contemporary western romance

Cowboys, Rodeo, & a Stray Dog

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I have to confess that I panicked last year when my publisher Jane Porter asked me to move from River’s Edge, my little town on the Ohio River to Marietta, Montana. I mean, holy schnikeys! Except for flyovers and the very urban Bay Area of San Francisco to visit our kids, I’d never been west of Mississippi, and now I was supposed to write in the mountains of Montana? About cowboys? And rodeos and ranches? Yikes!

To be honest, the only things I had going for me as I headed into this new writing territory was a love of and experience with horses, the fact that I’d read a lot of Tule Publishing’s Montana Born books, and a deep respect for Jane and the team’s marketing expertise. They’d never steered me wrong yet, so I took a deep breath and dove in. I even took a trip to Big Sky, Montana, in July with my pal, mystery writer Carol Light, just to get a feel for the setting. Wow, was that ever grand!

I was grateful that I was starting my Montana Born journey with three other romance authors, all of whom already wrote cowboys and Montana and ranches and rodeo. Our 4-book, 4-author series, Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys released one book a week throughout September of 2025. And we needed a theme that would run through the entire series—something that tied all the books together. Someone said, how about a stray dog? That was fine with me, so our little thieving pup first appears in Jeannie Watt’s Unforgettable Cowboy, turns up again in Nicole Flockton’s Headstrong Cowboy, and in Sinclair Jayne’s Rogue Cowboy. Each time, the little trickster is stealing something … and then disappearing. He is a sheltie/border collie mix and cute as can be! Check him out here.

Then my turn came. Because I am the last book in the series, I got to decide what would happen to the little dog we’d named Rascal—because he truly was! Husband and Son both said words to the effect of you can’t kill off the dog. Like I would ever do such a thing! I’ll grant you I’m more a cat person than a dog lover, but surely Rascal needed a happily-ever-after just like all our cowboys and their ladies. Sorry, I’m not going to tell you where that poor critter ended up. You’ll have to read the whole series, ending with my Forever Cowboy to find out. Just trust me … fairy tale ending are my specialty.

Hope y’all enjoy all four books in the Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys series—we sure had fun writing them! And here’s the best part: I have three more Montana Born stories coming up here in 2026! I got into the cowboy thing so much that I created my own Montana world—Juniper Falls Ranch, so although  Forever Cowboy may be book 4 in the Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys series; it’s Book 1 in the Juniper Falls Ranch series. Book 2, The Cowboy’s Comeback, released January 30, 2026. Book 3, Help Wanted, Cowboy releases July 7, 2026, and book 4, The Rancher’s Christmas Wife, which I’m currently writing, releases in November! And you know what else? I’m havin’ the time of my life in Montana! Come join me!

To whet your appetite for my Juniper Fall Ranch cowboys, how about we do a little giveaway? Just tell me below if you like to see pets–dogs, cats, parrots, hamsters, rabbits, really any kind of pet–in your cowboy stories? I’ll give away two e-book copies of Forever Cowboy to two lucky commenters!

Thanks for spending time with me today! See you next time!

Jolene Navarro Has Found Heaven

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The Heart of Family is in the Texas Hill Country:

Why I’m Back on the Frio River

Writing has always been a way for me to make sense of the world around me. And there are two subjects that constantly tug at my heartstrings, begging to be explored. The beautiful chaos of big family dynamics and the serene, rugged charm of the Texas Hill Country along the Frio River. When these two worlds collide in my writing, it’s like magic for me.

My last few series have been along the Texas Coast. Who can resist a cowboy pirate. Not me.

But now I’ve started a new series in the fictional town of Rio Bella with the five De Leon siblings. They were raised by their grandfather.

There is something undeniably special about large families. The constant laughter, the occasional squabbles, the shared memories, and the deep bonds that tie everyone together. These dynamics are a rich tapestry of stories I love to write.

My goal is to capture the essence of those moments, big and small, that make family life so vibrant. Whether it’s a chaotic family gathering or a quiet moment shared between generations, I find endless inspiration in these relationships.

The Texas Hill Country, specifically along the Frio River, holds a piece of my soul. The rolling hills, the crystal-clear waters, the ancient cypress trees—it’s a place of breathtaking beauty and profound peace. When I write about this place, I’m transported back to lazy summer days spent swimming in the river, the smell of barbecue in the air, the sound of crickets chirping under a starry sky and chasing fireflies in my grandparents’ backyard. The Frio River isn’t just a location; it’s a character in its own right, shaping the stories I tell.

