Rescuing Harmony Ranch
Page 25
Mrs. Crandle beamed at the cute couple. Gram and Loretta must have been rubbing off on her.
Turning back to the front of the church, Jocelyn inhaled a deep breath as the organist played the first chords of the wedding march. She clutched her bouquet, the forged iron rose tucked in among the wildflowers.
She smiled at the handsome bearded blacksmith grinning at her from the front of the church. His grin turned into a laugh as he spotted Savage, who had stopped midway down the aisle to lie down and sprawl all four legs out on the satin carpet runner.
Perfect.
Her smile widened, and she laughed with the man who’d stolen her heart when she was just ten years old. She loved that they would always be bonded by their history—that they shared their past and their present.
And she couldn’t wait for that to change today, as she squeezed Hank’s arm and took a step toward her future.
The end…
And just the beginning…
Acknowledgments
I adore this book, and part of what made this story so much fun to write was because so many people contributed to the creation of it!
First and foremost, I have to thank my husband Todd, who not only supports every aspect of my writing career, and never stops believing in me, but also actually helped plot significant parts of this book as we traversed the trails through Garden of the Gods on our daily hikes.
Enormous thanks goes out to my editor, Stacey Donovan, for your belief in this story and for your invaluable help with this manuscript. Thanks also to Eunice Shin for finding the most perfect recipe for this book. And to the whole Hallmark staff who worked to make this book so perfect, especially the cover artist who created this amazingly gorgeous cover.
One of the neatest things about this book is that the inspiration for it came from Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, the real living history museum and working ranch, which sits at the base of Garden of the Gods and at the edge of my neighborhood, and is the home to many of our family’s fond memories. The original idea for and many moments in the book are inspired from real experiences on the ranch. My favorite happened when I was taking a walk at the ranch one afternoon with one of my writer besties, Anne Eliot, and tossing around ideas for a new Hallmark proposal, and she stopped and looked around and said “This is it. We’re walking through a Hallmark movie right now.” And that’s how Rescuing Harmony Ranch started. Thanks Annie. Love you, Friend.
I must thank Andy Morris, Rock Ledge Ranch’s Parks Operation Administer and Blacksmith, for spending several hours teaching me about the craft of blacksmithing, how to do a double strike, and sharing facts and information about the ranch and what goes into running a festival. And yes, there really is a Jersey cow named Punkin and a muskrat couple living in the pond.
My thanks goes out to Nancy Bernard, former employee and docent at Rock Ledge Ranch, who shared important history of the ranch and made sure I got the authentic parts of the living history museum accurate. I also credit Nancy with the idea for the Boxed Lunch Social.
Special thanks to Jennifer Martinez, who has always believed in my Hallmark journey, and for her and Terry’s assistance in sharing their knowledge, tips, and wonderful nickname for Midge, the marvelous knee scooter.
I have to give thanks to Leighton Mikell and Kristy Keys, for letting me steal the name and personality of Savage, their Basset hound, who was the inspiration for the scene-stealing dog in the story.
Shout-out to one of my favorite managers, Andrea Reynolds, who loves Hallmark movies, who has listened and helped with countless wacky story ideas, and who was the namesake of Jocelyn’s boss.
Big thanks to my family for your support and encouragement. To my mom, who loves everything Hallmark and never doubted I would get a Hallmark deal. And for my dad and Gracie, who have always believed in me.
Huge shout-out thanks to my agent, Nicole Resciniti at The Seymour Agency, for your advice and your guidance. You are the best, and I’m so thankful you are part of my life.
Special acknowledgement goes out to the women who walk this writing journey with me every single day. The ones who make me laugh, who encourage and support, who offer great advice, plotting help and marathon sprinting runs, and who sometimes just listen. Thank you Michelle Major, Lana Williams, Anne Eliot, Kristin Miller, Ginger Scott, and Sharon Wray. XO
Big thanks goes out to my street team, Jennie’s Page Turners, and for all of my readers: the people who have been with me from the start, my loyal readers, my dedicated fans, the ones who have read my stories, who have laughed and cried with me, who have fallen in love with my heroes and have clamored for more! Whether you have been with me since the first book or just discovered me with this book, know that I write these stories for you, and I can’t thank you enough for reading them. Sending love, laughter, and big Colorado hugs to you all!
Turkey Sliders
with Mac and Cheese
A Hallmark Original Recipe
In Rescuing Harmony Ranch, Jocelyn teams up with her ex-boyfriend Mack—now a strapping blacksmith—to save her grandmother Molly’s living history museum. Later in the story, Molly serves her famous mac and cheese turkey sliders to Mack and a very important visitor. You can make these irresistible sandwiches for your own VIPs!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces queso blanco cheese
2 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked macaroni)
1/2cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs
As needed, vegetable oil for frying
8 mini slider rolls, sliced for sandwiches
8 slices roast turkey, warm
Preparation
Combine heavy cream, queso blanco cheese and shredded Cheddar in a heavy saucepan; heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is completely melted.
Meanwhile, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Add warm cheese sauce to cooked macaroni and stir until blended. Cover and chill overnight or until completely chilled.
Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, shape chilled mac & cheese into meatball-sized balls; press into pattie-shaped bites.
Dust each lightly with flour; shake excess. Dredge each in egg mixture; drain excess. Roll each in breadcrumbs; shake excess. (Mac & cheese bites can be made ahead and refrigerated up to this step.)
To prepare mac & cheese bites: heat oil in deep fryer or deep heavy saucepan to 350°F or until oil is shimmering. Working in several smaller batches, carefully add breaded bites to oil and deep fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining mac & cheese bites.
To prepare sliders: layer 1 slice turkey and 1 warm mac & cheese bite on bottom half of each slider roll; close each with top half of roll and press lightly to secure.
Thanks so much for reading
Rescuing Harmony Ranch. We hope you enjoyed it!
You might like these other books
from Hallmark Publishing:
Country Hearts
A Country Wedding
Love on Location
A Simple Wedding
Sunrise Cabin
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About the Author
Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY bestselling author of award-winning books filled with love, lau
ghter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”
She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet who loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. Her books range from western romance to cozy mysteries, but they all have the charm and appeal of quirky small-town life.
Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.