The First Kiss from The Lawman of Silver Creek

I'm sharing the The Lawman Of Silver Creek's  first kiss on Lily Graison's blog today.

“That gun won’t solve everything.”

“Between that and my good sense, you need to trust that I’ll manage.”

I trusted your judgment before and nearly lost you. Matt almost snapped at her. Instead, he chose another approach and managed to speak evenly. “And yet you were caught out in a storm that anyone could see has been brewing for hours.”

Her eyes warmed. “Believe me, I took note of the weather,” she unstrapped her gun belt, slung it over a chair back. “But I thought it worth the risk to see you.”

Heat shot through him even as Matt shook his head. “You’re trying to distract me from my point.”

“Am I?”

“You know what you’re doing.”

“I wasn’t denying it,” Claire smiled, “I wanted to know if I was succeeding.”

Click the link to read the rest of the  First Kiss from The Lawman of Silver Creek

Goat Facts with Cowboy Marvin

The proper name for a group of goats is a trip.  

Baby goats are kids.

Males are called bucks, females are called does.

A domestic male is sometimes called a billy; a female, a nanny or in my case, Cowboy Marvin.

Goats are great swimmers, if a goat is silly enough to go into the water.  

I wouldn't, a according to Ms. Hulsman dangerous critters with sharp teeth lurk there.

If bottled raised, goats will become bonded to their caregivers.

Goats discovered coffee beans.

Goats don't eat tin cans.

They are browsers not grazers and are are extremely picky about what they eat.

Goats have rectangular eyes - this allows them to see very well in the dark.

        

Goats use straw to scratch their backs.

Cashmere comes from the undercoat of the Asian Kashmiri goat, with the average annual yield per animal being less than one pound.

Mohair comes from the Turkish Angora goat. 

Most mohair now comes from Angora fleece raised in the U.S., with the average annual yield per animal being four pounds.

Goats are great as stock animals and are easier on the trail than other pack/stock animals.

Properly conditioned, a goat can carry up to 25%-30% of its body weight.







And, of course, 
goats are 
awesome interviewers!

Lynn Marie Hulsman explains: How to Beat the January Blues, Sweetly

Cowboy Marvin is on holiday 

but he's invited, 

the lovely Lynn Marie Hulsman, 

to  the blog this Friday.  

Please give her a warm welcome and enjoy her advice on

How to Beat the January Blues, Sweetly 

If you’re anything like me, once the holiday excitement wanes and the temperatures continue to drop, you struggle a bit with the January blues. Winter darkness can sap one’s energy, and it’s often hard to get back on track with sleep after a prolonged period of late-night reveling. And there are the existential questions that come with the New Year: What have I accomplished and what will I accomplish? Heavy stuff!

I find taking action can lift me out of the doldrums. Here are a few things I do to lift my spirits and keep connected:

1. Plan a vacation. Thinking about fun is the next best thing to having fun. Looking at photos of vacation destinations, discussing plans with your partner or partners in crime, and making lists of the fun activities in store brings pleasure. Daydream a little!

2. Exercise. I know, the last thing you want to do in the cold and dark is get out from under the afghan and up off the couch. I have to trick myself into doing it, but once I get my blood pumping, the world looks like a fresher place filled with new possibilities? I put my jog bra on the minute I exit the shower, then I’m one step closer to being ready for the gym.

3. Green the place up. I bought an orchid from the supermarket on a whim, recently. It’s amazing the effect it has on me when I’m sitting at the kitchen table in the half-light of the evening. It reminds me that life and growth are all around, even when everything seems dormant.

4. Learn something. Whether you take a class or simply follow the directions on a YouTube video and fix your own iPhone screen, learning will make you feel vital. Why not make your first pie crust from scratch or build a bookshelf to handle the overflow of your TBR pile?

5. Connect. It can be tempting to isolate during the chill, dreary month of January. This is the worst choice you can make when you’re feeling blue. Whether you have deep heart-to-hearts or simply share a laugh, being with a friend or two will boost your endorphins. Invite someone over for a cup of coffee and a treat, or bring a treat to share with someone house bound. I suggest my Dried Cherry and Dark Chocolate Loaf. Present it as a do-it-yourself gift to cheer the January of someone special, or bake it into a loaf and serve up sweet slices.