In THE TEXAN’S UNEXPECTED HOME, my hero doesn’t think he belongs in the small town of Rio Bella, but he might change his mind. I love this story of finding family and home where you didn’t expect it.

After losing everything in a devastating fire, racehorse trainer Kingston Zayas returns to his family’s ranch to claim his inheritance…and learns that he must first live there for a year. The only silver lining? Single mom Abigail DeLeon, the ranch’s event planner, and her energetic son, Leo. But Abigail’s family wants nothing to do with any Zayas. Forced to work together, they unravel a tangle of secrets that changes everything Kingston thought he knew about his family—and most important, where he belongs…

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

The Ranchers of Rio Bella

Book 1: The Texan’s Unexpected Home

Here are some reasons why I feel so compelled to write about these topics:

Connection: Writing allows me to connect with others who share similar experiences or dream about that type of life. I have the honor of writing my dreams and walking through the pages with me. It makes my dream real.

Preservation: Bits of truth and family stories are woven through my fictional pages. I want to capture stories and memories before they fade.

Exploration: Each story is an opportunity to explore the complexities of relationships and the magic of nature in a deeper way. How has God worked in my life? It can be very eye opening for me.

Joy: Ultimately, writing about these topics brings me immense joy. It’s a way to celebrate the things that matter most to me: family and the beauty of the natural world.

This photo is of my husband’s mother with her children (11 surviving) and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Yes, we had to go to the high school football field to get the picture. How Texas is that? Writing about big family dynamics in the setting of the Texas Hill Country along the Frio River feels like coming home. It’s where my heart is, and it’s what I feel compelled to share with the world. I’m currently writing the third book in the series and it just feels so natural.

I’ve shared my favorite place in the world with you and as much as I love my Hill country I also love traveling. So, give me a place to go. If you could go one place in the world, where would it be and what would you recommend, I do there? Leave a comment to put your name in the hat for one of three copies of The Texan’s Unexpected Home. 

So, inspire me. Give me some good places.

About Jolene:

Jolene, a seventh-generation Texan, knows, as much as the world changes, people stay the same. Good and evil. Vow-keepers and heart breakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who showed her that dancing in the rain never gets old. Her life, much like her stories, is filled with faith, family, laughter, dirty dishes and all of life’s wonderful messiness. She uses her art degree to teach inner city kids about the world and they teach her about life.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

Fun Facts about Western Women by Carmen Peone

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Being a Western woman means different things to different women. However, there are principles we all live by.  

But let’s begin by defining a Western Woman.  

She is: 

  • A woman who loves the West. 
  • A woman who lives the lifestyle: writer, poet, artist, horsewoman, working ranch woman, musician, singer, rodeo cowgirl, etc.  
  • A wife. 
  • A mother. 
  • A single woman.  
  • Entrepreneur within the Western lifestyle: agriculture, ranching, horse trainer, veterinarian, etc.    

And we all have our favorite quirks and sayings. Some of them include: 

  • The ranch is hard work from sunup to sundown, and love’s work is always near.  
  • Be quick to mend fences.  
  • You can’t keep trouble from visitin’, but you don’t have to offer it a seat at the table. 
  • If a man thinks a woman who can wrestle steers, ride broncs, and rope the wind is too much for him, he’s darn tootin’ right.  
  • A Western woman stands up for what’s right, even if she stands alone.  
  • Catch your own horse, don’t let anybody else do it for you.  

You can find these gritty traits in Rita Runninghorse, the heroine of my latest Contemporary Western Romance, Broken Bondage.  

She’s tough, tender, a fighter, a horsewoman, a rancher, a daughter, a fiancée, and a sister. She’s also on the run from her abusive fiancé.  

He’s nothing but trouble, and she’s had enough.  

More about Broken Bondage 

A Road Trip to Redemption

Rita Runninghorse is about to marry the wrong guy. She has to get away from him. Now. She flees to a guest ranch in Eastern Washington State that offers a safe haven for women in need only to find the owner on a month-long speaking tour.

Robert Elliot has one thing on his mind: bronc riding. The Indian National Finals Rodeo is within reach, and he’s not about to let anything ruin his chances of going pro. Not even the woman he finds asleep in the stall of their rankest horse.?

When Rita’s fiancé discovers where she’s hiding out, she takes Robert’s offer to go with him on the road and prays her fiancé gives up the hunt. Saddled together, Rita and Robert must rely on each other as they go on the road to keep her alive. 

Grab your copy here!  

