ARE SMART READERS ALSO LISTENERS? PLUS A GIVEAWAY.

Joan Reeves usually posts today, but she is moving and overwhelmed with life’s events. She asked me to post something in her spot. A perfect opportunity for me!

The AUDIO version of my award winning book, BRAZOS BRIDE, is now available. I have a couple of copies to give away FREE, my favorite price for anything.  The audio of this full length historical western romance is beautifully narrated by Valerie Gilbert.  To be entered in the drawing, all you have to do is leave a comment.

AUDIO BOOK COVER

Here’s the info on BRAZOS BRIDE:

Hope Montoya knows someone is poisoning her, but who? She suspects her mother was also poisoned and knows her father was murdered. Who wants her family eliminated? She vows to fight! She realizes she won’t last the eight months until she turns twenty-five and her uncle no longer controls her or her estate. Never will she be dominated by a man as she was by her father, as she has seen her mother and grandmothers dominated. If she marries, she gains control now, but only if she weds a man she can trust. Only one man meets her requirements. Can she trust him to protect her and capture the killer...but then to leave?

Micah Stone has been in love with Hope since the first time he saw her. But he was accused of her father’s murder and surely would have hung if not for his two brothers’ aid. Most in the community still believe him guilty. But the drought has him too worried about water for his dying cattle to care about his neighbors’ opinions. When Hope proposes a paper marriage in exchange for land on the Brazos River and much needed cash, her offer rubs his pride raw. His name may be Stone, but he’s not made of it. He can’t refuse her for long, and so their adventure begins. He and Hope have to stay alive and discover the killer before they become victims in the deadly assaults.

Palo Pinto Mountains from a valley

The novel is set in the Palo Pinto Mountains of North Central Texas. The Brazos River runs through these picturesque hills that are covered with cedar, post oak, live oak, and other native trees. Though by no means comparable to the Rockies, they are genuine mountains due to their geologic formation. Popular with the Comanche and Kiowa Indian tribes, they were not settled by anglos until the mid 1800’s. Indian raids against the whites continued until early 1870’s.

Real ranch house changed to a
hacienda in BRAZOS BRIDE

The ranch used as the location for Hope Montoya’s home is one I have visited on historic Palo Pinto County tours. I fell in love with the location and have used it in the Men of Stone Mountain trilogy, although I altered the home and fictionalized the town of Radford Springs. The ranch’s owner says the spot where the home is built was an annual Comanche gathering and camping area due to the convergence of two streams. The spring for one creek does not dry up even in drought times.

I love this book, this trilogy, and this part of Texas. Of course, I love all of Texas, but this locale is especially dear to my heart. The second in the Men of Stone Mountain trilogy, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, is currently being converted to an audio book and will be available in the near future.   

I hope you smart readers are also eager listeners.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blatant Promotion- Please Excuse Me.

I was sitting at my computer writing a reply to a comment on one of the blogs I'm on for a blog tour promoting my new release, Laying Claim, and I glanced at my date book and noticed I had to get a post pulled together for this blog, tomorrow! Eek! Did that ever sneak up on me! 

I am posted out from writing interesting posts for my blog tour. If you would like to read the ones that are up already, you can go to my blog, http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/2013/11/laying-claim-blog-tour.html and find all the blogs on my tour and read about the research I did to write Laying Claim, a historical western romance set in Alaska and the Yukon in 1898, during the Klondike Gold Rush. The tour is Nov. 10th to the 16th.Here is the cover, blurb and an excerpt of Laying Claim:

Jeremy Duncan commits to haul one last load of supplies across the great interior of the Yukon before heading home. But, he has to trade his pack animals for sled dogs and leave Skagway in the middle of a blizzard due to one strong-willed, business-minded beauty.

Determined to find her older brother, Clara Bixbee doesn’t care how she gets across the pass, as long as she does, and soon. Hiring handsome pack guide Jeremy Duncan seems to be her best choice. Especially after she saves a young girl being beaten by the local gang leader and needs to escape Skagway fast.

