A few years ago, in 2015, my story HIDDEN TRAILS came out just before Valentine’s Day, which was appropriate since my heroine’s name in this tale is Valentine. Since we’re approaching that time of the year (I’m looking forward sooner than I normally would, because we are having such awful weather right now! I’m ready for January to be over!) I thought I would post this blog entry again. It’s been a while, and this is really one of my favorite novella-length stories I’ve written. I think I love it so because of the unlikely characters that end up falling in love, and the danger that almost thwarts a happily-ever-after for them, making the ending for them even sweeter!
Evidently, it resonated with many others, too, because it was a finalist in the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards Short Fiction category for 2015!
Have you ever read a story or noticed, in real life, that some people seem to be an “odd match”? That’s the way I felt about my hero and heroine, but because of their pasts, they truly are totally right for one another!
I’m offering a giveaway today! Please leave a comment for me about a couple that seem to be an unlikely pair for a chance to win a copy of Hidden Trails. The most famous unlikely pair that comes to mind for me is Scarlett and Ashley–but there are sooooo many, both in fiction and in reality! Don’t forget to comment!
I’ve got a new release (2015) that hit the shelves last week just before Valentine’s Day! Hidden Trails is my latest western historical novella. This was a fun little novella to work on because it was something I hadn’t dealt with before. Though I write a lot of stories with heroes who are of mixed heritage–half white/half Indian, or half white/half Hispanic, I’ve never written a story with a heroine quite like Valentine Reneau.
Valentine’s mother was a slave, a beautiful octoroon, whose cruel master sold her off in a fit of drunken pique–luckily for her! She is able to marry and make a new life for herself, but there is always the uneasy fear that her former owner might find her–even though the Civil War has ended, and she is free. When Valentine is old enough to understand, her stepfather explains it to her, and so begins her burden of constantly looking over her shoulder, as well.
Now that Valentine’s on her own, she has to protect herself. The old fear is there, and it’s very real. But Valentine isn’t alone any longer.
Levi Connor rides into her life with a bullet in his leg, half dead from cold, hunger and blood loss. Once Valentine saves him, will he ride on, or will he stay and help her face her nightmare-turned-reality–the man she must acknowledge as her father?
Valentine intrigues me because I don’t know where she came from in my imagination. I “met” her walking along the road in the blizzard, carrying a wounded collie pup. I just knew she was the one for Levi. Have you ever read a story with an unlikely love match that stuck in your mind? I always am curious about what makes one person fall madly in love with another–especially when the odds are stacked against them.
There’s lots of excitement and action—and a Valentine’s Day hope for new love in this novella! Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of HIDDEN TRAILS today!
BLURB:
Levi Connor has never run from anything in his life, and he doesn’t intend to start now. After killing the two bandits who’d followed him into Indian Territory, he finds himself wounded and riding through a blinding February snowstorm. With no purpose ahead of him and no past to guide him, he discovers a reason to exist—the beautiful mixed-blood girl who takes him in and heals him.
Valentine Reneau lives in fear that her father will find her someday in the heart of Indian Territory and force her to return to Mississippi to take her mother’s place—in every way. She knows her time has run out when a stranger shows up on her land with two hired guns—and the devil in his plans.
With some unlikely help, Valentine must try to escape the slave’s fate that her mother left behind so many years before.
Will Levi kill for a woman he barely knows? The chips are down, the guns blaze, and everything finally comes clear along these HIDDEN TRAILS…but who’ll be left alive?
EXCERPT:
She pulled the covers away so she could see his leg. Without saying anything more, she took the lantern from the nightstand and turned up the wick, holding it close to the wound.
“I better get to this,” she said under her breath. Then, she glanced up to meet his gaze. “How long have you been carrying this bullet? And what are you running from?”
Levi grimaced as she turned her attention back to the wound and prodded at it.
“Three days. And I ain’t runnin’, ma’am. A Connor don’t run.”
“And you are a Connor, I take it?”
“Levi Connor. Didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier,” he muttered, letting go a sharp breath as she laid a warm, wet cloth over the wound.
“Need to get it cleaned up,” she said. “I don’t want to hurt you, but it can’t be helped. Taking out a bullet is always painful, but when it’s been in there for three days—”
“I know.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I’m just obliged to you—and I’ll make it up to you—for bein’ such a bother.”
She shook her head. “No bother. Truly. My father was a doctor, so I do know a little about what I’m doing.”
Levi breathed a slow sigh of relief. This wasn’t his first bullet hole. But thank God, he’d ended up here, with a beautiful young woman who seemed capable of treating him. There had been times before when he would have prayed to be in this circumstance, rather than some of the ones he’d found himself in.
