By Caroline Clemmons
The bachelors of Tarnation, Texas threaten to
leave unless marriageable women come to town. Wealthy widow Lydia Harrison and
her friend Sophia Gaston travel to Richmond, Virginia, where Lydia was raised.
Lydia interviews young women who respond to her newspaper notice, but not
everyone is accepted. Seven girls travel to Tarnation and live with Lydia until
they find a husband. Lydia hosts receptions, dances, and dinners so the women
can meet the sixteen bachelors she has invited to participate.
Each story in the Bride Brigade Series stands
alone but is more fun if read in order. They are avaible in e-book and
paperback. The books are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.Most of the characters
get at least a mention in the other books.
Here is the summary of Book One, JOSEPHINE:
Josephine Nailor has good reasons not to trust
men, especially those who hold an office. She isn’t even certain she wants to
marry, but takes a job assisting the owner of the mercantile, Michael Buchanan.
He, on the other hand, is happy owning the store and being mayor. All he needs
now is a wife.
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Here’s an exciting excerpt:
She was exhausted by the
approach of closing time. Gunfire cracked and she heard galloping hooves.
Michael reached under the
counter for a gun. “Get into the backroom until this is over so you won’t get
hit by stray bullets.” He raced out the door and down the boardwalk.
Mrs. Horowitz, wife of
the butcher, stepped away from the windows where she’d been admiring a display.
“Those awful cowboys have no care for the town’s residents. They must be drunk
to act so carelessly.”
“I expect you’re right.
If they were intent on robbing the bank, surely they’d come in quietly to evade
notice. You can step through the curtain behind you, and you’ll be in the
storeroom. There’s a chair you can rest in until those men are stopped.”
Disobeying her employer’s
order, Josephine stood at the side of the window so she was protected by the
wall but could look out. The sheriff, his deputy, Michael, and a handful of
other men with guns drawn tried to apprehend the rowdy cowboys. One of the ruffians
darted toward the store.
Dear Merciful Heaven!
Terror struck her and her knees almost gave way. The man who’d attacked her had
returned with his friends. Was he after her or bent on destroying Tarnation?
Unable to turn away, she
watched the man make his way slowly toward the mercantile. This time she was
prepared. She raced to grab a skillet intent on cracking the man’s skull if he
came into the store.
Mrs. Horowitz peeked
through the curtains. “Miss Nailor, come in here with me. You can’t fight guns
with a pan.”
“The man who attacked me
is headed this way. I’ll dent his head if he comes into the mercantile.”
The other woman inched
closer. “Do you see my Claus? Oh, I hope he’s not trying to outgun those men.”
“Besides Mr. Buchanan,
the sheriff, his deputy, Mr. Kendrick, and Mr. Evans are there. Mr. Pettigrew also appeared. Oh, no, Tom Boyd
is weaving down the road as if nothing is happening.”
“My, my, he’s no doubt so
drunk he doesn’t know anything is going on.”
“Run back into the
storeroom, Mrs. Horowitz. That man is almost here. He’s likely to shoot you if
he sees you when he comes through the door.”
Aleida Horowitz scrambled
toward the curtain. “What about you?”
“He won’t see me until
too late. Hurry!” Josephine flattened herself against the wall behind the door.
No sooner had the woman
slipped through the curtain than the cowboy rushed toward the counter as if he
expected her to be crouched behind the island’s safety. As soon as he was
inside, she swung the heavy iron skillet with all her might.
He dropped but not before
she heard a burst of gunfire outside. She turned and saw Michael slump in the
street’s dust. As her heart dropped to the floor, she screamed, “No!”
This is the series order: JOSEPHINE, ANGELINE,
CASSANDRA, OPHELIA, RACHEL, LORRAINE, and PRUDENCE.
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