Excerpt:

    “Who’s there?” a female voice questioned through the wood barrier.
   “I have a trunk for a Clara Bixbee.”
   The door swung open. A girl stood in the opening. 
   He blinked. 
   No. A girl didn’t fill out the front of a dress like this one did. But she was small. Tinier even than his sister, and she barely came to his shoulder. 
   “It’s about time you brought my trunk. I’ve been waiting hours for it to arrive.” Her green eyes snapped with anger.
   “I don’t know who you asked to pick this up, but I found two thieves rummaging through it on the beach and saved it.”
   She gasped, then her small pink mouth set in a grim line. “I paid the clerk downstairs to have someone bring it to me.”
   No wonder the man had a startled look on his face when Jeremy hauled the trunk up the stairs. “Where would you like me to put it?”
   The woman stepped back, opening the door wider. “I cleared a spot over there. I’ve yet to meet my roommate but will have a word with her about this mess when she comes back.” 
   Jeremy set the trunk on the floor and turned to the woman. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a working woman’s bun, but her clothes, the ones she had on and the ones he’d sifted through in the trunk, were not working-class clothes.
   She stood with her hands on her hips, her head tipped back, eyeing him. “How did you know this was my trunk?”
   “After I chased the men off, I took it to my livery where I had some light and looked through it until I found the Bible with your name in it. Then I left it in safekeeping and started asking for you at the hotels.” 
   Her smooth, creamy skin flushed a deep pink. “You went through my trunk?” 
   “Would you rather I left it to the thieves who wouldn’t have brought it to you even after they took all they wanted from it?” While the woman was soothing on the eyes, he wasn’t keen on her attitude.
   She gasped and dropped to her knees in front of the trunk. Her tiny fingers clasped the broken latch where a key had most likely locked the box. She unclasped the other latches and dug down to the bottom of the trunk shoving the clothing, causing them to spill over the sides.
   Jeremy watched in fascination as she burrowed into the contents. She pulled out an oilcloth jacket and pushed her hand into a pocket. A smile crept across her face. Her hand reappeared empty. He’d guess she had money stashed in that coat. 
   He cleared his throat and she jumped. In her urgency to make sure she hadn’t been robbed, she’d forgotten he was still in the room.
   “Mr…?”
   “Jeremy Duncan. Miss…?” He hoped she didn’t say she was married. It would be a shame to have rifled through a married woman’s unmentionables. It would make fanaticizing about her not near as much fun.
   “Bixbee.” She frowned. “You know my name. Why are you asking?”

   He smiled. “Just figuring out if you’re married.”
   “I am not, and it isn’t proper for you to be in my room.” She pushed to her feet and stood, again, with her hands on her narrow hips. 
   Jeremy nodded to the open door. “The door isn’t closed so you haven’t been compromised.”

Buy Links

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GK50QWG

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/laying-claim-paty-jager/1117353101?ean=2940148913771
Another release I have coming out on the 18th but can be pre-ordered at Amazon is: Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology. Ten other authors and I wrote Christmas short stories set in Debra Holland's fictional town of Sweetwater Springs, Montana. We used her setting and some of her locals, but added our own new and some old characters. My story has Zeke and Maeve Halsey from my book Outlaw in Petticoats as secondary characters.

Because I took up so much room with Laying Claim, I'll leave you with the brief blurbs for each story in Sweetwater Springs Christmas.