Giveaway

Leave a comment about a trait you admire in western women for a chance to win a copy of Broken Bondage. 

Winner can select either e-book or a signed print copy (US only for print).

About Carmen 

Carmen Peone is an award-winning author of Young Adult and Inspirational Western Romantic Suspense and lives with her husband in Northeast Washington and on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation. With the love of history and the Western woman’s lifestyle, she weaves threads of healing, hope, and horses that lead to happily ever after. 

Connect with Carmen 

Website and Blog|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram
Pinterest|BookBub|Goodreads 

Sign up for her newsletter and receive her novella, Gentling the Cowboy, for free.
Click here: https://bit.ly/3WyltBG 

Guest Post by Tina Wheeler

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CONFESSIONS OF AN URBAN COWGIRL

You might think this Love Inspired Suspense author, who writes about law enforcement cowboys, lives on a ranch. Sadly, I don’t. I live in a suburb of Phoenix. The closest I came was vacationing at The Ranch in the White Mountains of Arizona many times. Most of my childhood was spent on Air Force bases, which I loved. I may not have seen horses running around every day, but I did watch jets fly overhead with great pride. My father was one of the many men and women who protected our country.

So how did I end up writing suspense novels featuring cowboys? While growing up, I watched Bonanza, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, The Wild, Wild West, etc. with my siblings and then mystery shows with my mother. We also often took visitors from other states to Old Tucson, a wild west studio where movies were filmed, staring actors such as John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Clint Eastwood, Audie Murphy, Kirk Douglas, Paul Newman, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and many more. Arizona is also the home to Tombstone, a real wild west town and the sight of the famous Wyatt Earp gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Locals, tourists, and visitors often dress in 19th century style clothing, which adds to the historic mood and fun. Outside Phoenix is the Pioneer Living History Museum. A cousin of mine had his wedding in the old church and a reception in the saloon.

Tough old west gangster with prostitute and group of people

After I graduated from college, I married a Texas lawman and lived outside Dallas during the ‘80s. This was when the movie Urban Cowboy made western wear high fashion. The black-and-white picture is me when I worked as an assistant children’s librarian. I loved my cowgirl boots. After wearing them out, I saved them for trail rides. Unlike my bronco riding cousin, I am afraid of getting hurt, so I tried to stick to the calmest horses.

My favorite story is how I rode a spooked horse and lived to tell the tale. It was during a trail ride on The Ranch. I rode Big Red, a retired racehorse. He was huge! I was enjoying the sunny day on horseback when a dust devil crossed our path. Arizona does get haboobs (pictured), so I was glad this one was basically a shed-sized tornado made of dirt.

Haboob dust storm in the Arizona desert

Big Red started bucking. I maintained a death grip on the reins. There was no way I was letting go. Although at one point, I did look down at an overgrown bush and thought for sure that was where I was going to land. But it turned out my fear of injury was greater than his. In the end, I stayed on Big Red and was able to calm him down. Okay, he probably did that all by himself. But, hey, it’s a fun story.

So is the time I was given permission to sit in an F-16 fighter jet, and the pilot turned out to be the officer I had danced with the night before. Neither of us told my father—until later. Life sure is interesting, and so is writing fiction.

 

Ranch Showdown

Seeking refuge at a ranch…

Has fiery consequences

After being threatened by her sister’s ex, Sierra Lowery has forty-eight hours to surrender documents linking him to a bombing before he kills her and kidnaps her nephew. With the evidence missing and anyone who helps becoming a target, hiding out with Detective Cole Walker, her college sweetheart, might be her only chance for survival. But as explosives detonate in the wake of their search, their ranch safe haven could become a dangerous trap.

 

BUY LINK 

More About Tina

Tina Wheeler, a Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, writes inspirational romantic suspense for Harlequin. Although she grew up near a desert in Arizona, her favorite place to plot a new story is on a balcony overlooking the ocean. She enjoys spending time with her large extended family, brainstorming with writing friends, discovering new restaurants, and traveling with her husband. Visit authortinawheeler.com to read more.

Join her newsletter for book news and giveaways:

 

 

 

Giveaway (print if US, eBook if international)

Tina is giving away a copy of Ranch Showdown. To enter the random drawing, leave a comment telling us what types of stories you enjoy reading or watching.

Apple-y Ever After By Annee Jones

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A few weeks ago, I posted on the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog about the history of apple farming in North America. I discovered so much fascinating information about this topic that I decided to expand on it here. Archaeologists have found evidence of people eating apples since at least 6500 B.C. Did you know that apples are not native to North America? Genome testing reveals that the fruit actually originated in Kazakhstan (central Asia east of the Caspian Sea). In fact, the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma Ata, means “full of apples.”

