Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Her Heart's Desire
    Her Heart's Desire
    Her Heart's Desire
    Ebook178 pages2 hours

    Her Heart's Desire

    By Ruth Ann Nordin

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    As soon as Sally Larson meets Rick Johnson, she knows he's the one for her. The catch? He's interested in her friend, Ethel Mae. But Sally has a plan. With Ethel Mae's help, she convinces Rick that the only way he'll get Ethel Mae is to make her jealous. He agrees, but he has a trick or two up his sleeve. Sally just might find that the one playing cat is really the mouse.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRuth Ann Nordin
    Release dateMay 23, 2012
    ISBN9781476126180
    Her Heart's Desire
    Author

    Ruth Ann Nordin

    Ruth Ann Nordin has written almost 100 romances, ranging from Regencies to historical westerns to contemporaries. She plays with other genres from time to time, but her first love is romance. She has been happily married for twenty-two years to a sweet and funny guy, and they have four sons, who are all taller than Ruth now that they're 16, 17, 19, and 20. The good thing is she doesn't need a ladder. She considers herself very lucky to have led such a charmed life. Being able to play with characters and create stories is just icing on the cake. Hopefully, she'll get to keep doing this many years to come.

    Read more from Ruth Ann Nordin

    Related to Her Heart's Desire

    Titles in the series (11)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Historical Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      Secrets and LIES

      Mar 17, 2021

      Secrets and LIES
      6 min read

    • Article

      THE Well-wishers

      Nov 17, 2021

      THE Well-wishers
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Strange REQUEST

      Sep 30, 2020

      A Strange REQUEST
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sisters and DAUGHTERS

      Jan 23, 2024

      Sisters and DAUGHTERS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Feeling LUCKY

      Sep 15, 2021

      Feeling LUCKY
      9 min read

    • Article

      Suspicious Minds

      Apr 7, 2022

      Suspicious Minds
      5 min read

    • Article

      LOVE Is The Word

      Jan 3, 2023

      LOVE Is The Word
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Little BALLERINA

      Aug 5, 2020

      The Little BALLERINA
      6 min read

    • Article

      Time For A Change

      Jul 9, 2021

      Time For A Change
      5 min read

    • Article

      The channel OF LOVE

      Sep 7, 2022

      The channel OF LOVE
      9 min read

    • Article

      A New Year List

      Dec 21, 2021

      A New Year List
      7 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      Justanother Day

      May 31, 2022

      Justanother Day
      6 min read

    • Article

      Little CHARMS

      Oct 19, 2022

      Little CHARMS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Clarity

      Feb 1, 2019

      Clarity
      6 min read

    • Article

      All AT SEA

      Jan 17, 2023

      All AT SEA
      6 min read

    • Article

      Family Matters

      May 15, 2020

      Family Matters
      5 min read

    • Article

      All for Love

      Mar 5, 2021

      All for Love
      5 min read

    • Article

      Helen

      Jun 5, 2023

      She was a friend of my family—the Carlins, as I have chosen to call them. She and my father met in the fifties through the editor of the architecture magazine where she began her career. My father had taken her out a few times. They were never lovers

      30 min read

    • Article

      A New Year LIST

      Dec 28, 2023

      A New Year LIST
      6 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Tale Of Two MOTHERS

      Feb 13, 2022

      I am a man doubly blessed. And, no, I don’t have two houses, two cars or two good reasons for everything I do. The truth is much better than all of those things put together, because I have two mothers-in-law. And I’m not announcing this with tongue

      2 min read

    • Article

      Clifton’s Place

      Mar 1, 2018

      THE SIGN outside the bar had appeared only recently. It announced the bar’s name and hours of operation, clear indications that this was not just another townhouse basement. Still, despite the listed business hours, no one got in before the sun went

      32 min read

    • Article

      Telltale SIGNS

      Oct 18, 2023

      Telltale SIGNS
      8 min read

    • Article

      The King’s passion

      Aug 11, 2021

      The King’s passion
      11 min read

    • Article

      The King’s passion

      Aug 11, 2021

      The King’s passion
      11 min read

    • Article

      Rebecca Gibney

      Dec 28, 2023

      Rebecca Gibney
      10 min read

    • Article

      Love And The LAND GIRL

      May 26, 2021

      Love And The LAND GIRL
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Her Heart's Desire

