Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 78

Bride by Arrangement is Now Available!

I’ll send out an email to those of you on my new release list tomorrow when things settle down around here.  Believe it or not, it takes me at least a half hour to make up that email and I spent the day Christmas shopping with Janet Syas Nitsick.  (We’re really good friends and do a lot of stuff together, which is why it made perfect sense for us to do the anthology together.)  Writing this post will take five minutes so I’m doing this tonight.

Bride by Arrangement is now available!  If you’re interested in checking it out, here are the links:

The Anthology Janet Syas Nitsick and I Are Working On

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Ada Wilcox Wants to Swap Places with Opal Preston in Bride by Arrangement

The anthology Janet and I are working on.

Ada Wilcox is one of the heroines in the Bride by Arrangement anthology.  I wrote her story in “The Purchased Bride” novella.  Janet Syas Nitsick wrote Opal Preston’s story in “She Came By Train.” Both of these novellas are in Bride by Arrangement.

Ada Wilcox as she reads her role in Bride by Arrangement

Today, Ada wanted to come in to talk to me, so I thought I’d bring her on this blog (because it’s always more fun when the characters express their grievances in public).

Ada: I have every right to be upset.

Ruth: I didn’t say you didn’t.  I just don’t understand why you want to swap places with Opal when you have a perfectly good plot in my story.

Ada: My plot sucks.

Ruth: You’re a mail-order bride.  You’re going to get married.  Opal isn’t.

Ada: You’re right.  She isn’t.  She’s going to be a governess.  That’s much better than being sold by my idiot brother to some man I never met.  I mean, what kind of man has to purchase a bride?  What could possibly be wrong with him?  There are so many horrible things that can happen.  Give the role to Opal instead.

Ruth: Opal isn’t my character.  She belongs to Janet.

Ada: Great.  Then send me Janet’s email and I’ll ask her to let me be in Opal’s place.

Ruth: But I don’t have a role for Opal in my story.  I only have a role for you.

Ada: My role sucks.

Ruth: No, it doesn’t.  I don’t give sucky roles to my characters.  Besides, Opal’s going to have her problems to deal with.  It’s not all sunshine and fluffy clouds for her either.

Ada: Oh right.  Her big ordeal is that she has to choose between two men who are vying for her affection.  I can see how awful that is.  *rolls eyes*  I don’t know why you couldn’t have been as awesome as Janet and given me that kind of plot instead.

Ruth: Because it’s no fun to read the same story.

Ada: It wouldn’t be the same story.

Ruth: But it would be the same plot in the same anthology.  And really, you should be happy.  Do you even know how many people love mail-order bride stories?

Ada: But those mail-order brides agreed to be one.  My brother arranged everything behind my back, took me to a train station, and told me I was going to get married.

Ada’s brother who swears he’s not as bad as she makes him sound

Sam: Oh, Ada, it wasn’t as bad as you say.

Ada: I know.  It was worse.  No one can understand how awful it is to find out you’re brother sold you to a complete stranger.

Sam: I realize it looks bad, especially with the way you reacted to it.

Ada: How else am I supposed to react?

Sam: A couple of tears is fine but crying nonstop and telling me I’m ruining your future…

Ada: You are ruining my future.  Marriage is a lifelong commitment.  You’ve bound me to someone I know nothing about.

Sam: I’m giving you your best chance.

Ada: I don’t believe that’s up to you.

Sam: It was back in 1876.  What kind of life do you think you’d have otherwise?  You have no men coming around to court you–

Ada: Thank you so much for saying that in front of the entire world.  Now everyone’s going to think I’m a loser.

Sam: No one is going to think that you’re a loser.  If anything, they’re going to think I’m a jerk because of the way I was portrayed.  I mean, is anyone going to emphasize the fact that I’m the only one left to try to put food on the table and keep the rent paid for our brothers and sister who are too young to work?  No. They’re only going to see me through your point of view and as we can see, that’s not a very pleasant one.

Ada: You’re no hero, Sam.  You didn’t ask me if I wanted to be a mail-order bride.  You just told me I was going to be one.  And not only that, but you sold me.  You gave me up for some money.  I have every right to be angry with you.

Sam: It wasn’t the way you make it sound, and sadly, I don’t think anyone who reads the story will truly understand the situation as it really was.  If anyone should be upset, it’s me.

[image error]

Opal who is the heroine in “She Came By Train”

Opal: And here I thought having a snake slither over my feet and a boy put a frog in my pocket were going to be rough.  After hearing all this, I need to send my author, Janet, a bouquet of flowers for being so nice to me.

Ada: You know, now that I think about it, being a mail-order bride isn’t so bad.  It can be romantic even.  We should trade places.  I don’t mind unruly kids or creepy crawlies.

Opal: Nice try, Ada, but I’m perfectly happy with my story.  It’ll all work out.  You just have to trust that Ruth knows what she’s doing.

Ruth: Thank you, Opal.

Opal: Even if she doesn’t know how to put her characters in historically authentic clothing.

Ruth: Hey!

Opal: Got to go.  The kids need their lessons.  Historically authentic, of course. *leaves before Ruth can reply*

***

Photo Credits:

Ada: © Alanpoulson | Dreamstime.com

Sam: ID 31290998 © Racorn | Dreamstime.com

Opal: ID 18978921 © Konradbak | Dreamstime.com

Sunday Story Sample: She Came by Train (a novella by Janet Syas Nitsick in Bride by Arrangement)

Today I thought I’d share a glimpse of the novella Janet Syas Nitsick wrote called “She Came by Train”.  This is the second story in Bride by Arrangement that will be available next month.  I wrote the first story in Bride by Arrangement called “The Purchased Bride”.

A quick description of She Came by Train:

She came by train to a desolate land.  With mixed feelings, Opal Preston steps onto the platform to meet her employer, Alexander Boyer.  She accepts his hand and climbs into his wagon to begin her role as the governess to his two children.  As she executes her duties, she wonders how she’ll cope without the finery she left behind.

