Birthing The Bride’s Matchmaking Triplets

If you’ve been following the blog, you know that the Lone Star Cowboy League: Multiple Blessings series winds up this month with my contribution: The Bride’s Matchmaking Triplets. I enjoyed returning to Little Horn, Texas, after last year’s A Rancher of Convenience. I hope you will too.

When mail-order bride Elizabeth Dumont’s intended weds another, her only option is to take a job as nanny to abandoned triplet babies. Though she longs to provide a real home for her three precious charges, as a single woman she can’t adopt. Until her onetime sweetheart, minister Brandon Stillwater, offers a match of convenience…

It’s only for the triplets’ sake—that’s what Brandon tells himself. Insecurities once drove him and Elizabeth apart, and now small-town rumors have made them man and wife. And though Brandon doesn’t want to risk his heart again, he’s not sure he can resist the feelings that are once again starting to bloom for Elizabeth. But can he convince her that this sweet surprise family is more than just convenient?

Here's how Elizabeth and Brandon first met, and what happened when he stopped by to help he feed the triplets after she and Brandon were reunited in Little Horn:

Her aunt Evangeline had been hosting one of her famous dinner parties. It was well known around Cambridge that Mrs. Dumont, wife of the influential financier, welcomed only the most interesting people to her table, so an invitation was cause to preen. As her niece, Elizabeth had dined with senators, adventurers, novelists, artists and scientists. That evening, attendees around the white damask-draped table had included the mayor and his wife, a man who had invented some sort of circuit for conducting electricity, an award-winning poet and the dean of the divinity school with his most promising student.

Brandon Stillwater.

As the least most notable person in the room, besides her, he would have had every right to sit quietly, speak only when directly addressed. Indeed, he had been quiet the first part of the meal. Then the inventor, a Mr. Lombard, had begun a paean to man’s ingenuity.

“Why, even now, in New York, a pneumatic system brings warm air in winter and cool air in summer,” he boasted, sleeve of his black dress coat coming perilously close to dipping into his creamed asparagus as he waved a hand.

“Amazing,” the mayor proclaimed. “We may have to rethink our futures, gentlemen. Science seems to have the upper hand.”

Brandon had merely offered them all a charming smile as he reached for his crystal glass. “I think I’ll stick with the Author of invention instead of the implementer.” And he’d calmly taken a sip as if giving them all a moment to think about what he’d said.

How could she not be drawn to such a man? He was only a year older than her, yet he seemed so confident, so sure of who he was and what he was meant to do. She’d envied him that.

“Ready for this little fellow?” he asked her now, smiling on the infant in his arms. She remembered how it felt to be cradled close, those strong arms around her, making her feel safe, loved.

Elizabeth scooped up a baby and shoved him at Brandon, anything to stop these memories. “Here,” she said. “I’ll take Eli. You take Jasper.”

If he was surprised by the urgency in her voice, he didn’t show it. But as they exchanged babies, his fingers brushed her sleeve and a tingle ran up her arm.

Why was she was still so aware of him after all these years? Even as she began to feed Eli, Theo watching them, she felt Brandon beside her. He held each baby so gently, every movement effortless. No other man had ever made her feel that she could rely on him no matter what.

You can find The Bride’s Matchmaking Triplets at fine retailers including
Harlequin
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
iTunes
An independent bookstore near you
The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)

The History of County Fairs by Linda Ford

My book The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets features a county fair which the Lone Star Cowboy League hopes will raise money enough to fund their many projects. Ironically enough, I have another book out in July 2017 that also includes a county fair.  I suspect most, if not all of us, have attended a county fair, a state fair, or even a local fair.

I hadn’t given the history of fairs much thought, but my curiosity was aroused. The earliest record of a fair that I could find was in Ezekiel Chapter 27."Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the kinds of riches with silver, iron, tin and lead, they traded in thy fairs." But from the description, it sounds more like our modern-day farmers markets. Other research verifies this, such as this picture by Flemish artist Gillis Mostaert 1590 (as found on Wikipedia).

