Blessed With An Eternal Romance (Preview)

Chapter One

Amanda Cosgrove stepped out of the stagecoach in the little town in Colorado. It was eighteen ninety, wintertime in Citron Town, and spring had not shown any signs of arriving. She looked up and down the main street as the guard handed down her three large carpet bags. She smiled and said thanks as she looked around uncertainly. Then she saw the tall, blond man who also looked uncertain and held up the letter in her hand.

“Miss Cosgrove?” he asked as he stepped forward, and she held out a hand to shake. 

“Mr Liebert?” she asked as they shook hands.

“Let me carry these bags and go inside out of the cold.” She showed him the bags and went to take one herself, but he tucked one under his arm and lifted the other two. She smiled and followed where he led. He headed for the grocery store a little way down the main street, and she hurried to keep up with him. He saw that and slowed down.

“Sorry, you will be shaken and hurting from the ride in the stage. They are most uncomfortable and dusty.”

They walked together without saying anything until he reached the store and asked her to open the door.

“Come straight through to the part where I live,” he told her. The young woman behind the counter smiled at her as they went through into the rear. He dropped the bags and turned to her, opening and closing his mouth several times.

“I’m not good at finding the right things to say,” he said, and she felt then that she liked this obviously embarrassed man. 

“I’m not used to traveling and meeting people. I guess we’ll have to get to know each other.” She paused. “I enjoyed your letters very much.” She saw he was starting to relax and was glad about that. He covered his awkwardness by stoking the fire and offering to take her coat.

She watched as he hung her lovely green velvet coat on a peg. The man had longish, blond hair that he had tied back out of the way and wore the usual garb of western men of plaid shirt, vest over the top of it, and because it was winter, he also had a warm fleece-lined jacket. He was a big strong man, and he turned to see her looking him over. He actually blushed slightly, and Amanda’s heart warmed to him. She felt that maybe the decision to come and marry someone after communicating with them by letter had been right.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, and she realized she was starving. It had been a long haul on the stage. She told him she was, and he pulled out a chair for her to sit at the scrubbed kitchen table. Then he ladled out stew from the pot on the range and brought some bread along with it.

“Are you having some as well?” she asked, and he brought some for himself and sat opposite. She was eating enthusiastically, and he saw a pretty girl with dark curly hair and, when she looked up at him, big brown eyes. She felt his gaze and smiled at him. Amanda was a girl without much experience in men, but she knew when somebody was unsure.

“I’m sure we’ll both need to get to know each other. What is this place like to live in? It will be a lot different to New York, I think.”

“I think New York must be very busy, but I’ll be glad to hear about the stores there. You might be able to suggest things that you can buy there but not here.”

“I would like to feel useful and help you whenever I can. One of the reasons I came out here was to find a place where I could feel I was doing something helpful. My dad being a minister is quite restrictive.”

Justin stopped eating and asked if she would go to the church in the town. She nodded and said she would do that. 

He cleared his throat. “I think we should ask about a wedding at the church. Do you agree, or do you need time to decide what to do?”

“I would like to make it official,” she told him and saw that he breathed a sigh of relief. “Is there a lodging house I can use until the actual marriage takes place?” 

“I spoke to Lilian Matthews, and she is holding a room for you. She is a very nice woman.” Then he added that she was a good customer at the store. “I do work long hours, I am afraid.”

“Do you have help in the store?” Amanda queried, and as he was on safe ground talking about his work, he told her about his friend and helper, Lonnie Evans. “He is also a delivery mailman and has to ride out to the outlying places. He’ll be back later, but that is his wife in the shop. Come and meet her.”

She took the plates to the kitchen, and he watched her, appreciating that she was already trying to help.

“I’ll show you the house first if you would like that. It is where you will live after the … err …”

“Wedding,” she finished for him and made him smile. That smile changed his face from being worried and unsure to being good-looking and likable.

“This is the kitchen, as you can see. There is another smaller room where we store vegetables and other things. He opened the door to show her the garden.

“I like a garden,” she said and then hesitated but told him that she drew and painted plants. “It is something I like to do, and I hope you won’t mind that.”

“Feel free to use the garden as you wish,” he said. “Lonnie puts the vegetables in for me. I try not to kill them off.” She laughed at the little joke and went down the steps to see the cabbages and hardy veg surviving the cold weather. He followed and looked at her face light up when she asked if she could grow flowers.

“Would there be some to sell in the store?” he asked.