Dried Cherry and Dark Chocolate Loaf Mix

I love this simple-to-make loaf as both a gift and a sweet treat for the table. If making it as a hostess gift or a present, I suggest including a tag listing the dry ingredients that are included in the jar, along with the list of fresh ingredients needed to complete the recipe, and the directions for baking. If you’re crafty, the jar itself or the handwritten recipe can become keepsakes that rekindle memories for years to come. Or skip the packaging, and simply make the delicious loaf as a treat for yourself! Served with a steaming cup of coffee, this moist, decadent loaf is perfect for breakfast, or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.



Makes one 9 x 5-inch / 23 x 13-centimeter loaf cake


1 1/2 cups / 180 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup / 200 grams granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup / 75 grams dried cherries

1/2 cup / 80 grams dark chocolate chunks (I like Ghirardelli)

1/2 cup / 75 grams chopped walnuts

To Make the Mix

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then spoon into a canning jar. (You can use a large zip top plastic bag if you like, but you won’t get that gorgeous, layered appearance.) Tap the jar gently on the countertop to settle the flour. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl, whisk it together lightly, and pour it over the flour in the jar. Continue the layers with the dried cherries, then the chocolate chunks, and finally the walnuts. Put the lid on the jar and decorate as desired. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use, up to 6 months.


To Make the Bread

1/2 cup / 120 milliliters sour cream

4 tablespoons / 60 grams butter, melted

1/4 cup / 25 grams Confectioner’s sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons whole milk


Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C and grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch / 23 x 13-centimeter loaf pan.

Pour the jar (or bag) of dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well, using a wooden spoon. Using your hands, make a well in the center and crack in 2 eggs, beating lightly with a fork. Add 1/2 cup / 120 milliliters of sour cream and 4 tablespoons / 60 grams of melted butter. Stir just until incorporated; the batter will be lumpy. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup / 25 grams of confectioners’ sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons of milk (adding a little at a time to reach the proper drizzling thickness) and drizzle the glaze over the top.

Lynn Marie Hulsman, a Harper Impulse Author

She is the co-author of

 The Irish Pantry with Chef Noel McMeel 

and

Make Your Own Soda with Chef Anton Nocito (Clarkson Potter)

And if you need a fun, festive treat to warm you up on cold winter nights, check out Lynn's wonderful debut romantic comedy!

Christmas at Thornton Hall

available on Amazon now.

BLURB:

At 28, Juliet Hill is finally ready to be a grown-up. Her New Year's plan of leaving behind a career as chef to the rich and famous in order and go back for her Ph. D in psychology is sure to satisfy both her ultra-logical psychiatrist mom and her buttoned-up lawyer boyfriend. She'll be on the right road to stability right after one last Christmas stint in private service at Thornton Hall, arguably one of the grandest estates in the swanky Cotswalds region of England (think The Hamptons, but with thatched roofs).

Unfortunately, true to her nature, she can't convince her brain to override her heart when sticky situations arise involving lies, paternity, a one-night stand and poison mushrooms! Is a sane and predictable life in the cards for our passionate pastry prepper? Can this creative girl toe the line, leaving her secret spice blends and unpredictable men behind? On the road to womanhood, sometimes decisions are made for us, and other times we have to cook up our own destiny. Join Juliet's journey as she straddles the line between romance and reason.

Lynn Marie Hulsman is a novelist in New York City, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Want to hear more from Lynn Marie?

Come back on Friday, Jan. 10th and enjoy her

Fire Writer Friday Follow Up with Cowboy Marvin.  

And please

Follow Lynn Marie online: Website Facebook Twitter Blog    

Thanks for sharing how to beat the blues 

Lynn Marie!

The Lawman of Silver Creek

The Lawman of Silver Creek Amazon Buy Link

“If you want an emotional romantic adventure to nineteenth century frontier America this is for you.” Jane Hunt Reviews

For fans of Diana Palmer and Linda Lael Miller comes a new novella in The Men of Fir Mountain series.

Blurb:  As sheriff of Silver Creek, Matthew Marson’s job is to look after his town. But when he fails to protect the most important person in his life, Claire, from an attack, Matt feels as though he will never be able to forgive himself.

Her husband-to-be’s newly found overprotectiveness drives the headstrong Claire from his arms. She can’t see a future with a man who won’t allow her to follow her dreams.

