Summer’s Heart

An Odd Custom in the 19th Century and Earlier

by

One of the strangest customs that was pretty common in the 19th century and earlier was a married woman referring to her husband as Mister and whatever their last name was. I just think it’s so odd and kind of funny in a way. It makes it sound like they’re not even married and maybe complete strangers.

My grandmother used to call her husband Mr. Smith like they weren’t even acquainted.

But my grandpa always called my grandmother by her first name which was Becky and didn’t say Mrs. Smith. It seems it was only the women who did this.

Another thing had to do with sending any mail to my grandmother. It had to be addressed as Mrs. Robert Smith, not by her name. It almost seemed like an ownership thing and she wasn’t her own person, not like today.

I still have an elderly cousin who always wants Mrs. Ed Langley on every piece of mail I send her even though he’s been dead for over ten years. Somehow, she’s still unable to claim her own identity. I think that’s really sad.

Yet, when I try to write this into one of my stories, it makes it seem they’re strangers, so I give up and change it so the reader will know who I’m talking about.

These days, we have a fast-paced, very casual lifestyle and wives always use their husband’s first names when they speak to them and it seems more natural.

One of my pet peeves is that I do not like is a man referring to his wife as his “old lady or old broad.” And the wife saying, “My old man.” Just sounds awful disrespectful, but maybe that’s just me. Or when they call each other Ma and Pa.

My parents always used their first names when speaking to each other.

Now for book news. The McIntyre complete series is out now, and I think doing pretty well as far as I can tell. It has its own series page on Amazon.

CLICK here for the link.

The McIntyre siblings are on a quest to reunite their fractured family no matter the cost. As they search, each also finds a love that cannot be denied.

 

How about you? Have you ever heard women of the older generations calling their husbands Mr. so and so? I’ll give a copy of Book 1 in this series – Cade’s Quest – to one commenter. (Either ebook or print)

Handcuffs and Criminals

by

As an author of historical western romance, I’ve written a lot about criminals and bad men. Even jails on occasion but lots of lawmen. The fact is, I like writing about them.

If you think handcuffs originated in the 18th Century, think again. The earliest metal handcuffs were used during the Bronze and Iron ages with new improvements as the centuries have passed. Maybe you already knew this but I did not. It never occurred to me that metal ones existed before the 18th Century. I assumed they used rope or leather bindings, not metal.

Inventor John J. Tower patented a pair of cuffs in 1865 that were widely used in America. They were ratcheted and therefore adjustable to the size of the criminals’ wrists which was a remarkable adaptation. They allowed a lawman to carry only one pair of cuffs whereas he used to have to carry multiples in various sizes.

The picture below is of Tower’s design and is the courtesy of The Science Museum.

John Tower’s Adjustable Handcuffs

Here is a set of Old West handcuffs that were widely used. Again, courtesy of The Science Museum.

Old West Handcuffs

As I said above, I’ve written about a lot of outlaws and criminals. One of my favorite stories was Saving the Mail Order Bride. It was 2nd book in my Outlaw Mail Order Bride series. Outlaw Jack Bowdre finds himself handcuffed to a lawman on a stagecoach on the way to jail when the stage overturns and kills the lawman. There’s one passenger on board, a woman named Nora, who panics and tosses the key to the handcuffs out the window. Jack would like to have wrung Nora’s neck. He’s never able to find the key. This story has so much humor and I just loved writing it. This is not a sweet romance though since it has love scenes.

 

What makes a book truly memorable? If you’d like to get your name in the drawing for one copy of Saving the Mail Order Bride, let me know in the comments. I’m also giving away one copy of Summer’s Heart which is my latest sweet romance.

Summer’s Heart, Book 2 The McIntyres, came out in January.

Texas, 1882. A suffocating blizzard locks Summer McIntyre inside a small town just as her world blows apart. A strange woman emerges from the storm carrying a baby and a damning accusation—Sheriff Dan Bodine fathered her child. The man Summer meant to marry suddenly seems like a stranger.

While the town is paralyzed under snow and suspicion, Summer receives even more staggering news: her missing little brother is alive, but being held by a deranged woman somewhere in the frozen wilderness. Summer and Dan want nothing more than to ride out and save him, but the storm has sealed every trail and turned the hills into a death trap.

With time running out and trust shattered, Summer must decide whether Dan is the ally she needs—or the heartbreak she can’t outrun.

Insanity in the Old West

by

“On an unforgiving 1880s frontier, where secrets cut as sharp as winter winds, love must decide whether to freeze—or fight its way through the storm.”

When I began to write SUMMER’S HEART, I had no plans to include a woman who was off her rocker. It wasn’t until I decided Summer and Dan were too comfortable in their relationship. So, like authors do, I had to shake the couple up. Enter Elsie Finch with wild claims that Dan fathered her child.

Boy, did the fireworks light things up! Doubts and questions rose. I won’t give the story away but it took a while for Summer and Dan to kiss and make up. Here’s something fun for you.

 

Insanity treatments in the 19th century left a lot to be desired. Our own Mary Connealy has blogged about this several times so you might find more there. Here is the link to one: https://petticoatsandpistols.com/2022/04/21/insane-asylums-in-history/

In the east, they had plenty of asylums where they locked people with mental illness away. But husbands with wives they didn’t want soon saw how easy it was to label their excess baggage as insane and lock them up with no questions asked.