According to my research, the first known agricultural fair in North America took place in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1765 and continues to this day. The first American fair is thought to have been organized in Pittsfield, MA, in 1807 by Franklin Watson. It became known as the Berkshire County Fair and still operates as such today.

Over the years the fair developed into local exhibitions of new agricultural implements and techniques, and plowing contests and horse pulls.

Entertainment soon became part of the scene with horse racing, balloon ascensions, games of chance, and midway rides.

I couldn’t find definitive dates as to when the fair began to include exhibition and competition of domestic products such as jams and jellies, handicrafts, baked goods, and garden produce. The prizes were usually rosettes –blue for first, red for second, and green or white for third.

I find the bench show fascinating. There are samples from gardens, flower arrangements, pickles, and jams. There's baking—pies, bread, rolls, biscuits, cookies, and cakes (all with a bit taken out for testing). There's sewing. The quilts are beautiful, the crafts unique. And there's artwork—paintings, drawings, and photography. The adult entries leave me overwhelmed, but the children's entries blow me away. The level of expertise in their work, the creative energy evident is amazing. One entry I once saw was a Lego model depicting Main Street with the parade going by. There was such detail—a man in a wheelchair, children picking up candy, a garbage can at the corner—imagination and attention to detail evident in every piece. I find the bench show a veritable feast for the senses. The animal and machinery display not quite so interesting to me.

The fairs began and continue as a means of informing others of developments and local availability of goods and services. They include tribute to those who excel in various crafts and skills. I love a fair. 

Nineteen Teen Welcomes Linda Ford!

This spring, we’re off to Little Horn, Texas, again, with a new three-book series featuring some of the characters you knew and loved from 2016’s A Rancher of Convenience. This year’s trio starts off with The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets, and I’m pleased to have Linda Ford join us this week. Look for a great post from her on Friday.

In the meantime, she sat down with us at Nineteen Teen to tell us more about the book, her writing, and the marvelous nineteenth century. Here’s a little about Linda:

Linda Ford grew up devouring books and making up stories in her head, often late at night when she couldn't sleep. But she hadn't planned to write. Instead, she dreamed of running an orphanage. In a way, that dream came true. She married, had 4 homemade children, adopted 10 and lived her dream. She lives on a small ranch in western Alberta, where she can see the mountains every day. She and her husband continue to enjoy their children and grandchildren. Linda also provides care for a paraplegic, double amputee man. She still finds a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction in creating imaginary worlds only now she does it on paper or rather, at the computer.

19T: You’re one of Love Inspired Historicals most beloved authors for Western historicals. What draws you to Western settings and the nineteenth century?

Linda: I grew up reading about cowboys, horse, and pioneers. My father often took us to museums. My husband rancher loves western movies and when we were dating, I watched many westerns with him. Plus I live in cowboy country so I guess you could say it’s in my blood. I know the good old days were not without their challenges, but I like the idea of a simpler life where family units were strong, where roots went deep, and where a man’s word was his honor.

19T (Regina): I know from working with you on the Lone Star Cowboy League: Multiple Blessings series that you value historical accuracy. What surprised you the most about the late nineteenth century?

Linda: What surprises me the most about this era is how few rights women and children had. How little protection. If a father beat or abused his children, no one had the right to interfere. If a woman was abused or neglected by her husband she had no recourse.

19T: With 14 children, many of whom were adopted, you know the importance of family. How does that play out in your books?

Linda: My stories often have homeless or abandoned children. They frequently contain adults who have never known the security of a forever home. I get to give them all a new, loving family.

19T: What was the hardest thing about writing this series?

Linda: Having it set in Texas. I have never been there. Thank goodness for Google.

19T: What was the easiest thing about writing this series?

The story concept and many of its components are laid out by the editors who created the continuity. That makes it somewhat easier to plot as there are already some perimeters in place.