In a small town where everybody knows your name and your business, it’s impossible for the pair to stay apart, especially as Claire finds that she can’t completely turn her back on the lawman that she loves.

Excerpt:

Fall 1891 Fir Mountain, Oregon

Energy crackled in the air. Wind howled, and thunder roared, loud and intense. Clouds obscured the sky, darkening the midday hour, as rain streamed from the heavens.

“You shouldn't be here.”

Claire McConkey smiled in response to his gruff, inhospitable greeting and moved closer. “Why?”

Lightening streaked across the dull greyness above, illuminating her finely boned, heart shaped face. Dark brown hair blackened by water clung in tangles. The sight tugged at his deep need to protect her, but he fought it off with cold, hard reason. Another man might think the petite woman who stood only chest high before him, slender to the point that a stiff wind might blow her away, needed coddled. Her delicate appearance misled many. Sheriff Matthew Marston knew better.

Matt stepped out on the covered porch of his family’s log cabin. She didn’t yield ground. Their bodies brushed, and awareness flared. He closed the door behind him to keep her out of his refuge, sidestepping to put some space between them.

“Go home,” he ordered bluntly, his tone firm.

As always, eyes the same rich color as her hair mesmerized him. Claire never veiled emotion. When laughter sparkled in the depths of her eyes, her delight was infectious. If angered, one look would scorch whoever had earned her ill humor. He’d never had to guess what she was feeling, until now. His weight shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. Her gaze shone with an intensity that unsettled him.

“But I’m soaked, chilled through. Won’t you ask me in?”

“No,” He was certain she was up to something, playing with him. Her soft request only hardened his resolve.

An eyebrow arched at his swift denial. “You’d let me catch my death walking in the storm?”

His eyes narrowed. Matt studied Claire for a long moment, jaw clenched, suspicion high. Mere weeks had passed since the woman who’d held his heart from the time she’d worn ponytails and he chased frogs had rejected him. She’d inflicted a wound that festered, refusing to heal. The memory haunted his quiet moments. He couldn’t understand how she could kiss him with soul searing passion one minute and then with her next breath calmly tell him that their wedding was off. 

Lori Connelly's links: Website  Goodreads   Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest Amazon Author Page 

The Lawman of Silver Creek Amazon Buy Link

The Outlaw of Cedar Ridge

The Outlaw of Cedar Ridge Amazon Buy Link

Blurb:
The day Evie met Benjamin Rolfe, a man with an unbridled enthusiasm for life and grandiose plans to match, she knew they’d marry and live happily ever after…

Five years later, her charming rancher is now a bitter, cynical stranger with a shaky moral compass. And after too many shattered dreams, Evie no longer believes in fairy tale endings.

When they lose the homestead and head out on the open road to start a new life in Oregan, their marriage is already strained to breaking point. Can their love survive this second chance?

Free to Read Prologue:

The saloon doors slammed open. “That yellow-bellied, four-flusher,” a tall man complained loudly as he staggered out of the Bucking Pony, “needs to be taught a lesson.”

The breeze carried the sound of stomping feet and more raised voices through the night. Benjamin Rolfe, only a few yards away, took a prudent side step off the boarded sidewalk. From where he hid, in-between two dark, empty buildings, Ben could only make out snippets.

“Low down dirty cheater.”

“I warned the boss not to buy that horse from Rolfe.”

Curious, Ben peeked around the corner. Talbert’s men. He counted the figures of at least six men standing by the horses tied in front of the saloon.

“If the Sheriff won’t do his job, then someone needs to do it for him.”

Ben moved back into the deeper shadows. He didn’t care what some drunken ranch hands thought of him and wasn’t about to risk his hide defending an already ruined reputation. With his back against a rough wood wall, he let their tirade drift past him, waiting for them to leave.

Minutes passed with aggravating slowness. His mouth dry, thirst nagged by the time the men finally mounted up and rode out of town. Ben lingered out of plain sight a short time to be certain they were gone then continued on his way to the saloon.

Inside the batwing doors, the place was almost full. Ignoring the brief lull in conversation as he walked in, Ben crossed the room to stand at the bar and dropped his saddlebag to the floor. The bartender stared at him for a couple of seconds before slapping down a glass and filling it with cheap whiskey.

