Something Like Love (Mass Market Paperback)

by JENKINS BEVERLY

• ISBN13: 9780060575328
• ISBN10: 0060575328
• Format: Paperback
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Blackboard bestselling author Beverly Jenkins delivers another lush historical novel featuring brothers that were first introduced in her award-winning novel Always and Forever . This is the story that readers have been waiting for. He was a wanted man. But no one wanted him more than she did. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Olivia Sterling flees Chicago and heads west. She dreams of setting up her own seamstress shop in Henry Adams, a small all Black town in Kansas. But her plans are derailed when her train is robbed by Neil July and his notorious band of outlaws. Neil is enchanted by the headstrong and lovely Olivia. No woman has ever set his blood on fire before, and he suspects no other woman ever will. When they meet again, Olivia is the town's newly elected mayor and Neil is still the wanted outlaw. With bounty hunters on his trail, he would be wise not to linger, yet he can't seem to leave her. Will Neil be able to convince Olivia to ride off into the sunset with him? Or will he finally lay down his guns for love?

Excerpts

Something Like Love

Chapter One

Henry Adams, Kansas
Great Solomon Valley
May 1889

The seamstress shop owned by Olivia Sterling operatedout of a small Victorian house two blocksaway from the town's main business district. Lastfall, when she'd first purchased the building fromthe bank, she'd been concerned about not being locatedon Main Street, but she'd soon come to appreciatebeing off the beaten path. Being away fromthe center of town, with all its vehicles and people,made for a quieter existence; it was also cleaner.Olivia could open her windows and doors and nothave to shake out her yard goods two and threetimes a day because of the dust generated by all thetraffic.

Right now, Olivia wasn't much concerned withdust or traffic. Instead her attention was centered oncustomer Harriet Vinton. The middle-aged Harriet had just come out from behind the shop's woodendressing screen, and all the large, bright yellowbows attached to the white satin ball gown madeOlivia mentally shake her head in dismay. Mrs. Vinton'sshort, portly form was better served by a quieter,more mature design, but it was a dress she'dinsisted Olivia design for her, and this was the result.

Mrs. Vinton twirled in front of the mirror and tittered,"Oh, Olivia. It's so beautiful."

Olivia genuinely hoped her responding smiledidn't appear as false as it felt.

Harriet turned to get a side view of the big bowon the capped sleeve. "My Henry is going to bespeechless."

Olivia didn't doubt that in the least.

"I'll be the envy of every woman in town."

The Elders Ball celebrating the founding of HenryAdams was going to be held later this month at thespanking-new town hall. All of the residents of theGreat Solomon Valley would be attending, andOlivia had been sewing for the past six weeks to accommodatethe ladies who'd wanted new gowns forthe annual event. Many of the farm women couldn'tafford to waste money on a gown they'd only wearonce or twice in their life, but Olivia was thankfulfor the wives of the cattlemen and businessmen whocould, because their orders kept Olivia in business.

"Olivia?" Mrs. Vinton asked, "are you going tothe ball?"

Olivia shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

Olivia countered confidently, "I'm going to spend that evening resting and catching up on my correspondence.It's been weeks since I've written mymother. There are notes from the last Elders meetingthat need to be reviewed and minutes of the HistoricalSociety to place in the ledger."

"A young woman like you should be at the ball."

"Thirty-two is hardly young, Mrs. Vinton, butthank you. And yes, I would like to attend, butsince I haven't been asked . . ." she shrugged. "I refuseto be one of the spinsters serving the punchand cake while everyone else is dancing. I volunteeredmy services last year, and frankly, it wasn'tvery enjoyable."

Harriet nodded. "I understand. Well, an eveningof rest will probably do you good. With all you doit's a wonder you have time to sleep."

Olivia agreed. When she'd first settled in HenryAdams, Cara Lee Jefferson, the schoolteacher andwife of the sheriff suggested Olivia volunteer onsome of the women's committees as a way of gettingto know her new neighbors. Olivia had taken the adviceto heart and now, after working with thechurch, the school, the Ladies League, and the HistoricalSociety, she knew most, if not all, of thewomen around. There wasn't a day of the week thatOlivia didn't have a meeting of one sort or another.

Mrs. Vinton surveyed herself in the mirror again."I know you're devoted to your business, but mynephew in Philadelphia is looking for a wife, and Ibelieve you'd be perfect."

Olivia knew from previous conversations thatHarriet had a large number of nephews back east. Every few months Harriet would come into Olivia'sshop touting the latest one's virtues and marriageableattributes. "I don't wish to marry."

"You keep saying that only because the right manhasn't come along."

Amused, Olivia shook her head. "You need to gohome and let Henry see you in your dress."

That shifted Harriet's attention back to her mirroredreflection and away from matchmaking. "I dolook fine, don't I?"

All the bows made Harriet resemble a back-eastChristmas tree, but if Harriet loved the dress, nothingelse mattered. "I'm glad you're pleased with it,"Olivia said genuinely.

"I'll take it off now so you can wrap it."

A few moments later, an elated Harriet Vintonleft with her dress and Olivia put the payment intoher cash box.

For the rest of the day, Olivia waited on customersin between working on dresses and hats. ReverendWhitfield's wife, Sybil, stopped in for the dress she'dhad altered so that it didn't look so outdated. SophieReynolds, one of the town's pillars and owner of theHenry Adams Hotel, came in to get the final fittingon the pale gold ball gown she'd be wearing to theElders Ball. Unlike Harriet Vinton, the middle-agedbut still stunning Miss Sophie had chosen a designthat flattered both her figure and age.

By the time dusk rolled in, Olivia had attended tohalf the women in the valley, or so it seemed. Whenshe finally closed the doors at the end of the day, shewas quite exhausted, but her cash box was smiling.

Something Like Love. Copyright © by Beverly Jenkins. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.