RACHEL, FREIGHT WAGONS, AND PRISON

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I’ve loved writing the story of each woman in the Bride Brigade. Many readers have contacted me to tell me how much they’ve loved them. On Friday, the last of the series, PRUDENCE, will be published. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll read the series of sweet romances (RACHEL includes one curse word).

The story of RACHEL, Bride Brigade 5, is one of my favorite and sent me researching two subjects. The first was women in prison, which was the most difficult of the two—and disturbing. I could discover no specific instances regarding Virginia, where Rachel was falsely imprisoned. Stories of deprivations and violations abound about treatment of women prisoners throughout history and today. In the nineteenth century West, juries and judges tended to give women lighter sentences that involved local jail time, but not prison, except in the most severe cases. For many years in Texas, women who were sentenced to prison were sent to the male prison at Huntsville until a female unit was finally constructed.

Huntsville, Texas, prison 1870s

The other area involved freight wagons. I had researched this for my novel HIGH STAKES BRIDE, and that subject has more information. My favorite tale on freighting involved Brit Johnson, a black freedman. When his wife and children—along with others—were kidnapped by Indians, Brit went after them. He recovered his family and all but one of the other captives. Unfortunately, Brit’s freight wagon was attacked by a large band of Kiowa. Each of those with Brit was killed. Brit—after firing 179 shells to defend himself, was the last to die. A sad end for a heroic man.

Mules pulling heavy freight were
hardier on hills than horses

That gives you insight into the danger of driving freight wagons. The cargo and the men protecting the goods were at risk for attack by renegades of all nationalities. In RACHEL, the freight company owner is Zane Evans, also the story’s hero. To protect his wagon, he cleverly hires four former gunslingers to ride as guards. Zane is a former Pinkerton agent, so he is no stranger to danger. In RACHEL, he finds more threat.

Imagine living in a remote area where every item you needed and couldn’t grow had to be brought in on freight wagons. The cost of paying freight would be passed on to you, the customer. No Costco or Sam’s or WalMart or Target. Not even a Walgreen’s or Dollar Store. ☺ I would be at a definite disadvantage. Was life in a new, isolated area worth the hazards? Fortunately for us, many people thought it was.

Here’s the summary of RACHEL:

A shameful past…

Rachel Ross’ secret haunts her. She joins other women leaving Virginia for Texas, object matrimony. Vowing never to trust again, she is rebuilding her life. She likes the dusty little town of Tarnation and is attracted to Zane Evans. She accepts a job as his bookkeeper. Her past has made her cautious and she vows never to let down her guard. The attraction is there, and she allows him to court her.

Zane Evans is a former Pinkerton agent who wants to forget all he saw in that profession and in the war and build a good life in Tarnation, Texas. He has carefully planned his future. He’d never believed in love at first sight until he meets Rachel. Now he’s determined to discover and remove the reason her beautiful brown eyes look haunted.

One event reveals her past in a spectacular way. Will Zane forgive her silence?

Here’s the URL for the book at Amazon: http://a.co/5JqLTuc      

Here’s an excerpt:

Unable to bear waiting any longer, Zane cupped Rachel’s delicate face in his hands. He expected shock or surprise but she merely gazed at him with her berry-colored lips parted. Did she realize what an invitation she offered?

“Rachel, promise me you won’t accept another man’s proposal while I’m gone. Please, give me a chance to court you.” Damn, he sounded pathetic.

Her gorgeous smile wiped away all his embarrassment. “I promise. Will you promise me you’ll be extra careful on your trip?”

“I will. Now that I’ve found you, I have a powerful reason to remain alive.” When her eyes widened, he added, “Rachel, we never take risks, and my guards are very good. And, I’m hardly defenseless.”

She grasped his forearms. “Hauling freight is taking a chance, but I realize someone has to bring in supplies. We’d be in trouble if we only had things the stage can carry.”

“Most of the businesses would shut down. Even the doctor occasionally has me bring in supplies and medicines.”

She smiled at him. “As I see things, I’m bookkeeper for the most important man in town.”

With her in his arms he felt like the most important man in the world. All resistance fled and he gathered her into his embrace and pressed his lips to hers, gently at first. When she leaned into him, he deepened his kiss. Her arms slid under his jacket and around his waist. Elation almost felled him.

GIVEAWAYS

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