His hand curled around the glass but instead of taking the long drink he’d been craving for hours, the cowboy stared down at the golden brown liquid. He should be happy, celebrating. His share of the take would at least half fill the jar he’d emptied at home. Evie wouldn’t even have to know he’d broken another promise.

Ben tilted the glass slightly from one side to the other, watching the alcohol flow. He should go home. It was late and he needed to talk to his wife. The image of blue eyes filled with disappointment flashed through his mind. A muscle worked along his jaw and he tossed back the drink.

The whiskey burned his throat and he put the glass down with a hard thud. Familiar with his routine, the bartender moved over, poured him a refill and left the bottle. His fingers tightened around the glass but before he lifted it to his mouth again, the noisy room quieted.

Braced for a fight, Ben released his grip and turned to face the door, expecting to see that the group of Talbert’s ranch hands had returned. The sight of only two men standing by the door caught him off guard. Damn. He would’ve preferred a fight.

The Nash brothers strode across the room, cocky, confident, as if they owned the place. His decision to hook up with these lowlifes for this last con was one he’d regretted from the moment he made it. They had no good reason to follow him back to Cedar Ridge.

“Rolfe what a surprise,” Billy’s smile was more like a coyote barring his teeth than anything human.

“Yes, it is.” He offered them an equally insincere smile of his own. “Have you lost Byron?”

“He’s getting patched up.”

“So what brings you out this way?”

“Seth and I were bored,” Billy’s over pleasant tone set his teeth on edge. “I thought we could find a game here.”

A two hour ride at night for a game? “Is that so?”

“If not, we’ll start our own.”

Billy chuckled and shouted to the bartender for a couple of bottles as he and Seth sat down at the empty table. Ben reached back, grabbed his glass and lifted it in a mocking toast. He drank then slowly turned his back to the outlaws, a deliberate act to show them he wasn’t afraid. With a hand steady through sheer force of will, he refilled his glass.

The fact that Billy hadn’t bothered to offer a believable explanation didn’t bode well. They were here either to rob him or kill him, possibly both. His options were few. Most of the townspeople wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire and the one man who’d likely help was the one man he couldn’t ask.

Please protect me from the other scumbags, Sheriff. Yeah that would go over well.

Ben finished off his drink and poured another. He nursed this measure of whiskey and listened to the brothers persuade a few men to play poker with them while he waited for the chance to slip away. A band of pressure coiled around his chest when they started to brag about the robbery. With them running off at the mouth, the Sheriff would soon have more than suspicion about his ‘jobs’. And that meant leaving town sooner rather than later.

Ben cursed under his breath. He’d thought he’d have time to break the news about the move gently, to make Evie see that this would be the best option for them. Now he wouldn’t have that luxury. From the slurred speech of his fellow con men, he knew that escaping the Nash brothers tonight would still be possible. But, with these scumbags in town, it wouldn’t be long before their loose lips would have the law on him or, and his gut clenched at the thought, they’d find out where he lived.

He’d endangered his wife.

More whiskey poured into the glass. Yesterday he’d cut her off when she tried to encourage him to tell her what was wrong. If she knew the truth about his family, about him, Evie wouldn’t have wasted her breath. Ben downed a few drinks in a row then paused, noticing the bottle was now half empty. Shame bled through him even as he filled his glass again.

Ben shifted so he could watch the Nash brothers out of the corner of his eye. He’d never meant for it to go this far. It was just going to be the one time, one job so they could have a home again. After that, for a time, he’d worked damn hard to stay on the straight and narrow and play by the rules. Only he was kicked in the teeth for it.

The whiskey no longer burned going down. It barely numbed the pain. He’d been a fool to think he could be a better man than his father had been.

Ben squared his shoulders and straightened away from the bar. He needed to go home. He had to explain. His fingers tightened on the glass again. He didn’t know where to start, what to say. He’d lied to Evie about so much, for so long.

Instead of walking away, Ben loosened the glass, grabbed the bottle and turned around. Both Nash brothers were red in the face drunk. He picked up his bag and moseyed over to stand by them. Neither man looked up from his cards. He could slip away without a fight now, that would be the smart thing to do, but the pile of coins on the table captured his attention.

It was enough money to build the home he’d always promised Evie. Ben took a swig from the bottle then pulled up a chair, joined the game. Maybe this time…

Follow me online: Website   Goodreads   Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest   Amazon Author Page   

The Outlaw of Cedar Ridge Amazon Buy Link