Eva: Hearts of South Dakota

by Parker J. Cole

Language: English

Published: 2020-05-12. 36,753 Words.

Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier

Content Rating: Older than 13

Born with a prominent birthmark, Eva Van der Heiden knows she will never find a man to love her. Her days are spent caring for her siblings and enjoying the relative calm of spinsterhood. Then her aunt, an unscrupulous matchmaker, tells her of a man wanting a bride of convenience in a small town in Dakota territory. Eva accepts the proposal knowing that at least she will have a husband, even if she's not much to look at.

Luc de Jeu arrives in Evansgrove in Dakota territory along with his friends and business partners. He came to salvage the failing fur trading company his father bought before his untimely death. In order to retain his position as leader of his father’s company, he must wed a 'good Dutch girl' within a year and produce an heir. When a matchmaker tells him of a potential bride who meets his requirements, he agrees to marry her.

When Luc meets Eva, he is fascinated by her unusual appearance. Eva believes she'll be happy with a marriage of convenience. It's not until after they wed Eva discovers this union is not in name only.

Luc knows he only has a limited time to fulfill the stipulations of the will. It would be easy to simply annul their vows and seek another wife. Yet, the more time he spends with Eva, the more he realizes another wife won't do.

Eva knows she's not beautiful enough, despite the strange looks she glimpses in Luc's eyes and the way they make her feel. Yet, she only wanted to be a wife of convenience, and not a mother...doesn't she?