He’s
a sexy Southern gentleman—with epilepsy. She’s a widow scarred from her late
husband’s brain cancer. Her new home, an abandoned antebellum mansion, is
haunted by a Confederate soldier—and she’s a Yankee.
A widow with no family, web
designer Liv Larson yearns for big change. After all, she can work from anywhere,
right? Why not throw a dart at the map? She heads out of the big city for the
rural South and falls in love as soon as she arrives—with the Belle Bride, an
abandoned antebellum mansion.
Heath Barrow loves his country
life, managing his antiques store in sleepy Camellia. But he’s lonely, and his
condition—epilepsy—makes life uncertain. It’s already cost him a marriage. A
new medication and the new girl in town have his heart hopeful again.
Sparks fly between Heath and Liv.
But his first seizure sends Liv into a tailspin. Its mimics those her husband
suffered before he died . . .
To make matters worse, Liv
discovers she’s not living alone. Her challenge? Dealing with a Confederate
soldier, one who clearly resents his Yankee roommate—even though he’s been dead
for over a hundred and fifty years.
Claire
Gem met with Heath Barrow in his store, Heath’s
Heirlooms, to get to know him better. Heath lives and works in sleepy
Camellia, Alabama. He is divorced and is quite a looker—sexy brown curls and
chocolate eyes.
Claire:
Thanks for allowing this time with me today, Heath. This is quite a store you
have here! Looks like you have a little bit of everything.
Heath:
Yes, I guess I do. I was bitten by the antiques bug when I was a kid, when my
dad hauled my sister and I around to every auction within two hundred miles. It
was just the natural thing to do when I graduated with my marketing degree to
sell the things I knew the most about. I sell reproduction furniture too.
Claire:
Did your sister stay in the business too?
Heath:
She did. Cynthia manages my warehouse in Birmingham, and I rent her a little
shop in the front to sell her vintage glassware and jewelry.
Claire:
Vintage jewelry, huh? What kind?
Heath:
Oh, she’s obsessed with the Victorian era. There’s something called “mourning
jewelry” that she collects and sells, but personally, the stuff gives me the
creeps.
Claire:
Why’s that?
Heath:
It’s made with the hair from dead people. Seriously! Sometimes it’s woven into
intricate lace-sort of stuff, and other times it’s encased behind glass, like
in a frame. (He closes his eyes and shudders). Morbid.
Claire:
I’ve never heard of anything like that. I think it would give me the creeps
too.
Heath:
Yeah, well, a lot of people are fascinated by it. Like this new girl in
town—the one who bought the old Belle Bride? She went into Cynthia’s shop
yesterday and bought a brooch with two different
kinds of hair in it. Two different dead people.
Claire:
The Belle Bride . . . I’ve heard rumors about that place. What’s the deal?
Heath:
It’s been mostly empty as long as I can remember. People buy it but leave
within the first year. Nobody has ever stayed around long enough to fix it up.
The last family restored the little barn out back but never even moved in.
Claire:
You think it’s haunted?
Heath (shaking
his head): I’m not one to believe in all that. I think it’s just a really big
project sitting out in the middle of nowhere. People’s imaginations run away
with them.
Claire: This
new girl, what’s she like?
Heath
(sliding his eyes off to the side and heaving a big sigh): Darn pretty. But I
doubt she’ll last long out here in the boondocks. She’s a city girl, from New
York.
Claire:
What’s she doing here?
Heath:
Damn if I know. She got it in her head she wants a new start, one completely
different from the life she had. Not sure why. I’m going to try to get to know
her better, though . . .
Claire
(with a wink): Love interest, maybe?
Heath: I
doubt it. Like I said, she’s a city girl. I don’t do well with those.
Claire:
Why do you say that?
Heath: I
was married once, to a local girl. But she’d spent her college years in
Atlanta, and the city bug had bitten her. It didn’t take too long before she
realized that Camellia wasn’t her thing. Or me.
Claire:
I’m sorry to hear that, Heath.
Heath
(running his fingers through his curls): Yeah, well, that wasn’t the only
thing. I have a . . . condition. I’m epileptic. I’m on medication, but I still
get a seizure every now and then. I had one at a most inopportune time for my
ex—right in the middle of her big dinner party. That was the final straw that
snapped our marriage, I think.
Claire:
That’s terrible. I would think, if she truly loved you, she would have been
more understanding.
Heath:
She wasn’t, so I guess she didn’t. (He shrugs) I guess I’m sentenced to a life
lived alone.
Claire:
Maybe this city girl . . . what’s her name? Maybe she will be different.
Heath:
Olivia Larson. Says to call her Liv. I hate to get my hopes up about her, but
it’s really hard not to. She really got to me, right from the minute she first
walked into my shop. (He stands and extends his hand) I’m headed out to an
auction now, Claire. But it was really nice meeting you. And good luck with the
book.
Claire:
Same here, Heath. And best of luck getting to know Liv Larson. I can’t wait to
see what happens between you two.
“Civil Hearts”
is available through:
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Claire Gem
Thank you, Bonnie, for having me as a guest on your blog.
ReplyDeleteLoved the interview. Thanks for sharing!
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