A Life with Felicity by Lyn Cote

A Life with Felicity

by Lyn Cote

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Book Blurb:

A wounded Civil War veteran, a fearless woman with a calling, a child in distress, and a dangerous secret beside the Mississippi River… This emotionally gripping Christian historical novel features themes of healing, redemption, found family, and courageous faith. This story blends romance, suspense, and historical women’s fiction in a powerful tale of hope after war. When Felicity Gabriel inherits a mansion along the Mississippi River, she is determined to turn it into a refuge for children orphaned by the Civil War. But her wealthy neighbors oppose her—and the children she tries to help are afraid of something far worse than hunger. Judge Ty Hawkins returned from the war a scarred man, only to find his young daughter now fears him. Desperate for answers, he turns—reluctantly—to Felicity, the only person his child seems to trust. As Felicity’s mission draws her deeper into the shadows along the wharf, threats turn violent. Someone is determined to stop her. Together, Felicity and Ty must risk everything to protect the innocent—and discover whether healing, faith, and love can rise from the ashes of war. 

Excerpt:

Altoona, Illinois 

September 1867 

Amid the bustling Mississippi wharf, Ty Hawkins eased down onto the venerable raised chair. The chair was now his daily refuge where he got his shoes shined. Afterwards, he would catch a bite to eat at a nearby café. He rarely felt hungry these days even though he was several pounds lighter than he’d ever been as an adult. He would have liked to go home for lunch, sit on his shaded back porch and cool off. But he couldn’t face home so soon again.  

I’m home but I’m not home. This dreadful fact brought a sharp pang around his rib; he rubbed it, trying to relieve the pain. What am I going to do about Camie? 

Jack Toomey had shined shoes here as long as Ty had worn them. Ty smiled and returned Jack’s friendly good day. The shoeshine man’s dark face creased into a grin. “It’s going to be another scorcher.” 

“’Fraid so, Jack.” 

“When is it going to realize it’s fall?” As Jack blackened Ty’s shoe, he gave him a long, penetrating look. He lowered his eyes. “Coming home’s not easy. Takes time. Patience.” 

Jack seemed to be one of the few who understood Ty’s suffering. The shoeshine man’s sympathetic insight wrapped itself around Ty’s vocal cords. Jack glanced up. Ty could only nod. 

Jack’s gaze dropped to Ty’s shoes. “It’ll get better. It wasn’t easy going off to learn how to shoot people and it isn’t easy to put down the rifle and come back.” 

Ty managed to grunt. No one said things like this to him. Everyone seemed to overlook how hard it was not to jump at any loud noise, or to walk out in the open without scanning his surroundings for people who wanted to kill him. Ty wondered for a moment what Jack would advise if Ty told him about Camie’s dilemma. 

The thought of discussing this private trouble with someone other than family only showed how desperate he was becoming. 

Across the street, two urchins had come up to a woman begging. She turned from the wagon she had been about to mount. She stooped down so her face was level with the children’s. Through the moving stream of people on the street, Ty watched the unusual woman. The ragged, grimy children—a little girl who held a younger boy by the hand—nodded. “What’s she up to?” Ty muttered to Jack. 

“She don’t look like the kind who would hurt a child,” Jack said, looking over his shoulder again as he continued polishing Ty’s shoe. 

The woman started to help the little girl up onto the wagon. 

Then it happened. 

A towheaded boy of about ten or eleven ran by the woman. He snatched her purse, throwing her off balance. With a shocked outcry, she let go of the girl’s hand and fell to the dirt street. Ty leaped up to go to the lady’s aid. He shoved his way through the crowd. As he reached her and offered her his hand, Hal Hogan, a town policeman, appeared from the other direction.  

Red-faced, Hogan had his beefy hand clamped on the thief’s shoulder. The boy cursed and struggled to free himself in vain. 

Ty helped the lady up. “Are you all right, miss?” 

She ignored his question, turning toward the caught thief. She very obviously studied the child’s smudged and angry red face. 

Hogan handed her back her purse and said in his deep, gravelly voice, “I usually would have to keep the purse as evidence but since I witnessed the theft that won’t be necessary. Would you tell me how much money you are carrying, miss?” 

The young woman hesitated, then said, “I think only around five dollars.” She looked into the thief’s face and asked, “If thee needed money, why didn’t thee just ask me? I would have given thee what I could.” 

The boy sneered at her and made a derisive noise. 

Hogan shook the boy, growling, “Show respect, you.” His expression and tone turned polite as he said to her, “I saw the robbery and can handle this. No need for a lady like you to get involved in such sordid business.” Hogan pulled the brim of his hat and dragged the boy away. 

“Please wait!” the woman called after him and moved to pursue Hogan. 

“Hey, lady!” the wagon driver demanded. “Are we going now or not? I’ve got other people who are waiting for me to get you delivered and come back to the station.” 

Ty had watched all this, his jaw tight from witnessing the theft and her fall. He touched the woman’s sleeve. 

