversation any longer. Not with Gordon over there looking at her, and her throat so dry.

  So she forced a weak smile and hurried toward the refreshment table she’d helped set up only a few hours before, to refill the lemonade and shove one of her own apple tarts into her mouth. Maybe that would distract her.

  Distract her from the feel of Gordon MacKinnon’s eyes on the back of her neck? She snorted softly to herself as she poured another glass. Not likely.

  Find out the history Briar and Gordon share in Briar Rose: an Everland Ever After Tale!

  ACKNLOWEDGEMENTS

  First of all, thank you to all of my fans; readers who enjoy sweet historical western romance crossed with fairy tales! I couldn’t do what I love without your support. I owe a grand debt to my critique partners JA Coffey and Merry Farmer, and my “I wanna be you when I grow up” mentor, Kirsten Osbourne. Thanks are also owed to my Cohort. If you’re on Facebook, and you adore the Everland tales enough to want to help brainstorm the next one and promote the current one, drop me a line about joining Caroline’s Cohort. The more, the merrier!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Caroline Lee is what George R.R. Martin once described as a "gardener author"; she delights in “planting” lovable characters in interesting situations, and allowing them to “grow” their own stories. Often they draw the story along to completely unexpected--and wonderful!--places. She considers a story a success if she can re-read it and sigh dreamily... and she wishes the same for you.

  A love of historical romance prompted Caroline to pursue her degrees in social history; her Master's Degree is in Comparative World History, which is the study of themes across history (for instance, 'domestication of animals throughout the world,' or 'childhood through history'). Her theme? You guessed it: Marriage throughout world history. Her favorite focus was periods of history that brought two disparate peoples together to marry, like marriage in the Levant during the Kingdom of Jerusalem, or marriage between convicts in colonial New South Wales. She hopes that she's able to bring this love of history-- and this history of love-- to her novels.

  Each one of the books in her Sweet Cheyenne Quartet has reached the Best-Sellers list on Amazon, and all are available in e-book and paperback formats.

  Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After with her husband and sons in North Carolina.

  You can find her at www.CarolineLeeRomance.com.