Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 47
March 9, 2017
The Marriage by Bargain Series is Back to Four Books (I’m moving Brad’s book to the Marriage by Fate Series)
Just a quick reminder, I have a paperback giveaway going on right now. I’ll announce winners on the 12th, which is Sunday. You can go here to enter it.
But now on to the post…
For some reason, early in the morning between 5-6am (right before I’m due to wake up), I get my best moments of clarity. This morning an idea for Brad’s story finally came to me. After writing The Rake’s Vow, I wanted to do a story on her brother because I really like him. (His story was going to be Book 5 in this series.) This morning, I realized that Brad would be best paired up with Ava Baynes.
So the complete set of books in the Marriage by Bargain Series will be this:
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I’m halfway through Taming The Viscountess right now, and I have just started If It Takes A Scandal. I hope to have both out in the June-September timeframe.
So what does this have to do with Ava or Brad?
I’m also working on the Marriage by Fate Series.
Ava is Opal’s friend, and Opal is Lord Steinbeck’s sister. Lord Steinbeck (aka. Warren) was the hero in The Earl’s Wallflower Bride. If you read that book, you’ll remember that Warren’s sister was at the country estate and pretended she was crazy because her mother was cruel to her.
Opal has the first book in the Marriage by Fate Series, which is The Reclusive Earl.
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Other books are coming in this series soon.
I haven’t figured out the other titles of books in this series yet, but I know Brad and Ava will be the couple in book 2. (Miss Tumilson, who I introduce in The Reclusive Earl, is a spinster who will end up getting married, and I think I have the right hero in mind for her, but I need to think on it a while before I’m sure. I’m not sure if there will be a book 4 or not.)
I introduce Ava in this book, and she has a bubbly and fun personality. I think she would be the best match for Brad. Brad has a minor OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and is particular about certain things. That is why he is best paired up with her. She’s opposite him enough to help balance him out. The characters that are different usually end up being the best balance. I was originally going to pair Brad up with one of the members from Lady Eloise’s elite group, but none of them matched up with him. This morning, I had an “ah-ha” moment. I realized Ava would be perfect for him. An uptight hero needs a heroine who isn’t going to feed into that tendency.
I already know how I’m going to pair Brad and Ava up, and it’s going to involve some mischief from Brad and Loretta’s brother (Stephen). I go into what a troublemaker Stephen is in The Rake’s Vow and Taming The Viscount. I honestly don’t know if I can ever do a book for Stephen. He doesn’t seem like the kind of character who can change, but I will get a better view of him when I write Brad’s book. So we shall see.
March 4, 2017
Signed Paperback Giveaway (Three People Will Win)
I just found out that The Rake’s Vow has made it on the Smashwords Hotlist: Weekly indie romance bestsellers and hot preorders blog post!
The Rake’s Vow is due out March 18!
Quick Description: Miss Loretta Bachman convinces a reformed rake, who has vowed to never sleep with another lady, to marry her and pretend he’s deeply in love with her so she can impress the Ton.
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Click here to reserve your copy today!
For quick reference, here are the books in the Marriage by Bargain Series.
The Viscount’s Runaway Bride (Book 1) – Anthony and Damara ‘s romance
The Rake’s Vow (Book 2) – Loretta and Tad’s romance
Taming The Viscountess (Book 3) – Celia and Sebastian’s romance
If It Takes A Scandal (Book 4) – Corin and Candace’s romance
Book 5 – I don’t have a title for this at the moment. This will be Brad’s romance (Loretta is Brad’s sister and makes some key appearances in The Rake’s Vow)
To celebrate the fact that The Rake’s Vow is on the Smashwords Hotlist at the Happy Ever After blog, I am running a giveaway!
Who will win:
There will be three winners. I’ll draw names at random to determine the winners.
This is open to international winners. (I live in the United States.)
What you win:
Each winner will win the paperbacks in a series that is already complete. (Series that are not completed are Marriage by Bargain Series, Marriage by Fate Series, and Pioneer Series.) If you do not want an entire series but have 3-4 books that are your top favorites that you’d like me to send your way, I can do that instead.
