Stuck
in a life of servitude to her penny-pinching brother, Emily Darling
longs for a more exciting existence. When a packet with travel tickets,
meant for one Ethel Darton, accidentally lands on her doormat, Emily
sees a chance for escape. Having turned down the dreary suitors that
have come her way, is it possible a new existence also offers a
different kind of man?
Daniel Saunders has carved out a life for himself in Wyoming—a life missing one thing: a wife. Having scrimped and saved to bring his mail-order bride from New York, he is outraged to find in her stead a runaway fraud. Even worse, the impostor is the sister of his old enemy.
But people are not always as they seem, and sometimes the heart knows more than the head.
Available Oct. 8th from these retailers:
Excerpt:
“I…”
she started. “Daniel Saunders?” she asked at last.
Daniel angled his
Stetson back on his head and ran his eyes over the little lady. She bore
no resemblance to the photograph; she was fair where the lady in the picture
was dark, her hair was brushed back off her face whereas the other woman’s had
a fringe, and she had a little turn up nose while Ethel Darton’s had been long
and straight. “Who the hell are you?” he blurted out.
The woman took a
step back. “My name is Emily Darling—”
“Darling?”
His eyes narrowed as his hands went instinctively to his hips.
“I received your
letter,” she continued somewhat breathlessly. “I know…"
"Stop.
Just tell me where Ethel is." The blood rushed through his veins
pulling anger with it.
"I know it
wasn’t meant for me," the blond continued, "But—”
“But?
But! Lady, are you telling me you received a dang letter meant for
someone else and you went and high-tailed it out here with a train ticket and a
stage ticket meant for that someone else?”
Emily’s eyes
widened.
“You know how the
hell long it took me to save for that? You have any idea of the cost of
all that?”
“I…I thought…”
“I don’t give a
good goshdurn what the heck you thought. That money was meant…” Total
disbelief swallowed his tongue. Daniel took some paces and struggled to control
his temper before he shot off his gun. “Damn!” he said at last.
“Damn!" he repeated. He stomped back to her. “Well, what the hell do
you expect to do now, now you’re here, may I ask?”
“Well.” Emily
visibly gathered herself and straightened up. “Marry you, of course.”
Author bio:
Andrea
Downing likes to say that when she decided to do a Masters Degree, she
made the mistake of turning left out of New York, where she was born,
instead of right to the west, and ended up in the UK. She eventually
married there, raising a beautiful daughter and staying for longer than
she cares to admit. Teaching, editing a poetry magazine, writing travel
articles, and a short stint in Nigeria filled those years until in 2008
she returned to NYC. She now divides her time between the city and the
shore, and often trades the canyons of New York for the wide open
spaces of Wyoming. Family vacations are often out west and, to date,
she and her daughter have been to some 20 ranches throughout the west.
Loveland, her first book, was a finalist for Best American Historical
at the 2013 RONE Awards. Lawless Love, a short story, part of The Wild
Rose Press ‘Lawmen and Outlaws’ series, was a finalist for Best
Historical Novella at the RONE Awards. Dearest Darling, a novella, is
part of The Wild Rose Press Love Letters series, and comes (came?) out
Oct. 8th and Dances of the Heart, another full length novel, comes out
in the next few months.
Twitter: @andidowning
https://twitter.com/AndiDowning
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Downing/e/B008MQ0NXS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with my readers today. Always love to see your western romances. :-)
Thanks so much Melissa--you're always such a great hostess, it's a pleasure to be here.
ReplyDelete