“I never sold flowers before, but we could find seed and see if there were enough to sell.” She looked around and said there was so much space.

“Everything is pushed up together in New York, and there is no real distance.” She pointed out beyond the garden. “It goes on forever.”

They went back inside, and he led the way upstairs. There were three bedrooms and a bathroom with water pumped directly into it. She was glad about that and said he seemed well organized, and the bedrooms were nice and large.

“I expect you would want to make them more … more …” he was stuck for words again.

“Pretty,” she added and smiled at him. It was dawning on her that this man would need to be helped along. His letters had not sounded that way. They were entertaining and well-written. 

“Maria, in the store, does the cleaning for me.”

“The place is clean and tidy. I did wonder about a man on his own,” she confessed. He nodded and said that he could afford to pay Maria, and if she didn’t mind, he would go on doing that.

“I will do the cooking for you and help around the house as well,” she offered and smiled. “I do like cooking.” They went back down the stairs and into the store. Maria served the lady there, and the woman spoke to Justin.

“I wondered where you were, Justin. It is not often that you are not in here.”

“Mrs. Pickering, meet my fiancée, Amanda Cosgrove. That is why I’m taking a little time away from work.”

Amanda felt her heartbeat quickening as he said she was his fiancée. It had all been just arrangements up until then, but with that sentence, it all became a reality.

“Oh, my goodness,” the woman cried and held out a hand to Amanda. “Congratulations. When is the wedding?”

“We’re off to visit the minister later,” he told her and picked up a small container of pickles. “Take this as a gift. You are the first person we told and one of my best customers.” The woman almost danced out the door, and Amanda laughed. 

“Your customers seem to be happy,” she said.

“That is because he is a good storekeeper who knows when to give a little extra to encourage customers to come back.” Maria had not spoken until then.

“This is Amanda, Maria. Amanda, this is Maria. She and her husband both work here, and I would be lost without them.”

“Howdy, Maria,” Amanda said and held out a hand. “I hope I can help around here as well once I am settled in. When is your baby due?”

“Another month,” Maria told her.

“That will be a relief when it is all over,” Amanda replied. “Maybe I can help enough to make sure you get some rest.”

Another customer came in, and Justin greeted her with what sounded like genuine friendship and welcome. Amanda watched the man take the woman to the stock she wanted.

“He is wonderful with customers,” Maria said with a smile. “The man is a genius with his business.” The language was a bit hesitant, but Amanda understood what was said.

“But a little bit shy otherwise?” Amanda queried quietly. The shop assistant nodded and agreed. Justin came back and left the customer to browse the shelves.

“We had better take your bags to the lodging house,” he said. “Maybe we should call at the church on the way.” Amanda went for her coat.

“That is a lovely coat,” Maria remarked and laughed. “Not that I could wear one at the moment.” 

Justin produced a hand cart and piled her bags onto it. They set off down the street, and he spoke to almost everyone. The town was slightly bigger than Amanda had first thought. There were several stores, a hotel, a diner, two saloons, and behind the stores, noisier things like a blacksmith’s shop, a livery stable, and some other businesses.

They turned off the main street away from the blacksmith and livery and found a set of quiet houses set in railed gardens and looking well cared for.

“We’ll say hello, leave your bags and then visit the church,” Justin said. “Is that fine with you?” She said it was and followed him up the path. He knocked on the door, and it opened to show a tall. slender woman in her forties with greying hair and a pinafore wrapped around her whole body. Introductions were made and the couple left the bags and set off for the church. He offered her an arm, and they turned into the entrance to a small but pretty church where someone was trying to start a garden around it, but the winter had probably stopped the work.

The minister’s house stood next to the church, both buildings made of wood and painted white. On the opposite side to the minister’s house were two other bungalows.

Reverend Macbeth was a severe-looking man, wearing a black suit and sporting a gold chain across the vest. He looked very smart and quite impressive as he welcomed them inside. When he found out that her father was also a minister, he wanted to know how the churches were doing in New York.

Chapter Two

“I would appreciate talking to you about how things run in the big city,” he told her. He looked at them both and asked how he could help, although he had a fairly good idea what it was. Justin glanced at Amanda and then back at the minister.

“Amanda and I have corresponded for some time, and she has agreed to become my wife.” Amanda saw the man struggling again with the explanation and joined in.

“We would like to find a date for the wedding, and,” she glanced at Justin, “maybe quite soon.” She saw Justin nod and breathe easier.