E. AYERS - A CHRISTMAS FAR FROM HOME
Far from home and a young Wyoming rancher and the daughter of a Montana railroad businessman learn the true joy of Christmas is in giving. www.ayersbooks.com

LINDA CARROLL-BRADD - WISHES ON A STAR 
Will a wish on a star foretell the future of a young suffragette and a visiting rancher? www.lindacarroll-bradd.com

MJ FREDRICK - ABIGAIL'S CHRISTMAS ANGEL
A lonely widow and a lonelier marshal make peace with their past.   www.Mjfredrick.com 

DEBRA HOLLAND – THE GIFT OF MUSIC 
Can two reserved people overcome their limitations and find love? 

drdebraholland.com

DEBRA HOLLAND - A FAMILY FOR IKE 
A newly-orphaned boy finds and unexpected family.   drdebraholland.com

DEBRA HOLLAND - THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS
The town banker learns that perhaps some things are more important than money. 

drdebraholland.com

PATY JAGER – A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER
Ida doesn't remember the last two years, but her husband is determined to find her and reignite their love. www.patyjager.net 

JILL MARIE LANDIS - UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
A spinster discovers it's never too late to embrace love and the surprises life has in store. www.jillmarielandis.com

TRISH MILBURN – A NEW HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
A woman scarred in face and heart finds love with a cowboy.
www.trishmilburn.com

LINDA MCLAUGHLIN - THE BEST PRESENT
A grieving ten-year-old girl anticipating a sad Christmas receives some holiday surprises.www.lindamclaughlin.com

BEV PETTERSEN - THE CHRISTMAS CROSSING
With a little Christmas magic, two searching hearts discover they can bridge much more than a raging river.www.BevPettersen.com

TORI SCOTT – A PROMISE FOR CHRISTMAS
Faced with her first Montana winter without her husband, Rachel Tanner and her young son need a miracle.http://toriscott.blogspot.com

CYNTHIA WOOLF - SUGARPLUM DREAMS
Julia Bosworth travels west to fulfill a special dream and finds her heart’s desire.www.cynthiawoolf.com

Pre-order link:

http://amzn.com/B00G06W3SA




Paty Jager

www.patyjager.net

THE SECRET DOOR

By Ashley Kath-Bilsky

If you could go back in time and revisit a specific day or moment in your life, when would it be, and why? Would you try to change something you did, or a path you chose that led you to your present place and time? Perhaps you’d like to go back to have just one more conversation with someone you love – a mother, father, grandparent, spouse, or friend –someone who has passed on leaving you with so many unspoken words or unanswered questions?

There is no denying that I love history and the concept of time travel, or that both have played an important role in my desire to write historical fiction. Whether or not there is time travel in each of my novels, the period in which the story is set always provides me with that imaginary time travel experience, and I hope that the reader feels the same way.

But with Thanksgiving around the corner, and as the vibrant colors of autumn will soon fade and make way for winter, my thoughts turn not to a historical setting of a book, but to my lifetime.

Like many others, I reflect and count my blessings. I ponder the lessons I have learned, the stumbles I have made, and the dreams I still want to achieve. And, invariably, like a rising mist from a distant memory, I also think about loved ones, neighbors, teachers, and so many other people (most of whom died a long time ago), yet who continue to impact my life.

There was my pediatrician, Dr. Edwin Toddy, who cared for me since my birth and would come to our home with his black doctor’s bag whenever I was sick…which was often. I remember his concerned expression as he listened to my breathing, and the curious thump, thump, thump sound as he tapped my back to check for congestion. For every illness, big or small, this dear man treated me, and I’m sure all his patients, as if they were members of his family.

There was Mr. Sturgess, the retired policeman turned crossing guard who, whenever he saw me bundled up in a snowsuit and hardly able to walk, would smile, lift me up and carry me across the snowy streets safely to the schoolyard. He knew all the children by name, and he loved my mom’s fruitcake every Christmas. I see his smile now, as well as his somber expression when he told me I could not walk home on the opposite side of the street with a school friend because he knew I would eventually have to cross the street without his supervision to reach my home.

There was the school custodian whose kind face I remember, but whose name I cannot recall. Each Halloween he would open the school up and have apple cider and plain cake donuts for all the children out trick or treating.

