Today on Romance Sweet Reads, we're welcoming author Regina Walker back to the blog. She's celebrating a Book Birthday for her new release, A Christmas Candle for Eleanor, Book 12 in the Mail-Order Brides' First Christmas Series.
Calvin Clark is a candlemaker—a trade he learned from his father. Along with making candles, he owns a general store in Central City, Colorado. Sending for a mail-order bride made him uncomfortable, but there were no eligible women in Central City. And his nephew assured him it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
Will a spark of love flicker between the handsome candlemaker and Eleanor? Or will the desire to find Elsie take her far away from the booming town in Colorado?
Get your copy of A Christmas Candle for Eleanor on Kindle Unlimited
Eleanor dragged her fingers along the walls as she wound her way from the dining hall to Headmistress Hawthorne’s office. Savoring every smell, sight, and touch, Eleanor smiled at the years of memories she’d made at the orphanage.
“Why are you always smiling like that?” Headmistress Hawthorne said, a scowl scrunching her face into an outward reflection of her inward ugliness.
“Why shouldn’t I always be smiling? Do you take offense to smiling?” Eleanor repressed a laugh that she felt rumbling up from her chest. She dipped her body into a curtsy, flouncing her skirt out and back, and then she stepped into the office ahead of the headmistress.
“As you well know, you’re a woman now, and you have no place in this orphanage any longer. I’ve arranged a marriage for you with a man in Colorado. He’s paid your travel expenses, and he is expecting you at once.” Headmistress Hawthorne’s sharp voice sliced through the musty air in her office.
“A Mister...” Headmistress Hawthorne tapped her finger on her desk and looked from side to side for a folder. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out the folder she needed. “I knew it was here,” she muttered.
As the headmistress opened the folder, Eleanor cocked her head to the side. Inside the folder, a small bundle of letters peeked out from behind some papers, and as Eleanor narrowed her eyes, she was certain they were addressed to her... in her sister’s handwriting.
“May I have my letters?” Eleanor asked.
“You have no letters.” Headmistress Hawthorne snapped the folder shut. “His name is Calvin. Now go pack.” She pointed toward the open door.
“Those letters, though. Who wer—”
“Now!” Headmistress Hawthorne shrieked.
Eleanor hopped on her feet and then dashed from the room. Racing the halls this time through them, Eleanor yelled for Thomas as she passed the dining hall and then the washroom.
Rounding a corner too fast, Eleanor nearly collided with Marjory, one of the younger girls. Wrapping her hands gently around the girl’s upper arms, Eleanor looked earnestly into her eyes. “Have you seen Thomas?”
“No. Is something the matter?” Marjory’s sad eyes looked as though tears may come at any moment.
“Well, sort of. Not really. What’s wrong? You look like you’re about to cry,” Eleanor spoke gently.
“The headmistress took my stuffed rabbit. The one my mom left with me. She said I was too big for such a thing, and she threw it away. Since I was crying about it, she told me I could do without supper tonight. But I’m starving.” Marjory sniffled and looked down, away from Eleanor.
“Come to my room with me. I have a few things I’ll give you,” Eleanor said.
Taking Marjory’s hand, Eleanor tugged her down the hall, glanced both ways when they reached Eleanor’s room, and then pulled the girl inside with her.
“Here,” Eleanor said. She pulled a small roll, an apple, and some crackers from her dresser. “I was saving these, since the headmistress likes to make us skip meals. But I’m leaving today, so you can have them. If you see Thomas, send him to me at once.”
“Thank you,” Marjory said. She tucked the items into her secret skirt pockets—pockets that Eleanor had taught her to sew and hide things in. “I’ll go find Thomas right now.”
Regina is an Oklahoma import, although she was born and raised in the beautiful state of Colorado. She likes to curl up on the couch and binge-watch crime shows with her hard-working husband. When she’s not wrestling with a writing project, she can be found wrangling their children, riding their horses, or working around their small hobby farm.
Find the entire Mail-Order Brides' First Christmas Series on Amazon
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Thank you so much for joining us today. Please come back again soon for more authors and great books!
Blessings,
Nancy
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