Soon two men are vying for her affections.  Alex can’t imagine his life without her and looks for a way to convince her to stay in Nebraska.  But a preacher from Virginia is also smitten with her and offers to take her back home.  She came by train, but only her heart can determine if she’ll return the same way.

The Anthology Janet Syas Nitsick and I Are Working On

April 1876

Charles City, Virginia

The train chugged toward the station. Smoke bellowed from the engine’s stack. Standing outside underneath the roof of the brick-and-mortar depot, Opal gulped as she watched it approach. She rubbed her hands on her white and green, ruffled skirt.

Her father turned to her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Papa, this is for the best. You know that. Your business is suffering and Winifred is old enough to take care of the boys.” She shifted her head away to dab at a trickling tear with her fingertip.

“But, it’s so far.”

She faced him and forced a smile. “Yes,” she replied, her voice soft. “It’s going to be rough. But not having me here will help you, and I’ll be safe.”

“His credentials are impeccable according to the telegraph messages.”

The train pulled into the station, its wheels squeaking as it made its stop.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hands shook. She tightened her grip on her drawstring purse. Puffs of the engine’s smoke blew into her eyes. She reached into her purse, pulled out a lace handkerchief and wiped her eyes before replacing the cloth.

“Your train departs in about 15 minutes. Let’s get your trunk loaded.” He waved his hand and motioned to one of the baggage handlers to come over. A gray-headed man raced to them. “Would you put this on the train for us? The baggage tag is on it, and my daughter has the matching one.”

Opal clasped the drawstrings and pulled the purse open to grasp the brass metal inside.

Pa laughed. “You’re always checking and rechecking things. That’s why I’m surprised you’re willing to take on this adventure.”

Her skirt brushed against her ankles, and she rocked back and forth. “It is amazing, isn’t it? But this leaves you with one less mouth to feed, and it’s time I found my way.” She paused. “I-I can’t stay with you forever and no man has asked to court.”

Her father took her arm. “That’s not true. There’s plenty interested in a pretty girl like you. You’re just picky.”

Opal sighed. “Yes, I guess I am. I want a man’s man not some wimpy old-plantation owner who never worked a day in his life.”

“You, amaze me, Opal. You really do. I never thought you had that much mischief in your soul.”

“No, Pa, it’s not that. It’s just I want to see if there’s something else out there, and this

position will give me that.” She adjusted her feather hat.

“All aboard!” the conductor shouted from a distance.

Pa stroked her hand before he tightened his grip. “You write. If things don’t work out you come back to us, Winifred and the boys wanted to see you off.” His voice broke.

“I know but it’s better this way. We said our good-byes last night.”

He led her to the train and searched for the conductor. He spied him speeding to the car. They were the first ones in line.

The conductor smiled.

For a moment, Pa rubbed his hands on his pants. “My daughter here is taking this train to Lincoln, Nebraska.” He caressed her arm as he spoke. “Keep her safe. She has no escort to watch over her. She is taking a governess position and only Alexander Boyer is allowed to meet her when she reaches her destination.”

Nate is Appalled that His Good Friend Perry Has Been Caught in a Scandal (an discussion involving three characters in The Earl’s Scandalous Wife)

After reading the sample from The Earl’s Scandalous Wife, Nate (aka Lord Roderick) was so upset he wrote me this letter:

Lord Roderick who has no sense of humor

To the author who  thinks getting her heroes trapped in marriage is funny,

Perry has been my friend since childhood.  He’s made it a point to lead a very honorable life free of any scandalous activity.  He’s had to bear with that irresponsible ward Christopher for years, and he’s done so with the patience of a saint.  And now you force him out on the veranda and make him an unsuspecting victim of a money-grubbing…  Well, you know what word I mean.  The point is, you have damaged his reputation.  I insist you go back and rewrite this book at once.

Perry: No, I don’t want Ruth to rewrite the book.

Nate: Have you lost all common sense?  This is the very thing you worried Christopher would do.

Perry: But this isn’t Christopher’s book.  It’s mine.

Nate: Are you saying you approve of this?  She’s made a fool of you.  You didn’t get to pick your wife.

Perry: You didn’t either.

Nate: Which is the point of me calling Ruth “the author who  thinks getting her heroes trapped in marriage is funny.” It’s not funny.  Not one bit.  In fact, it’s insulting.

Perry: I wouldn’t call it insulting.

Nate: Then what would you call it?

Perry: *shrugs* I think it’s flattering.

Nate: Flattering?

Perry:  Indeed.  Paula is a very beautiful lady and she chose me to create a scandal with.

Nate: *grimaces* I’ll never understand you.

Christopher Robinson who will do anything to get Agatha to stop bugging him about finding Perry a wife

Christopher: Which is why you didn’t have a hand in the scandal.

Nate: Perry has better things to do than get caught up in a scandal.

Perry: No, I don’t.

Christopher: See?  If it weren’t for me, he’d still be looking for a wife.

Perry: I wouldn’t go that far.

Christopher: You didn’t get anywhere for the past five Seasons.  Had you been a lady, we would have confined you to eternal spinsterhood.  This way, we finally got the matter resolved and you can go on without blaming that blasted cane of yours for not finding a wife.

Perry: A lot of ladies are put off by the cane.

Christopher: Oh, they are not.  It’s all in your mind.  You use that cane as a crutch to explain why no one wants to marry you.

Nate: *snorts* And I suppose you’re so brilliant, you know why that is.

Christopher: He’s boring.

Perry: Pardon me?

Christopher: No need to apologize.  You can’t help it.  It’s in your blood.  But don’t worry.  Paula will be good for you.  In fact, she’s perfect.  She’s willing to marry you.  That makes her ideal for you.

Nate: But why does she want to marry him?

Christopher: Does it matter?

Nate: Of course, it matters.  Intent is everything.

Perry: It is possible that she could find me interesting.