The minister produced a diary and suggested a date in two weeks’ time. The couple looked at each other, and both nodded. It was written into the book, and they talked about the sort of wedding they planned.

“We’ve not really had time to plan properly yet, but I would like to keep it quite simple,” Amanda said.

“Come back to me when you have details,” Reverend Macbeth told them, “and congratulations.”

They took their leave, and Justin asked if she would like to go to the lodging house and rest.

“Can I come back with you first, please? I’d like to get a feel of the place. If that is alright with you, of course,” she asked. He offered her an arm, and they walked back up the main street. Amanda was starting to see that he was a gentleman, and she liked that. It had been a huge and frightening step to take. She had left her family and friends and come to a strange place to marry a man she had never met. It seemed he was a decent man, and that was a big relief. Lots of people spoke to him, and she was introduced to all of them but knew she would not remember their names. As the main store owner, he knew everyone around.

Back in the store, Maria served another lady, and a man was loading some things onto shelves. He stood up to speak to Justin.

“Lonnie, meet Amanda. We have been to see the minister. We have a date for two weeks’ time.”

“That’s great. Howdy, Amanda. Welcome to the world that revolves around the best store in town.” He shook her hand, and she saw he was a big strong man, but his grip was gentle. He was not really a handsome man, but he had a kindness about him that she liked. The voice had a lilt of Mexico, and he had black hair and dark eyes.

“Your baby is due soon. That will be lovely. I will try and help out wherever I can.”

The bell over the door jingled, and Justin moved away to deal with two customers who came in together. They watched him forget everything else and talk animatedly to the two older ladies who listened to his every word. Lonnie held out his hands.

“That is the man you have come to marry,” he told her quietly. “The store and the customers are his entire world.”

“There are worse things to be consumed by,” Amanda said and started to put the rest of Lonnie’s bags onto the shelves. 

“You don’t need to do that,” Lonnie told her, but she said she would rather be busy. He left her to that and went off to carry in the next box of goods needed to stock the shelves. She looked around and saw that Justin was putting things onto the counter as the ladies asked him for supplies. He was entirely obsessed by what he was doing. She finished the loading and wandered around the store to see what was actually in there and how the place was organized.

I am going to live here, so I might as well see what it is like.

The place was more complicated than it seemed at first sight. Having strolled around shelving that obstructed the vision because of the stock, she found there were actually three aisles of shelving, and at the back of these were large items like buckets, brooms, and copper tubs for washing clothes. Then there was a door in the wooden wall. She could not resist the temptation and pressed the latch to see what was inside.

The extra room was full of yet more stock, and some of it was pieces of furniture.

“Why am I surprised?” she asked herself in a whisper. She closed the door and went back to helping Lonnie. Justin went from serving the two ladies to putting their purchases into the carriage, and then a man came in and started to talk about some things he needed for his garden.

“I have a riddle over here as well as forks and spades,” Justin said as he led the man to where Amanda was loading some shelves. His face registered surprise, and she knew he had forgotten she was there.

“Spades are over there,” she said as if she had been working there for years. “I stood them all up.” Justin recovered from the shock of forgetting about her and took the man to where she was pointing.

She and Lonnie finished the section they were filling and found that Maria was in the kitchen making dinner for Justin and Amanda.

“Lonnie and I will go home and let you eat in peace when the store closes,” she said. “I have put pie and vegetables in the oven. They will just be to take out and serve.”

“Thank you so much. I like cooking and will be happy to do that. Justin says he will keep paying you to do the housework, but I can also help out there.” She saw the woman was relieved to hear she would still be paid.

“I’ll have to take some time off when I have this baby,” she said, “but I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

“Who will look after the baby?” Maria looked worried and said she had been meaning to ask if the baby could come to work with her.

“But I haven’t asked him yet.”

“If I get the chance, I will mention it.”

The men came in, and Lonnie handed his wife a big warm coat and a blanket to wrap around herself as well. The couple left to go home, but Justin did not lock up the store.

“I stay open quite late in case folk have forgotten something,” he explained. “I can hear the bell from the kitchen.” The pair went into the house area, and she checked the oven. 

“I think it is nearly ready if you would like to eat.” He showed her where the cutlery was kept and took out what they needed. She put food on plates and brought it to the table.

“I didn’t expect you to start working as soon as you arrived,” he said as he sat at the table.

“I do like to be busy,” she said. “One of the reasons I came was to find a place that needed me to help. Sitting with a little bit of embroidery is not my idea of heaven. I know it is for some people, but I like to help. I did charity work for Dad and the church, but that is not enough either.”

