JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE
By Caroline Clemmons
Please welcome Sheriff Jesse Cameron as our guest character today, the hero of JESSE ANE THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE for agreeing to our interview.
Thank you, ma’am.
I’m honored to be invited, though I am that surprised at your invitation. In Harrigan County, I dinnae receive requests to speak to the public like this.
I know you’re a Texas sheriff, but I detect an accent in your speech. Would you tell us from where you’ve come?
Aye, I came from
Scotland. First, I worked as an indentured sailor for seven years to pay for my
passage to America. I started my indentured service at fourteen—almost
fifteen—because I could pass for eighteen, you ken? I was that tall for my age.
What was life like growing up in Scotland?
My family lived
on a farm not far from Kelso. We raised sheep. Mum also had chickens and a few
goats for milk. She made and sold her goat cheese. We also had a couple of
cows. You can tell I didnae escape caring for the animals. We lived in a small
cottage, but we enjoyed one another. I had a grand time growing up. I didnae
mind working with Da on the farm, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my
life.
Your leaving must have upset your parents.
Aye, they worried
about me leaving so young. Mum and Da are great parents who understood my wish
to leave and live in America. In fact, they will join me here after my Gran
dies. She’s a grand lady, so no one is eager for that day to come.
What brought you to send for a mail order bride?
Several months
back, I helped fight a grass fire on a local ranch. Volunteers barely saved the
house, but much of the grass and some cattle were destroyed. A couple of people
collapsed from the heat and stress. If not for a sudden downpour, more would
have been lost, including men exhausted from fighting the fire. The sudden
danger presented to so much land and so many people reminded me how fleeting
life could be. I evaluated my life and realized it was time to settle down. I
bought a house and sent for a bride. My best friend is my deputy, and he
decided to send for a bride from the same matchmaker. Turned out our brides are
cousins.
That sounds like a good result. Are you each pleased with your
bride?
Aye, the plan
worked out grand. My bride, Rosalin, is beautiful, regal, intelligent, and
works hard to please me. I couldn’t be happier—except I feel like there’s something
she’s hiding from me. I haven’t worked out what it could be, and she insists
there’s nothing. She brought her nephew, who’s 8. He’s a good boy, but he has a
lot of nightmares. My deputy is sure pleased with his bride, who is a pretty
chatterbox.
Ma’am, I
appreciate you having me here today, but I have to get back to work. Tell your
readers if they’d like to learn more about me, check out my story in JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE at
Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BD64JC1D?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Here’s the description:
What will happen when her lawman husband learns the truth about
her criminal past?
Sheriff Jesse
Cameron is dedicated to uphold the law of his adopted country. After leaving
Scotland, he came to Texas, and learned he liked the place and the people—at
least, most of them. He keeps Harrigan County free of troublemakers with his
“strict but fair” policy. Now that he has a steady job and has bought a house,
he figures it’s time to find a wife and start a family. He and his best friend
write to the same matchmaker, hoping their brides will be sisters or friends.
Jesse hopes his wife will provide a peaceful home and welcome him each evening
with a good meal and a warm smile.
Growing up in an
orphanage left Rosalin Arnold too naïve to avoid being trapped in the clutches
of an evil man who has her picking pockets. Those who’ve tried to escape him
always fail, and are severely punished—or killed. Rosalin has been plotting to
get away, and seizes her chance to escape. She takes her best friend with her,
and also a boy of eight. All she and her friends want is a home where they can
live without constant fear. She prays she has successfully evaded the man who
has tentacles everywhere.
What will happen when her past catches up with her, and she’s forced to confess everything to Jesse? Of course Jesse will defend her, but will he forgive her lies?
Excerpt when
Jesse returns from a manhunt. As he was leaving, he asked his neighbor to take
his bride to his home.
He hurried up to
his front door and stopped short. Did he knock? This was his house, but he
didn’t want to scare her.
While he
deliberated, the door opened and a wee lad stared up at him. The boy
scrutinized his badge, then his face. “You must be Sheriff Jesse Cameron.”
He stepped inside
and took off his hat. “That’s right. You must be Rosalin’s nephew.”
“Yes, sir. I’m
Henry Bernard. Did you get the bad guys?”
“We did.” He hit
at his leg with his hat as he looked around the parlor. Furniture had been
moved and decorations added. Odd feeling, being treated like a guest in his own
home. “Um, is your aunt here?”
“I am.” She
swished into the room and smiled at him. “I hope you don’t mind that we’ve
stayed here in your absence.”
His tongue
tangled and he couldn’t form a sentence. While he gaped at the prettiest woman
he’d ever met, the boy took his hat from him and hung it on the hat tree.
She gestured to
the kitchen. “Mrs. Pickard brought over a pie this morning. She thought you’d
be back today.”
He managed to
say, “I… I better wash up. Dinnae usually look like this. Had a rough few
days.” He washed up at the kitchen sink, wondering if that was all right.
Wait—this was his house.