Christopher: Considering she only spoke to you for two minutes before she kissed  you and sealed the marriage, I’d say she might have found you interesting.  Any longer than that, we’d all know that wasn’t the case.

Nate: Something else is up.  I don’t trust any of it.

[image error]

Perry who has been dubbed “The Earl who can’t find a wife”

Perry: Whatever it is, I’m sure she has a good reason.

Nate: You’re so trusting, Perry.  This is exactly why Christopher got away with as much mayhem as he did while he was your ward.

Christopher: Well, I turned out just fine.

Nate: Because of me.

Christopher: In spite of you.  I feel sorry for your wife, Lord Ironfist.  To think of what she endures being married to you.

Perry: Enough, you two.  All you ever do is bellyache when you’re around each other.  It’s bound to drive someone crazy.  I think the whole point is that I actually don’t mind be subjected to a scandal because it has nothing to do with bailing Christopher out of trouble.

Nate: Seriously?

Perry: Yes.  Seriously.  Unlike you, I don’t mind it when an attractive lady kisses me.

Nate: Claire didn’t kiss me.  She fell on top of me.  The whole thing looked like it was something it was never supposed to be.

Perry: And some people still don’t believe that.

Christopher: I do.  Claire never would have picked him if she’d been given an actual choice.  He followed her onto the veranda and harassed her.  The poor lady was at her wits end when she tripped in an effort to get away from him.

Nate: How I wish Ruth would have killed you off with some freak horse riding incident.

Perry: Give it a rest, both of you.  I swear, when you two are in the same room, no one gets a moment of peace.  And what you two think is irrelevant.  I’m going to marry Paula and that suits me just fine.  Unlike Nate, I’m not going to hold a ridiculous grudge and make her miserable while I accuse her of ruining my life.  Unlike Christopher, I’m not going to blackmail her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.  I’m going to do things the right way.  *walks away*

Christopher: If he so willingly accepts it, I wonder what the actual plot of the book is going to be.

Nate: I guess we’ll have to read it to find out.

Christopher: I get more pages in the book than you do.

Nate: So?

Christopher: The author likes me better.

Nate: Or maybe you’re a pain in the hind end and keep inserting yourself into filler scenes that don’t advance the plot.

Christopher: You wish.  All of the scenes with me make the book way better.

*post comes to a close as the two continue to argue*

***

Photo credits:

Nate © Aleksandar Todorovic

Perry © Aleksandar Todorovic

Christopher © Serrnovik | Dreamstime.com

Sunday Story Sample: The Earl’s Scandalous Wife

A little background to this scene:  Paula Leighton (our heroine) is waiting on the veranda for Perry to come out (and our lovable character Christopher Robinson is helping her create a scandal that will force Perry into marriage)…

A minute later, Mister Robinson opened the door and gestured for Lord Clement to step outside.  “I told you no one is out there,” Mister Robinson said.  “I will go inside and my wife and I will find Miss Leighton.  Then we can all talk.”

Lord Clement hesitated on the threshold of the doorway.  “I don’t know.  Maybe we should all come out here together.”

“What’s the need?  As you can see, no one is out there.”

He tapped the golden tip of his cane and sighed.  “I suppose you’re right.  What’s the worst that came happen?”

“Miss Leighton won’t show up,” Mister Robinson replied, chuckling at his joke.

“I’m not amused.”

He cleared his throat.  “Of course not.  Nothing amuses you.” As Lord Clement stepped onto the veranda, he added, “If anyone needs a lady who doesn’t take life so seriously, it’s you.  It’s the only way you’ll learn how to enjoy life.”

“I enjoy life just fine.”

“Playing chess and discussing politics aren’t enjoyable.”

“That depends on who you ask.”

Rolling his eyes, Mister Robinson shut the door, leaving Lord Clement alone.  Paula gripped the column and watched as Lord Clement settled onto a bench just mere feet from her.  If she was going to do this, it was best to do it now.

Lord Clement jerked and turned toward her as she stepped forward.  “Miss Leighton?  I didn’t see you out here.” He rose to his feet.  “We must get back inside before someone sees us.”

Her heartbeat picked up as she closed the gap between them.  “No one knows we’re out here.” In a bold move, she took his cane, slipped her arm around his, and urged him to sit.  From the position she chose, she had a clear view of the door but he didn’t.  Good.  With a smile, she set his cane on the other side of her so it wasn’t in his reach and clasped her hands around his.  “Your cousin, Mister Robinson, was telling me that you’re a very kind gentleman.”

“Oh, well, that was nice of him.” He made a move to grab his cane but she shifted to block him, and in doing so her breast brushed against his hand.  Pulling back from her as if he’d just touched fire, his face grew bright red.  “I-I’m sorry.  I didn’t,” he motioned to her breast, “mean to…you know.”

“I know,” she quickly assured him, surprised he should be so flustered.  Weren’t gentlemen supposed to try to touch a lady’s breast?  “It was an accident.  I understand.” Still holding onto his arm, she continued, “I wanted to get a chance to talk to you.  Without any interruptions.  I thought I might learn more about you that way.”

He cleared his throat and scooted away from her, but she quickly scooted along with him.  He let out an uneasy laugh.  “We can talk at Hyde Park.  While we would need a chaperone, we could ride horses further ahead.  That way we’d have a private conversation while not risking anything scandalous, like we are now.”

Before he could turn his head to the door, she cupped the side of his face in her hand and turned it back in her direction.  “You worry too much.”

“My cousin will be out here any minute.”

“But he told me he’ll be at least five minutes.  That leaves us a little time to talk.”

“I’m really not comfortable—”

“Like I said, you worry too much.  Now, tell me all about yourself.”

He stopped struggling to get away from her for a moment and stared at her.  “What?”

“What do you like to do?  What are your favorite things?” When he didn’t answer her, she asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

“My favorite color?”

“I’m partial to purple myself.  Now, tell me, what color do you like most?”

