By Caroline Clemmons
My historical western, BRAZOS BRIDEi, is both a mystery
and a romance. I love mysteries, you see, and just can’t help myself when it
comes to murder, kidnapping, poison, and other nasty incidents. I am a sweet
and gentle soul in person (yeah, right), but I am mean to my characters when I
write. After all, survival in the Old West was difficult Authors have to
present obstacles for the hero and heroine to overcome. Otherwise, a book would
be about a page long and boring.
Hope Montoya, the heroine, knows she’s being poisoned
but has no idea who wants her dead. Weakened, she knows she can’t fight alone,
and she enlists Micah Stone to assist her. How? Through a marriage of
convenience, which gives her control of her estate that’s held in trust by her
guardian. That doesn’t stop the killer, who relentlessly persists in trying to
eliminate both Hope and adds Micah as a target. I love a determined villain,
don’t you? I mean, of course, that I love to hate the villain.
Besides being close to Hope, for marrying her Micah
receives land on the Brazos River and cash, and both are needed badly. The time
is August 1870 and there’s a severe drought that has dried up springs, creeks,
and waterholes on Micah’s land. Without access to the river, his cattle are
dying of thirst. His two brothers are on hand to help him haul water from
Zach’s place to the west. Even with their best efforts, they’re losing the
battle.
Here’s an exscerpt of Hope and Micah’s wedding night
from near the first of the book.
She looked
at her hands. Perhaps she was unreasonable. Or maybe insane for sympathizing
with a man who'd had to work harder because of her family.
"I know
it is an odd situation. If—if you wear your shirt and britches, I guess it
would be all right if you slept on top of the cover here." She patted the
bed beside her.
He froze.
Not a muscle moved, and he only stared at her. Had she misunderstood? Did he
think her offer too forward?
She babbled,
"That is, if you want to. You said I should trust you. Well, maybe you
would be more comfortable where you are." Why didn't he say something?
Would he prefer sleeping in a chair to sharing the bed?
From the
street below, she heard raucous laughter and someone called to a man named Ben.
Music from a piano, she supposed in the saloon, drifted in through the open
windows. A gust of breeze moved the curtains and slid across her skin. In this
room, though, there was no sound.
Slowly, he
rose and extinguished the lamp as he moved across the room. She slid one of the
pillows beside hers then scooted down. What had possessed her to offer him half
her bed? Would he think she invited more?
Too late to
take it back now, for the mattress dipped as he stretched out. Quaking inside
at the thought of him so near, she turned her back to him. She heard his weary
sigh, as if he relaxed for the first time in a long while.
"Good
night," she offered, and hoped he understood the finality of the phrase.
"Yep.
Good night, Mrs. Stone." The mattress shook as he turned his back to her.
She felt the soles of his feet press against her ankles. He must be several
inches too long for the bed and she guessed he had to bend his legs to fit. She
didn't dare turn to see firsthand.
She lay
perfectly still, afraid to take a deep breath. Soon his breathing changed and
she knew he slept. Outside the open window the town quieted and the distant
tinkling of the piano was the only sound. Light from the full moon illuminated
the room and slanted across the bed. A soft breeze drifted across her, lulling
her in its caress.
With a sigh,
she fought to relax, but abdominal pain kept her awake no matter how her body
cried for rest. Perhaps if she planned, she’d forget the pain and chills that
racked her frame.
Plan, yes.
She needed a plan for food preparation when she returned to her home. No, Micah
said he had a plan. Oh, dear, once more he took charge when it was her life,
her home.
Maybe Aunt
Sofia and Uncle Jorge would have left by then and things would be fine. Already
she felt more secure. She sensed her eyelids drifting closed and the sleep’s
blessed relief approaching.
A gunshot
ripped apart the night.
The blast
startled her and she screamed as something thudded near her head, showering her
hair and face with splinters. Panic immobilized her. What had happened?
Micah
dragged her onto the floor as a bullet ripped into the mattress.
Bed with ropes instead of bed springs
Did that excerpt entice you to buy the book?
I hope so because everyone in my family needs an
operation. Okay, no one actually needs surgery, but I will appreciate your
buying the book. Then, IF YOU LIKED IT, would you be so kind as to leave a
review on Amazon? Most readers don’t realize what a gift a good review is to a
writer.
Here’s the buy link for BRAZOS BRIDE:
https://www.amazon.com/Brazos-Bride-Stone-Mountain-Texas-ebook/dp/B007HS10SY/
Thanks for stopping by!
