#MFRWhooks Blog Hop - An Excerpt from HOME FIRES - Another Beautiful English Girl

Happy Wednesday! Today I've got an excerpt from HOME FIRES, my WW2 era romance novella. Anne Wakefield travels to Canada after the war to marry her Canadian pilot fiance, only to discover he has already married someone else. In this scene, Anne has just arrived at the Gustafson farm and learned that her fiance is married. She goes for a walk to compose herself, but when she doesn't return, Erik goes in search for her. I hope you enjoy the excerpt!

Excerpt:

“I lost my way,” she said. Her red-rimmed eyes told him she’d been crying. “What time is it?”

“Nearly six. We…my mother was worried about you.”

She closed her eyes in misery. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to cause her concern. I don’t want to be a burden. I should get back to the house before I cause your mother any more worry.”

As they began to walk, a sharp, sudden pain knifed through Erik’s leg. He stumbled, then doubled over his cane as he tried to catch his breath, waiting for the pain to subside.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Humiliation heated his face. The last thing he needed was for Anne to witness his weakness. “I’ve still got pieces of shrapnel in my leg.”

“And when they move they cause you tremendous pain.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s sit down and rest a minute.”

He had no choice but to let her lead him to the side of the road and ease him down to sit on the edge with his legs resting against the slope of the ditch. She sat beside him.

“I’m sorry about your leg. Did it happen at Dieppe?”

He didn’t want to talk about it. “We should get back.”

“A few moments won’t make any difference.” She plucked blades of grass from the ditch. “Have you spoken to Anders?”

“I have.”

Her brow furrowed. “Is he…is he happy?”

He wouldn’t lie to her. “He says he is.”

She ripped the grass stem in half. “And Signe? She’ll be good to him?”

His heart broke for her. “She will.”

“That’s good.” She jumped to her feet. “Do you think you can walk now?”

“Yeah.”

She offered him her hand. Erik looked at it for a moment, then at her face. Not a trace of pity marred her beautiful features. He took her small, soft hand in his, and was surprised at the strength with which she pulled him to his feet.

“You’re a lot stronger than you look.”

She laughed, the first genuine sound of amusement he’d heard from her. “Probably comes from spending the war lifting men twice my size.”

“Anders said you were a nurse. Are you planning to continue nursing now that the war is over?”

Her smile disappeared. “I hope not. I’ve seen enough misery to last me the rest of my life.”

He nodded. After witnessing the blood bath at Dieppe, he knew exactly what she meant.

“How far is it to the house?” she asked.

Erik leaned on his cane. “Not far. Wait. You’ve got dried leaves stuck in your hair.”

He pulled the offending leaves from her hair, letting his hand linger on the silky tresses. She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes huge and round. But she didn’t move or stop him from touching her. With her porcelain skin and fine bone structure, she looked like a delicate English rose, yet he detected a strength in her that would put any man to shame.

“We should go,” she whispered.

Erik dropped his hand. What was he doing? This beautiful English rose was still in love with his brother. His handsome, fit, unscarred brother. She didn’t want him.

He’d do well to remember that. He’d already been rejected by one beautiful English girl because of his scars. Another rejection would be more than he could bear.

Blurb:

Anne Wakefield travels halfway around the world for love. But when she arrives in Canada from England at the end of World War Two, she discovers the handsome Canadian pilot she’d fallen in love with has married someone else. Heartbroken, she prepares to return to London, though she has nothing left there to return to. Her former fiancé’s mother makes a suggestion: marriage to her other son.

Badly wounded and scarred during the war, Erik Gustafson thinks he’s a poor substitute for his brother. Although he loves Anne almost from the first time he sees her, he cannot believe she would ever be able to love him as he is – especially as he might be after another operation on his bad leg. 

Anne sees the beauty of his heart. The cold prairie winter may test her courage, but can she prove to Erik that her love for him is real?

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/Home-Fires

Promo!

HOME FIRES is included in the Love Against the Odds Bookfunnel Promotion. It's all about love in dangerous times! https://books.bookfunnel.com/passionpageshistoricalsalesoctober/lst0d6bfje

Book Hooks!