“Um, red, I suppose.”

“You suppose?”

“I also like blue a lot.”

“What a wonderful combination,” she said, snuggling closer to him as she gathered the courage to kiss him.  “Red is passionate and exciting while blue is loyal and friendly.  I bet you’re a loyal friend who has a passionate and exciting streak hidden beneath the surface.  Am I right?”

“I never thought about it before.”

“I bet it’s true about you.” She took a deep breath.  “I think we could be well matched.”

“You can’t tell that by learning what colors I like.”

She noticed that while he protested, he had stopped trying to get away from her.  Either he’d given up and was hoping she’d release him or he realized he wanted to be close to her.  She hoped he wanted to be close to her.  There was something unbelievably sweet and charming about him.

She glanced at the door and saw it open.  Mister Robinson stuck his head out and gave her a nod.  Taking that as her cue, she leaned forward and kissed Lord Clement.

I’d Love Some Input

Quick update:

My novella “The Purchased Bride” which is going to be part of the anthology Janet Syas Nitsick are writing called Bride by Arrangement is with the publisher.  I’ll let you all know when it is available.

The Earl’s Scandalous Wife’s first draft is done.  It is currently with a beta reader who has an eye for additional scenes that would make a book better than it is.  So before I do any edits, I’m letting her read through it.  If she finds something I can add, I’ll include it.  Then I’ll go into the edits with my editing team.  I expect this book to be out next month some time.

Other Current Works In Progress

Boaz’s Wager is over halfway done.  If I can keep up the pace I’m at, I figure I will finish the first draft next month (maybe around mid-month) and have it released around the first of March.  I’m around chapter five for The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  I am tentatively scheduled to finish it in mid-March which puts me at a May release.   Marriage Can Kill is technically at 29,000 words (about halfway done), but I am slowly going through what I have so far and revising it.  This book is a romantic suspense, and since I have no idea how well it’ll be received, it’s low on the “must do” list.

Two books I have decided to replace Wagon Trail Bride and His Convenient Wife.  I’d love some help giving them titles.

1.  A Regency

One book is a Regency and will feature the best friend of the hero in The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  The basic plot is that the heroine is promised to another but the hero kidnaps her so he can marry her instead.  The heroine is glad when he does this.  The conflict is going to come from somewhere else, and I won’t know what it is until I’m writing it.

My ideas for the titles are below:

The Earl Stakes His Claim

The Earl’s Kidnapped Bride

2. A mail-order bride book set in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (which back then was the Dakota territory)

The main plot is a young woman (Sadie) takes on another woman’s (Hazel’s) identity to marry a man she’s never met.  Sadie is basically in a bad situation and, by chance, meets up with Hazel who is heading for Rapid City as a mail-order bride.  Hazel ends up dying (not sure how yet) and upon her death bed, tells Sadie to marry the man who’s waiting for her.  So it’s not like Sadie is a villain.  She does, however, have a past she never wants anyone to discover so she tells the man that she’s Hazel.  Something is going to come as a result of this lie, but until I write the book, I won’t know what it is.

My title ideas for this book are below:

Mail Order Bride by Deception

The Mail Order Bride’s Secret

*I want “Mail Order Bride” somewhere in the title so people know it’s a mail-order bride romance.

Any thoughts on the titles?  I’d love to hear them.  :-)

Closing the Larson Series (at least for now)

I’ve had to make a hard decision, but it’s one that I had to make.  I love the Larsons.  They’re a great family.  But circumstances propel me to move on to other series with new characters.  I know this won’t make some people happy, but it’s something I need to do in order to help boost my creativity.  After a while, I think authors need a new set of characters to develop.

So here’s what I’m going to do.

I’m going to pull down Wagon Trail Bride and His Convenient Wife.

Then I’m going to number the Nebraska Historical Romance Series (aka Nebraska Series) from 1-9.  Here’s the official order:

1. Her Heart’s Desire

2. A Bride for Tom

3. A Husband for Margaret

4. Eye of the Beholder

5. The Wrong Husband

6. Shotgun Groom

7. To Have and To Hold

8. His Redeeming Bride

9. Isaac’s Decision

***

I’m going to make Kent Ashton’s Backstory and Catching Kent standalones.

These two are tied up in Falling In Love With Her Husband, though not directly.  And that makes them so hard to place anywhere.  So I’m just going to put them under my “Other Historical Western Romance” category.

***

Now it’s time to clean up my blog and website to make these changes effective.

***

I’ll make a post in a day or two about where I’ll be going with my writing.  I’ve been wanting to do some mail-order bride westerns and this just might be the time to get the fresh start by working on a trilogy along those lines.

Belated Story Sample Sunday: Finishing Up Kent Ashton’s Backstory

I spent all of Thanksgiving weekend in Minnesota without Internet.  I got back yesterday but had to catch up on some emails and work on the budget (something I do at the first of every month when I pay the bills).  So I couldn’t hop on here until today.

Good news though… I finished the first draft to Perry’s story.  It turned out a lot better than I expected and does a great job of wrapping things up for the series.  (Remember what I said about dividing up more of my books and putting them into a series?  I decided to lump The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife, A Most Unsuitable Earl, His Reluctant Lady, and The Earl’s Scandalous Wife into the same series.  Her Counterfeit Husband is now a standalone novel.)

Now that the immediate update is aside, here is the conclusion to Kent Ashton’s Backstory…

Kent sat on bench, head in his hands, as he waited for his father at the train station.  So many things went wrong.  The future he had looked forward to for so long was shattered and there was nothing he could do to fix it.  He felt like such a fool.  Why didn’t he understand what Ann had been trying to tell him when he saw her in November?  That she was happy with Todd.  That she no longer loved him?  Looking back, it was so obvious.  There was nothing else she could have done to tell him she no longer wanted to be with him.