    3.5/5

    25 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Her Heart's DesireBy Ruth Ann NordinThis was such a fun read. Witty characters, easy-going plot and sweet romance. Great one to grab a blanket, a cup of coffee and relax in your favorite chair as you have a can't put the book down afternoon. No it doesn't have complicated plot and much is predictable but Nordinn weaves her storytelling in such a way you just enjoy the relaxed tone.I loved how she developed so many of the characters. I felt I was sitting on the porch of farmhouse and could envision not only the characters but the surroundings. Nordin paints a picture with her pen taking us along with her on this ride.There were a couple spots I felt some could have been changed. Discussing these would spoil parts of the book for those who have not read. No way.** This contain explicit sexual material within marriage.
    • 3/5
      As someone who used to live in Omaha, I found this book somewhat appealing. It's a good book, for the most part, but it didn't draw me in completely. Basically two girls conspire to make a man fall in love with one of them. He's interested in one of them, but she doesn't return his affections. The other girl, however, seems to think the world of him and plots to make him like her.

      All in all, you'll find it funny and you might even chuckle out loud! But it's not a five star book by any means.

      ((((WARNING))) There will be some graphic sex scenes after the wedding. So I can't say it's a "clean* book.
    • 1/5
      The writing was choppy and the plot seemed contrived. Events seemed forced; they didn't proceeds naturally. The characters were very two dimensional.
    • 5/5
      A special book about what goes on in a large family in early America

    Book preview

    Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin

    Nebraska Series: Book 1

    Her

    Heart’s Desire

    Ruth Ann Nordin

    Her Heart’s Desire

    Published by Ruth Ann Nordin

    Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Ann Nordin

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Cover Photo images Dreamstime. www.dreamstime.com All rights reserved – used with permission.

    http://www.ruthannnordin.com

    Dedicated to my husband, Tony. You are still my heart’s desire after twelve years of marriage.

    Table of Contents

    Chapter One

    Chapter Two

    Chapter Three

    Chapter Four

    Chapter Five

    Chapter Six

    Chapter Seven

    Chapter Eight

    Chapter Nine

    Chapter Ten

    Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Thirteen

    Epilogue

    Books Featuring the Larsons

    List of Ruth Ann Nordin’s Romances

    Find Ruth Ann Nordin

    Chapter One

    Omaha, Nebraska

    April 1867

    As soon as Sally Larson saw him enter her friend’s house, she fell in love. Rick Johnson. That was his name, and she decided right then and there that she’d one day be Mrs. Sally Johnson. How she was going to make this happen, she didn’t know. At the moment, Rick was hoping to court her good friend, Ethel Mae Jordan. But Ethel Mae confided in her that she did not return his affections. So, there was nothing stopping Sally from pursuing Rick. All she needed to do was convince him that he’d be happier with her than with Ethel Mae.

    Ethel Mae motioned for Rick to sit in the chair which was across from the couch where Sally rested. I hope you don’t mind that my friend, Sally, is here, Ethel Mae told him as she poured him a cup of tea. Here. I’ll take your hat.

    Rick handed her the hat and smiled. No, I don’t mind. It’s nice to meet you, Sally.

    He said her name! Sally thought she might swoon. She loved the sound of his voice, especially when he spoke her name. The word seemed to roll so easily off his tongue, almost like he’d spent his whole life saying it. And he was gorgeous. In fact, she was certain that in all of her nineteen years, she’d never seen a better looking man. Dark brown wavy hair parted neatly on the right side, brown eyes, and the hint of a dimple on his cheeks when he smiled. He wore a nicely pressed brown suit that fit just right on his broad shoulders and tall, slender frame. She’d love nothing more than for him to pick her up and carry her right over the threshold to their new home.

    Do you want more tea, Sally? Ethel Mae asked her.