Gentle hands ministered to him, but he suddenly remembered the very delicate location of the bullet hole and tried to re-cover himself.
“Mr. Connor, I’ve seen everything you have—and many others just like it,” Valentine said matter-of-factly. “I can’t very well remove a bullet from a wound I can’t see.” She snatched the covers from his hand and threw them back to his side. “You’re making it harder for me to be able to do what I need to.”
“In a week or two, I’d pay money for you to flip those covers away like that,” Levi answered.
She bent a long, hard look on him. “I’m not for sale, Mr. Connor. Not at any price. You want to keep riding?”
Levi shook his head. “Forget I said that, Valentine. Just the pain and the…damn humiliation talkin’. I didn’t mean it.”
A slow smile quirked her lips. “I can’t imagine you ever being embarrassed.”
“Believe it or not, I was raised a gentleman, ma’am.”
“I believe it, Mr. Connor. I do believe it.” Her voice was soft and sincere, and full of loss for things Levi didn’t understand.
But just then, she pulled the wound open and probed for the bullet, and the pain stripped everything else away from him. There was nothing in Levi’s consciousness but Valentine and her tweezers, delving into the bloody hole in his leg. He swallowed back the cry that threatened to bring the roof down, forcing it away.
Y’all know me…heh heh heh…as if this isn’t enough, trouble is on the way to Valentine’s house and is about to find her and Levi! I hope I have intrigued you!
AMAZON: HIDDEN TRAILS by Cheryl Pierson
CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://tinyurl.com/2k7xeddt
Order your copy of LOVE UNDER FIRE today!
A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–KINDLE LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yn85vnkk
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A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
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Belle and The Beast.
YES, and that reminds me of that television show that used to be on back in the late 80’s…I’d forgotten all about that. Thought of the movie first since it was more recent, but I remember watching that show–it was a fascinating premise for a tv series!
I didn’t watch it a lot, but I remember the TV show, too.
(Prince) Harry & Megan. Totally different backgrounds!
Your book sounds amazing!
amijacobs3@gmail.com
YES! I’ve often wondered how in the world they ended up together, but I think he is perfectly happy to have a ‘regular’ life and not be part of the royal family any longer.
Thank you for the kind words, Ami!
Cinderella and the prince. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
YES!!!! So true. Kind of a reverse Harry and Megan story! LOL
Good morning Cheryl- An unlikely pair that have made their live last decades that I can think of is Dolly Parton and Her husband Carl. She’s in the limelight, flamboyant, and loves being around people performing, & he is to himself and wants nothing to do with the limelight. But their marriage has worked for 50 years.
I remember reading this book, it was amazing. Here’s my review from a few years ago.
HIDDEN TRAILS and the mystery incorporated in Levi and Valentine’s past was poetic. Two lost souls and one injured collie dog find one another during a blowing snowstorm.
They will find they truly need one another to survive.
One was hiding from her evil father, one was riding from his tortured past. As evil finds them can they survive and live together in harmony? An inspirational story of love, compassion, and healing.
This entire collection of short stories will move you in both heart and soul.
Tonya, I have often wondered how in the world they held a marriage together (Dolly and Carl) under such circumstances. They seem like TOTAL opposites, yet here they are, all these years later!
Awwww, thank you so much for your very kind words and this lovely review! I remember getting this review and how thrilled I was — no matter how many stories you write and publish, you are never sure if they are going to be well-received, and this really made my day then, AND NOW! Thank you!
Hey Cheryl! Loved that intro to this book! I saved it in my library on Kindle. I love “unlikely” matches in books, movies, or in real life! Some have already named some unlikely pairs above! I can’t seem to think of any right now! But, those sweet independent heroines and tough rough heros, do make a lively and intriguing pair, don’t they?
Best wishes for a happy and successful new year Cheryl!
Tracy, thank you so much! Like you, I love the tough rough heroes and their women who come along in their lives to love them! You know, oddly, as I was looking at your comment and you said you couldn’t think of any odd sweethearts, my own mom and dad popped into my mind. I bet we’ve all know “real people” in our lives that were odd matches. Though my parents came from the same very small town in Oklahoma and were both raised during the Depression/Dust Bowl days and had A LOT in common in that respect, their personalities were so very different. They were married for 60+ years. I remember one time Dad said, “Your mother taught me what love really was.” I’ve thought of that so often, and maybe that’s in the back of my mind when I write these rough and tough heroes.
I hope 2024 is good to you, Tracy!
Rhett and Scarlett was a couple that I didn’t think was right for each other.