A few of the crazy reasons they gave was:

  • Imaginary Female Trouble
  • Political Excitement
  • Asthma
  • Brain Fever
  • Jealousy
  • Religious Enthusiasm
  • Reading too many novels (WHAT!!)

I kid you not. Reading novels had to be one of the lamest excuses!

Anyway, that was mostly back east. In the old West, mental asylums were not prevalent. Mostly, families tried to deal with their crazy relatives themselves. Another alternative was putting them in prisons but those conditions were horrible.

In Texas, the first institution was the Texas State Lunatic Asylum. Doctors there tried a softer approach—until it became overcrowded. A second one, the North Texas Lunatic Asylum was built in Terrell but it was pretty bad. Lobotomies, cold water immersion, beatings, and things like that. Few doctors knew how to treat them.

In my new story, I never go into what kind of asylum the one in Austin was. It wasn’t discussed and I had to get the characters onto the rescue of her little brother which proved quite challenging. I’m sure it was about the same as the others. Horrible places.

Not only did Elsie Finch provide a lot of comic relief, which the story needed to offset the darkness, it also taught Summer to trust Dan with all her heart and see that he truly loved only her.

In this snowbound 1882 Texas romance filled with frontier mystery, unexpected betrayal, and heart-pounding suspense, nurse Summer McIntyre’s world is upended when a stranger arrives through the blizzard carrying a newborn and claiming the sheriff, the man she’s set to marry is the father. As the storm seals the town under ice, Summer discovers her missing little brother is alive—and in the hands of a dangerous madwoman in the frozen hills. With rescue impossible and trust between her and Sheriff Dan Bodine shattered, Summer must uncover the truth before the storm takes everyone she loves.

Let’s chat. Do you like reading books in the season in which they’re written? A snowy blizzard in this one might be best in winter. But then reading it in summer when it’s hot might be a refreshing break from the heat. Or maybe it doesn’t matter. I’m giving away a copy (winner’s choice of ebook or print) to two commenters so be sure to leave a comment. 

Christmas Frontier Style

by

No place was lonelier for settlers than the frontier. Having left family and friends back East, a lot felt cutoff from the world. The wind howled, temperatures were freezing, and they were hard put just to stay alive. The days were long and filled with hard work. There was little enjoyment to be had.

Christmas was the worst time for depression to set in. In addition to missing their loved ones, there were few trees over a lot of the high plains so they had to make do with whatever they could find. Some mothers, desperate for Christmas cheer, collected a tumbleweed (which were very plentiful throughout the central plains) and decorated it in bright colors. Candles were not allowed near due to the combustible nature of the dry bush.

Others chopped down other trees like scrub oak, juniper, or blackjack and used those. These settlers were very resourceful. To make it appear it had snowed on it, they wrapped the limbs and twigs with cotton. Other decorations were popcorn and cranberries they strung on twine and strings of paper hearts.

The children could also use the foil that separated layers of cigars and make icicles to hang on the tree. That is if their fathers smoked cigars and they could persuade him to save them. I’m sure there were many other things they made decorations out of. Possibilities were endless, including bird nests, colorful ribbon and empty spools of thread strung together. The first ornaments were hand-blown and didn’t come along until the late 1800s and early 1900. And electric lights appeared after the turn of the century.

School age children usually had a Christmas program of some kind, and they got a chance to sing or perform in a play. Those were fun occasions for kids and parents alike.

Food was an important part of the Christmas celebration and sugar was saved for months so there would be enough for the cakes and pies. Oranges were a real treat and kids only got one at the holiday. Fathers usually went hunting for a turkey, a duck, or whatever game they ran across.

Gifts were handmade unless the family was very wealthy. Fathers carved toys, mothers made dolls and knitted scarves, hats, and gloves. Everything was simple with the emphasis on the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Personally, I wish we could go back to these days without all the commercialization.

Tell me about a Christmas of yours that stands out and what made it really special.

Mine was the year my dad suffered third degree burns over much of his body in an explosion at his job on a construction site. I think I was probably seven or eight. He was in the hospital for months and we didn’t know when he’d get out. Back then, kids weren’t allowed beyond the waiting room so Jan and I couldn’t see him. My mom usually sat with him at night and our older sister came and stayed with us while she was gone, so our door would be locked. I was so afraid that Santa couldn’t get in and we wouldn’t get any presents. My older sister assured me he could come through the keyhole and not to worry. The next morning, sure enough, we had a few gifts even though we had no tree. And Mama had brought Daddy home from the hospital. That was the best Christmas I can remember because we were all together again and everything seemed right in my sheltered little world.

Also, I have a new book up for preorder! SUMMER’S HEART #2 The McIntyres. Release date 1/12/2026. AMAZON

In a storm of secrets, even love can freeze—or fight its way through the cold.

A mysterious woman, a newborn baby, and a claim that shatters Summer McIntyre’s secure world. As a deadly Texas blizzard seals the town in ice, Summer reels from betrayal—only to learn her long-lost little brother is alive and trapped with a madwoman in the treacherous hills. Every trail is buried under snow, every rescue impossible, and Summer must face the storm inside her heart as well as the one raging outside. Can love survive when trust is broken and time is running out?

Wishing you all a joyous Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whatever you say!

Linda

Petticoats & Pistols