    Blinking away the images of their future wedding day, Sally forced her gaze off of Rick. Yes, please. She lifted her cup while her friend poured the hot liquid into it.

    Before you came, I was telling Sally you recently moved to town, Ethel Mae said.

    Oh? Rick asked.

    Ethel Mae put the teapot down on the tray which rested on the table between the couch and chair. She sat by Sally and picked up her cup. Yes. I was saying you came from Vermont.

    Sally turned her attention to him. You didn’t come out west because of the Homestead Act, did you?

    No. He shook his head. I wouldn’t know the first thing about raising crops.

    Ethel Mae laughed a little too loudly, a nervous habit Sally recognized. Farming can be tricky, I suppose, but Sally’s parents maintain a farm just north of here.

    My family came out here two years ago from New York, Sally explained. My father found out about the Homestead Act and decided to try his hand at farming. We didn’t know anything about it until we got here.

    He took a sip from his cup and said, Then your father is a braver man than I am.

    Oh, I don’t know if he was brave, Sally began, holding the cup in her lap. He was sick of being in a crowded area. We had neighbors on either side of our house, and the street we were on was a busy one with horses and people passing by all the time. She shrugged. It was the land that appealed to him. Still does, in fact. He prefers to wake up in the morning, step outside, and see nothing but open land and the endless sky. He says it’s the best decision he ever made.

    Realizing she was rambling, Sally stopped and retrieved a cookie so she’d have something to put in her mouth. She didn’t want to lose his interest because she said too much. Her brothers often chided her for talking too much, especially her brother Tom who said he couldn’t imagine any man who wanted to sit and listen to a woman gab all day. And Sally could talk all day long.

    Ethel Mae patted Sally’s hand. I’m glad your family came out here. We wouldn’t have met otherwise.

    As Sally chewed the cookie, she nodded her agreement and tucked a stray strand of her blond hair behind her ear. Her gaze kept going to Rick. How could her friend resist someone as attractive as him?

    After Rick took a drink from his cup, he set it down on the table. My true love is the United States Constitution. I’m afraid nothing will ever pull me away from it, though I have all the respect in the world for farmers. They have to face harsh weather and bugs.

    Sally shuddered. Like a swarm of locusts devouring crops.

    Exactly, he replied. That’s not for me.

    After a moment of silence fell between them, Ethel Mae told Sally, Rick is the new judge at the courthouse.

    Oh, I heard we got a new judge, Sally said, wondering why Ethel Mae didn’t mention that Rick was the one who took Judge Williams’ place after his untimely death. Is that why you moved to Omaha, Rick?

    Yes, he replied, setting his elbows on the arms of the chair and clasping his hands in front of him. Also, it didn’t hurt that Judge Townsend is an old friend of the family. There were no positions open where I lived, so I came out here.

    What do you think of Omaha? Sally asked.

    It’s fine. I certainly can’t complain about the people I’ve met.

    His gaze went to Ethel Mae, and Sally’s smile faltered for a moment—but just for a moment. He’d only met her. Surely, she had to give him more time to get used to the idea that he was going to marry her instead of her friend.

    Well, Sally is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, her friend said.

    I’m sure she is. She wouldn’t be your friend if she wasn’t, he replied.

    Ethel Mae offered Rick a nervous laugh as her gaze darted in Sally’s direction. Her eyes met Sally’s, and Sally recognized the silent plea she was sending her. Ethel Mae was trying to divert Rick’s attention off of her but didn’t know how, and as Sally sat there, she didn’t know how to do that either. Well, at least not without boring him with talk of her family, the farm, or the weather. But he was a judge, so maybe she should pursue that angle.

    Clearing her throat, Sally directed her gaze to Rick and asked, What made you decide to be a judge?

    Granted, his answer was bound to bore her and Ethel Mae to no end, but it was far better for them to be bored than for him to be. If he was bored, then he might never want to talk to her again, something she desperately wanted to avoid.

    It was something I was always interested in, Rick said with a shrug. I don’t recall the exact moment I knew I’d be a judge, but when I was a child, I made it a point to memorize the Constitution.

    You did? Sally asked, surprised someone would want to do that.

