by Merry Farmer
He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately—thinking about the years, thinking about how life moves on and the past becomes the past.”
“Those thoughts are fathoms too deep for a celebration like this,” Skipper told him.
“Maybe,” George chuckled. “But seeing you two overcome so much to find each other again,” he glanced from Rupert to Bonnie, “has made me think about things I’ve been holding onto and whether it’s time to let go.” His eyes settled on Bonnie.
She sent him a frank look. “George, I swear to the God you love so well, if you tell me that you’re still in love with me…”
George laughed. “I’m not sure I ever really was in love with you. Not truly. But I feel like it’s time for me to stop telling myself I could never fall in love with anyone.”
His tone and his grin held just enough of a mystery that Bonnie sat a little straighter. The girls who were close enough to hear the conversation over the argument at the other end of the table looked up at him hopefully as well.
“And?” Bonnie prompted him.
“And I’ve decided to do what you and half the rest of this town has been hinting—not too subtly, I might add—for years.”
“Which is?” Rupert asked.
George took a deep breath. “I’ve written to Mrs. Breashears at Hurst Home. I’ve asked her to pick out a bride for me from the women she’s harboring there. She sent back that she has a young woman named Holly Hannigan that she thinks would suit me.” He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. “I used to know a woman named Holly, so I take that as an omen. She’ll be here in a few weeks.”
Their end of the table went quiet in surprise. Bonnie blinked, shocked at the very idea of George Pickering sending away for a mail-order bride. But behind the initial shock came a wave of joy and a certainty that this was the best idea her old friend could have had.
“That’s fantastic.” She put down her fork and stood from her place to hug him.
George hugged her in return, but even though he smiled, Bonnie could feel tension drawing him taut. She leaned back, holding him at arm’s length.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” she asked.
George shrugged, looking from her to Rupert and Skipper. “No. I’m not. Not at all. But if I don’t at least try to make room in my life for real love, I’ll never know if I’m capable of having it.”
Bonnie smiled, then hugged him again. “That sounds like the best possible way to look at the situation.” She sat down, squeezing Rupert’s hand under the table. Something inside of her told her this would work out for George. That and it was about time he found a woman who would love him for who he was.
“So if all goes well,” George went on, “I should be a married man by Christmas. That is, if you’re willing to let me borrow your pencil, Rupert.”
“Sure thing.” Rupert laughed and slapped George’s arm from his seat.
The exchange made Bonnie smile. Yes, they’d been far luckier than she ever could have imagined. They were together at last, they had friends, and together they would be able to help so many more girls to start new lives than she ever would have been able to help if she’d married Rex. It had taken a long time to get there, but at last, she and Rupert were finally where they belonged.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I just wanted to leave a quick note about my inspiration for this particular story… We all love mail-order bride stories, but I was super curious when I found out that a large number of real mail-order bride stories in the Old West didn’t end happily. Too many women would arrive out West only to discover the man they’d promised to marry wasn’t at all what he represented himself to be. Sometimes couples called off their deal at first sight. Other times they tried things out, only to find they didn’t work. I even read about several cases where women gave it a go with one man, it didn’t work, so neighbors would swap wives until they found ones they were compatible with. Really, if you think about it, traveling hundreds of miles to marry a man you’ve only ever corresponded with a few times could be a harrowing endeavor!
Along with that, even though it’s a part of history that most of us don’t want to think about, prostitution was a huge business on the frontier, especially since men outnumbered women by a long shot. A lot of the unfortunate girls who went out West with dreams of a better life ended up in brothels, through no fault of their own. Hundreds of miles away from their friends and family, in a land that was rough on the best of people, they had no choice but to sell themselves to survive. Most of them would never have been lucky enough to come across a woman like Bonnie.
On the other hand, some women like Bonnie—women like Dora Dufran, Eleanore “Madame Mustache” Dumont, and Pearl deVere, among others—who owned and operated brothels throughout the West amassed fortunes and became some of the most influential and powerful people—men or women—on the frontier. Their establishments were known for being high-class, where the girls were expected to dress well and behave with utmost decorum. Not only that, many of these madams were famous for their contributions to charity and their good works on behalf of the community. They certainly weren’t seen as “polite society” and were treated with contempt and suspicion by the “good folks” in town, but they truly were prototype feminists in many ways.
So Rev. George Pickering is finally on the verge of finding the love he deserves! But love is never easy, especially when a man feels like he has a lot in his past to make up for. But Christmas is the time of miracles, and Holly Hannigan might be just the miracle George needs. Hmm… He used to know a woman named Holly. What an interesting coincidence! Find out more this December in Holly: The Christmas Bride.
If you haven’t checked out the Everland series by Caroline Lee, you totally should! Meet and get to know many of the characters you read about in His Secret Bride—like Meri Carpenter, Zelle and Dmitri, Rojita, Ella Crowne, Skipper King, and Max DeVille—in their own stories. The Everland series starts with Ella.
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.
About the Author
I hope you have enjoyed Bonnie: The Secret Bride. If you’d like to be the first to learn about when new books in the series come out and more, please sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/RQ-KX And remember, Read it, Review it, Share it! For a complete list of works by Merry Farmer with links, please visit http://wp.me/P5ttjb-14F.
Merry Farmer is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Butterfly and Torpedo. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always have something to write about. Her books have topped the Amazon and iBooks charts and have been named finalists in the prestigious RONE and Rom Com Reader’s Crown awards.
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Acknowledgments
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my awesome beta-readers, Caroline Lee, Julie Tague, and Jolene Stewart, for their suggestions and advice. And a big, big thanks to my editors, Cissie Patterson and Carly Cole, for doing an outstanding job, as always, and for leaving hilarious comments throughout the manuscript. Also, a big round of applause for my marketing and promo mistress, Sara Benedict.
And a special thank you to the Pioneer Hearts group! Do you love Western Historical Romance? Wanna come play with us? Become a member at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pioneerhearts/
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.