19T: Tell us a little about The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets.

Linda: Bo finds the abandoned babies. They are sick so he takes them to the doctor’s daughter, Louisa, who is also the doctor’s assistant, to be cared for. Because of a traumatic past he has no plans to marry. Ever. Louisa is also committed to remaining single so she can care for her ailing mother. Not that anyone is particularly interested in her. Not only is she plain, she is old enough to have earned the role of spinster. However, life has a way of upsetting the best laid plans, as these two learn.

19T: What’s next for Linda Ford?

Linda: The third book in my 6-book Big Sky Country series is out in July. It is Montana Cowboy’s Baby—a story about a baby left on the doorstep of the hero with a note saying the baby is his. He knows it’s not. This series is set in Montana—in case you didn’t catch that and features three Marshall young men, their sister and two close friends. Montana Cowboy Daddy was out in Oct. 2016. Montana Cowboy Family was out Jan. 2017. The fourth book—Montana Bride by Christmas—will be released in Oct. 2017. I am really looking forward to that story. It has many sweet elements. At least I think so. I’ve just turned in the fifth book and it’s about Annie Marshall’s friend, Carly, who is prepared to do anything to save her ranch and her home…including marrying a complete stranger.

Following the completion of that series in 2018, I will be doing a 3-book series on travels on the Santa Fe Trail.

19T: Thanks so much for joining us, Linda. Readers, here's how you can learn more about Linda and her wonderful books:

Blog and website: www.lindaford.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linda.ford.90

Welcome to the Cowboys of Little Horn

They’re here! The cowboys of 1895 Little Horn, Texas, have begun arriving. Renee Ryan’s Stand-In Rancher Daddy (July) introduced readers to 19^th century Little Horn, a small town made up of ranchers with big hearts, and now Louise M. Gouge’s A Family for the Rancher takes it one step farther, showing life on a cattle ranch and one dedicated to breeding cattle ponies.

Rancher Edmund McKay likes his life simple and quiet—everything feisty neighbor Lula May Barlow is not! But with a cattle rustler on the loose, he’s duty-bound to protect the widowed mother, even without her approval. Yet he never expected to enjoy her company. And he certainly never thought her crowded, bustling house would be the first place he’d ever feel at home…

After a harsh childhood, Lula May knows how to stand on her own two feet. She doesn’t need Edmund’s help—but she’s starting to want it, all the same. So are her children, who clearly have matchmaking in mind. And when a threat from the past resurfaces, she realizes all that’s at stake…including her chance for a lifetime of love.

 

If you just can’t wait to learn more about Little Horn, A Rancher of Convenience, this year’s finale by yours truly, from the publisher now in print and ebook or preorder it on Amazon. And we’ll be sure to whoop it up when the book comes out officially in early September.

you can also buy

Because what are cowboys without a hoedown?

Those Crafty Coopers

Most of my earlier stories are set in Regency England, but, the last few years, I have enjoyed writing about other portions of the 19^th century, both in location and time. When I first read Renee Ryan’s Stand-In Rancher Daddy, the first in the Lone Star Cowboy League: The Founding Series set of stories (out now), I was intrigued to see her place two businesses along Main Street that I wouldn’t have thought to include in my book, A Rancher of Convenience, which finishes the set in September. What were these businesses?

Coopers.

I’d heard the term, but I had to do research (yes, any excuse to do research J) on what they actually did and why they would be so sorely needed in a Wild West town.

Coopers make barrels, casks, tubs, hogsheads, and other things that carry liquids and dry goods safely over great distances or store them for long time periods. They can also make wooden pails and tubs for daily use in households. They cut, dress, and curl staves of the correct size for whatever application, arrange them in a circle, then drive wooden (perhaps hazel or ash) or iron rings over the ends to form the correct shape, including adding a bottom and top as needed. They can also drill holes to add a spigot or to hook in a metal handle.