Here is a list of my series/books for easy reference.
Each book will be signed.
When I’ll announce the winners:
March 12.
How to enter:
Fill out the form below. I will never share your email, and I will not use this email to sign you up for my email list. I value the privacy of everyone’s email. When this giveaway is done, I will delete all the email addresses.
[contact-form]
February 27, 2017
The Reclusive Earl is set for May 7
The good news is that The Rake’s Vow is done and uploaded, so that will go out March 18.
However, I need to push back the release date for The Reclusive Earl. The new date will be May 7.
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I was planning to finish it this week and get it to my editing team, but I have a kid who threw up tonight, and I made the mistake of eating some of his pretzels earlier today. (Something I greatly regret at the moment because it probably means I’ll be throwing up in a couple of days.) I have another kid who also feels sick. I have four kids total, and these things usually run the course through the whole house. Needless to say I’m not going to get much of anything done for a couple of weeks.
Then in mid-March, I might have jury duty. I need to make sure the schedule is clear for that. I’ve never been on a jury before. I wasn’t called in last time I got the letter, but you never know if this will be the time you are.
All of this together puts me in a very tight position. The good news is I’m about two chapters and an epilogue away from finishing the book. I want to make sure I give my editing team enough time to go over the book, so I really need to push back when I plan to have the first draft done.
I’m sorry for doing this, but it was either push the date back or rush the ending. The last thing I want to do is rush the ending because that won’t be fair to you guys. I want to make the book the best story it can be.
February 25, 2017
The Rake’s Vow is Coming out March 18 (Now Available on Pre-order)
I’m happy to announce that this is coming out earlier than I expected!
Here are the books in the Marriage by Bargain Series:
The Viscount’s Runaway Bride (Book 1) – Damara and Anthony’s romance
The Rake’s Vow (Book 2) – Loretta and Tad’s romance
Taming The Viscountess (Book 3) – Celia and Sebastian’s romance
If It Takes A Scandal (Book 4) – Candace and Corin’s romance
Loretta’s brother will be the hero of Book 5 (I have no title yet, and I haven’t picked out the heroine)
Will there be more? I don’t know yet. I’ll find out as I continue writing these books. (I’m not a plotter like some authors.)
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This is where you can find it:
(If there is an Amazon country I didn’t add on the list, let me know, and I’ll do so.)
This is Loretta’s book. I should mention here that since it is only Book 2, it serves as a bridge from Book 1 to Book 5 (or whatever the last book will be). I did leave a couple of things in the air. These are all very minor things that don’t impact the main storyline. The main storyline is Loretta and Tad’s romance. I focus on that during the course of the book.
But Lady Eloise’s group (Ladies of Grace) is going to be an ongoing theme through this series. Usually, my ongoing theme has been the gentlemen at White’s and the book that keeps going from one to another. This time around, I wanted to do something different. Instead of an elite gentlemen’s club, I chose to deal with an elite ladies’ group. (Why should the gentlemen be the only ones with the drama?) 
February 16, 2017
His Auctioned Bride Has Been Changed To The Bride Price
I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the title change to a book I have scheduled to write this year. Remember Sep from Shotgun Groom? He was Joel Larson’s brother-in-law. Last year, I ran a question in the private Facebook group I have with my author friend Janet Syas Nitsick. In the question, I asked, “Would you rather read about Sep, Adam/Jacob Larson, or Vivian and Hugh?”
If you want to be a part of the Facebook group, here’s the link. Just ask to join, and Janet or I will let you in. Whenever I make most of my decisions about what to right, I will present the question to this group. It’s a great group of people over there. Very nice and supportive.
So anyway, Sep won, and that is why I’m doing his book. Right now, I have the release month set for November. (I want to finish up the Pioneer Series with Forced Into Marriage, so I had to shift this book from August to November.)
Okay, so I’m in the process of working on the description for Sep’s story. In the process of thinking up the storyline and who the heroine is going to be, I had to modify the title of the book. In modifying the title, I also changed the cover. I also changed the cover because I used this couple on the Forced Into Marriage cover.