He brushed more tears from his eyes and focused on the pain in his arm.  It was easier to deal with physical pain than the pain in his heart.  He inspected his wounds and noticed no glass got into his arm.  Well, that was good.  While he was bound to have scars, at least he didn’t require a doctor.

He mentally cursed himself for being such a fool.  He should have known Ann had moved on.  He should have known she wouldn’t be pining for him.

Never again.

Never again would be open himself to someone the way he’d opened himself to Ann.  From this moment forward, he vowed never to fall in love again.  It was too painful.  And the pain wasn’t worth it.

Someone sat next to him.  He didn’t have to look at his father to know it was him.  The grunt of grave disapproval was all he needed to hear.  He blinked back more tears, determined his father wouldn’t see him cry.

“I’m sending you to your uncle,” his father said, his tone indicating that he had no choice in the matter.  “Maybe while you’re living the life of a peasant, you’ll get an appreciation for all I’ve done for you.”

Kent let out a bitter laugh then looked at him.  “All you’ve done for me?  All you’ve ever done is use me to get what you want.  That’s all you do to anyone you come across.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask him what he’d told Todd and Ann so he looked innocent of everything but decided he didn’t want to know.  His father had manipulated things.  He knew it as sure as he knew his name and that was enough.

“Before you got back on your horse,” his father continued, “I took the liberty of retrieving the money you brought with you.”

Kent stiffened and checked the leather sack he had placed beside him.  It was empty.  “You stole my money?”

“No, I took back the money Mr. Johnson gave you.  You think it’s a small matter that you’ve made a fool of me and of him?  Not only have you disgraced me but now Rebecca’s long gone to who knows where.”

“It’s because of you all this happened.  If you’d just let me be with Ann—”

“Who’s better off with Todd.  You and I both know that’s true so don’t pretend that her being with him is worse for her.”

“She could have been happy with me.”

“Not as much as she is with him.  Whether you want to admit it or not, I did the best thing for you.”

“Including manipulating things so I almost married Rebecca?”

His father shrugged.  “If you had followed through and married her, you’d be on your way to being one of the wealthiest men in Virginia.”

“What good is money if neither she nor I would have been happy?”

“You will never be rich if you insist on being happy.  Wealth means sacrifice.  It means doing whatever is necessary to obtain it.”

“Including hurting people?”

“If it must be, then it must be.  Had you listened to me to begin with, you would have pursued Rebecca instead of Ann.  The only one to blame for your unhappiness is you.”

The comment was so absurd that Kent couldn’t help but laugh.  He never met anyone who could explain away his actions as well as his father could.  “You know what?” Kent finally said.  “Take the money.  It’s tainted because it’s connected to you.  Some day I will build up wealth, but I’m not going to do it the way you did, through lies and using people.  I’m going to do it honestly, and when I have it, I’ll use it to help others instead of manipulating them.”

His father chuckled and shook his head.  “You won’t be anything but a pauper for the rest of your life.” The train pulled into the station and he rose to his feet.  “I sent your uncle a letter.  He’ll be expecting you at the end of next month.”

Refusing to look at him, Kent stood up and boarded the train.  He wouldn’t see his father ever again once he got on the ship, and that suited him just fine.

 

***

 

At the end of the next month, Kent stepped off the ship in Ireland, exhausted but relieved to have finally completed the long journey.  America was a long way behind him.  In some ways, everything that happened over the past year seemed like it happened in another lifetime.  Ann, Todd, Rebecca, his father…  All of it was behind him.  Exactly where it should be.

He scanned the faces in the crowd of people gathered to greet the passengers of the ship, focusing on the men who looked as if they didn’t have any money to their name.  His uncle had written to his father that he’d be wearing a red bow tie, saying it would be easier to spot him in a crowd that way.  And Kent did find someone wearing a red bow tie, except this was a man of means, not a peasant who needed help on his farm.

Kent turned his attention to the brass tag in his hand and wondered if he should collect his trunk, which currently contained all the things he owned, which wasn’t much.  Just his clothes.  He decided to wait on giving the tag to the person retrieving luggage and turned his attention to the men in the crowd.  But none of the men who looked like farmers were wearing red bow ties.  He tapped the tag in his hand and sighed.  Maybe his uncle forgot to come.

“Pardon me, are you Kent Ashton?”

Kent turned and saw the same well-dressed man with the red bow tie he’d seen a couple minutes before.  Eyebrows furrowed, he wondered what the man wanted with him.  “Yes, I’m Kent.”

A smile spread across the man’s face and he gave him a friendly pat on the back.  “I’m Patrick Ashton, your uncle.”

“But,” he glanced at the man’s clothes that spoke of wealth and abundance, “you can’t be my uncle.  My uncle is a poor farmer.”

“That is what I told your father so he wouldn’t interfere in my life.” He gestured to the tag in Kent’s hand.  “Let’s get your trunks then I can explain everything.”

As they headed for the man who was bringing people their luggage, Kent said, “I only have one trunk.”

His uncle waved to a man who hurried over to them.  “This is my footman.  He will bring it to the carriage.”

Kent handed the tag to the baggage handler who went to get his trunk.  When he brought it to them, the footman picked it up.

“You don’t have much,” his uncle commented as they headed for his carriage.  “I expected something larger.”

He shrugged.  “I thought I would barely have room for that trunk in my bedroom.”

“It’s alright, Kent.  You can tell me the truth.”

“The truth?”

“Your father left you with little else but the clothes on your back because you refused to do what he wanted.”

Kent hesitated to answer.  While he had no respect for his father, he had a hard time voicing his thoughts about him.

They stopped in front of the carriage with gold trim, and his uncle turned caring eyes in his direction.  “I know what your father is like.  I grew up with him.”

Unsure of what to say, Kent remained silent and sat in the carriage.

His uncle waited until they were out of town before he continued to speak.  “When your father left for America, he had stolen a significant portion of my half of the inheritance.”

“But he said that your father didn’t have anything.”