Quiltlady, I have often wondered if ANYONE was “right” for Scarlett! LOLLOL She was so difficult in so many ways, and yet, she had some good qualities–and it was the same with Rhett. I can’t imagine him with anyone else, but yet I feel sorry for him for falling in love with her. LOL
This sounds like an amazing book. I knew an unlikely couple a few years back. She was a teacher, always dressed professionally and could fit in with society easily. He was a drug-addicted, red-neck poacher that didn’t have a problem wearing the same clothes for a week. I never thought they fit together.
That is so amazing to me, Rhonda. To think of the differences in their habits and backgrounds to have brought them to where they were when you knew them. You just wonder how she must have viewed him, because he certainly had to know he’d married “up” just from looking around at society around him. It really makes you wonder what makes people tick and fall in love with one another, doesn’t it?
Beauty and the Beast always comes to mind with unlikely pairings.
Yes, you are right, and there’s always something kind of sinister when you think of that couple (him!) But yet, it works out. I read a romance book years ago that struck me like that–it was one of the old “bodice ripper” types (I STILL LOVE THOSE!) and oh my gosh, the hero was really just barely this side of wicked. The heroine had a lot of spunk but she was very young and naive. In the beginning he kidnapped her for revenge on her father, but they ended up falling in love with one another. He didn’t WANT to be in love! He wanted REVENGE! LOL It was really fun watching him have to come to grips with the fact that he’d gotten her, but she’d made sure (without meaning to) that SHE was the one in charge–because he had never expected to fall in love with her or anyone else.
Nothing comes to mind for me one this very cold -8 day
Teresa, I am SOOOOO with you. It’s hard to think on days like this. I’m in Oklahoma City and we broke a record last night for the coldest temperature for this date–I think it was a 100-year-old record! It was -1 and the wind chill was -16. Thankfully, I have a chair by the back door where I can sit and watch the dogs when they have to go out to potty. It is just despicably cold. LOL I’m not a winter person anyhow, but good lord, days like this are worse than anything else. We got some snow, about 2 inches, and will be having more of these temps for the next 2-3 days. It won’t be above freezing they said for a total period of over 72 hours from when it started. I never complain about summer, because I remember these days, and nothing compares to this.
Take care, and stay warm!
Going to fairytales – Aladdin and Jasmine. karijean52@yahoo.com
Oh, yes, a great one! I had forgotten about them. Oh, gosh, how my daughter loved that movie! I must have watched that about a million times! LOL
Good morning , your book sounds like a Great read!! I think it would have to be from the Story The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I think they made an odd couple, I loved the story for sure though, and they ended up being good for each other.
Oh, yes, Alicia! You are so right. That was a very unlikely couple. That should have popped into my mind from the beginning! Glad you brought them up.
Beauty and the Beast
Abra and Cal in the books East of Eden
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman
Oh, yes, Joye….East of Eden. I have not read that in SO long. I need to re-read it. I’m a lot older now than I was when I first read it, and I know I will see things a lot differently than I did then. And yes, you are so right about Keith and Nicole! So glad they both found happiness!
Harry and Megan. The book sounds so good!
Barbara, I always felt sorry for Harry when they were growing up. William, of course, was the bright and shining star as the heir to the throne eventually. Harry seemed to be just “there”–and I am guessing he must truly have felt that way from the title to his autobiography–“SPARE”. It seems now he has found true happiness with Megan, and I wish him many years of love and happiness with her and his children. I think doing what he did by leaving the royal family was the only way he could ever have been happy, and though he and Megan seem so different, she has stuck by him through a lot of hard times already.
Prince Harry and Megan Markle. On to another topic. I look forward to reading your newest, “Hidden Trails” It sounds both exciting and full of danger for Valentine and Levi. It gives me chills of anticipation. A very good storyline.
Hi Judy! So good to see you here, my friend. Well, Hidden Trails is not really a “new” release, but it is one that didn’t get a lot of “airplay” since it came out nine years back when things were a lot different. I’m so proud of the fact that it was a finalist in the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards competition! I really did love writing it and loved the storyline, too. Thank you for your very kind words, Judy!
Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville were an odd couple. Interesting.
Oh, for sure! I wonder how Alfred Hitchcock managed to find anyone who was “right” for him. He was a very odd one! But like the saying goes, “there’s someone for everyone” and that is proven time and again every day. Alfred Hitchcock had such genius in so many ways–but Alma must have been too, to have succeeded in the film industry as she did when it was so young and she, being a woman.
