Mail Order Bride: The Counterfeit by Kathy L Wheeler is a Kindle Unlimited pick #historicalromance #ku #giveaway
Title: Mail Order Bride: The Counterfeit
Author: Kathy L Wheeler
Genre: Western Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
He needs a
wife, she needs a way out.
Can she spin
a tale to save her own tail?
After a
disastrous first marriage, Will Jeffers hasn’t the stomach for another
emotionally entailed union. All he needs is a wife to cook, nurse his mother,
and look after the homestead. But good women are few and far between in
Colorado mining country. A mail order bride is the perfect solution. Amelia
Johannasen is running for her life.
Her brassy
mother has decided it’s time her daughter joined the family business,
shattering Amy’s dreams of marrying for love. Imagine her surprise when she is
mistaken for Will Jeffers mail order bride. She has a talent for spinning tall
tales but no notion of how to cook, nurse, or keep a house. Can she reach the
heart of a man once burned so badly, he’s sworn off love?
Excerpt:
He delved into the
inside pocket of his duster and pulled out a small photograph, then glanced
back up. “Miss Amaris Jones?”
The bonnet jerked
with her shock. Slowly, she pushed it back. The gas lights bathed her features
in a soft glow that sent his senses reeling and his heart pounding. Wide set
eyes, their hue, a clear blueish-purple, met his. She was striking. He could
never have made out her true beauty from the tarnished picture he held. He was
stunned; tongue-tied. Trapped in that bewitching gaze.
“Amaris?” she
whispered.
The young lady
lowered those striking eyes, breaking the magnetic hold she had on him. She
tugged her bonnet back into place; in the span of a heartbeat, had her face
hidden again. She clasped her gloved hands demurely before her. Will shook his
head, wondering how he would make it to the church without devouring his
mail-ordered bride before marrying her. He was suddenly hungry, and not for
food.
“—that you, Will?
What the devil you doin’ here, man?”
With heroic effort,
Will dragged his gaze from Miss Jones to Ennis Wisentangle.
“You headed to Miss
Bethany’s, Will? She’s innerducin’ a new girl tonight. Simone. Ever’body in
town’ll be there.”
From the corner of
his eye, Will saw the girl’s top hand clench the other, the soft leather
stretched tight over her clenched knuckles. The sight sent a rush of fury
through him. Ennis was dumber than a dishpan. Will tightened his own fists to
keep from ploughing the man in the gullet. “Ennis, I’d appreciate you not
mentioning Miss Bethany in front of my fiancée.” With substantial effort, he
pulled back his temper with a steadying inhale and turned to Amaris. “Please
forgive this dunderhead’s bad manners, ma’am. Guess that’s where he got the
label—” He sliced pointed eyes on Ennis. “‘Slow-bum Ennis.’ He’s known for his
slow wit.” He bit off the rest. Will could hardly tell her Ennis was renowned
for suffering with some sort of sexual dysfunction. At least, that was the
gossip that spread like wildfire through the mines. While Will might cringe at
being the brunt of talk, any sort of talk, anger simmered just beneath
his skin.
“Fiancée, eh?” Ennis’s gaze wandered down
Amaris’s worn cloak.
Didn’t seem possible,
but her fists squeezed tighter.
Will was surprised
smoke didn’t emit from his nostrils like a bull staring down a blood-red cape.
His feet shifted. “That’s enough, Wisentangle. She’s not part of the cattle
call.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry,
ma’am.” Ennis tipped his hat. “Pleased to meet ya.”
Amaris squared her
shoulders and tipped her head. The light showcased a tilted stubborn chin. “Of
course.” The haughty steel beneath her soft words spoke volumes. This girl
wouldn’t take no shit. For some reason that gave Will relief, even made him
proud.
“Night, Ennis.”
“Uh, sure. Sure,
Will. Be seein’ ya.” His booted heels echoed on the wooded planks as he stalked
in the direction of the Gold Rush, spurs jangling.
“I’m happy to see you
made it safe, ma’am. I apologize for being late, but as I mentioned in my
letters, my ma, well, with her sick and all. I figured we oughta to start back
right after the ceremony.”
She froze still as a
statue. “Ceremony?”
“Our nuptials. I’m
afraid I can’t leave Ma alone for long. No tellin’ what kind of—” He chuckled,
but even to his own ears it sounded forced. “We can, uh, talk about that later.
Your nursin’ skills and all.”
Those lovely eyes
blinked up at him. And once again, he found himself drowning in bewitching
sensations.
She heaved in a deep
breath and let it out slow. “We’re to be … m-married? Now?”
He hardened his tone.
“Yes’m.” He had no time for cold feet or feminine hysterics. “It’s what we
agreed on, ma’am.” He bit out the words, tamping down the surge of
irritation…and something he couldn’t define. Panic, that she wouldn’t
follow through? That was an outrageous thought. Of course, she would
follow through. He shook off the misgivings and pressed on, determined to see
his plans fulfilled. “Er, I don’t get to Springs all that often. And there
ain’t no preacher within twenty miles of Cripple Creek.”
Her plump lips turned
down. The sight coiled his insides tighter than a rattler ready to strike.
“Cripple Creek? That’s a long way, right?”
Was she trying to
renege? He steeled his spine. He’d done wasted enough time and money getting
her here. More than anything he wanted, no needed, to secure this marriage.
Something banded his
chest, squeezing out every square inch of air, at the same time, softened him
inside. Desire rippled through him. “I’m working the mines near there,” he said
gently. “The homestead isn’t quite that far out.”
The small breath and
small nod she gave, released his own held breath.
He cleared his
throat. “Yeah, it’s a long way.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and
BookBub):
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7P84ZB/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-counterfeit-by-kathy-l-wheeler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46255895-the-counterfeit
What makes your featured book a
must-read?
“This story of unknown twins with a
mother that ran a brothel is fascinating! She left one behind and took one and
almost married the same man! They ended happy and the twins reunited.” – Amazon
Reviewer
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $40 Amazon
gift card:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750239
Open Internationally.
Runs November 7 –
November 16, 2023.
Winner will be drawn on
November 17, 2023.
Author Biography:
Kathy L Wheeler graduated from the University
of Central Oklahoma with a BA in Management Information Systems and Vocal Music
minor.
Kathy loves the NFL, NBA, musical theater,
reading, writing and karaoke. She is the Ethic’s Director of the Regency
Fiction Writers and a Guide in the Pen to Paper, a fantastic three-year-old
program for aspiring romance authors.
She writes historical and contemporary
romances that are a little dark, a little suspenseful, a little bit humorous,
that are always compelling and will steal your breath.
She lives with her musically talented husband
in the Pacific Northwest. She has one grown daughter (who has two adorable boys),
and a neurotic dog, Angel who lives up to her name… mostly!
Social Media
Links:
https://facebook.com/kathylwheeler
https://bookbub.com/authors/kathy-l-wheeler
https://instagram.com/kathylwheeler
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5804151.Kathy_L_Wheeler
https://tiktok.com/@kathylwheeler
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