“My father left both of us a fortune.  My mistake was trusting him when he said he wanted to be partners with me and ran off to America with most of my money.  If he didn’t have any money left, it’s because he made bad investments, gambled it away, or lived beyond his means.  Maybe it was a little of each one.  It took time, but I built back my wealth and then some.  I never told your father because I was afraid he’d come back.”

Kent stared out the carriage window as they traveled down a path in the country.  Rubbing his eyes, he said, “I don’t understand why you want me to be here.  I thought I was supposed to help you with a farm because you have no wife or children to help you.”

“It’s true I don’t have a wife or children, but what I have is a nephew.  When I heard what happened in New York, about Wilma and how your father wouldn’t let you marry her because she didn’t come from a wealthy family, I knew your father was trying to use you the same way he’d used me.”

Looking at his uncle, he noted the concern on the older man’s face.  “So all that time you wrote those letters…”

“I was hoping to save you from a bad situation.”

Kent’s gaze went back out the window where a large estate appeared on the horizon.  He leaned forward to get a better view of the manor, the grounds, and the gazebo.  Never in his life had he seen anything so luxurious.  If his father had any idea how much wealth his uncle possessed, he would have never let him come here.  He would have kept him in Virginia and had him work for him.

“Kent,” his uncle began, his voice soft, “I don’t know exactly what your father put you through, but I hope you can put all of that behind you and move on.  It does no good to dwell on the past.  I brought you here for a fresh start.”

Tears welled up in Kent’s eyes as he stared at the manor, which was coming closer into view as the carriage proceeded down the path.  “I never knew money could cause so many problems.”

“It’s not money that causes problems.  It’s what people do with it that causes problems.  You’ll learn that in time.”

“I’ve made such a mess of things.  Did my father tell you that I went to North Dakota?  I tried to break up a marriage.  I frightened the woman I love.  I made her think I was going to hurt her when that wasn’t my intention.  She hates me now, and who can blame her?” Though he tried not to cry, the tears fell.  He grabbed the handkerchief in his breast pocket and wiped them away.  “I thought she wanted money.  I waited until I had enough before I went to her, and now I know she could have been happy with me without it.  She’s happy with a farmer who can’t give her much more than a simple gold band.” He wiped more tears away and chuckled at the irony of it all.  “If I’d only known that, I would have married her and taken her with me to New York as soon as I could.  But every decision I made was the wrong one.”

“Kent, I know that you’re ashamed of what you’ve done, but you can’t change the past.  What happened is already done.  Grieve it, learn from it, become a better person because of it.  But don’t stay trapped in the cycle of wishing you’d done things differently.  You can’t let your past ruin your future.”

“You really think I can be a better person?”

“I wouldn’t have insisted your father send you here if I didn’t.  You have a decision to make.  Either you’re going to be a better person because of this experience or you’re not.”

“I want to be a better person.”

His uncle smiled.  “Good because I brought you here for a new start.  Everything that happened in America is behind you.  When the carriage door opens, you will get an opportunity to be the person you want to be.”

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the manor and a few seconds later, the footman opened the door.  Kent studied his new home with the green hills that spanned around them in all directions.  It was nothing like New York or Virginia, and that meant, he wouldn’t have anything to remind him of the past.  In this place, he’d get another chance and there was nothing he wanted more.

He glanced at his uncle, feeling a glimmer of happiness that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.  “I want a new start.”

His uncle’s smile widened.

Returning his uncle’s smile, he stepped out of the carriage to begin his new life, leaving the past where it belonged—in the past.

The Stagecoach Bride is Now Available!

The book is now live on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.  :-)

Here are the links if interested:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

*For those of you on my new release list, I am now using MailChimp and hope it went through okay.  I thought it might be better in the long run to use it since you can see the book cover and unsubscribe by using the link at the very bottom of the email.

Sunday Story Sample: Kent Ashton’s Backstory

Next week, I will finish this story.  I’m ready to move on to other samples.  :-)

In April, Kent cashed out his investments.  He had waited long enough.  Within a day, he’d be out of Virginia, and he’d never look back.  He went to the train station and waited for Samuel who had written that he’d be bringing Rebecca with him.

When he got there, Samuel was standing next to a woman wearing a hat that made her hard to recognize unless someone looked directly at her.  She also wore a dress that marked her as someone who didn’t come from wealth, which made her even harder to recognize in the crowd.  Samuel was fortunate to have a woman who looked beyond money and was willing to give it up to be with him.

From the way Rebecca was smiling, Kent knew this was the best thing for her.  He’d never seen her this happy in all the time he’d known her.  And Samuel looked just as happy to be by her side.  Yes, the two would do very well together.

“Thank you for helping us,” Rebecca said when Kent approached them.

“I haven’t seen you since October,” he replied as he handed Samuel the envelope with the money they would need to start their lives together.  “You look good.”

“I thought if I stayed away from others, it’d be easier to escape.”

She had chosen the best option she could have.  Had he not needed to work and accumulate more money, he would have stayed hidden, too.  God knew the stares and whispers were hard to endure, but he’d managed to survive it because he reminded himself that he’d be with Ann soon enough.

“I don’t know how we can repay you,” Samuel told Kent as he examined the amount of money he’d given them.

“Get to Canada and enjoy being together,” Kent said.  “That’s the best way to repay me.”

“We’ll be able to do that,” Rebecca began, “thanks to you.” She gave Kent a quick hug.  “Good luck, Kent.  We’ll never forget you.”

Smiling, he thanked her and joined them to the ticket counter, ready to purchase his ticket to North Dakota.

 

***

 

The first thing Kent did when he arrived in Jamestown was find out how to get to Ann’s house.  Then he paid to borrow a horse from the livery stable.  His heartbeat picked up when he saw her house come into view.

From the yard, a dog barked, waking Ann from the porch swing.  She sat up for a moment before she entered the house.  She probably didn’t recognize him from the distance.  But that didn’t matter.