The first apple trees in North America were grown in the late 1500s from seeds brought by French Jesuits.  The Pilgrims also brought young trees and seedlings from England and planted them in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Settlers traded fruit, trees, and seeds with American Indians. Apples were a staple in the diet of early pioneers, since they could be eaten fresh, fried, stewed, baked, and made into cider, vinegar, and brandy. Even mediocre apples could be cooked into preserves and apple butter, and the poorest fruit was used as livestock feed.

1880 to 1910 was knows as the “Apple Boom” in the south. By 1910 at the height of the period, North Carolina alone was producing ten million bushels for sale to other parts of the country.  However, over production, falling prices after WWI, and competition from the West Coast soon led to the decline of the apple industry in the eastern and southern states by the mid 20th century.

The proverb “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” first appeared in print in 1866 and comes from the tales of the Arabian Nights, in which a magic apple is found capable of curing all human diseases. In ancient Greece, to throw an apple at someone was to symbolically declare one’s love; and, to catch it was to show one’s acceptance of that love.

The fruit is not specifically named in the Old Testament’s Book of Genesis. It’s reputation as a “forbidden fruit” may actually be the result of a pun – the Latin word “malus” means both “apple” and “evil.”  The apple became a symbol for knowledge, temptation, and sin. The larynx in the human throat is called the “Adam’s apple” due to the idea that it was caused by the “forbidden fruit” remaining in the throat of Adam after the fall of man into sin.

Slice of delicious fresh baked apple pie with whipped cream. Extreme shallow depth of field with selective focus on slice of pie.

Speaking of folklore, who was Johnny Appleseed and how did he get this name? The real person behind the nickname was John Chapman of Massachusetts. He condemned grafting – an farming technique used to propagate specific varieties – insisting that the only “good” apple was that which arose from seeds. However, the only variety of the fruit in North America that grows naturally without propagation is the crab apple – known as the “common apple.”  Johnny began collecting seeds from Pennsylvania and ferrying them west. But because the apples were too sour to be eaten, they were primarily used to make cider and applejack (in other words, booze). Temperance activists condemned the apple as a source of sin and actually demanded that moral people burn their trees!

 

apple orchard background, agricultural, garden, agriculture, apple, autumn, background, blue, branch, crisp, delicious, fall, farm, food, fresh, fruit, green, harvest, health, healthy, leaf, nature, orchard, red, season, shine, sky, texture, tree

More fun facts:

  • Today there are over 7,000 apple varieties grown around the world
  • Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit
  • The largest apples ever picked weighed over three pounds
  • One of George Washington’s hobbies was pruning apple trees
  • Apples will float in water because they are 25% air
  • Granny Smith apples were first grown by Maria Anne Smith in Australia in 1867

 

Here is a lovely vintage recipe from Taste of Home that is made with granny smith apples (though any variety will work).

International Cuisine – Desserts – Cake with “ricotta” cheese and sour apples.

Oma’s Apfelkuchen (Grandma’s Apple Cake)

Ingredients

  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and halved
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup 2% milk
  • Confectioners’ sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Let egg yolks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Starting 1/2 in. from 1 end, cut apple halves lengthwise into 1/4-in. slices, leaving them attached at the top so they fan out slightly. Set aside.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt twice. Gradually beat into creamed mixture. Add milk; mix well (batter will be thick).
  3. Spread batter into a greased 9-in. springform pan wrapped in a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Gently press apples, round side up, into batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 45-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Remove rim from pan. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

 

I don’t know about you, but after learning about the history of the apple in agriculture and literature, I might not look the same way at the fruit again!  I hope you enjoy my book, Apples for Ashley, Book 2 of The Orchard Brides series. It will be published on April 4 and is available for pre-order here:

Annee is offering reader’s choice of any title from her backlist to one winner who answers the question…Do you have a favorite kind of apple or recipe?

BUY LINK: https://books2read.com/ApplesForAshley

 

Bibliography: 

Historic Apple Sites

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-apples

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/oma-s-apfelkuchen-grandma-s-apple-cake/

Photos: Courtesy of Deposit Photos

About Annee Jones

Annee Jones is a heartwarming romance and soon-to-be cozy mystery author who enjoys sharing her heart and imagination with others.  She is passionate about writing stories that offer readers a place where dreams come true!

Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit.

Annee also enjoys freelance writing for Publishers Weekly and multiple publishing companies.

Subscribe to Annee’s newsletter on her website:  http://www.anneejones.com

 

Find Annee’s books here:

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Want to join Annee’s private Facebook reader group, Annee’s Angels?  Request your spot now:

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What Makes a Cowboy and a Giveaway!

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We’re so happy to have USA Today Bestselling author Paula Altenburg with us. She has a giveaway so scroll down. 

Thank you to Petticoats & Pistols for having me here!

Cowboys are made, not born.

But being a cowboy takes a certain type of personality, and those are the heroes I love to write.
Even though I write contemporary western romance, I do a significant amount of historical research, because real people are a product of their histories and their cultures. That’s one reason why you see so many successful marriages among childhood sweethearts. It’s also why no one will ever know you as well as your siblings do—they shared the same upbringing and understand where you come from. I say this from experience. (Not the childhood sweetheart part, though. My husband is Dutch. I will say that the majority of our disagreements over the years can be directly attributed to language nuances and having been raised in very different cultures.) This is a segue into European colonization, by the way.



The Irish in particular formed a strong presence in the American Old West. You can read a fascinating article on them here. Irish surnames show up all over the present-day west. In fact, two authors I use as writing resources have Irish names—Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) and David McCumber (The Cowboy Way). McMurtry is Texan and McCumber is from Montana.

Grand, Montana was set up in my first series, The McGregor Brothers of Montana, as an Irish community. Grand’s fictional founders were two enterprising young Irish brothers (and ancestors of the contemporary McGregors) who made their money off selling liquor to soldiers. I’ve loosely based my Grand on real-life Miles City, Montana, which sits where the Tongue River flows into the Yellowstone River. I love the opportunities doing this offers me as a writer. If I need a setting detail, I can dip into the Miles City website and let my imagination run wild. The Miles City Chamber of Commerce is another great resource.


But setting Grand up as a fictional town means I get to make it my own. I read Lonesome Dove to get a feel for the landscape and what cowboys were like in the latter part of the 19th century. I read The Cowboy Way because I wanted to see how ranching has evolved. While ranch practices have changed with the times, cowboys, as it turns out, have not evolved in the least.
                                            

Sheriff Dan McKillop is definitely a product of his history and his environment. He’s
hardworking, he loves women (maybe a little too much) and he’s uncomfortable with money. When he and two friends inherit the Endeavour Ranch and billions of dollars, the only positive he sees is the opportunity to give back to his community. It takes a lot to knock him off his stride, but firefighter Jazz O’Reilly manages to do exactly that.
The Montana Sheriff is the first book in the Grand, Montana series.

Buy now

Four books will release this year with two more arriving in 2023.



Also in 2023, USA Today bestselling author Roxanne Snopek will be joining me with a series of her own. It’s tentatively titled The Lost Malones and familiar faces will appear.

And now, as a thank you to Petticoats & Pistols for having me here, I’m going to give away three electronic copies of another Grand, Montana book (and my USA Today bestseller!), The Rancher Takes a Family. You can check it out on my website.

All you have to do to qualify to win a copy is answer the following question and drop it in the comments below. “If you could live in any story world, what world would it be, and why?”
I’ll be stopping by throughout the day to chat and answer any questions.

Follow Paula at:

Grass Valley Brides

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Years ago, a dear friend invited me to spend the weekend with her at her parents’ home in Sherman County, Oregon. I’d never been in that part of the state, but quickly fell in “awe” with the rolling hills of wheat and sky that stretched forever. A few years after that, I found myself driving through the area and when I entered the tiny town of Grass Valley, the idea for a book began hopping around in my head. By the time I got home, I could hardly wait to get started writing it.

 

And one book led to another, until there were six in the sweet, contemporary Grass Valley Cowboys series. The stories are all set in and around Grass Valley, focusing on the Thompson and Morgan families.

The cowboys in the stories are the kind of heroes that give you happy daydreams (and may even make you swoon). They can be tender, teasing, flirty, furious, mischievous, rascally, protective, and proud, and that’s all before breakfast!

I’ve often thought about how fun it would be to write about the first families who came to Grass Valley, at least the families connected to those in my stories. 