There was an elderly couple who lived on our street. Like the custodian, their faces are imprinted in my heart but I don’t remember their names. They sat in rocking chairs and had two adorable cocker spaniels. With my mother’s permission, each afternoon when I was four years old, I would walk a few houses down to visit with them. I would sit and pet their dogs and wait for my older brother and sister to walk home from school. I can still remember the smell of yarn as the lady knitted and talked to me, while her husband read the paper and would chuckle softly at our conversation.

You might be asking yourself why I’m talking about these people now. Well, it’s because as a writer I recognize we are each products of our life experiences – good and bad. As a writer, I recognize the influence that people and events had not only on my growth as a person and my perception of the world, but in my approach to writing. Even the painful experiences, the mean girls who bullied you or pulled your hair as a child, the heartaches you suffered, the times you may have felt alone or as if you’ve been knocked down by life one time too many to ever stand upright again – all of these moments can not only help make you a stronger and more empathetic human being, but help a writer in their work, and in relating that work to a reader.

Years ago, as a student I first attempted to write a work of fiction. I doubted my ability or even what to write about. My professor said, “Write what you know.”

It is surprising how often life experiences inspire a writer. It may be a subtle nuance, help create a specific character, or even influence the plotline of the book.

Whether or not you write fiction or non-fiction, as a writer you want to connect with the reader on an emotional level. In romance novels, it is especially important that the characters resonate with a reader emotionally. The humanity of a novel’s characters, their flaws, strengths, fears and dreams, their struggles and hope for love, and the challenges or obstacles they face, will all combine to touch the heart of a reader, as well as entertain them.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”~ W.T. Purkiser

Each of us has walked through many doors in our lives, doors that brought us home, into the local library, or the many classrooms where teachers worked diligently to teach us how to read, write, and learn about history, science, and the world around us. Doors of churches, synagogues, museums, concert halls. Doors that brought us to the bedside of a loved one in a hospital, or the room where our child was born.

We may not be able to actually go back in time and revisit moments and people from our lives, but the secret door I talked about above is inside each of us, in our hearts and memories. All you have to do is picture the moment in your mind, turn the key, open the door…and remember.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope each of us draws strength and comfort from the moments in our past that perhaps tested us, and the people who helped to guide our footsteps, our understanding, and ultimately contributed to the person we are today. May each of us continue to grow as caring human beings, to believe in love and happy endings, and appreciate the blessings in our lives today. In ways we may not even realize, we are all connected and we have the potential to help others find comfort and even hope from our actions each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving. ~ AKB

The Life of a BURIED Author

I'm not buried, not in the dire physical sense, anyway.

All authors are different. Some make their writing their full time job. For me, not so lucky. I work a full-time job and haven't mastered the art of saying "NO," to many other obligations.

I bury myself under too many obligations and wonder where all my time goes. Precious time that I want to save for writing. But, as I scurry around, a blessing comes out of nowhere and saves the day.

I'd been struggling for awhile with a current work-in-progress. I couldn't relate to the direction the story was taking. In fact, I'd repeatedly deleted chapters and re-written scene after scene, to the point I had pondered scrapping it and starting from scratch. At the advice of a writing friend, I walked away from it for the last couple of weeks and focused on other things for awhile.

The timing was perfect because I had been so busy with other obligations, that I needed to free my mind. Can an author actually free their mind, I ask? With so many story ideas filtering through at a moment's notice, MY MIND is a cluttered closet that needs serious recycling!

Last night, I had dinner with friends in Uptown, a neat place north of Downtown Dallas. A really cool area of town with great urban feel... And the backdrop for the first two books of my Running Series.

On my way home from dinner, I made a wrong turn and ended up on a long journey of one-way side streets trying to get back to the major highway towards home. The one-way streets seemed reflective of my BURIED LIFE lately. All the side streets of my life were keeping me from staying focused and getting on track.

It was an epiphany!

The rest of my journey home, I made mental notes of all the things that were getting in my way of achieving success in the areas most important to me, and things that were burying me as an author. When I got home, I grabbed a blank piece of paper, wrote out my notes of my immediate to-do list and what my new goals and aspirations were. I suppose it was my New Year's resolution a bit early.