    I did that and read letters our Founding Fathers wrote.

    She was amazed at his dedication. A man who could pursue his career with such vigor would be a most excellent husband. While the three of them continued to make idle chitchat, it became apparent how much Rick wanted to court Ethel Mae. He’d lean forward in interest if she said something and gave her a wide smile each time he talked to her. Granted, he was kind and polite to her, but Sally didn’t want the formal friendliness he extended to her. She wanted him to respond to her with the same enthusiasm he showed Ethel Mae.

    Rick checked his pocket watch and sighed. I’m afraid I have to go back to work. He swallowed the rest of his tea and stood up.

    A plan formed in Sally’s mind, and she jumped up. Thank you for the lovely visit, Ethel Mae. I must be going as well.

    Ethel Mae glanced at her with furrowed brows but didn’t remind her that she was supposed to visit with her for the entire afternoon.

    I’ll speak to you again soon, Sally told her friend, hoping she understood the subtle hint in her message.

    Ethel Mae’s eyes lit up with understanding. Oh, yes. Well, then soon it will be.

    Sally joined Rick as he followed Ethel Mae to the front door. She had to be careful in how she talked to him. The slightest wrong word might make him suspect she was planning to snag him from her friend, and there was no way he’d willingly court another woman—at least not this early in the game.

    Rick took his hat from the coat tree and placed it on his head. Smiling at Ethel Mae, he asked, May I visit you on Saturday?

    Ethel Mae gave a slight wince. I’m not sure what my parents have planned for that day. Can I answer you at a later time?

    Though he looked disappointed, he said, Of course.

    Sally retrieved her bonnet from the coat tree and put it on, pulling the strings loosely under her chin. Are you heading straight for the courthouse? she asked Rick.

    Yes, he said as he opened the door.

    I’m going in that direction, she said. Mind if I join you?

    No, I suppose not.

    Refusing to let his lack of enthusiasm get to her, she waited until his back was turned and mouthed the words, I’ll be back, to her friend who nodded. She followed Rick out of the house and pulled the brim of her bonnet further out so it shielded her eyes from the sun.

    After her friend shut the door, Sally joined Rick and strolled down the side of the dusty street. Rick motioned for her to walk on his other side. If a horse comes by too fast, the dust won’t get on you, he explained.

    Most riders don’t race through here, Sally replied as she went to his other side.

    Not most. But why take the chance?

    You’re right. And thank you.

    He shrugged. It’s common courtesy. There’s no need to thank me.

    Maybe not, but she still appreciated his thoughtfulness. Taking a deep breath, she decided to put her plan into action. I notice you’re quite taken with my friend.

    His face grew pink. I’m sure she’s noticed, too.

    Do you plan to ask her if you can court her?

    Yes. I thought I’d visit her a couple more times, see how things go, and then ask. I don’t want to seem too eager.

    Pretending to be relieved, she chuckled. That’s good because you have to be careful in how you approach things.

    His steps slowed and he gave her a good look. I do?

    Of course. She slowed down to meet his new pace. Have you ever courted a woman?

    No.

    Then I’m glad I happened to be visiting my friend when you stopped by. Granted, Ethel Mae asked Sally to come because she knew Rick was coming over, but he didn’t need to know that. Choosing her words carefully, she continued, My friend is wonderful. You will be very happy with her.

    His smile widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but she decided to beat him to it.

    The problem is, my friend prefers men who aren’t easy to get. I hate to tell you this, but you’re a little too excited about courting her. She’ll see that and wonder why.

    It should be obvious why I’m excited about it. She’s beautiful and kind and—

    Sally yawned and held up her hand. But where’s the challenge? Does she have to fight for you? Does she have to wonder if you love her or not? You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? It’s all too easy.

    His eyebrows furrowed. I’m afraid I don’t understand.

    All I’m saying is that women like to know that the man could have had someone else but chose them. You’d be more desirable to her if you feigned interest in another woman who feigned interest back.

    He laughed and shook his head. That doesn’t make any sense.

    Her heart sped up. He wasn’t falling for it! She had to use another tactic,

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1