 

The settlement of Grass Valley began with the establishment of a few stock ranches. Settlers began to arrive in the area and were soon plowing the cattle-sustaining grass to plant wheat fields.  Dr. Charles R. Rollins, a physician from New Hampshire, is credited with establishing Grass Valley when he arrived in the area with a small party of pioneers.  Dr. Rollins had an easy time choosing a name for the location since the rye grass grew thick and tall in the alkaline soil. Rollins built a large two-story hotel, which included a clinic from which he prescribed and sold medicine.  The town of Grass Valley was officially established in 1878.

I knew train service didn’t arrive in the area until around 1900, so I started digging into more history.

If you look at the map above, you see the John Day River, the Columbia River, and the Deschutes River make up the boundaries of quite a large area. Reportedly, Dr. Rollins was the only physician “between the rivers” for a while as communities popped up around the county. 

Originally, I’d wanted to set the story in 1878, when Grass Valley was established, but getting my characters there was proving to be a challenge. So, I kicked the timeline up to 1884 when train service ran all the way across the country and made a stop in The Dalles. From there, it was simple enough to board the stagecoach that ran daily from The Dalles to Canyon City to the southeast. Just to reach Grass Valley took most of the day with stops at stations to switch out the teams for fresh horses. I could just picture a cast of characters bouncing along on that long ride, eager to reach Grass Valley.

When I was asked to participate in a new project with three other authors, I knew it was time to write the story of the first Thompson to arrive in Grass Valley. 

I’m so pleased and happy to be part of the Regional Romance Series with our own Kit Morgan, as well as Kari Trumbo and Peggy L. Henderson. What makes this series so fun and unique is that each of us is writing three connected stories that are bundled into one book. If you purchase all four books in the series, you actually get twelve (12!) brand new romances! 

My contribution to the series is Grass Valley Brides.

I can hardly wait for you to read these stories, because they were ridiculously delightful to write! Oh, boy, did I have a good time! Mostly because of Taggart Thompson.

He is a rascally, good-looking rancher who fancies himself to be quite the matchmaker. And the real matchmaker is ready to throttle him! 

What’s a matchmaker to do when the husband-to-be rejects the bride?

     Again . . .

Widowed as a young wife, Cara Cargill turned her head for business and love of romance into a successful mail-order bride enterprise. She’s never had a problem matching couples until one mule-headed man continues to refuse to wed the women she sends to meet him in Grass Valley, Oregon. In an effort to make a match he’ll keep and uphold her sterling reputation, Cara is desperate to find the perfect bride.

Daisy – When her fiancé leaves her at the altar, Daisy Bancroft knows it is far past time for a change. Her dearest friend, Cara, offers to send her to a newly established town in Oregon, where possibilities abound and the grass is rumored to be as tall as a man’s head. Daisy arrives with plans to wed Tagg Thompson, only to find the obstinate rancher has foisted her off on his best friend.

Birdie – Tired of waiting for her Mister Right to magically appear and whisk her away to a happily-ever-after, Bridget “Birdie” Byrne convinces her sister, a renowned matchmaker, to send her as the bride to Tagg Thompson. The man who greets her upon her arrival isn’t Tagg, but Birdie is certain she’s finally discovered the man she is meant to marry.  

Cara – Fed up with Tagg Thompson and his refusals of every bride she’s sent to Grass Valley for him to wed, Cara decides to meet the exasperating man in person. Her feet are barely on the ground in the rustic town before she’s nearly bowled over by a herd of stampeding cattle and swept into the brawny arms of a cowboy with the bluest eyes she’s ever seen.

Will true love find its home in the hearts of these Grass Valley Brides.

 

Dear Mrs. Cargill,

At the rate you’re finding me a wife, I may be too old to have any kids by the time I get married. Speaking of children, Sally Oliver, she was the first bride you sent, wanted me to pass on the news to you that she and her husband, Mr. Buster Martin, will be parents in March. Good thing you’ve got me to help find these women a happy home.

Are you sure you know what you’re doing? You came highly recommended as one of the top matchmakers in the country, but if you have this much trouble with everyone who engages your services, I don’t see how you stay in business.

Please let me know when you have another bride ready to send my way. I look forward to making her acquaintance, and can only pray she’ll be better suited as a ranch wife than the last four you sent.

Respectfully,

Mr. T. Thompson

Grass Valley, Oregon

 

What do you think? Will Cara find a bride to please Tagg?