Yes you have totally intrigued me. This sounds really good. I have seen a number of couples that just dont seem to be well matched. But in watching them over time, I see that there is a bond that is strong. My parents were one of these. Dad was an extreme extovert and a work a holic. Mom was an extreme introvert and loved being a mom of five or more when others came around. But they made it work for them and they were very much in love for over 50 years.
Lori, YAY! I’m glad I have intrigued you! I’ve done my job! LOL
I mentioned earlier in a comment above that my parents were that kind of couple too. My mom loved people–my dad, not so much. He’d rather be working in the yard or reading a book, or puttering in his garage. Dad was a bookworm, but Mom, not so much. Looking back on it, I think Mom must have had a form of ADHD. It was hard for her to sit still or do one thing for a long period of time. She was easily distracted. Dad was not EVER distracted. LOL They were total opposites but loved each other dearly and were married for nearly 63 years.
Was anyone else a fan of the PBS comedy “Keeping Up Appearances”? Hyacinth and Richard Bucket (he pronounces the last name the normal way, she prefers “Bouquet”) seemed an unlikely pairing to me.
The blurb for your novella sounds good; I’d enjoy reading it. Thanks for running the promo!
Mary, I think my dad used to watch that–He loved PBS so much! He talked about it sometimes and asked if I ever watched it, but I had two little kids at that time and rarely watched any tv for myself. LOL Back then it was Power Rangers and Pink Panther. LOL
Thanks so much, I’m so glad you liked the teaser for this story. Some of these blurbs are really tough to write, and this was one of them. LOL So much to pack in to so few words.
This brings to mind 3 different couples, friends and family, that have a very short wife, around 5ft tall, and their husbands are 6 ft. 2 in. or more.
What was that saying about dynamite coming in small packages? LOL Maybe that was the case with these couples! LOL This made me smile, Connie!
beauty and the beast
Yes, for sure! Perfect example of the “odd couple”!
All I can think of is Beauty and the Beast other than Lady and the Tramp but they’re not human.
OH GOOD ONES, Joannie! I love that you thought of Lady and the Tramp. That is such a perfect example–you thought outside the box, too, and that always sparks my imagination even further. Now I’m wondering what other examples there are of non-human mismatched couples!
My mother and her last husband, Not sure how bit it worked for them
Debby, I wonder that about my own parents so many times! LOL
The first couple that comes to mind is Harry and Megan Markle. They just never seem to compliment each other. I always feel they act more as single then a couple. However, you really only see what they want you to see. Only the two of them know how their relationship works. What works for them may not work for us. It will be interesting to follow them in the years ahead.
I’ve thought that, too, Becki. It will be interesting to see what comes of their relationship through the years. Living in the public spotlight is not easy, even in the best of circumstances!
Beauty and The Beast
Yes! That’s a great example. I’m glad it worked out for them in the end! LOL
My mom and dad. He was so out going and kind to everyone. My mom in the nicest terms possible was not.
I do wonder how people that are so opposite manage to stay together, or even how they GOT together in the first place! I’ve wondered how my parent stayed together all those years they were married. I think a lot of it was that they had a shared past–started grade school together in a very small town and had known each other their entire lives.
In the beginning, my husband and I were a bit of a mismatch. I was the hippie, Peace Corps Volunteer, bookworm, pottery and wooden dishes liberal. He was an Air Force officer, a bit conservative, antique loving, outdoorsman and most responsible. On the surface, a mismatch, but our core values and interests were the same. We just had to give a little, compromise, and work at seeing the other’s point of view. After 50+ years of marriage those differences have faded. We are seen as the perfect match instead of a mismatched pair.
I hope you are getting through this awful weather OK. 42 years ago we were moving from NY to CO the first part of January and got caught in a blizzard in Iowa. Everything was shut down for 4 days. Wind chill was down to -100 at times and the snow blew in around our motel door. The friends we were going to visit on the way lived in Omaha and couldn’t understand why we didn’t make it. The storm had completely missed them just 90 miles away.
Hi Patricia! So glad to see you! I think when you’re young and in love and crazy about one another, it’s a lot easier to overlook perceived “flaws” and differences of opinions than it is when you grow older. And then, you kind of just grow closer and more understanding of one another. So glad it worked out for you and your hubby. Y’all do sound like the perfect match from what you have said!
I tell you, we have had to batten down the hatches here–this weather has broken records for the lowest “low” temperature for certain days. Yesterday it was minus 1!!! Our wind chill was minus 16. I know there are a lot of other places that have had it a lot worse but this is OKLAHOMA!!!! LOL I’m so ready for winter to be over. I’d be glad if we could just have Christmas and New Year’s in winter and then on Jan. 2 it could be spring already.
Thanks for coming by!