Fools Gold
Alaska's gold rush is no place
for a lady, but that doesn't scare Ellie Webster. Ellie
travels with her younger brother to the wilds of the
Klondike gold rush to save the family farm. She’s
prepared for hardship on the trail, but not for the
sparkling blue eyes of Duke Masterson, a charming
saloonkeeper. And Duke is surprised to find that Ellie
and her apple pies are more valuable to him than all the
gold nuggets in Skagway, Alaska. Now if he could only
overcome Ellie’s fear of losing her newly-found
independence and win her heart. Together they must
defeat the conman corrupting the town and make their
fortunes before the last steamship of the season heads
south.
$3.99 Ebook
Excerpt
Copyright © 2013
Lynn Lovegreen
Ellie stood on
the foredeck and watched the lush green coast pass by as the
steamship chugged along. The fresh, cool breeze filled her
lungs. A pod of killer whales broke the surface of the water in
the distance, black and white bodies rolling, tall fins arcing
toward the sky, then back into the ocean. The whales exhaled in
puffs of spray. A seal rested on a small iceberg nearby, and
Ellie couldn’t help but smile as she surveyed its dark, liquid
eyes, gray fur, and white whiskers.
A
killer whale knocked the seal off the berg and seized it in its
mouth. Ellie gasped as the seal struggled for life. When the
killer whale rolled under the waves—seal still in its
jaws—Ellie, pulse beating at her temples, leaned forward over
the rail, staring at the spot where the whale descended.
“Careful, there.” Ellie’s breath halted as a pair of strong
hands grasped her waist and lifted her up and away from the
rail. Her bottom brushed against someone as she was set down on
the deck.
“What
do you think you’re doing?” Turning to a wall of wool-clad
chest, she looked up to see a young face with a thick, brown
goatee and an arrogant smile.
“Pardon me, miss.” A twinkle pierced the man’s blue eyes. “If
the ship had made a sudden move, you’d have been thrown into the
water.”
“Well,
I never.” Ellie dismissed him with a sniff. “I wasn’t that far
over the edge.” She was not used to being manhandled and
wouldn’t put up with male condescension.
“My
apologies, miss.” The stranger tipped his hat. “May I introduce
myself properly?” He extended his hand. “Duke Masterson at your
service, headed for Skagway.”
Giving
his hand the minimum two shakes to be polite, she then started
to turn away as Billy ran up to them, forcing an introduction.
“Miss Ellie Webster, and this is my brother, Billy.”
Billy
and Duke shook hands heartily.
“Glad
to meet you, Billy. Call me Duke. Are you headed to Skagway
too?”
“Yep.”
Billy grinned. “First Skagway, and then the gold country.”
“Ah,
you’re going to try mining?” Duke smiled.
“We’re
gonna get rich like everybody else,” Billy declared.
Handsome Duke raised his eyebrows. “A lot of people already beat
you there. But maybe you’ll be lucky.”
“My
brother and I are not relying on luck.” Ellie raised her chin.
“We have determination and a good plan.”
“I’m
sure you do, Miss Webster.” As he tipped his hat again, he was
looking too closely at the cameo necklace on her bosom. Another
man with low thoughts on his mind, just like the farmhands back
home. And he doubted they could strike it rich. She would not
encourage him with any more of her attention.
Refusing to be familiar and use his first name, she said,
“Goodbye, Mr. Masterson.” She could still feel where he’d laid
his hands on her waist.
Ellie
turned on her heel, took Billy’s arm, and walked away down the
port deck.
“Why’d
we have to leave so fast, sis?”
She
didn’t want to tell Billy about Duke’s rudeness. It would only
make him angry. “That is not the kind of person we should
associate with,” Ellie said, seeing the presumptuous man with
his memorable blue eyes in her mind. “Just watch and let me do
the talking when we meet people and, maybe one day, you’ll pick
up on these things on your own.”
Her
brother wasn’t stupid, but had never used his brain much. That’s
why she was headed to the Klondike gold fields with him. Mama
wouldn’t let Billy travel on his own, fearing he was too easy a
target for a thief or con man. But Billy was only seventeen to
her eighteen, so maybe there was hope for him yet. In the
meantime, with Billy’s strength and Ellie’s mind, they’d be able
to make their fortune and save their family’s farm.
Ellie
looked up at Billy and patted his arm. “Come on, it’s almost
dinner time. Let’s get back to our cabin.”
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