To Have And To Hold is my most recent e-release. The book has received excellent ratings. I think of my five published books, this is my favorite. The setting is a fascinating, winding, narrow, canyon in Utah known for it's ancient Indian ruins and petroglyphs. It is also known for lost treasures, which is partly why I chose it for my story. In reality it is called Nine Mile Canyon (although it is much longer) but in my book I call it Deception Canyon. Here is a blurb:
A woman without
a prayer…
A
widow with two children, Tempest Whitney had to mortgage everything to repay
the money her husband had stolen. But even as she struggles to hold onto her
Utah homestead, a scheming rancher buys up her debts, demanding she either get
off his land or marry him. Then a dark-haired stranger shows up, claiming to be
her dead husband…
A man without a
past….
Buck
Maddux spent two years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now a death bed
promise has brought him to Tempest’s dugout. A man without roots, he doesn’t
plan to stay—or to feel so fiercely protective of this feisty beauty he saves
from a forced marriage. Suddenly, Buck yearns for a home, a family, a lasting
love. But what can he offer Tempest? The surprising answer lies in the
forbidden canyons of an ancient Anasazi tribe, where fortune and danger
await—along with a passion more precious than gold…
Excerpt
Riding up to the house, he called out a
hello and dismounted. Surrounded by barking dogs he proceeded to water his
horse at a well built over a natural spring. From beneath the wide brim of his
Stetson he searched for some sign of life. Finally he headed to the house,
spurs jangling in his wake. His fist was raised, ready to knock, when the rough
plank door swung inward and the business end of a Henry repeating rifle met
with his nose.
"Judas!" He jerked back and stumbled over his own big
feet. A cat screeched, letting him know he had mangled its tail. The critter
got even by climbing Buck’s leg. Yelping and dancing while he tried to extract
the cat, he trampled two or three more felines. Easy to do; half a dozen
littered the yard, along with pigs and a flutter of chickens.
"Whoa
there, ma'am." He held up a hand.
"Don't mean you any harm."
"What
do you mean?" she asked.
The
cat took off, kinked tail in the air. Buck checked for damage and decided he’d
live. "That's a mite awkward to explain." He took off his hat, wiped his brow on his
sleeve and replaced the hat back, buying time while he studied her.
She
wasn't much to look at. The braid hanging to her waist appeared as though crows
had been pecking at it. Dun-colored strands fluttering about her head gave her
a wild look that belied the delicacy of her face. A strong chin balanced her
large eyes and a mouth as stubborn as the mules in the pole corral. A patched
apron hung to her scuffed boots and hugged her legs snugly enough hint she
wasn't wearing skirts. He was wondering what might be under the apron when she
spat, "Spill it, mister. I haven't got all day."
You can learn more about To Have And To Hold on my website, http://www.charleneraddon.com
2 comments:
I cannot imagine being in jail for something I did not do.
debby236 at gmail dot com
To Have and To Hold is a fabulous story. It's really like stepping into the past and living in frontier times. This is classic historical romance at its best.
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