by Everly West
Dear Reader,
While the kids nap, I write and the Ladies Club of Laramie has been keeping me busy. Next up is the Reluctant Bride and poor Eva has a father that is meaner than a rattlesnake. Currently I’m working on The Eager bride and who can resist an Irishman.
As a new author I would really appreciate your support by leaving a review, following me on BookBub, sign up for my newsletter and check out my Facebook page and website.
Until next time,
Everly West
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Wyoming rancher’s daughter, Kelly Quincy, lives as comfortable a life as any young woman in the Old West, but she wants more than to be a prairie princess. She wants to be important and to help people. But her meddling mama, one of the members of The Ladies Club of Laramie, discovers that the territorial governor and his single, eligible son is coming to town, she plans a ball and plots ways to marry Kelly off.
Brandon Masterson is a humble sheep rancher just outside of Laramie, and in a territory where cattle is king, he is a laughingstock. Brandon is responsible for his four younger sisters, though, and is determined to make his unusual ranch a success. If only the beautiful and mischievous Kelly would stop trying to give his family charity.
When Kelly and Brandon meet, sparks fly, just in time for Valentine’s Day. But can Brandon open his heart to love? And will Kelly’s parents accept her rebellious choice for a suitor?
The Rebellious Bride — Click Here!
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Scandal at the Valentine Ball…
Much to her mother’s dismay, Cora O’Brian isn’t interested in rushing to the altar. At twenty she has dreams that don’t include a husband. Even a rich man with prestige. But her mother has other plans and unfortunately, she falls right into her mothers scheme when she tries to flee the Valentine ball.
August Moonlit’s father, the governor of Wyoming wants him to stop sowing his wild oats and settle down. With mothers shoving their eligible daughters at him, marriage is the least of his desires. Until a young woman falls into his arms with her skirt above her head and her distraught mother insists he marry the girl.
With his feisty bride at his side, he’s determined to become his own man and not the rich aristocrat his father desires. Can two strangers overcome their anger and build a life together? Could the debutante and the spoiled rich boy be meant for one another?
The Obstinate Bride — Click Here!
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When Jane Farnsworth confronts the local gunsmith, Michael O’Leary, shooting on her family land, he refuses to apologize and boldly displays his admiration. To make matters worse, his gaze ignites sensations she’s never felt before. Eager to marry, she hopes her future husband will make her feel the same way O’Leary does, since her parents would never approve of the handsome Irishman.
Michael O’Leary doesn’t mind a bit of harmless flirtation with a beautiful high society woman. When he’s invited to dinner at the Farnsworth estate, he pushes his luck and steals a kiss. Though he intends to move on with his life, his stubborn heart wants something it cannot have: Jane Farnsworth.
Chapter One
Finally, she had time away from the noise and chatter of her family. As much as she loved them, Jane Farnsworth relished the silence of being alone. It was the perfect day for horseback ride, which she’d opted to do instead of going to town with her mother and two sisters.
A huge flower field replete with yellow and white blossoms provided a perfect view of her family’s land. With the backdrop of green hills and the bright blue sky, it was much too beautiful a scene to ignore.
Deciding to pick a few flowers, Jane dismounted. “Don’t go anywhere, Daisy. I’m going to be nearby.”
Much more interested in nibbling on the grass than her, the horse remained in place as Jane strolled a few feet away to peer down at a particularly bright patch of yellow flowers.
Boom. Boom.
At the sounds, she whirled around toward the horse that seemed as startled as her. Daisy shook her head and shifted about nervously.
Boom. Boom.
Jane lowered to the ground and crab-walked to hide behind a short bush. Daisy reared up, kicking into the air, and then took off at a gallop toward the safety of home.
Whoever was out hunting was about to get a talking to. Jane huffed and scanned the area, her heart pounding. Then again, she thought, if they were trespassers or poachers, it would be best to keep silent.
