Book Blurb:
New
York City, 1862—
Beautiful Pepper Fitzpatrick Brown’s heart is broken when her husband, Michael, is killed on the bloody battlefield at Manassas. One of the first casualties of the Civil War, Michael’s death has left Pepper raising three small boys on her own—and trying to live without the man she believed she’d grow old with. Honoring Michael’s memory, she volunteers at the MacDougall Army Hospital in the Bronx, doing whatever she can to help the wounded.
The drab existence of handsome Colonel Elijah Williams, head surgeon at the Army hospital, has narrowed to nothing but the bloody war and the horrendous wounds he treats day after day. He carries a secret—a nightmare that holds him in its gory grip each time he falls asleep, reminding him of what awaits him in his waking hours. But when Pepper Brown walks into his life, everything changes—for both of them.
Is Elijah ready to take on a ready-made family and the responsibilities that come with it? Can Pepper let go of her grief and embrace love once again? In a war-torn country that has suffered so much loss, Elijah and Pepper might stand a fighting chance at finding happiness together if they can save what’s left of their hearts!
Beautiful Pepper Fitzpatrick Brown’s heart is broken when her husband, Michael, is killed on the bloody battlefield at Manassas. One of the first casualties of the Civil War, Michael’s death has left Pepper raising three small boys on her own—and trying to live without the man she believed she’d grow old with. Honoring Michael’s memory, she volunteers at the MacDougall Army Hospital in the Bronx, doing whatever she can to help the wounded.
The drab existence of handsome Colonel Elijah Williams, head surgeon at the Army hospital, has narrowed to nothing but the bloody war and the horrendous wounds he treats day after day. He carries a secret—a nightmare that holds him in its gory grip each time he falls asleep, reminding him of what awaits him in his waking hours. But when Pepper Brown walks into his life, everything changes—for both of them.
Is Elijah ready to take on a ready-made family and the responsibilities that come with it? Can Pepper let go of her grief and embrace love once again? In a war-torn country that has suffered so much loss, Elijah and Pepper might stand a fighting chance at finding happiness together if they can save what’s left of their hearts!
Excerpt:
New York City,
July 1862
Pepper
Brown yanked open her bedroom armoire and stared at the sea of black. Her
widow’s weeds, as people called them. They were showing up in increasing
numbers on the streets of New York, on women of all ages. The Civil War, which
both sides had thought would be over in a matter of weeks, marked its one-year
anniversary today. Which meant today was also Pepper’s one-year anniversary as
a widow. She drummed her foot on the floor while she perused the black dresses.
Was she ready to move on? Michael had thought she would be. In fact, he
extracted a promise from her before he left for the war. One year and not one
day more, he had said. Her mother thought so, too, or she wouldn’t have planned
their outing for today. All Pepper now needed was the courage to convince
herself they were right. The churning in her stomach told her she had a ways to
go yet.
She
straightened and turned her back on the black.
“Molly,
please come help me dress,” Pepper called down the hall to her lady’s maid.
“I’m going out today.”
“Aye,
ma’am.” Molly, a young Irish girl with light brown hair and matching freckles
across her pert nose, came quickly into the room. “Which gown would you be
liking?” She began fondling the various dresses in the armoire.
“None
of these. I’m done with these dresses. Besides, most of them are maternity
gowns. I want to wear something fresh, something different.”
Molly
nodded vigorously, and the little white cap on her head bounced askew. She
righted it before she spoke. “Perfectly understood, ma’am, and you should be
stepping down to half mourning. Perhaps I can find a nice gray or deep purple
gown among your other things.”
Pepper
shook her head. “No, no half mourning for me. What kind of silly term is that,
anyway? I’m going out with Mother, and I want our day to be special. I want to
wear something bright. I think the periwinkle dress Jasmine created for me
right before Michael’s death will do. Yes, the periwinkle.”
Pepper
smiled at Molly’s horrified intake of breath. She obviously disapproved, which
meant it was the right decision.
“Periwinkle?
Forgive me saying so, ma’am, but isn’t it a wee bit too much of a difference?”
“Why
yes, it is, Molly.”
Amazon Best Selling Author
http://www.beckylowerauthor.com
http://historyimagined.wordpress.com
Join my newsletter for a chance to win copies of my books
http://beckylowerauthor.com/contact.html#newsletter
