Declan had the door opened wide and he held out his arms. “I must carry ye over the threshold to keep ye from the evil that lives underneath.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “In a brand new house?” Shaking her head, she walked closer. “But what will keep you safe?”
Smiling, he scooped her up and used a giant step to enter. He looked into her eyes. “If me da were here, he’d say, Bricks and mortar make a house, but the laughter of children makes a home.”
Heat from his body seeped into hers. She ran her hand along the firm ridge of his shoulder. With a sigh, she nestled her cheek against his chest. His strong body would be there for her to lean on in the years to come. “That’s lovely. And another topic we haven’t discussed.” She ran her fingers into the back of his thick hair, and then pulled down his head so she could again taste his mouth. “Now, put me down so I can see my new house.”
Her boots echoed on the plank flooring. The scent of fresh-cut lumber still lingered. “So, we have furniture.” She glanced at an upholstered settee standing opposite a stone fireplace with heavy wood mantel.
“Some. I built a bureau for holding clothes after I sent the first letter. I can build cupboards and cabinets where you want them for more storage.” He held up his hands, thumb tips touching, and gestured at the walls. “ʼTis a shotgun style so ye go through one room to get to another.”
“Uh, huh.” She walked across the room toward the door that opened into a bedroom. Bed, bureau, wooden pegs on a wall rail. Her breathing hitched in her throat. What she saw was clean, tidy even, but so, so small. How can this possibly work? “The pastor’s last words were indeed prophetic. If we have a dozen friends, this home will be too small.”
Declan rushed past her to open the door. “Here’s the kitchen. Look at the pump at the sink, very convenient. And the stove is good-sized, although I’m not sure how much—”
An unladylike snort couldn’t be contained, and then she burst out laughing. A stitch pinched in her side, and she bent over, but laughter kept rolling from deep in her belly.
“Aurelia, take a breath, a chuisle.”
A broad hand patted her back. Slowing her breathing, she got her laughter under control. Turning, she cupped her hands on his cheeks. “The cabin is cozy, no doubt about that. But, Declan, my husband, my love, my protector, wherever will we put the four trunks of clothing and accessories waiting at my auntie’s house to be shipped?”
Slapping a hand to his chest, he staggered backward three steps until he hit the wall. “Four?”
Gasping, she held out a hand and started forward until she saw his wide grin.
“Mayhaps we’ll be building that store sooner than later.”
“Only if you decide against the farm and occupy half of the shop to sell your woodworking.”
He stepped close, lifted her high, and spun her around. “To be decided another day, wife. Let’s sit on our porch for a while.”
“But the gathering in the park that Lizett planned.” Bracing her hands on her shoulders, she looked into her handsome husband’s eyes, and flutterings erupted in her tummy.
“’Twill be other potlucks. Maybe by the next one, ye’ll have mastered a dish to contribute.” Smiling, Declan set her feet back on the floor. “I’d much rather spend time with ye here. In a while, we’ll bring both our things here and set up our household.”
Hours later, they cuddled together on a borrowed quilt and watched the red, yellow, blue and white flashing bursts of colored light compete with the glorious central Colorado sky. Declan leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Happy wedding day, a chuisle. Welcome home.”
In her heart, she knew he spoke the truth. Aurelia smiled through her burning tears and wondered what could possibly top this spectacle for their first anniversary. A smile teased her mouth. She had an entire year to plan. “Happy marriage to come, Declan, my love.”
~o0o0o~
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Thank you for reading
Perfectly Mismatched!
Each book in the
Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs
series is a Clean, Sweet Western Historical Romance. You may find all the books in this series as they are published by searching for
“Sweet Americana” on Amazon.com
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Sweethearts of Jubilee springs books by
sweet americana sweethearts
authors:
1.Perfectly Mismatched by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Shame over her father’s arrest sends socialite Aurelia Northcliffe running for a new home and a new name. After she makes sure her younger sister is secure, she travels west to become a mail-order bride in Jubilee Springs, CO. Not only is she shocked at the size of the tiny mining town, the men she’s matched with make her second guess her decision. One potential groom is much too unsophisticated and the other much too discerning--even if he’s the one who makes her feel safe.
Mine Manager Declan MacNeill prides himself on following rules to the letter. Initially resistant to the upcoming bride event, he remembers his short marriage in Ireland and realizes what he’s been missing. His first sight of his potential bride sets his protective instincts on high alert. Everything about her behavior indicates she’s keeping secrets. And Declan is determined on finding out why.
2.Ellen’s Lesson by Patricia PacJac Carroll
Ellen Barker is a schoolteacher in Barker, Kansas. She feels as dry and brittle as the summer grass and decides she has to take a chance on life. She writes to a mail order bride agency and is soon on her way to Jubilee Springs, Colorado to marry a miner.