“Maybe life in a small town will be too slow for you,” he said. She shook her head and finished what she was eating.

“Everyone knows everyone, and they all speak to you. The cities are so,” she searched for the right word, and he helped her out as she had done for him.

“Impersonal,” he suggested.

“Yes. Impersonal and quite lonely, even though there are lots of folk around. Your customers seem to like to chat.” He sat back in his chair, and she saw she had struck the right note. Justin’s favorite subject was his business and his customers. He gave her a lecture on what made people return to the shop over and over again.

“Beat the competition?” she asked, and he gave her that smile that changed his face.

The doorbell rattled, and Justin started to stand when a knock came on the door, and a man’s face looked inside.

“Benjamin. Come and meet Amanda.”

“Hello, Amanda,” Benjamin said and held out a hand. “Where has my brother discovered such a beautiful woman?” He held onto the hand just a second longer than she would have liked, and she pulled her hand away. The man was the same height as his brother, with slightly darker blond hair. He was smartly dressed for a small town and remarkably good-looking. Amanda disliked him on sight, but the man was very pleasant, and there was no reason to feel that way.

“Amanda and I have been corresponding for some time,” Justin explained, and Amanda realized that he had probably not told his brother about the arrangement. She waited to see what he said next.

“Amanda lived in New York, and her father is a church minister.” Benjamin flashed her a smile, and she made herself smile back.

“Why are you in our small and dull township if you could have New York at your feet?”

“I had a marriage proposal,” Amanda said, knowing she had told him something he did not know. “I accepted it.”

“The proposal was from me, and I didn’t tell anyone until Amanda came and decided if she was happy to go along with the arrangement.”

“Well, heavens above. That is out of the blue. Have you mentioned it to Dad?”

 Justin shook his head. “I’ll take Amanda to meet him tomorrow if she is happy to do that,” Justin told him. “I’d be glad if you say nothing until then.” Benjamin shrugged his shoulders and managed to look bored by the whole conversation. “I’ll leave you two alone, then,” he said as he stood up to go. He let himself out of the house and the store and went away.

“Is your brother married?” Amanda asked and was told that the man was single.

“And manages to do very little work,” Justin said disapprovingly.

“Hard work is good for your peace of mind,” Amanda answered. “One of the reasons that I could not sit around doing embroidery.”

“We seem to agree on that one,” Justin said and stood up as the store doorbell tinkled. He went to serve and left her sitting at the table. She sat for a few moments and then cleared away the dishes. By the time he came back, everything was washed, dried, and put away.

“I can walk you to the lodging house if you like,” he suggested.

“Thank you. Can we sit and talk for a little while first? I would like to know about your family before we go to meet your dad.” Justin sat beside the fire, and she took the chair on the other side of the hearth. 

He cleared his throat. “My dad is widowed,” he started, “and he retired three years ago. He likes to make things from wood and is quite good at carpentry. Despite being retired, people ask him to mend and make things. He likes doing it and it gives him some extra money.”

“So, you and Benjamin were born here?”

“Just outside of town. Mom and Dad started a small farm and then sold it to come and live in town.”

“When did you lose your mom?” she asked, and a shadow crossed his face. 

“Five years ago. She was the strong person in the family.”

“And you still miss her. I can tell,” Amanda said, reaching across to put her hand on his arm. He nodded and put his hand over hers. They sat for a moment like that, and Amanda felt comfortable with that. She left her hand there as he told her a little more.

“She was very good at keeping house and did what I do in the store. She loved knowing she had things to use if she needed them and kept a lovely stock of everything she might need. She was good with money and could make a little go a long way.” That was a long speech for Justin.

“Thanks for telling me. I guess you are very like her.” That made him smile, and he nodded.

“My dad,” he paused, “has a lady friend.”

Chapter Three

“That should be good for him. Maybe he likes the company.” She could tell by the hesitation and the look on Justin’s face that this was not the case and wondered what was coming next.

“It sounds like I am some disapproving old man,” he said, giving her the ghost of a smile. “I think he has asked her to marry him, but she doesn’t seem to want to do that. She,” he hesitated and coughed. Amanda gave him a bright smile and reached across to touch his arm again.

“I know I am a minister’s daughter, but I know not everyone is perfect.” 

He nodded and gave her the smile that she was coming to think was a very nice feature.