Some of you might have already pre-ordered this on iBooks, so I want to assure you that this is the same story.
Here’s the old cover and title:
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Here’s the new cover and title:
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I won’t say more about this story right now. It’s so far out from being released. But I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the title and cover has been changed so you don’t wonder what happened to Sep’s story. It is still going to be done.
February 12, 2017
Groom For Hire is Now Available!
The books in the Pioneer Series are as follows:
Wagon Trail Bride (Book 1)
The Marriage Agreement (Book 2)
Groom For Hire (Book 3)
Forced Into Marriage (Book 4) – I’m not sure if there will be more than 4 books. I’ll have to see how Book 4 plays out.
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Here’s the description:
When Joe Otto accepted the job to lead a wagon train to California, the last thing he expected was to be asked to marry Mr. Heller’s daughter. Still pining over the one that got away, he’s not sure he has it in him to open his heart to another woman. Mr. Heller assures him the arrangement will only be temporary. Once Joe delivers her to her aunt and uncle in California, he can annul the marriage. Joe can use the money, and besides, it’s only a temporary arrangement. She won’t be his wife for the rest of his life. Reassured by this logic, he agrees to the marriage contract.
Michelle Heller knows the only way she’s going on the wagon train is if she has a husband, so she readily accepts the deal her father makes with Joe. What she doesn’t expect, however, is that her new husband is the most attractive young man she’s ever seen. Over and over, she has to remind herself their marriage isn’t real. It’s only borne of necessity. But as the days pass on the trail, it’s harder to remember their marriage is only on paper, and it seems the two are at odds as to what they want this marriage to be.
After Joe watched the woman of his dreams start a life with someone else, he vowed he would never open himself up to being hurt again. Can Michelle break through his wall, or will she have to annul the marriage once she reaches California?
If interested, this is where you can find it:
(It is on iBooks, but I don’t know the direct link)
If you are in an Amazon country I did not list, let me know, and I’ll add it to future posts when I have a new release out.
February 9, 2017
Updates on What I’m Doing
The big news is that I have a new book coming out this Sunday!
Due out February 12!
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Click here to reserve your copy today!
Groom For Hire is the third book in the Pioneer Series, but it’s not the last. I came across a certain character while writing this story, and I was intrigued enough to start a fourth book.
So the books in the series are as follows:
Wagon Trail Bride (Book 1)
The Marriage Agreement (Book 2)
Groom For Hire (Book 3)
Forced Into Marriage (Book 4)
Will there be a 5th? I don’t know yet. We’ll see how Forced Into Marriage goes.
The Rake’s Vow is in edits
This is Book 2 in the Marriage by Bargain Series.
Expected Release Date: March 26!
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Click here to reserve your copy today!
This turned into a much sweeter book than I had expected. (When I say “sweet”, I don’t mean “no sex”. There is sex.) Sweet to me means that the hero and heroine get along exceptionally well. I love the dynamic between the two. In my opinion, they have an excellent relationship of openness and honesty. It just happened that they softly fell in love with each other. There was no startling moment where things clicked. The relationship just progressed from friendship to love without either one realizing it until they’re faced with an unexpected situation that pops up.
Books in the Marriage by Bargain Series are as follows:
The Viscount’s Runaway Bride (Book 1)
The Rake’s Vow (Book 2)
Taming The Viscountess (Book 3)
If It Takes a Scandal (Book 4)
Loretta’s brother (Brad) will be the hero of Book 5 (I don’t have a title yet)
The Reclusive Earl is almost 3/4 of the way done
This is Book 1 in the Marriage by Fate Series.
This is due out April 9!
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Click here to reserve your copy today!
Hopefully, that is the last version of the cover I’ll do. I know I keep changing it, but I think this one will work. The story, thankfully, has been coming along a lot easier than the cover. I am slowly coming up with ideas on the other books in this series. Right now, I’m focusing more on the Marriage by Bargain Series.
I probably should have waited to start this book, but after The Earl’s Wallflower Bride which had Opal (Warren’s sister) in it, I wanted to do this one before I lost touch with her character. Any time I spend some time away from a character, I lose the connection with him/her. Then I have to revisit the book they were in so I can get connected again.