Tyler Fletcher – a happy-go-lucky cowboy turned miner decides he might like to try out married life. Not like the little town of Jubilee Springs had any women to liven up the town. His problem, he can’t read or write. He gets his friend, Nelson, to write a letter and sign up for the mail order brides. Of course he can’t read the letters and Nelson sets him up as a joke with the most boring and homeliest sounding bride.
After he sees her, Tyler wants nothing to do with the plain schoolteacher. Other than to learn how to read and write. Ellen knows she’s plain and fears she’ll be rejected.
The livery owner, always the entrepreneur, takes an interest in the couple and helps Ellen see she is not an ugly woman but one who any man would be proud to call his wife. But will he be caught in his own scheme?
3. Aaron’s Annulment Bride by Zina Abbott
Aaron Brinks, son of the Jubilee Springs mercantile owners, has been living in a small room above his parents’ store even though he is employed at the Prosperity Mine. When the mine owners announce they have contacted a mail order bride agency, and will allot company houses to the first ten miners who choose a bride and pay her way, he decides it is time for a house of his own.
Shy Andrea Draper must escape her father’s ranch. Her father has discouraged all potential suitors because he does not want to lose his unpaid housekeeper, laundress, and the cook for him and his men. Then there is the problem of Lloyd McCreary, her father’s foreman.
Learning her friend intends to go to Jubilee Springs as a mail order bride, going with her seems Andrea’s only option for escape. She agrees to marry Aaron even though she knows she is not worthy to be any man’s wife. While trying to convince him to be married in name only until he gains title to his house, at which time they can annul the marriage, Andrea’s father shows up to drag her ho
me against her will.
Learning what he is up against, Aaron must decide if it is just the house he wants, or if he wants Andrea.
4. The Sheriff and the Miner’s Daughter by P. A. Estelle
Jim Hawkins, sheriff of Jubilee Springs, watches as six ladies get off the train, ready to meet and hopefully marry men from the Prosperity Mine. He watches as one of the women leave the
group and heads his way.
She is there to find somebody. Sheriff Hawkins is more than happy to help her until he finds out the person is Amos Lehman. He is a crusty old miner who has worked his mine before the town was even a town. His cabin is old and hardly enough room for one, let alone a female.
When Jim suggests she get back on the train and go back where she came from, he gets a small taste of the stubbornness in the beautiful young woman standing in front of him. Charlene Lehman had come way too far to do that and didn’t appreciate the sheriff’s interference. Blue eyes scan him from boots to hat before dismissing him and walking away.
The Sheriff’s interest is piqued. Who is this girl? Why is she looking for some old miner? There is more to this story and Jim Hawkins intends to find the answers.
5. Minding Benjie By Sandra E Sinclair
Prudence Fairchild went from riches to rags. The world she knew was swept from under her with the death of her parents. Destined to a life of servitude, she realizes the struggles of being poor comes with the risk of being taken advantage of.
She uses everything in her, to ward off the advances of her employer. His threats to have her on his return from a business trip drives Prudence into action. She must get away and protect her virtue at any cost. It’s all she has left. As a last resort, she answers an advertisement to be a mail order bride.
Austin Alwin is not happy about the condition placed on him in his uncle’s will. If he is to keep the only home he’s ever known, he must find a wife within a few weeks or lose it all. As time is of the essence, he forgoes all the usual protocols in obtaining a mail order bride and will only have a few short days to make up his mind once he meets her.
6. Cat’s Meow by Zina Abbott, releasing June 27, 2017
Catherine “Cat” Everett has lost everything. She finds and adopts an abandoned, half-grown kitten. Unbeknownst to Harold Calloway, the man she has been writing to in Jubilee Springs with the intent of marriage, and enduring the disapproval of the railroads who do not allow pets to travel in the passenger areas, she decides to bring the kitten with her.
When she arrives in Jubilee Springs, Catherine immediately falls in love with tall, lanky miner, Harold. She wants to marry him, but there is one “meowly” little problem.
7. Home to Roost by Reina Torres, coming July 25, 2017
Livingstone Quinn & Brigid Belham
The town hermit/mountain man who raises two score of chickens meets the city girl when she falls head over heel—literally.
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Other books by
sweet americana sweethearts
authors:
Grandma's Wedding Quilt Series on Amazon:
Grandma’s Wedding Quilts –The Prequel by Kate Cambridge
The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation.
One year ago Hannah Quinn scored her dream job, and now the fate of the museum she loves will rise or fall on her next exhibit. But wait... there's a problem. She doesn't have a clue what her next exhibit will be!
When a trunk with two quilts is donated to the museum, Hannah's boss thinks she's wasting her time chasing down the history of the quilts, regardless of their beauty; but Hannah persists. She knows there's something special about these quilts, and a story that demands to be told.