Soon, they’d be together again, and she’d never be a prisoner again.  She’d annul her sham of a marriage and start a real marriage with him.  He hated thinking of how much time she’d spent out here, forced into a life of misery, anxiously waiting for his return.

When he arrived at the house, he tied the reins to a post and stepped up on the porch.  The dog stood between him and the door, barking at him.

“Shoo,” he told the dog, but the animal kept advancing toward him.  He hesitated then tried to step around the dog, but it snarled at him.  “It’s alright.  I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

He took another tentative step up to the door and knocked on it, hoping Ann would answer.  What did Todd do?  Train the dog to intimidate anyone who came to the property?  His determination renewed, he knocked on the door again.

“Ann?” he called out.  “It’s me, Kent.  Can you open up, please?”

The dog barked again, this time choosing to advance toward him.

Kent gulped.  He’d never been fond of dogs, and this one definitely didn’t look friendly.  He knocked on the door again, this time harder and more insistent than before.  He couldn’t leave without Ann. He’d come too far to leave without her.  And she was depending on him.  He couldn’t let her down.  Taking a deep breath, he ignored the dog’s growling and knocked on the door again.  Why wasn’t she answering?  He tested the doorknob, but it didn’t turn.  Why would she lock the door?

The dog leapt at him.

Startled, he stumbled back, his elbow shattering the window in the door.  He pulled his arm out of the broken window and examined the wound.  The sleeve of his shirt was ripped.  He rolled it up to examine the damage, the dog still barking in its annoying way.  The cut wasn’t too bad, though he was bleeding as if it was.

“Stop it!” He yelled at the stupid animal and waved for it to leave.  Some of his blood got on the animal, which served it right for scaring him.  “Go!”

The dog growled and closed in on Kent.  Before he had time to react, he fell against the door, screamed for the dog to get away from him, and covered his head with his good arm, using his wounded one to push the animal away from him.  The dog finally left, running down the porch and to the fields.

Relieved, Kent relaxed against the door, his heart hammering in his chest.  What was wrong with that dog?  He shook his head and rose to his feet.  It was Todd’s dog.  His guard dog.

Well, the dog was gone so Kent could safely enter the house now.  He reached in through the shattered window and unlocked the door.

Silence filled the house.  He walked through the parlor, searching for any signs of Ann, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight.  He turned to the staircase and headed up it.

“Ann?” he called out.  “Are you here?”

She had to be here.  He saw her enter the house.

“Ann,” he tried again, “I know you’re here.  I saw you from the porch when I was coming here.”

He reached the top of the steps and held his wounded arm to try to stop the flow of blood, but a few drops landed on the hardwood floor in the hallway.  He grimaced.  This wasn’t going to make her feel safe about him being here.  He quickly took the handkerchief from his breast pocket and placed it on the wound.  It wouldn’t soak up the blood for long, but at least it worked for now.

He stopped at one of the bedrooms, seeing nothing but a bed and empty dresser.  Then he went into another bedroom that was similar.  No one had slept in either room for quite a while.

Ann had to be somewhere up here.  He’d already checked the downstairs.  Laughing in disbelief, he said, “I don’t understand why you’re hiding from me.” Unless…  Maybe she couldn’t answer him because Todd was there, holding his hand over her mouth.  Just how far would Todd go to keep her?  “Is Todd here too?  Is he keeping you quiet?”

He looked under the bed but saw nothing was under it.

“It’s alright, Ann.  Just knock and I’ll know where to find you,” he said as he went back to the first bedroom and looked under the bed.

His steps a little faster, he went to the last bedroom, afraid if he waited too long Todd might do something drastic, like hurt her.  But when he got to the bedroom, he stilled, unprepared for what he saw.  Her things were with Todd’s.

He swallowed the bitter lump in his throat, his hand clenching into a fist.  “Hmm…  It looks like you two got friendly.  I thought you were going to stay pure for me.  I told you I’d be back for you.”

Todd.  It had to be Todd’s doing.  Todd saw him talking to Ann at the mercantile and probably forced her to consummate the marriage.  He lifted the edge of the bed sheet but no one was under there.  Then he went to the armoire but only clothes hung from there.  She had been up here.

He glanced out the window and caught sight of her running in the yard, heading in the direction of the barn.  Hurrying to the window, he opened it with his good hand.  “Ann?  Are you running away from me?” he yelled, shocked she would do such a thing, unless Todd was downstairs waiting for him.

Gritting his teeth, he stormed down the stairs, ready to confront Todd and tell him he had no right to keep Ann here against her will.  He went through the kitchen and parlor, checking everywhere a man might hide but found nothing.  Shaking his head, he rubbed his forehead.  Why would Ann run from him?  Was she ashamed because she wasn’t a virgin anymore?

He hurried out of the house and followed her as she fled to the barn.  “Ann!  Wait!  I can forgive you for sleeping with Todd,” he called out.

She entered the barn, not looking back.  She probably didn’t hear him.  He could only imagine what Todd had put her through if she was too afraid to talk to him.  Well, after today, she wouldn’t have to fear Todd again.

He followed her and once he entered the barn, he found her standing by one of the stalls, holding an axe.  He halted, his eyes wide in shock.  “Ann, I came back for you.  Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Go away!” she yelled.  “I want to be here.  I love Todd.”

Of all the things she could say to him, this took him by surprise.  Recalling all the times she’d insisted she didn’t want to be with Todd, he asked, “What has happened to you out here?  Have you gone mad?”

“Please, leave,” she said, tears in her eyes.

Todd.  It had to be Todd.  Maybe Todd told her something that made her afraid of him.  “Ann, I wouldn’t hurt you.  I love you.  I want to marry you.  It should have been you.  Rebecca got in the way.  She seduced me, as I’m sure Todd seduced you.” He paused.  It wasn’t accurate to say Rebecca seduced him.  She hadn’t.  That was how it looked at first, but it hadn’t been the way it seemed.  He glanced around the barn.  Did he really have time to explain everything when Todd could show up at any moment?  With a sigh, he ventured, “Can’t you understand that I never wanted to end our courtship?”