She looked into his face, her large blue eyes worried. How could this woman say so much with only her eyes? This near-theft troubled her. Again, Ty nearly offered his protection, but why? The thief had been caught. He tightened his reserve and asked in a cool, polite tone, “May I help you up into the wagon?” 

With one last glance in the direction where Hogan and the miscreant had disappeared, she nodded. “If thee would, please.” 

Then she gave him a smile that dazzled him. She was a pretty woman—until she smiled. Then she was an extraordinary beauty. Was it merely the high caliber of the smile that made the difference? 

After he helped her up onto the buckboard seat, she murmured, “I thank thee.” She was barely seated when the drayman slapped the reins over his team and with a jerk, the horses took off. 

The lady waved her thanks once more and over her shoulder sent him another sparkling smile. He found himself smiling in return, his heart lighter. 

*** 

On the wagon seat, Felicity turned forward, distinctly unsettled. The two hungry children had been frightened away and the boy arrested. This was not how she had envisioned starting out here. Would she be able to find the little pair again? She sighed. Her eyes threatened to shut of their own accord. Traveling by train for miles and days had whittled her down to nothing. She forced her eyes wide open, stiffened her weary back and folded her hands in her lap. … 

The wagon turned the corner. And there were the little girl and boy. The little girl was waving frantically, jumping up and down. “Lady! Lady!” 

Felicity grabbed the reins. “Whoa!” The team halted, stomping, snorting and throwing back their heads. The drayman shouted at her for interfering with his driving. Thrilled to find the two so easily, she ignored him. She reached down with both hands and helped the children up. They crowded around her feet. The children were ragged, very thin, tanned by the sun and had tangled dark hair and solemn eyes. 

She turned to the burly, whiskered driver and beamed. “I apologize and promise to make thee no more trouble.” 

The driver looked bemused. He shook his head and slapped the reins, starting off again for Number 14 Madison Boulevard. Lyn Cote here~ Number 14 will be the new orphanage that Felicity Gabriel has come to start to care for the many unwanted orphans of the Civil War.  

Author Bio:

Since her first Love Inspired romance debuted in 1998, Lyn Cote has written 50 books. A Carol Award winner, Lyn writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and historical women’s fiction. She lives in a cottage in the northwoods of Wisconsin with her comfy husband of 50 years and two mischievous cats. Visit her website/blog at http://www.LynCote.com and find her on Facebook, GoodReads and Twitter. 

Five Multi-Author Series Worth Your Time

 Sometimes you want to settle into a long series and stay awhile. Other times, you want a change of scenery: a new couple, an intriguing predicament, and a romance to enjoy before returning to the fictional families you already love.

For those between-series moments, I recommend five of Caroline’s multi-author collaborations: Pinkerton Matchmaker, Proxy Brides, Guns for Hire, Love Train, and Matchmaker’s Ball. Her contributions offer everything from reluctant detective partners to an unexpected bride and a dance invitation that leads to danger.

A multi-author series connects books by different writers through a shared premise, setting, or theme. Each author contributes a story, giving readers familiar territory with a fresh cast. Caroline’s collaborative catalog offers plenty of those opportunities.

Here are five choices to consider when you want an inviting detour between her longer series. “Fast” here means stories with an immediate hook and plenty happening—not a promise that every book is a novella or can be finished in one sitting.

1. Pinkerton Matchmaker: When Your Partner Is Also Your Husband

Start with: An Agent for Magdala

Choose this when you want: detective work, a marriage of convenience, and two people who disagree before they learn to cooperate.

Magdala welcomes the opportunity to become a Pinkerton agent. The requirement that she enter a paper marriage surprises her, but it does not end her ambition. She intends to prove herself as an investigator and obtain an annulment before her unusual family discovers what she has done.

Her assigned partner, Douglas “Cloud” Ryan, is considerably less enthusiastic. He loves his work, distrusts women, and does not believe they should be dealing with criminals. Their assignment to catch jewel thieves gives Maggie an opportunity to challenge his assumptions—provided they survive the dangers along the way. 

That is an appealing setup for a between-series read because the central conflict is clear immediately. Maggie wants a chance to do the job. Cloud thinks she should stay out of his way. Neither gets the comfortable arrangement they would have chosen.

The investigation also gives their relationship something practical to contend with. They cannot simply avoid each other when they disagree; they have a case to solve.

If the premise catches your interest, Caroline also contributed An Agent for Lydia and An Agent for Judith. Lydia’s investigation brings her together with the man who disappeared before their wedding, while Judith becomes an agent to secure help for her endangered brother. Each heroine enters the shared framework for a different reason.

Explore Caroline’s books on the Pinkerton Matchmaker page.

2. Proxy Brides: Marriage First, Getting Acquainted Later

Start with: A Bride for Gideon

Choose this when you want: a new beginning, a guarded hero, and the possibility of finding a home in an unexpected place.

After losing her parents, Keira Cameron leaves Scotland for Boston. She hopes to find work and establish a life, but employers—and their wives—find reasons not to hire her. When her cousin suggests a proxy marriage to a friend in Montana, Keira sees a chance for the family and belonging she wants.