Today, as I start to UNBURY myself, I am going to LEARN to say NO more. I am going to prioritize  my obligations and free myself of the invisible chains that are holding me hostage.

If you are buried, I can suggest a great detour in Dallas! ~ LOL

Thanks for reading my ramblings today. I hope your day is blessed,

DeLaine

DeLaine Roberts
www.delaineroberts.com
@delaineroberts

Chasing Air     ~     Running To You     ~     Two Sides of a Heartbeat

Dreams

By Ellie James

I’ve always been a dreamer.

From the time I was a little girl, growing up in Louisiana, vivid images greeted me while I slept. There were all the standard dreams, about school and friends and monsters, flying and falling, being chased, being trapped. As I got older my dreams changed a bit, with boys entering the mix, and all sorts of exciting romantic scenarios. But I still had those scary dreams, the ones where you know you need to run, but your body betrays you, and you can’t move a single muscle, where you lay there in bed, paralyzed and terrified…

By the time I met my husband, I was a young adult living alone in my own apartment. We married, and wow was he surprised the first time I let out a blood-curdling scream in the middle of the night—and smacked him silly!

With time, my nightmares faded, but my dreams remained vivid. While my husband dreamed of playing Scottish links with life-sized bunny rabbits, I found myself wandering University with no idea where I was supposed to go, or even on occasion walking down the aisle of a grand cathedral, with no idea who I was about to marry. (Yes, I’m sure Freud would have a brilliant time with that one!) But other dreams were there, too, the kind of dreams that guide you while you’re awake, the dreams that carry you into the future.  For me I dreamed of writing books, of telling stories of suspense and danger and, always, romance.

I suppose it’s only fitting that both waking and sleeping dreams combined to create my first Young Adult novel, Shattered Dreams. Shortly after my son was born, I closed my eyes late one night (or was it early one morning?) and suddenly saw a group of teenagers sneaking into a beautiful but long-abandoned mansion in the Garden District of New Orleans. But I was more than simply watching. I was there. I was one of them. I gazed into the darkness and smelled the decay. I saw the strange piles of corn and ashes and bone, the slip of the shadows, and I jumped at the sound of branches scraping the grimy windows. There were mean girls and a guy who made my heart pound, and we all made our way up the rotting staircase for a seemingly innocent game of truth or dare.

But there was nothing innocent about it.

I woke up breathless, and more than a little surprised. Unlike dreams that fade, the images lingered. It was all so real and vivid. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d experienced, and from that, the questions came: What happened next? What if one of the teens was a psychic? What if she saw something…something bad?  What if what she saw actually happened? What if no one believed her, or at least, no one but the last guy she should let herself begin to fall for?

As I answered those questions, Shattered Dreams was born!

What about you, have you had dreams so real you would swear they were?

What if they are?

Welcome to the Pickle Barrel

The Fun Part of an Author's Life

by Jacquie Rogers

If you keep up with writers' blogs, you'll see a bazillion articles every day about the trials and tribulations that authors have to endure to stay in the business.  Yep, they're real and you know them all — the total time suck of promotion, confusion over the Next Big Trend, befuddlement of marketing, yada, yada, yada.  Despite all that, we persist.  Why?

Because we love to tell stories and we love for you to love them.

We also like to have a good time with others who love books as much as we do.  For those of you who participated in the 9 Ways to Fall in Love boxed set party, you know what I mean.  We had a month-long party and got to know one another pretty well.  It was grand.

Friends had been urging me to form a Facebook group for a long time, but with writing and all the aforementioned authorly things to do, plus dodging four little boys, I just never got around to it.  Well, now I have, and several of the 9 Ways party animals are there, so we're still having a good time.  You just can't keep a good party down.

Where's it at?  The Pickle Barrel Bar & Books.

