99¢ SALE -- THE RANCHER AND THE SHEPHERDESS

 By Caroline Clemmons

Top O’ The Morning To You! (Your response is “And the rest o’ the day to yourself.”)

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by reading my book in which the heroine is Irish. It doesn’t matter what your ancestry is—in March, everyone is Irish! You can be O’Martinez, O’Kaminski, McHausmann… you get the idea.

THE RANCHER AND THE SHEPHERDESS is book 2 of my Loving A Rancher Series. The heroine is a young widow escaping terrible in-laws. Her Gaelic name translates to Barbara, but she uses the Gaelic form with Gormlaith. The 99¢ sale is today through March 16.

Here’s the blurb:

In THE RANCHER AND THE SHEPHERDESS, Gormlaith (pronounced Gorm-lee) McGowan is an Irish immigrant who’s lived in America two years since marrying the man her father chose. What a mistake marrying that man was! Now she’s escaping a desperate situation after the accidental death of her brutish husband. Her late husband’s mother and bullying brother believe she should remain in New York and marry the brother. If not, they vow to make Gormlaith pay by accusing her of killing her husband. After two years with her drunkard, gambling, and wife-beating husband, she has no intention of remaining in that family. She escapes by immediately leaving for Montana to become a mail-order bride.

Unfortunately for Gormlaith, while she’s on her way to Montana, the man who sent for a bride dies. She arrives in Cottonwood Springs with no money, no place to stay, and no groom. What a situation. The Cottonwood Springs sheriff comes to her assistance and suggests bachelor rancher Garrett McDonald marry Gormlaith. Once Garrett sees the beautiful woman and hears her lilting brogue, he’s convinced.

Garrett was foreman on the Kincaid ranch. Now he’s bought his own place from a large family moving to California. Luckily for him, they left a few pieces of their furniture in the six-bedroom log home. He’d planned to write for a mail-order bride in the spring from the same Atlanta agency a friend used to find a nice bride. No need now that Gormlaith and he are wed.

https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Shepherdess-Loving-ebook/dp/

Here’s an excerpt from the morning after Gormlaith and Garrett arrive at his ranch. She’s still marveling that she married a man who never hits women. She’s prepared breakfast while he cared for the animals:

Gormlaith was beside herself with worry. Though she was certain the large range was a wonder, she hadn’t learned to regulate the beast. After she set the food on the table she wanted to break out in tears. She’d so wanted to impress her kind husband.

He came in and hung his coat and hat on pegs by the back door. “I’m hungry as a bear coming out of hibernation.”

She wrung her hands. “Sit down and let me explain.”

He took his chair and stared at the food. “Well, this looks different.”

She poured his coffee and set the coffeepot on the table. “I had a little trouble figuring out this fancy stove. I’ll learn to use it, but… today didn’t turn out as I’d expected.”

He picked up a biscuit and dropped it onto his plate with a thud. He met her gaze and raised his eyebrows. “I thought you said you were good with bread.”

“I am… I was in New York… and in Ireland. In those places, the stove was tiny and hardly compares to this one. I thought this big one would be easier. I’m sure the beast will be once I get used to the thing, but there’s more to regulate and figure out.”

“Sit down and we’ll eat what we can.” He took a piece of bacon so crisp it broke when he tried to pick it up. “I do like my bacon crisp, but this is overdone even for me and likely to break a tooth. How are the eggs?”

She twisted her napkin. “They turned out a bit better than the rest. And we have potatoes fried with onion. There are a lot of potatoes in the cellar and quite a few onions also. I remember you bought more potatoes so I thought you must like them.”

“I do. I guess any Irishwoman knows how to cook potatoes.” He picked up his fork and dug into his food—except the biscuits.

Throughout breakfast, she kept glancing at him but he didn’t speak. She picked at the meal on her plate. After he’d eaten his fill and had a second cup of coffee, he pushed away from the table.

He rose and put his hand on her shoulder. “Save all those biscuits and put them in a basket by the door.” He kissed her on the head. “We can use them for ammunition if we’re ever attacked.”

He donned his coat, clamped his hat on his head. She picked up a biscuit and threw it him. The missile hit him on the thigh.

He used his hands as a shield, but he was laughing. “Ow, ow, mercy, please. If that had hit my head I’d have a concussion.”

She threw another at him, but he sped out the door, his rumbling laughter drifting her way. Ammunition indeed. She’d show him. She’d learn to deal with this beast of a stove and cook the best food he’d ever eaten.

 

Gormlaith learns a tremendous amount about being a rancher’s wife by the end of this book, including fighting wolves and saving her husband. Garrett’s new knowledge is about his feisty, hard-working wife. Each must overcome difficult situations to forge a strong marriage.

 

If you haven’t read THE RANCHER AND THE SHEPHERDESS, why not get your copy now at this sale price?

Be sure to follow me on my Amazon Author Page. If you do, they’ll alert you when I have a new release. The link is https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/

 

Stay safe and keep reading!