“You could possibly meet her tomorrow as she is often at Dad’s house. She looks like a lady of the night if I am to be brutally truthful. She has bright red hair and wears lots of makeup.” He stopped and shook his head. “I’m being overly harsh about the woman, but I don’t like her cheap fancy dresses and the way she behaves. That sounds awful, but I might as well tell you the truth.”

“I’m glad you’re telling me the truth. You and I have to talk to each other and learn to live with each other. Is she a nice person underneath the makeup and the hair?” 

He thought for a few seconds and shook his head. “I think she uses his house and fondness for her to eat at his expense, and he pays some of her bills.” He looked at Amanda. “I’ll let you decide for yourself how you feel about her. I am polite to the woman for his sake.” He stood up. “Let’s get you to Lilian’s and settled in.”

They walked down the street arm in arm again, and Amanda was starting to feel happy with this arrangement. He left her to go inside with the landlady and walked back home.

The house was quite large and very warm and comfortable. It smelled of baking bread, and there was a roaring fire. Lilian showed her the room she had allocated and told her there was an elderly gentleman who stayed permanently. 

“You’ll meet him in the morning at breakfast. He goes to bed quite early, but you are welcome to warm milk in front of the fire if you would like that.”

“I’ll say yes to the warm milk but take it to my room,” Amanda said. “It has been a very long day.”

“Did you make arrangements for the wedding?” Lilian asked.

“Two weeks’ time. I’ll pick your brains to help me choose what I need for the day.”

“That would be a pleasure, my dear,” Lilian told her and handed her the warm milk. Amanda said goodnight and went upstairs to a lovely front-facing room with a view from the window. She looked out, drew the curtains, and slid into a soft feather bed.

It seemed like an instant but was probably about three hours when the noise from outside woke Amanda, and she sat up in alarm. She pulled on a robe and ran to the window. On the main street, there were dozens of people rushing about, and she saw bright yellow flames leaping into the sky beyond the stores. The flames were widespread, and the sight was frightening.

Amanda ran down the stairs to find Lilian dressed and ready to go and help. She had found a bucket for water.

“Wait for me,” Amanda cried and ran upstairs to pull on clothes and wrap herself up. The two women ran to the main street and asked what was happening.

“The church and the two houses beside it are on fire,” a man panted. “Need more water if you can get some, and the people need help to move their things. The house nearest to the church is the worst, and there are folk trapped inside.”

“Oh no,” Amanda cried.

Lilian worked the pump handle at the well in the main street and carried the water bucket. Amanda saw the people from the houses were frantically pulling their belongings to safety and went to help. The young lad she was helping was crying as he pulled things away and shouted for someone to help his mom and dad.

“Are they still inside?” Amanda asked as she dragged a piece of furniture to safety. He shouted that they were, and he had to save them. The heat was overpowering and frightening, but she kept on pulling what she could to safety. 

“No. Let the men do it who are already trying.” She caught his arm and held on as the man who seemed to be in charge took the lad in his arms.

“Don’t go in, son. It’s too late.”  The young man screamed and struggled to get away and run to the burning building, but others came and held him. Amanda stood with the group and saw that Justin had been helping beat at the flames in the church. Like all the men, he was blackened with smoke and gasping for breath. She held onto his arm, and they watched as the flames started to fade away as there was no wood left to feed them. There was still a glow, and the air filled with black and choking smoke. 

The minister was with the men and covered in soot as well. He had been desperately trying to save his church and now faced the fact that it was no longer there. His wife was being comforted by friends, and most folk were standing by feeling helpless as they watched the worst of the flames die away, and what had been wooden buildings were stumps of blackened, smoking ruins.

Amanda was glad that Justin was there, and she pressed against his side as she saw the horror of what had happened. The young lad had stopped struggling and was being held as he sobbed into the shoulder of someone holding him.

“Are you okay?” Justin asked. “You did not need to come and help.”

“I live here now, Justin. That poor lad has lost his parents.” 

Lilian came over to them and asked if it was alright with Amanda if she took Barney Rowntree to the lodging house.

“As far as I know, he has no other relatives in town. We can save what we can of the belongings when it is daylight.”

“Of course, it’s alright. I’ll come and help you.”

“I will come as well. He knows me,” Justin added, and the three of them went to where the lad was still shaking but standing up on his own and had given up on trying to get back to the house.

“Come back to my house, Barney. You need to recover from this shock,” Lilian suggested, and the teenager looked at her as if she were a complete stranger. She took his shoulders. “It’s me, Lilian, from the lodging house. Come on.”