Whistling a happy tune, a tall man came into view. Broad-shouldered with sandy brown hair and sharp features, he was rather attractive. He was also the owner of the new gunsmith shop in town, Michael O’Leary, a man she’d not been introduced to. What was he doing on Farnsworth property and why was he shooting?
Michael O’Leary carried two rifles and it looked like several other guns in a pouch slung across his body. He passed where she was crouched, noticing her horse galloping away.
He shrugged and once again began to whistle, walking in her direction. His eyes widened when she jumped from behind the bush.
“What are you doing?” Jane screamed. With her fists clenched, she glared at the clueless man. “You scared my horse half to death. If I were still mounted, I would’ve certainly been injured.”
His hazel gaze roamed over her. Either he was assessing her for injuries or the man was a scoundrel. “I couldn’t see if the horse was saddled or not. I wondered what it was doing out here.”
“This is my family’s land. You can’t just go about shooting on private land. The least you could have done was ask if one of us was out here.”
When he didn’t reply and, instead, continued to take her in, Jane huffed. Men could be so elementary. “Now I have to walk for over an hour to get home. When the horse returns without me, my family will be alarmed.”
Then again, her father was out in the field overseeing the sale of a horse. Her mother and two sisters had gone to town. Since their mother was to attend one of her Ladies Club of Laramie meetings and her sisters took the opportunity to visit with friends, it was possible they wouldn’t return until late.
Of course, O’Leary didn’t know this so she continued. “My father will have your hide for shooting out here and practically getting me killed.”
Ever so slowly, once again, his gaze moved from her feet, up her breech-covered legs to her chest and finally met her gaze. “You don’t look to have fallen off a horse.”
“Mr. O’Leary, have you not listened to a word I’ve said? I was dismounted... oh, never mind.”
“I listened.” He gave her a lopsided and, much to her chagrin, alarmingly appealing grin. “May I escort you home? My wagon is over the crest there.” His Irish lilt meant his deep voice flowed over each word, which was quite lovely to hear. Not enough to sway Jane to forgive his inexcusable lack of manners. He’d yet to apologize profusely for what he’d done.
“Of course you will take me home. I need to see about my horse. You gave her quite a fright. Poor thing, she’s already quite skittish.” As she spoke, she stalked in the direction he’d motioned. If this man thought she’d hold a friendly conversation with him, he was sorely mistaken.
A beautiful chestnut horse grazed beside a serviceable wagon. Jane walked to it and waited.
He rounded to the back of the wagon. O’Leary placed the guns down with care, each one atop a blanket and then rolled them up. Then he made quick work of harnessing the horse. The entire time neither spoke.
The longer the stretch of silence, the more questions Jane had. She knew he’d not been in Laramie very long. Where did he move to Laramie from? Why had he been on their land shooting?
Finally, she couldn’t bite her tongue any longer. “You’ve yet to apologize.”
O’Leary frowned. “I’m sorry to have frightened you and your horse. Your father assured me there would be no one out here. I suppose you didn’t inform him you were going riding. Not a good idea fo
r a beautiful woman to go out alone without telling anyone.”
Somehow, he’d turned the apology into a scolding. Jane narrowed her eyes, deciding to let the annoyance pass for the moment. Obviously, the man was oblivious and hadn’t been taught manners.
She stood at the side of the wagon eyeing the boards nailed on its side, which were meant to help people climb up. A loud yelp escaped Jane when O’Leary took her by the waist and easily lifted her up.
“Stop it,” Jane shrieked and slapped at his hands. “You are much too familiar, Sir.”
With what sounded like a chuckle, but she couldn’t be sure, O’Leary walked to the other side and climbed up. When he settled next to her, their legs touched. Jane fidgeted, uncomfortable with the proximity of his body. There wasn’t enough room to move on the narrow bench so she couldn’t scoot away. From under her lashes, she noted he didn’t seem a bit unsettled. As a matter of fact, she wondered if it were possible for him to sit with his legs not so far apart.
How could she phrase the request without it being unseemly? Jane tried to come up with a way to ask, but failed.