“It doesn’t matter what happened, Kent.  We’ve already made our choices.  You have to move on.”

He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.  Was this the same person who’d told him she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, wanted him to do everything he could to make sure they ended up together?  “Are you preaching at me?” He moved forward a step, unable to believe she, of all people, would tell him to leave her alone.

She took a step back, glancing over her shoulder at the horse in the stall.

“I’ve had enough of people reminding me that I need to move on,” he said, thinking of their parents and all the grief they’d given him.  “What I need is to get back to the way things were a year ago.  You can’t honestly stand there and tell me you like it here.”

“Yes, I can.”

“No, Ann!  You’re not supposed to like it here.  Todd forced you out here and kept you a prisoner against your will.  I’m here to save you.”

She shook her head.  “I want to be here.”

“No!” He took another step toward her.

She shrieked and swung the axe.

He immediately backed away, shocked she’d try to hurt him.  All this time out here with Todd…  She must have lost her wits.  There was no other way to explain her strange reaction to him.

She reached for the latch on the stall door.

Seeing his chance to get the axe, he grabbed it, and as he pulled it away from her, she fell to the ground.  He shook his head when he saw her trembling.  Just what did Todd do to her?  “Do you think I’m going to use this on you?” He put the axe gently on the ground.  “I don’t want to hurt you, Ann.  I want to marry you.”

“I’m not yours.”

“We can change that.  You ran away with Todd.  Run away with me.”

“No.”

She rose to her feet, shaking her head.

“You have to love me, Ann,” he pleaded, struggling to get her to understand, to remember how things had been between them, before Todd made her forget.

He reached out to embrace her, but something hard struck him across the side of his head.  Pain throbbing in his temple, he released her and touched the wound.  He glanced at the floor and saw the rock she’d used to hit him with.

It took him a moment before he could collect his thoughts together.  He couldn’t believe she had resorted to flinging an axe around and hitting people with rocks.  That kind of behavior had to be a result of the things Todd had done to her.  He had to get her out of here.  Even if it would take time for her to learn to trust him again, he wouldn’t give up on her.  He promised to love her forever, and he’d fulfill that promise no matter how much work it took.

He turned his attention to her as she was climbing the door of the stall.  He hurried forward and grabbed her foot before she could fall in, before the horse could hurt her.  She grabbed the horse’s neck, and it bucked in protest.  She lost her balance and fell forward.  He tried to hold on to her, but everything happened so fast, all he could do was grab the hem of her dress.  He inwardly cursed himself for being so careless and started to climb the stall to pull her out before the horse stepped on her.

“Let me go!” she screamed and kicked at him.

A gunshot rang through the air and Kent felt a bullet graze his ear.  Startled, he stumbled back, finding it difficult to gain his footing.  He grabbed his ear.  Blood seeped through his fingers.

“Get away from my wife.”

Looking up, he saw Todd sitting on a horse, a rifle pointed at him. Kent slowly backed away from the stall, his hands up in the air.  Todd probably thought he was trying to hurt her, especially since she was huddled in the stall and crying.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he told Todd.

Todd urged his horse forward, his hold on the rifle steady and focused on him.

Kent backed up until his back hit the wall of the barn.

Todd glanced at the stall where Ann was.  “Are you alright?”

Surprised by the tenderness in Todd’s voice, Kent studied Ann who wiped her tears away and peered up at Todd with a look that she used to reserve for him.  That’s when he realized her feelings had changed in her time out here.  She loved Todd.  Todd wasn’t keeping her here against her will.  She really did want to be here.  Kent swallowed back his tears.  All this time he’d been holding on for the chance to be with her, and she’d moved on.  And who could blame her?  He had ended their courtship and got engaged to Rebecca.  She had been true to him, but he hadn’t been true to her.  This was his error, and he was going to have to pay the consequences for getting drunk for the rest of his life.

Todd inched the horse forward, directing his attention back to him.  “I ought to kill you for attacking my wife.”

“Don’t…I…” Kent’s voice shook.  “I won’t come back.  I promise.”

“How do I know you’ll leave her alone?” Todd demanded as the dog ran into the barn, barking.

Ignoring the dog, Kent motioned to Todd’s gun.  “Look at you.  You’re ready to kill me.  I don’t want to die.” His touched his ear and examined the blood on his fingertips.  Then, he turned his gaze back to Todd.  “I understand now.  She wants to be with you.  I thought I was rescuing her but I wasn’t.”

“You told her parents you would leave her alone.   But here you are.  I don’t believe a word you’re saying.  I think you’ll say anything to get out of trouble.”

He started to shake his head and explain that he didn’t realize Ann had fallen in love with him when someone called out, “Mr. Brothers?”

Todd glanced over his shoulder.

Kent followed his gaze and saw his father standing in the doorway of the barn.  Realizing that this might be his only means of escape without having a bullet put in his hide, he hurried out of the gun’s range.

“Son,” his father said with a disapproving scowl, “you have caused much grief to your mother and I.  Mr. Brothers, I apologize for trusting my son to stay away from your wife.  Kent, get your horse.  I want to talk to Mr. Brothers.”

Kent nodded and left the barn, leaving his father to tell Todd whatever he wanted, knowing full well his father wouldn’t tell him the truth about the engagement, how he manipulated Rebecca into making him think he slept with her, how he did everything possible to make sure Kent would never marry Ann.  No, his father would make himself look good, leaving Kent to blame for the whole mess.

And at this point, Kent didn’t care.  What did it matter anymore?  All of his plans…his dreams…the future he wanted with Ann were gone.  As he got up on the horse, he couldn’t help but look at his father who was talking to Todd and Ann.  Todd had his arm around Ann, and she leaned into him, another indication that she now loved him.  Would always love him.  Ignoring the tears in his eyes, Kent urged his horse off Todd and Ann’s property.