NEW RELEASE BY
LINDA CARROLL-BRADD
Dulcina
The Widows of Wildcat Ridge, book 5
Will bringing an old friend to town provide the help Dulcina needs or a
new kind of trouble?
Left widowed
following a Utah mining disaster, Dulcina Crass faces running a saloon on her
own when her previous contribution was solely as the singer. She struggles to
learn the necessary tasks but her heart isn’t in being a saloon keeper. All she
ever wanted was to be a famous singer. Will asking Gabriel Magnus, a neighbor
from her New Mexico hometown, bring the help she needs or a new kind of
trouble?
Gabriel Magnus
isn’t fulfilled by his role as ranch hand on the family’s New Mexico sheep
ranch. What he wants is the chance to prove his boot making skills are good
enough to start his own business. When he receives a letter from recent widow
Dulcina offering a partnership in the Last Chance Saloon, he recognizes the
chance to come to the rescue of the vivacious girl he wanted to court a decade
earlier. Upon his arrival, he presents her with a demand--her answer could
decide both of their fates.
Excerpt:
“Ceremony?” Her eyes shot wide. “You
intend us to be married today?”
“I do, and I’ll not marry a woman
wearing mourning black.” The drab color did nothing to highlight her natural
beauty. “You look fit to join the circle of viudas
in the Questa marketplace.”
Lips pinched, she glanced around the
immediate area. “But, Gabriel, I have been in mourning for Stuart since the
mine disaster.”
He bristled at the mention of that
man’s name but kept his expression calm. “A status that ends now. Stuart is
gone, never to return in this lifetime.” When he spotted her lower lip quiver,
he braced himself. The way their life would be structured moving forward had to
be laid out. “Today will be the first day of our marriage, yours and mine, and
he will not come between us. I will proclaim my vows next to a woman who looks
to the future, not one who still clutches the past.” He stepped back to gather
his luggage then carried it to where she stood. “Please show me to the saloon,
where I assume you also live.”
“Oh.” She dropped her gaze and pulled
at the strings on her reticule. “I thought you’d book a room in the hotel while
we get reacquainted.”
If she thought she was the one making
decisions, she’d been on her own too long. Maybe her late husband allowed that
behavior. She might as well learn that he would not. He narrowed his eyes. “We
will get reacquainted while living under the same roof.” The words “and in the
same bed” remained unspoken. He didn’t think she was ready to hear his opinion
of how the arrangement would play out.
“But Wildcat Ridge has no minister.
Poor Reverend Bainum was lost in—”
“I know.” His voice snapped sharper
than he intended. He held up a hand. “The mine collapse. The town can only be
saved if you stop looking at what you lost and focus on what can be gained.”
Realizing other people paid too close attention to their conversation, he
clasped her hand and guided her to a nearby bench. “I am sorry, Dulcina. I do
understand you have been through a loss. But that tragedy is not my experience.
I see new opportunities, and I aim to grab them.” He smiled. “The best one is
you.”
Her eyes shot wide. “I’d planned for
us to take a day trip to Curdy’s Crossing on Saturday after the horse-related
business is concluded. The church there is run by Minister Stone, and other
widows have had him perform their wedding ceremonies. I thought we could marry
after services on Sunday.” She ducked her head. “The marriage that is supposed
to be only a formality.”
As
a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating
characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time
periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and
achieved her first publication--a confession story. Married with four adult
children and two granddaughters, Linda now writes heartwarming contemporary and
historical stories with a touch of humor from her home in the southern
California mountains.
Linda’s Links:
Website www.lindacarroll-bradd.com
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/lindacarroll-bradd
BookBub page
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-carroll-bradd
Newsletter signup http://eepurl.com/bjKueH