“This is Justin from the store, Barney. I’ll come with you. Come on.” The lad allowed himself to be guided away from the smoking ruins, and a man who turned out to be the doctor joined them. They urged the lad to walk with them and reached the lodging house.

“I’ll go back and see what still needs to be done,” Justin said. He never spoke to Amanda, and she felt a sudden little worry that he had forgotten about her, and she knew she was starting to really like him. She pushed it to one side. The doctor sat Barney down and Lilian went for water and cloths to clean them all up. She and Amanda cleaned themselves up in the kitchen and then took clean water to the doctor.

“Physically, you are not hurt,” the doctor told him. Your hands are wrapped up now, and I put some salve on them. You can still use your fingers, and that will help.” He turned to Lilian, took the warm, wet cloth, and cleaned the lad’s face and arms himself. “I am leaving Lilian to look after you, but what you need now is sleep. You have had a terrible shock. I will give you something to help you get some rest and take away the pain in your burnt hands.” The lad drank what the doctor gave him to drink without questions, while the doctor asked Lilian to let him sleep if she could and then try and get him to eat and drink in the morning. “Leave some water beside his bed in case he wakes and has a dry mouth.”

Lilian nodded and said other folks needed the doctor to treat their burns. He thanked her and hurried away.

“This is Amanda,” Lilian said to Barney. “She is staying here until she marries Justin at the store.”

“I worked for him when I was still at school. I ran messages and delivered things.” This was the first time she had heard Barney speak normally, and she was pleased.

“I’m a minister’s daughter and have seen people who have lost relatives. It is dreadful about your parents, but if I can help at all, I am ready to do that.” The teenager looked at her and nodded, but both women could see that the laudanum was taking effect, and they took him to a bedroom.

“Here is a drink of water if you need it,” Lilian said. “Just take off your boots and trousers. We will sort clothes in the morning.” The dose the doctor gave him must have been large because his eyes were closing. Lilian sat him on the bed and pulled off his boots. He fell back with his eyes closed, and the two helpers lifted his legs into the bed and covered him over. Lilian took away the paraffin lamp, and they closed the door quietly.

“Good heavens, I think we both need a drink,” Lilian said and poured them a shot of whiskey. Amanda coughed as the liquid hit her throat but was glad to sit in front of the fire with the landlady for a short while. There was a sound on the stairs and both turned to see if Barney had got out of bed, but it was the elderly man who lived there, and he wanted to know what the noise was about.

Lilian gave him her seat, poured him a whiskey, and introduced Amanda. They told him about the fire and said that Barney was upstairs. The old chap’s eyes filled with tears as he heard about the two people who had died.

“Barney’s dad was my boy’s best friend. What an awful thing to happen.” Lilian topped his glass, and he downed the drink and rubbed his eyes.

“My Jamie is working away, but I will write and tell him. He will be upset but might come to see Barney. It might help.”

“We will just have to be there for him. I don’t think he has relatives,” Amanda put in and Carter, the elderly man, agreed.

“Daylight will let everyone see how bad the disaster was,” Lilian observed. “The doctor will try and remove the bodies.”

“What a day I have had,” Amanda said, standing up. “I will help with anything in the morning.”

“You will have to rearrange the wedding,” Lilian stated, and Amanda drew in a sharp breath. That had not occurred to her until then.

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“Blessed With An Eternal Romance” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Amanda Cosgrove has been a sheltered woman, secretly longing for adventure. Eager to escape her dull life, she answers a mail-order bride ad, hoping to find happiness in the West. While she did not dream of a great romance before arriving, her fiance’s apparent disinterest will inevitably force her to look for love elsewhere…

Will she find what she has been looking for or will this decision backfire?

Justin Leibert is a hard-working store owner, who struggles to express his emotions. However, when his manipulative brother fixates on Amanda, he must learn to love and cherish her not only with his words, but his actions as well. Even though Justin finds a way to prove to Amanda his brother is deceiving her, the situation will only worsen from there…

Will Justin finally open up his heart to Amanda and escape this challenging situation?

As fate brings another shocking twist, it seems that Justin and Amanda are destined to be apart. Their feelings might be getting stronger, but the ultimate test of their love still awaits them. Despite Justin’s scheming brother’s attempts to destroy their relationship, can they keep their love alive even when faced with a long-buried secret?

“Blessed With An Eternal Romance” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!