Gideon Ross is a blacksmith whose wartime experiences have left him scarred and withdrawn. Keira’s arrival unsettles the life he has built around keeping to himself. He honors their marriage vows, but sharing a future requires more than fulfilling an obligation. As threats emerge, both must face dangers and secrets that put their growing bond at risk.

What makes this a satisfying change of pace is the difference between having a husband and having a home. Keira’s marriage provides a possible destination. It does not automatically give her trust, affection, or security.

That leaves room for the emotional work readers enjoy in a marriage-of-convenience romance: two people learning whether an arrangement made for practical reasons can become something they genuinely want.

Caroline’s other Proxy Brides contributions are A Bride for Luke and A Bride for Dalton. Luke discovers that his mother and aunt have arranged a marriage for him, while Dalton is surprised by a bride’s arrival during a dangerous undercover assignment. These are variations on the same enticing question: what happens after an unexpected marriage becomes real?

Find the books on Caroline’s Proxy Brides page.

3. Guns for Hire: A Bounty Hunter with More Than Money at Stake

Start with: Shad

Choose this when you want: Western danger, a determined hero, and a pursuit that becomes more complicated than expected.

Shad wants enough money to buy a ranch. Trouble involving his uncle consumes his savings, leaving him looking for another way to finance that dream. Pursuing an outlaw with a substantial reward seems to offer an answer.

Then, while taking shelter from a storm, he discovers a badly injured woman who escaped from the outlaw and his gang. The criminal Shad is hunting has already inflicted terrible harm, and the woman needs help. His pursuit now involves an immediate human responsibility as well as his hopes for the future.

For readers who want a stronger dose of Western action between romance series, this is my pick. The hero has a concrete goal, the danger is established, and the story places someone vulnerable directly in his path.

The appeal is not that Shad abandons his dream. It is that pursuing it brings him into circumstances where money cannot be his only concern.

Guns for Hire also illustrates how collaborative projects come together. Caroline credited Charlene Raddon with conceiving the series and creating its covers through Silver Sage Cover Designs. Caroline’s Shad was book seven in that shared project.

Look for it through Caroline’s Guns for Hire series page.

4. Love Train: A Ticket Away from Trouble—Perhaps

Start with: Samantha

Choose this when you want: a heroine on the run, a train journey, and romantic suspense.

Samantha Hayes overhears her fiancé planning to marry her for her fortune and then kill her. She does not wait to see whether he means it. She boards a westbound train, hoping to escape before he can carry out his scheme.

Pinkerton agent Kent Butler follows at her aunt’s request. He tracks Samantha to Council Bluffs and boards the Union Pacific, but the assignment is not as straightforward as it first appears. The woman who hired him has secrets, and Samantha’s former fiancé and his henchmen remain a threat.

This is a good choice when you want a story that gets moving quickly—both literally and emotionally. Samantha has a reason to flee, Kent has a reason to follow, and danger gives them a reason to decide whether they can trust each other.

The railway setting adds a different atmosphere from a ranch or small-town romance. The characters are traveling toward a destination while trying to understand the trouble accompanying them. In Samantha, the journey toward North Platte becomes a test of trust as the threat closes in.

Discover the book on Caroline’s Love Train page.

5. Matchmaker’s Ball: One Invitation, Unexpected Consequences

Start with: Polka with Pauline

Choose this when you want: matchmaking, a Colorado setting, and romance with a suspenseful turn.

Pauline Brubaker travels from Denver to Creede, Colorado, to care for her aunt, who is recovering from a broken leg. Pauline expects the visit to be temporary. Her family and established life are elsewhere.

Then she meets Creighton Reed, a talented furniture maker. Mutual friends arrange for the two to attend a Matchmaker Ball together, providing an opportunity for their attraction to grow. But the budding relationship faces something far more serious than uncertainty about Pauline’s plans: a firebomb attack destroys Creighton’s workshop and home.

I recommend this one for readers who like the promise of a social occasion but do not want a story confined to pleasant conversations and dancing.

The invitation brings Pauline and Creighton together. The attack gives them urgent questions to answer. Alongside the danger is Pauline’s personal dilemma: what does an unexpected attachment mean for a woman who planned only a brief stay?

It is a useful reminder that a matchmaking premise can lead somewhere quite different from what the title first suggests.

Read more on the Matchmaker’s Ball page.

Which One Should You Read First?

For an easy starting point, choose by mood:

• Detective partners and conflicting opinions: An Agent for Magdala.

• Belonging and an unconventional marriage: A Bride for Gideon.

• Bounty hunting and Western danger: Shad.

• Escape and a suspenseful train journey: Samantha.

• Matchmaking with an unexpected threat: Polka with Pauline.

These are five invitations, not another reading assignment. Choose the premise that appeals to you, check the series listing for numbering or reading-order notes, and enjoy a different corner of Caroline’s fiction before returning to a longer series.