Taming The Viscountess is 1/4 of the way done
This is Book 3 in the Marriage by Bargain Series
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Reserve your copy today!
This one is so much fun to write. The hero keeps winning one up on the heroine, but he does it in humorous way. I think this book has a comedic feel to it. That is exactly the tone a book needs if the hero is going to take an unlikable character and make her someone we can all root for.
Forced Into Marriage is slow in coming
This is Book 4 in the Pioneer Series
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Reserve your copy today!
I’m working through the last rounds of edits on The Rake’s Vow while writing, and this book tends to get pushed aside while I make room for the other two that are further up in my publishing schedule.
I don’t know if this will be out before If It Takes A Scandal or not. I plan to start If It Takes A Scandal in the next week or two. If It Takes A Scandal will be Book 4 in the Marriage by Bargain Series.
February 1, 2017
The Very True Legends of Ol’ Man Wickleberry and his Demise – Ink Slingers’ Anthology
Joleene Naylor (an author I very much respect due to how professional and kind she’s been in the years I’ve known her) invited authors to participate in the anthology she was putting together.
It has been a while since I wrote a short story, and I thought it sounded like fun so I submitted a young adult thriller I called “Body Swap”. If you like old black and white episodes of The Twilight Zone, I think you might enjoy my story. I have not read the other short stories in the anthology yet, but I plan to.
It is free on Smashwords, but as of the time I’m writing it, it is $0.99 on Amazon. I, and the other authors, are trying to get it free on Amazon, but it is up to Amazon to decide whether or not to price match the book.
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Smashwords (FREE)
Amazon ($0.99 unless they price match it)
If it shows up on other retailers, I’ll let you know. At the moment, it looks like it’s only on Smashwords and Amazon. But remember, it’s free on Smashwords until Amazon price matches it.
Here’s the stories you’ll find in this anthology:
Ol’ Man Wickleberry is a man of legend – or is he a legend of a man? With a scruffy beard and a dislike for humanity, how long has it been since he met his demise, and what is he doing in his ghostly afterlife? The stories may differ, but all of them are true. We swear. So if you’re ever wandering alone in the woods at night, and find you’re not really alone, it just might be Ol’ Man Wickleberry.
Enjoy eight tales by seven talented authors including:
Vendetta by Chris Harris: Mr. Baker is on his way to steal a deal when he’s snowed in. Stuck waiting at a rustic tavern, he’s ambushed by an old man with a strange story – a story that’s beyond belief. Or is it?
Evil Animals and Automobiles by Mark R Hunter: Ol’ Man Wickleberry hates so much he sometimes prompts them to an untimely end, with the help of those newfangled automobiles. But the next victim might be Ol’ Man Wickleberry, himself.
The True Story of Ol’ Man Wickleberry by Jonathan Harvey: Jonathan Harvey puts the Terrible Turtle spin on the Wickleberry legend. He names himself Papa Harvey and weaves a tale that is strange and bizarre, but still interesting. If only he wasn’t constantly being interrupted.
Out Walking by Joleene Naylor: The mysterious carnivorous white rabbits sound too strange to be true, but Ol’ Man Wickleberry can’t stand the thought of missing some rare game. It seems a walk is in order…
Body Swap by Ruth Nordin: A teenage boy makes a trade with a man who was thought to be dead.
Weirdly Normal – The Hike by Simon Goodson: Vincent hates hiking. But more than anything else, he hates their guide’s endless wittering about the horribly scary myth of Ol’ Man Wickleberry. Just when Vincent is certain the night can’t get any worse… Ol’ Man Wickleberry himself makes an appearance!
Wickleberry Elixir by Terry Compton: Rick and his two fellow college students just wanted a few extra college credits and the money from the work study. Then the professor demanded more details. But details sometimes lead to answers no one really wants or believes.
Ol’ Man Wickleberry (The Other True Story) by Jonathan Harvey: Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, and next to this farm lived Ol’ Man Wickleberry, E-I-E-I – Oh. It seems Ol’ Man Wickleberry doesn’t like these kind of goings ons. A short story that’s rhyming good fun.
