WELCOME TO THE ROMANCING THE WEST BLOG TOUR
Why do we enjoy writing and reading about the West? What is it about cowboys that is just plain irresistible? Over thirty authors and bloggers tackle these and other questions by explaining why we love Romancing the West.

But that’s not all, as you enjoy some awesome blogs and find fantastic books, for every post you comment on with your email address, you will be entered for some amazing prizes.

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***

Grand Prize: A swag pack which includes books (both ebooks and paper), Amazon gift card, custom made butterfly jewelry, book cards, magnets and much more all tucked away in a keepsake box. (Available to US residents only. Winner will be announced on February 26 at 10 PM EST)

I’d never heard of cowboys or the American west until my parents brought me to Canada as a little girl. TV came with three channels (yes, it was back in the Stone Age), and prime time and Saturdays were filled with series set in the old west. Every week, I’d be glued to the TV to watch the The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid bringing outlaws to justice. Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok upheld the law in places like Tombstone and Ellis County, Kansas. Annie Oakley was my hero, and The Big Valley and Bonanza taught me everything I’d need to know to run my own ranch.

It was a violent time, but on TV, the good guys (the ones in the white hats) always won. I have no idea what attracted me to that period in history. I’ve never lost my love of the old west and the men and women who settled it. Maybe one of these days westerns will make a comeback. I’ll be there in front of my TV, popcorn ready. I suppose that’s why, when I decided to write, it seemed a natural fit to write about heroes and heroines from that long-ago time.

I’d love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment (including your email address), and when the blog hop is over, I’ll give away two e-copies of my historical western romance, Emma’s Wish.

Here’s the blurb for EMMA’S WISH:

Still grieving his wife’s death, Sam Jenkins needs a mother for his children. He can’t build his ranch and care for three precocious youngsters alone. Emma Witherspoon has accepted the fact that she will never have a husband and children of her own, but that doesn’t ease the ache in her heart. When Emma makes Sam an offer he can’t refuse, neither of them can foresee the changes in their lives because of two little words – “I do.”

Here’s a short excerpt from the opening scene:

Texas, 1880

“Please don’t send us away, Pa.” Six-year-old Nathan tugged on the rolled up sleeve of his father’s shirt. “We’ll be good. We promise. Don’t we, Joseph?”

Beside him, his older brother nodded vigorously, then scrubbed at his tear-stained eyes with his grimy knuckles.

Studying the two boys, Becky’s head bobbed in agreement, setting her pale blonde curls bouncing. She was too young to understand the significance of what Sam had just told them, but whatever her brothers did, Becky followed suit, as much as any three-year-old could.

Sam Jenkins raked his fingers through his hair. God, if there was any other way … But there wasn’t. It was the right thing to do. He’d done his best to look after the children and the ranch, if it could be called that – but it wasn’t good enough. He was failing at both, and now he had to muster up the courage to do what was best for them, no matter how painful it was. Seeing the children lined up in front of him, looking at him as if he was some kind of monster, just about tore his heart out.

Leaning over, he picked Becky up and settled her on his lap. Her pudgy arms reached up around his neck, and she planted a loud smacking kiss on his cheek.

Swallowing painfully against the grief choking him, he took Nathan’s small hand. His gaze rested on the calluses on the little boy’s palm. Dammit, his hands shouldn’t already show signs of hard labor. Youngsters shouldn’t have to work that hard.

This was exactly why he’d made the decision, the decision the children hated him for right now. But they’d thank him later. He had to believe that.

He was doing this for their own good. Sam had to remind himself of that every single day. By sending them back east to live with his wife’s parents, he was giving them the life they deserved, a life of privilege and wealth. But even though his reasons made sense, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that he was making a huge mistake.

“It’s just for a little while.” He tried to sound convincing, but the promise rang false even to his own ears. “Right now, I need to work too hard–”

“We can help,” Joseph volunteered. “I’m almost a man. You said so yourself when Ma died.”

When Ma died. That said it all. Their lives had fallen apart when Catherine died six months before. The children had lost their mother, and he’d lost the only woman he’d ever loved.

 

Emma’s Wish is available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple and Smashwords

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