Little does Hannah know, her friend Callum, a researcher and consultant, plays an unexpected a role in her investigation that leads to questions and discoveries that threaten the foundation of all she holds most dear.
Will her desperation to discover the story of the quilts cause her to lose the very thing she loves the most - or will the secrets she uncover lead her to more than she ever dreamed?
Kizzie's Kisses by Zina Abbott
Running from hostile Indians attacking Salina, Kansas in 1862, feisty Kizzie Atwell runs into freighter Leander Jones traveling the Smoky Hill Trail. He is as interested in her as his stallion is in her mare. The two join forces to prevent the Fort Riley Army captain from requisitioning their beloved horses for the cavalry. Will the bargain they make to save their horses lead to a more romantic bargain sealed with a kiss?
Jesse's Bargain by Kay P. Dawson
Thanks to a gunfight, Cora now needs to get to Kansas, and Jesse needs a new trail cook. Left with no other choice, she joins the cattle drive headed north, with a man who isn’t happy to have her along. They have miles of trail ahead of them - and a lot that can go wrong along the way.
Meredith's Mistake by Amelia C. Adams
The summer Meredith turned sixteen was filled with romance and laughter - two young men sought her hand, and she chose the one she thought would make her the happiest. He certainly was the most handsome, and the wealthiest, and could offer her the most pleasant life. But that turned out to be a mistake . . . one she would regret for a very long time.
In a strange twist of fate, now she's being given a chance to set things right. Will she be able to live down her past, or will her foolishness keep coming back to haunt her and keep her from ever being happy with the man she loves?
Monica's Mystery by Kate Cambridge
Monica has to leave home, fast. Her parents are planning to marry her off and although all her friends are marrying, that is definitely not what she wants. She’s seventeen, an amateur sleuth, and sees no reason why she can’t join the ranks of the local lawman, or even become a Texas Ranger, should she choose! What will happen when she visits her best friend in Texas, only to find herself face-to-face with a handsome Texas Ranger, and knee-deep in territory she has no idea how to navigate?
Pleasance's First Love by Kristin Holt
His worst mistake was letting her go.
His second-worst mistake? Bringing her home.
No one will ever know how badly Pleasance Benton’s abandonment threw Jacob Gideon. He landed hard, hard enough he didn’t care to find a replacement. Now that he needs a woman, he figures the safest way is to order one from a catalog.
Pleasance is back to reclaim her rightful place at Jacob’s side. One way or another she’ll remind him theirs is a match made in heaven…once the shock wears off. The teensy-weensy problem? Jacob doesn’t know that she—his first love—is his catalog bride.
Zebulon's Bride by Patricia PacJac Carroll
He’s vowed not to marry until he reaches Montana. Then he meets her, but she has other ideas.
Zebulon Benton dreams of going to Montana, but he’s the only son and his mother doesn’t want him to go and his father needs help with the family store. Unknown to Zeb, his mother sends off for a mail order bride. After all, if Zeb marries and settles down, he won’t want to leave.
Enter Amy Gordon from New York. She appears to be the perfect bride for Zeb. Except she also wants to go to Montana and nothing is going to stop her especially her love for Zeb.
Ione's Dilemma by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Relocating from Des Moines to the Texas frontier brings more challenges than socialite Ione has ever faced. All she wants is to avoid scandal but local carpenter Morgan is intent on courtship.
Josie's Dream by Angela Raines
Could Doctor Josephine (Josie) Forrester and Lawman William Murphy get past their beliefs about life and love and find the future they were meant to have?
Chase's Story by P.A. Estelle
Chase wanted no part of going to college or following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a Doctor. His dream involved cattle and horses and he follows that dream to the Arizona Territory. One cold, rainy day his life takes a turn when he finds himself looking down the muzzle of
a Colt Walker barely being held up by a woman who has been badly beaten along with her three-year old son. Will she be someone Chase could let into his heart or someone who could destroy his life?
Gloria's Song by Kathryn Albright
Gloria always does the proper thing, the expected thing as the daughter of a shipping tycoon. Having, Colin, a local tavern pianist, help her with an audition is crazy. But if music can cross class lines… can it also harmonize two hearts?
Will Gloria agree to marry a man chosen by her parents, or will she find courage to shun tradition and grasp a future, insecure and thrilling, beside the man she loves.
Tad's Treasure by Shanna Hatfield
Tad Palmer makes a promise to his dying friend to watch over the man’s wife and child. Will his heart withstand the vow when he falls in love with the widow and her son?
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Brought to you by Sweet Americana Sweethearts. Visit us for Sweet & clean romances in North America between 1820s & 1920s, including blog posts from all of us.
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Grandma's Wedding Quilts Series Cover Design,
Copyright © Shanna Hatfield, 2016
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Perfectly Mismatched (Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs Book 1) Page 9