This is where we have a party now and then, have fun with books, and is the first place I announce my latest releases.  (No, it's not a street team.)  We talk about everything from ghost towns to chickens, and you get a hand stamp when you join, so be careful not to wash it off.

To go along with this, I also started the Pickle Barrel Bar & Books Newsletter, which is only released when I have actual news.  A regularly scheduled newsletter seemed like one more "have-to" to me, and I didn't think I could deal with it, so when there's a contest that might interest my readers, or if I have a new release, then I send out a one-pager.  I hope you'll sign up.

So now, for my latest releases (and I have another release from Western Fictioneers due out tomorrow!):

Sleight of hand, or...

Sleight of Heart

A Straight-Laced Spinster 

Lexie Campbell, more comfortable with neat and tidy numbers than messy emotions, is determined find the sharper who ruined her little sister and make him marry her. When his lookalike brother Burke appears, she greets him with a rifle and forces him to help her. Can she resist his magic charm? 

A Gambler With Magic Hands 

To claim the family fortune, smooth-dealing Burke O'Shaughnessy has to find his brother Patrick, despite being saddled with an angry spinster. But when Lexie shows an astounding talent for counting cards and calculating odds, he figures she might be useful after all. Can he draw the queen of hearts? 

Another wonderful tale from Jacquie Rogers. I could clearly picture the hard benches, soot and steam of the train, the private cars, the gambling tables and opulent hotels. Burke is a handsome, cheeky and generous gambler who weaves his way into your heart. You can picture Lexie with her straight backed, 'holier than thou' attitude. It is heart warming to read as Burke breaks down her barriers and wins the girl of his dreams. Great read that I highly recommend. ~ Susan Horsnell

And just in time to bring in the Christmas season:

Cowboys, kisses and love in the holiday air make for a special recipe in each of these wonderful new stories. Christmas miracles can happen when you're Wishing for a Cowboy!


A Christmas Miracle by Phyliss Miranda
Acceptance comes not through frosty eyes, but from the warmth of loving hearts.

Outlaw's Kiss by Cheryl Pierson
A long-ago schooldays crush is rekindled by an Outlaw's Kiss that sparks true love, and a new future for Jake Morgan and Talia Delano.

A Husband for Christmas by Sarah J. McNeal
A haunting night of horror and a wish for a new life.

Peaches by Kathleen Rice Adams
When a strong-willed schoolteacher invades an irascible rancher's Texas range, not even the spirit of Christmas may be able to prevent all-out war.

A Gift for Rhoda by Jacquie Rogers
A mail-order bride disaster!

Her Christmas Wish by Tracy Garrett
Her only wish for Christmas was the man who left her behind.

Covenant by Tanya Hanson
Can a Christmas blizzard ignite love gone cold?

Charlie's Pie by Livia J. Washburn
A wounded man, a desperate woman, a gang of ruthless outlaws... and the best pecan pie in Parker County!

Kindle | Smashwords | Print

THANKS FOR A SUPER LAUNCH DAY FOR THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP!

By Caroline Clemmons

Dear Readers,

Thanks to everyone who made the Facebook launch day for  my western historical romance, THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP, fun. Please spread the word and make this book a bestseller on Amazon and other sites.

This book was difficult to write. I started before we decided to move from our rural home and downsize to a home in the city. Although I love our new-to-us home and location, moving about killed us. We had accumulated way too much stuff and were forced to make hard decisions about what to discard. In fact, we are still making those decisions.

Trying to get into the writing zone while moving proved almost impossible. My Hero did far more than his share of packing, hauling, and sorting. And there was a lot to haul to charities or the dump. We saved some collectibles so long they were no longer collectible and qualified only as junk.

Anyway, now we’re moved into our cozy home that is close to everything. We love the convenience. But I have digressed.

THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP is about Storm Kincaid, brother of the heroines in THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE and THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND. Storm’s mother was Cherokee and he inherited her coloring. But he has the startling purple-blue eyes of his father.