The Very True Legends of Ol’ Man Wickleberry and his Demise – Ink Slingers’ Anthlogy
Joleene Naylor (an author I very much respect due to how professional and kind she’s been in the years I’ve known her) invited authors to participate in the anthology she was putting together.
It has been a while since I wrote a short story, and I thought it sounded like fun so I submitted a young adult thriller I called “Body Swap”. If you like old black and white episodes of The Twilight Zone, I think you might enjoy my story. I have not read the other short stories in the anthology yet, but I plan to.
It is free on Smashwords, but as of the time I’m writing it, it is $0.99 on Amazon. I, and the other authors, are trying to get it free on Amazon, but it is up to Amazon to decide whether or not to price match the book.
[image error]
Smashwords (FREE)
Amazon ($0.99 unless they price match it)
If it shows up on other retailers, I’ll let you know. At the moment, it looks like it’s only on Smashwords and Amazon. But remember, it’s free on Smashwords until Amazon price matches it.
Here’s the stories you’ll find in this anthology:
Ol’ Man Wickleberry is a man of legend – or is he a legend of a man? With a scruffy beard and a dislike for humanity, how long has it been since he met his demise, and what is he doing in his ghostly afterlife? The stories may differ, but all of them are true. We swear. So if you’re ever wandering alone in the woods at night, and find you’re not really alone, it just might be Ol’ Man Wickleberry.
Enjoy eight tales by seven talented authors including:
Vendetta by Chris Harris: Mr. Baker is on his way to steal a deal when he’s snowed in. Stuck waiting at a rustic tavern, he’s ambushed by an old man with a strange story – a story that’s beyond belief. Or is it?
Evil Animals and Automobiles by Mark R Hunter: Ol’ Man Wickleberry hates so much he sometimes prompts them to an untimely end, with the help of those newfangled automobiles. But the next victim might be Ol’ Man Wickleberry, himself.
The True Story of Ol’ Man Wickleberry by Jonathan Harvey: Jonathan Harvey puts the Terrible Turtle spin on the Wickleberry legend. He names himself Papa Harvey and weaves a tale that is strange and bizarre, but still interesting. If only he wasn’t constantly being interrupted.
Out Walking by Joleene Naylor: The mysterious carnivorous white rabbits sound too strange to be true, but Ol’ Man Wickleberry can’t stand the thought of missing some rare game. It seems a walk is in order…
Body Swap by Ruth Nordin: A teenage boy makes a trade with a man who was thought to be dead.
Weirdly Normal – The Hike by Simon Goodson: Vincent hates hiking. But more than anything else, he hates their guide’s endless wittering about the horribly scary myth of Ol’ Man Wickleberry. Just when Vincent is certain the night can’t get any worse… Ol’ Man Wickleberry himself makes an appearance!
Wickleberry Elixir by Terry Compton: Rick and his two fellow college students just wanted a few extra college credits and the money from the work study. Then the professor demanded more details. But details sometimes lead to answers no one really wants or believes.
Ol’ Man Wickleberry (The Other True Story) by Jonathan Harvey: Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, and next to this farm lived Ol’ Man Wickleberry, E-I-E-I – Oh. It seems Ol’ Man Wickleberry doesn’t like these kind of goings ons. A short story that’s rhyming good fun.
January 29, 2017
Groom For Hire Will Be Out February 12
Wagon Trail Bride and The Marriage Agreement, the first two books in the Pioneer Series, are both serious in nature. There are a couple of light moments where I got a chuckle while writing them, but overall, they have a more serious tone to them.
Groom For Hire, which is Book 3, is definitely a comedy. Those of you who enjoyed the type of humor in A Husband For Margaret, you will probably get a kick out of this one.
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The book is now on pre-order!
I had trouble getting an iBooks link because this book is going through my awesome publisher who uploads directly to the iBookstore. I use Smashwords for distribution to iBooks. So if anyone has the iBooks link they would like to send my way, please do.