On the ride back, Jane did her best to ignore the muscled man as he handled the reins with the ease of someone used to his horse and the outdoors. The animal didn’t seem at all in a hurry or particularly interest in going in a straight line either.
“Why don’t you correct your horse?” Jane asked, ire punctuating each word. “We are riding in some sort of crazy zigzag pattern.”
A thick shoulder lifted and lowered. “Joe does what he wants most of the time. He went to war with me and has some kind of issue with being told what to do.” The man chuckled, made a clicking sound and barely snapped the reins. “Joe, stop messing around.”
The horse’s ears twitched and he sped up a bit, going mostly straight. O’Leary gave her a crooked grin. “He’s only listening now because you’re here. Otherwise, he would’ve stopped in his tracks, not moving until I apologized.”
Despite being annoyed, she had to smile. “I think you’re making up stories now. I’m sure Joe is a great horse. He’s beautiful. However, I can imagine being at war was traumatic for him.”
A frown was quickly done away with, but Jane noticed it. The horse was not the only one affected in ways most would not understand. She let out a breath and studied the sky. “Why did you come out here today?”
“I needed to shoot these guns,” he said as he motioned with his head to the back of the wagon. “The trees out here buffer some of the noise, so it doesn’t bother people too much. Can’t shoot in town without scaring someone.”
For some reason, Jane didn’t believe him. There was more to why he’d come out to the ranch. She eyed the horse and then the man. They’d been through a lot together. Both probably needed to be outdoors and alone to get peace.
The Farnsworth ranch house came into view. Large corrals housed her father’s prized horses, separated according to whatever system he used.
Just behind the house to the left were the stables. Next to them sat a smaller corral where horses were broken and trained.
They had a large field that was farmed with wheat, corn and other grains. At the moment, there were men out at the field working and another pair in the smallest corral with a black and brown horse.
“Your family’s ranch is like paradise. A perfect life for you and your family.” His comment was flat, without judgment, but for some reason it grated.
“No one has a perfect life, Mr. O’Leary.”
“Miss Jane!” Maribel, the cook and housekeeper, came rushing out, a horse handler and family friend, Ian, on her heels. “We just saw your horse and were about to alert your father.”
It was then she noticed her horse grazing beside the house. Probably eating Maribel’s cabbages.
Not waiting for O’Leary, she scrambled down from the wagon. “I’m fine, Maribel. Daisy was startled by a gunshot and ran off. Thankfully, I had already dismounted.” She gave O’Leary a pointed look.
“Thank God for that,” Maribel replied, not looking at her, but smiling broadly at the Irishman. “Thank you so much for rescuing her, Mr. O’Leary. Come in for some freshly-baked cake.”
“He is the reason...” Jane started, only to be interrupted by Ian.
“I’ll take your horse to the stables, Jane.”
“Release her to the corrals. She’s enjoying being out,” she replied, frowning toward Maribel and O’Leary, who walked toward the house.
She glared at O’Leary’s back. “He’s the reason my horse got spooked,” she told Ian who nodded absently and then stuck out a hand toward Michael. “He must’ve not known you were out.”
Jane rolled her eyes and hurried toward the house. If someone was going to eat cake, she’d get the first slice, not the annoying man who’d tried to kill her.
The Eager Bride - Click Here!
Sweet Western Historicals
By Everly West
Angel Creek Christmas Brides
Anna
The Ladies Club of Laramie
The Rebellious Bride
The Obstinate Bride
The Wagered Bride
The Reluctant Bride —3-21-2019
The Eager Bride — 4-11-2019
The Bashful Bride — 5-2-2019
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About the Author
Everly Ann West grew up in a rodeo family in west Texas. The youngest child in a family of six kids, she developed a love of history at an early age. She started writing seriously while her kids were napping, and now that they're in school, she has time to write all the stories she's wanted to tell for years. She is supported by her own cowboy and the love of her life, who provides the inspiration for her heroes, as well as chocolate when needed.
The End