The cooper’s barrels, in particular, were highly important crossing the ocean. According to the Book of English Trades, barrels full of coarse wool or hats were sent from England to the West Indies and returned full of rum or sugar. The records at Fort Nisqually in Washington Territory indicate that barrels of molasses were used to cushion panes of glass sent from England to the Pacific Coast for windows. The worker charged with cleaning the glass when it arrived got a bonus—he could keep the molasses he scraped off!

I could see why coopers would be needed in Little Horn, Texas, in 1896. Ranchers would need barrels to hold supplies being taken on cattle drives. Farmers would need barrels to store goods or transport them to market farther East. Then there are the pails and tubs needed to hold water for various purposes on the frontier.

Today the cooper’s work is in high demand in the wine industry. As wine is now a key export of Washington State, there might end up being two such businesses in some of our towns as well.

Who knew?

Longing for Little Horn

I’ve been privileged to write about some wonderful settings. England’s Lakes District in the late Georgian era. Regency London. Pioneer Seattle. And now, Little Horn, Texas.

 

Never heard of it? I’m not surprised. Little Horn, Texas, is the brainchild of the amazing editors at Love Inspired. They conceived of a small town populated by big-hearted ranchers. Six books came out in late 2015 and early 2016 about the town today. And, starting in July, Renee Ryan, Louise M. Gouge, and I have the honor of taking readers back to the founding years.

You see, these books are what my publisher calls a continuity. That is, the location, characters, and overall story arc crosses three or more books and are developed by the editors. They create a “bible” describing places and people and the overall plots, then hand it to the authors to flesh things out and make the stories come alive. Renee, Louise, and I worked closely together to make sure we were describing things in similar ways, from the way characters talked to the sound of the wheezy organ in the church. We also hammered out plot points and the transitions between books. In addition, because our heroines all turned out to be good cooks, we came up with a cookbook of recipes for the time period (Lone Star Cowboy League: The Cookbook :-)). It will come out in September with extended excerpts from our three books.

I undertook the endeavor as a challenge, and there were times it was just that. From the beginning of my career, I tended to interconnect my books, often on the fly. Now I had to not only keep track of the details in my story but the details in everyone else’s story as well. My stories often evolve as I write them, with characters becoming more defined with each draft. Now I had to be very purposeful. For example, I couldn’t suddenly decide to give my hero a mustache without letting the other authors know so they could give him one as well! (No worries—no mustache. J)

I fussed enough about getting plot and characterization consistent among the books and historically accurate that I told my husband and critique partner I never wanted to write another continuity again!

And then my editor asked if I would revisit Little Horn for the 2017 continuity set there. Once more I’d get to end a great set of stories, this time featuring orphaned triplets.

How do you say no to cowboys AND triplets?

So, I am happy to announce that I will be writing another cowboy story set in Little Horn to be published in mid-2017.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll give some of the Little Horn stories a try. They are all part of the series called Lone Star Cowboy League. Here’s the list and publication dates so far:

• A Reunion for the Rancher, Brenda Minton, October 2015 (contemporary romance)
• A Doctor for the Nanny, Leigh Bale, November 2015 (contemporary romance)
• A Ranger for the Holidays, Allie Pleiter, December 2015 (contemporary romance)
• A Family for the Soldier, Carolyne Aarsen, January 2016 (contemporary romance)
• A Daddy for Her Triplets, Deb Kastner, February 2016 (contemporary romance)
• A Baby for the Rancher, Margaret Daley, March 2016 (contemporary romance)
• Stand-In Rancher Daddy, Renee Ryan, July 2016 (historical romance)
• A Family for the Rancher, Louise M. Gouge, August 2016 (historical romance)
• A Rancher of Convenience, Regina Scott, September 2016 (historical romance).

A new set of contemporary romances starts in October titled, Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch. Guess I’ll be moseying back to Little Horn come fall. J