Please note that the heroine’s name is Michelle. I originally made it Evelyn, but then I found another Evelyn in Patty’s Gamble, and I was afraid people would think this was the same Evelyn. So I changed the name to Michelle. I forgot to tell the publisher at the time I sent in the description, so the book page says “Evelyn”. I already notified the publisher of this issue.
That aside….
The hero is Joe Otto, and he was the one who was in love with Amanda when she married Richard Larson. Well, in this book, he gets his second chance at happiness, but it’s not exactly in the way he expects because Michelle (the woman he signs to temporarily marry so she can go on a wagon train to California without a relative) is excited about the trip and wants to do everything she can to be part of leading the wagon train. This baffles him, and no matter how hard he tries to persuade her to be content sticking to the female duties, she won’t give up.
Below is an excerpt from the story to give you a flavor of the humor you’ll find if you read it.
This is when Michelle tries to join the men when they’re ready to go hunting.
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They turned around in time to see Joe jogging their way.
“Your wife wants to join us for hunting,” Matthew replied. “The trouble is, she’s never used a gun in her entire life.”
Before Joe said anything, Michelle already knew he wouldn’t approve. “I’m just going to watch,” she told Joe. “I won’t use the rifle.” Even though she wanted to in the worst way. Men were so lucky. They got to do a lot of fun things while women were stuck with cooking and cleaning. She gave the rifle back to Danny. “See? I’m not shooting at anything today.”
Joe slowed to a stop as soon as he reached them. “This is ridiculous. You can’t go out there with these men.”
“Why not? You think I can’t learn from watching them?” she asked.
Joe took her by the arm and led her away from the group.
“What are you doing?” she demanded in irritation. She was beginning to feel more like a child than a grown woman with the way he was treating her.
When they were out of everyone’s hearing, he faced her and let go of her arm. “I’m stopping you from making a foolish decision,” he told her. “Think about what you’re about to do. You’re willing to go with five men away from the group. Don’t you know what kind of trouble you’re asking for?”
It took her a moment to understand what he was getting at, and when she did, she gasped. “That’s awful, Joe. Just awful. Why would you agree to take men to California if you think they’re the type who’d take a woman’s innocence?”
He blinked, her answer having the desired effect of surprising him. Then he shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t agree to take men on a wagon train if I thought they were the type who’d mistreat a woman.”
“In that case, why are you worried?”
“Because I don’t know them that well. I don’t think they would do that, but one can never be sure about anything. Who knows if the temptation might be too much for any one of them? It’s in your best interest to make sure you’re never alone with any of them, understand? That’s why I tell women and children to go to the stream together or go with a male relative. It’s for your protection.”
“Well, I want to learn how to hunt, and in order to do that, I need to learn to shoot a gun. I think of Danny as a brother, and he thinks of me like a sister. He’ll take care of me.”
Joe laughed. “You are so naïve.”
She frowned. “I don’t appreciate being laughed at.”
He shook his head. “Why can’t you be content being a woman? Why do you need to act like a man?”
“I’m not trying to act like a man. As Mrs. Taylor said, women have owned homesteads. If they can own property, then I can hunt.”
“When I talked to your father, he made you sound like a sweet young woman who wouldn’t cause me any problems, but so far, you’ve been the biggest problem I’ve had on this trail.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Thanks a lot!”
“You can’t be surprised I think that about you. You’re determined to do everything I tell you not to do.”
“That’s because you are determined to prevent me from living the adventure that’s part of this journey.”
“Adventure?”
“Yes. I like being out here. I have an opportunity to learn how to do new things, and you’re not letting me do them. Danny’s willing to let me do them. The other men only had a problem because I don’t know how to use a gun, but once I know how to use it, they’ll let me hunt with them. Danny will teach me how to shoot. And you aren’t going to stop me.”
That said, she stuck her nose up in the air and turned to get away from him. But he quickly slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side.
“You’ll do that over my dead body,” he said.
Not to be deterred from his comment, she made eye contact with him. “You either teach me, or I’ll have Danny do it.”
After a long moment, he gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll do it. You’re my wife. That makes you my responsibility. That means I have to deal with you.”