The heroine of this book is Renata “Rena” Hausmann Dmitriev, who has come from Bavaria with the man who rescued her from death. To protect her further, Abram Dmitriev married Rena in name only. Now she’s a widow and curious to know more about what goes on between men and women.

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

She emerged from the brush straightening her trousers and shoving her pistol back into her waistband. “Where do you think those men are going?”

“Indian Territory. They’ll steal all they can before they reach the Red River and leave no survivors to identify them. They’re selling off the stolen stock along the way, so that will slow them some.” He wondered if she knew how to use the gun.

“But I saw their faces.”

He sent her what he hoped was a frightening stare. “If they knew that, you’d be dead for sure.”

She shivered, but glared at him. “Do not think to frighten me. I will do everything I can to kill these men and reclaim my gold and my mother’s locket. It is not that I care about the jewelry that once belonged to Abram’s wife. But to him, it meant a great deal, and I want it because he gave it to me.”

Storm wanted to shake her. Not that he hadn’t lived all his life with stubborn women. At least his oldest sister Pearl made sense. He’d worried about shy Sarah, especially when she’d appeared head over heels with a con man. Now that Sarah and Nate were married, she had life figured out. Nate had surprised everyone, even himself. Storm suppressed a smile and worked up his anger again at his traveling companion.

“We can be in Llano by nightfall. We’ll get a couple of rooms there and you can rest.”

She shot him a suspicious glare. “You think to abandon me in that town. If we stay somewhere, we will be in the same room so I can watch you.”

Shocked, Storm wondered what he could do with this woman. “We wouldn’t be allowed to stay in a decent hotel. You want to sleep over a saloon? Besides that, folks will be shocked when they see you in those trousers. You want people to think you’re a fallen woman?”

With her chin raised, she placed her hands on her hips. “I am a good woman. You can tell them we are married and I wear britches to ride more easily.” She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “I have a wedding band, see?”

He raised his hands and backed up a step. “Oh, no. I’m not even pretending to be married. If I were ready to marry, which I’m not, I’d pick a woman who knew when to let a man do his job.”

“Ha, and when I recover my dowry, I will marry a man who knows a woman can do as much as a man.”

He swept a formal bow. “And when you marry, will you be wearing the lovely gown you now wear?”

She appeared angry enough to use that Colt on him. “You are wrong to…to talk so. I do not have the English words to tell you what I think, but do not try to leave me behind. If you do, I will go after the men alone.”

Disgusted, Storm stomped over and retrieved the horses. “Then let’s go.”

They rode into Llano in late afternoon. Since they arrived mid week, the town appeared peaceful and quiet. Storm spotted a hotel by the livery he remembered.

“If you’re determined to stick to me like glue, let’s stable the horses.”

At the stable, she staggered when she dismounted and he thought she might fall. He grabbed her arms. “Steady. You’re not used to riding so long.”

“Ja, my legs do not work so well. Do not worry, I will be fine in a minute.”

She remained quiet while he dealt with the hostler and insured his rifle and saddle would be safe. He threw his saddlebags over his shoulder and retrieved the two pillowcases and box he’d tied to the saddle pommel. They ambled the block toward the hotel.

 He indicated a mercantile. “Just what we need. After we get our room, let’s head for that store before it closes. You probably need to replace a few things that burned.” When she glared at him. “I’ll give you the money, all right? I don’t want folks thinking my wife runs around in men’s clothes. If anyone gets nosy, tell them you lost your bag crossing a river.”

She sniffed and sashayed as if she wore a ball gown instead of ill-fitting men’s trousers. “I will keep track and repay you when I kill those men.”

I hope you will read and enjoy THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP. The buy links are:

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/361261?ref=CarolineClemmons

Amazon in print and ebook:  http://www.amazon.com/Most-Unsuitable-Courtship-Kincaids-ebook/dp/B00G5YXI6I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383413219&sr=1-1&keywords=caroline+clemmons

If you read this book, please leave a review on Amazon.