 

 

 

 

Andrea Downing on how Wyoming Women Take the Lead

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Before I was able to purchase a small place in Wyoming where I live part-year, I always thought of Wyoming as ‘the cowboy state.’ The symbol of a cowboy on a bucking horse is pervasive in the state, and shops and bars are plentiful in throwing around the word ‘cowboy.’ But the other nickname for the great state of Wyoming is ‘the equality state’ because, as any feminist historian may know, Wyoming was the very first place in the entire world to give women the vote. Although it’s often said that the decision to give women the vote had to do with the comparatively small population residing in Wyoming at the time, the pro-suffrage vote was generally along political party lines with the Democrats bringing in the law on December 10, 1869. At the time, there was something akin to five men for every woman in Wyoming.

Photo courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum

In September 1870, women finally got their chance to cast their ballots…and apparently predominantly voted Republican. Later that year, women jurists served, and in 1871, the first female Justice of the Peace was elected. Women went on to serve in several capacities, including in the state legislature. However, in my own neck of the woods, in the valley of Jackson Hole, things were a bit slower to take off, but when they did, women certainly made their mark.
It’s difficult to believe that the area in which the town of Jackson now sits was once called Marysvale, but that was the original postal address for the area. The first homestead claims had been filed in the 1880s, mostly by men, with women and families arriving later. In 1893, Maggie Simpson became the official postmistress sitting on a property that now is the center of town. She renamed the district Jackson and, as everyone now knows, that is the name that stuck.

Photo courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum

By 1900, the town was slowly developing and lots were being sold for housing and shops, but it remained a fairly laid-back place with no real government. It took another twenty years for a town council to be elected—all women! At the time, the population of Jackson was 307 and Grace Miller beat one Frank Lovejoy for the position of mayor, fifty-six to twenty-eight. The five-woman council was able to collect long-overdue taxes, improve road conditions, maintain the Town Square, control roaming livestock, give access to the cemetery, expand sewer and water systems, and install electric lighting and a phone service. They also employed the first Town Marshal, a woman! Pearl Williams had formerly been working at the drugstore as a clerk, but having been brought up on a ranch located between Jackson and Wilson, she had her own horse and could look after herself in the wild. Apparently, most of Pearl’s time was taken up giving interviews to reporters who loved the story of the female marshal in the wild west. The truth of the matter was that the town jail cells had no doors and the worst incidents Pearl apparently handled, aside from keeping stray cattle out of the town square, involved drunken cowboys.

My own first visit to Jackson was as a young girl in the 1960s. I don’t remember much other than going up to Yellowstone except that it was still a fairly quiet place reveling in its small-town life. I suppose in the 1970s when my book Always on My Mind is set, it was just beginning to evolve into what it is today—a vibrant place that welcomes men and women (!) from around the globe, pandemics permitting. And women, of course, continue to play a vital role in both the state government and the town of Jackson.

If you’d like to win an e-copy of Always on My Mind, comment below and let me know what you think it might have been like for a woman living in Jackson in the seventies. There certainly was a lot going on in the country at the time. Here’s the book’s blurb to give you some ideas: 1972 – Vietnam, the pill, upheaval, hippies.

Wyoming rancher Cooper Byrnes, deeply attached to the land and his way of life, surprises everyone when he falls for vagabond hippie Cassie Halliday. Fascinated and baffled, he cannot comprehend his attraction—or say the words she wants to hear.
Cassie finds Coop intriguingly different. As she keeps house for him and warms his bed at night, she admits to herself she loves him but she misinterprets Coop’s inability to express his feelings.
Parted, each continues to think of the other, but how can either of them reach out to say, “You were ‘always on my mind’?”

 

Find Always on My Mind at these booksellers:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

His Boots Are Made For Running!

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Running for sheriff, that is!

Tug Moyer isn’t your average, every-day guy.

He’s a widower with two kids and great parents who jumped in when Tug lost his wife so they could help with the kids. Now… with Tug’s bid to become the next Grant County sheriff at hand… it’s Tug’s time to put his best foot forward, but when his smart and helpful daughter posts a video about her dad needing a new wife…

A video that goes viral within hours!

Tug’s got a mess on his hands.

The school is not amused. The sheriff’s department is not amused. And Evangeline’s teacher is the least amused of all. How could a sheriff’s deputy, a man who does teen-empowerment podcasts and blogcasts, not understand the dangers of kids let loose on the Internet???

Tug’s not your typical Western hero. He’s not a cowboy, but he wears boots. 🙂

He’s not riding range or roping calves or herding cattle, but he’s there, in the thick of a beautiful Western state that’s become a hub of agricultural beauty, vying for the sheriff’s office, fighting crime, helping kids and saving lives, unaware that his growing interest in Evangeline’s teacher might be his undoing.

