Good morning, fillies! Here are the answers:

Mini contest two, cowboy words: Maureen and Martha got ’em all (several others were sooo close!). I drew randomly, and Maureen wins the first of three copies of Love’s Rescue!

As for mini contest one, here’s the excerpt that reveals what Jess did to get even:

When they finally dismounted at noon, Jake noticed several of the men look at each other strangely. As they walked around, conversations grew stilted. Every one of them seemed to have an odd hitch in his step. Bemused, Jake accepted a mug of coffee from Ho Chen then leaned against the wagon. The men were silent now, shifting oddly in their drawers. A few reached around to check things, then all at once they exchanged a horrified look.

Jake frowned. “What’s got you boys squirming in your seats?”

The men looked at him, reluctant to answer. One named Will slowly hitched forward. “I think Miss Jess done paid us back, is all.”

Jake hadn’t expected that. “Paid you back? For what?”

“For teasin’ her about vomitin’, I reckon.”

Jake glanced at Ho Chen. The small man bent studiously over his cooking, seeming not to notice the goings-on. “What did she do?”

Will sighed. “I think she done snipped the buttons out of the seats of our johns.”

Jake’s flat belly jerked, then he threw back his head and laughed in a way he hadn’t laughed in years. He wiped his eyes as his mirth gradually subsided, and when he managed to speak again he was able to use his ranch owner’s tones.
“I suggest you boys go apologize to the lady then get yourselves put back together. You’ll miss dinner, but I’m sure Ho Chen will keep it for your supper.”

Red faces all around, they mumbled their agreement, then made their way into their saddles with slow, precise movements.

Jake rested an arm on a wagon wheel while he watched his men ride for home. Finally he allowed another smile to claim his face.

Ho Chen came up beside him, coffeepot in hand. “You are not unhappy with Miss Jessie?”

Jake shook his head, his smile widening. “I don’t know how we ever got along without her.”

Answer: Jess cut threads, loosening the buttons of their union suits so they’d come apart while the men were out on the range. With this she gained their humble respect, and for the first time she began to feel part of the ranch.

Pat Cochran guessed that Jess did something to the cattlemen’s union suits, so that’s the closest guess. Pat wins the second copy of Love’s Rescue!

Everyone else’s name went into a hat to win the third copy as a bonus just for stopping by and giving the two contests a whirl. Patricia Barraclough wins the third copy of Love’s Rescue!

Winners—if you will e-mail me privately (tammy underscore barley at hotmail dot com) with your full names and street addys, I’ll get those books to you. Congratulations, and thank you all for playing and for letting me share a few parts of Love’s Rescue with you! I enjoyed the workings of such creative imaginations!

=)

Tammy

Corey, Great info! Not to give too much away, but plots sometimes have a few more twists than they appear to. . . . ; )

Pat, I knew of a young newlywedded gal married to a military soldier. She was so dedicated to keeping his uniform looking perfect, she even starched his undershorts. Once. Then he painstakingly walked in the door from work–early–and explained a few things about laundry. LOL!

Tammy

Pat Cochran