Authors: Eve Adams
Adams, Eve - Patience is Their Virtue [Brides of Bachelor Bay 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Brides of Bachelor Bay 3
Patience is Their Virtue
Patience Weber has no intention of marrying any of the bachelors and instead uses the passage to the Washington Territory to escape her penniless life in Boston. She never intended to catch the eye of Adam Steele and his mysterious manservant, Raven. When she does, her secret is blown and the brothers who paid for her passage insist on repayment. With no way to repay the debt she's incurred, Adam makes her an offer she has no choice but to accept—marry him, live in the house he shares with his brother, and he'll pay off her debt. She agrees and discovers that Adam shares more than the house with his brother. The brothers learn that falling in love with Patience is their virtue.
In an era where land is as unsettled as the times, these brave brides fight for their right to live and love—always in threes.
Genre:
Historical, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length:
43,000 words
PATIENCE IS THEIR VIRTUE
Brides of Bachelor Bay 3
Eve Adams
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
PATIENCE IS THEIR VIRTUE
Copyright © 2011 by Eve Adams
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-460-X
First E-book Publication: May 2011
Cover design by
Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Patience is Their Virtue
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DEDICATION
To anyone willing to take a chance on his or her future. Sometimes the best outcomes are based solely on how far you are willing to go.
Brides of Bachelor Bay 3
EVE ADAMS
Copyright © 2011
Prologue
1864, Port Steele, Washington Territory
Ladies,
Gallagher Logging and the Gallagher brothers welcome you to Port Steele on beautiful Bachelor Bay in Washington Territory.
You have chosen to embark on a journey rife with excitement to an untamed land of incomparable beauty where the trees are as tall as mountains, the water as blue as any sapphire, and the men outnumber the women fifty to one. To leave the comfort of civilization and the support of your families to journey west takes great courage, but you are all courageous women. Together we will write the history of Washington Territory and develop the foundation of future generations.
Thank you for joining us in our quest to settle this land. May you love well, live long, make your fortunes, and attain your desires.
Logan, Gage, Andrew, and Noah Gallagher
Chapter 1
Patience’s Journal, Sunday, March 26, 1865
Port Steele, Washington Territory
Ever since arriving in a place they call Bachelor Bay, I’ve stayed out of sight and only attended socials when I’m certain no one will notice me. No one seems to give me a second glance, for which I’m grateful. I can't have anyone here find out what I'm hiding from, for if they did, I’d be branded and sent to the streets for certain. I stand in the corner, in the shadows, as I watch the brides dance with the men. Oh, my. Even as I write this I must fan myself. The men here…they are all so big. Larger than life! My toes tap to the plinking of the piano, wishing desperately that I could be out there, dancing like the rest of them. But I’m not a bride. I’m not one of them. For that, I must be more than careful, for if any of them found the true reason I escaped Boston, I’d be on the next boat back for certain.
Adam Steele whistled as he strolled down Main Street's wooden sidewalk. Despite what some said about him and his moral character, there was no denying he deserved his title of mayor of the town sporting his name. The money he’d put into Port Steele had provided for a remarkable amount of needed improvements and gave Adam the upper hand in his dealings with the businessmen.
Bringing the brides to Port Steele had turned a tired little bay into a thriving port. He couldn’t be more proud. He only wished he would have thought of it first instead of the jolly straight-lacers, the Gallaghers. That way, he could have had a hand in the decisions made in regards to the women. But, since over half of them had already found a husband and the single men still outnumbered the single women almost five to one, he may just have to get to work on bringing over another round of brides to auction off between the Gallaghers and their ruthless cousins, the Pettys.
After checking his pocket watch, he quickened his step. It was almost high noon, and she always worked in the garden at noon on Sundays. He loved the way the sun glistened off her thick red waves, the way her freckled cheeks warmed with color as she busied herself amongst the greens, the way she made his entire body tight and his skin way too sensitive whenever he saw her.
“Good day, Mr. Steele.”
Adam nodded at the passerby. Jason? Justin? Joseph? He couldn’t remember, nor did he care.
“Do try to keep up, Raven.” Adam made the comment to his manservant loud enough for the passerby to hear.
Raven audibly growled. “Yes, sir.”
“Care for a cut, Mr. Steele?”
“Not today.” Adam smiled politely at the town’s barber. The rotund man sat in front of his shop, puffing on his pipe and taking in the first rays of sun any of them had seen in close to a month. March always brought precarious weather, and having the sun out only made this day even better.