Christa didn’t come into the ranks of teaching easily. The daughter of a Guatemalan immigrant, a woman who sacrificed so much to get her baby sister and daughter to America, Christa had a rough childhood that framed the solid person she is today. But when one of those youthful mistakes is made public, she knows she can become the downfall of the man she’s fallen in love with.

Boots aren’t just for riding, are they?

Wearing boots makes a statement.

Cool guys dare to wear them in Manhattan.

My son who moved to Texas 18 months ago now owns boots…

And loves them.

It’s not a fashion statement.

Perish the thought.

It’s a personal statement of self-confidence. And maybe a hint of swagger.

Having a hero running for office deepened Tug and Christa’s conflict, but it also gave the reader a better look at who Tug is. And his partner, Lorenzo Calloway, who will be the hero in the third Golden Grove book. Lorenzo is a boot-wearing deputy as well. Raised on a Central Washington beef ranch, Renzo wears the uniform but he’s on hand to help during busy times of calving, wrangling and getting calves to market. Unlike Tug, Renzo will not be running for any kind of office, but he’s the kind of man who stands tall in those boots, who stands firm for faith and family… but more about Renzo and Sarah later! 🙂

Boots sell movie tickets…. Tom Selleck, Dennis Weaver, Sam Elliott, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne… but look at the more recent Stetson wearing crew:

Tommie Lee Jones… Jeff Bridges… Kevin Costner… Kurt Russell… Val Kilmer…

Boots have crossed the marketing line. They’re not only acceptable anywhere, they’re beloved! And they go great with jeans, skirts, dresses…

Now I am not a fan of boots with shorts…. I’m just sayin’, that’s a little too oxymoron for me. If it’s hot enough for shorts, give me sandals or sneakers…. but that’s just me.

So what are your thoughts about boots? 

Here in the cold north, I’ve got snow boots and farm boots, but that’s a whole other blogpost! Share your boots thoughts below, and I’ll tuck you into a drawing for one of two copies of my just released “Learning to Trust”!

 

AND WE HAVE A WINNER FROM RUTHY’S EARILIER MARCH POST… and by earlier, she means before she had flu that ended up as pneumonia, when she could think a cognizant thought, darlings…. Luckily, she’s almost 100% healthy again!

Winner is Quilt Lady!!!! Congratulations, you’ve won a Kindle copy of Ruthy’s bestselling “Welcome to Wishing Bridge”!

A New Year, A New Western Series!

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I am absolutely delighted to start off the new year with a brand new Western trilogy from Love Inspired Books.

 

On shelves nationwide right now, at Walmarts and Krogers and Winn-Dixies, and wherever mass-market paperbacks are sold. I’m so excited about this series, tucked into the heartland of Washington State, where fruit rules the land, and small farms are being gobbled up by major fruit conglomerates as soon as they become available. And I’m not against big business. I’m a capitalist. I believe in free enterprise.

But I’m also a small farm owner and the landscape of the American farm will change drastically if we lose all these small farms, roadside stands and  hands-on farming opportunities. Sure, bigger is better in some ways…

But it can also be production-line impersonal, so we need to strike a balance.

And that’s why I wrote this book. The pumpkin farmer in me loves small business and roadside stands and loves shopping local whenever possible, but it went deeper than that. It went to the hero’s story, a man who served his country well but lost his edge after a tragic military accident.

And then God puts Libby Creighton in his path. A falling-down farm. Time to harvest. A very sick elderly man. And Jax McClaren has every skill that Libby needs to make this final season a good one for her aging grandfather, but does he have the inner strength to do it?

I fell in love with Jax. I think you will, too!

And you’re going to love this glimpse of orcharding, a spunky pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps heroine, a super cute kid, a guy who learns to forgive himself and maybe– just maybe– has the chance to re-script the life that he thought he didn’t deserve.

So January here on the farm begins four months of quiet time… much appreciated quiet time! I get to write more, and I start each year by planning my writing schedule for the upcoming two years. That way I know when I have breaks in the action and how to plan out my writing hours to make sure everything gets done.

We have snow.

We have cute kids.

We have a new furnace, and this will be my first winter with warmth, so I’m frankly excited about that, LOL!  We’ve been heating with wood but long cold winters and a sprawling old farmhouse left cold pockets, but no more… And heat is something to happy dance about!

So what’s your winter look like? Is it peaceful like mine or do you have 400,000,000 things to do? Tell me about it!

I have two copies of “A Hopeful Harvest” to give away today, so leave a comment below and we’ll chat!

 

Petticoats & Pistols