A TRAIL OR A DEATH SENTENCE? by Marisa Masterson

Troubles. What's a plot without them? 

Jack Poston's troubles comes in pairs. He needs to make more than simply $3 a piece for his cattle. His mail-order bride is late arriving.

He must travel through war-torn states to push his cattle northward when no one else is willing to brave the trip from Texas to Missouri in 1865. His late arriving bride insists she come with him. Thus, The Bride on the Shawnee Trail is born. From the book:

“Can’t spend more time on this, Caroline. The boys and I need to drive the animals closer to the river today. We only stopped so I could meet up with you and get the marrying done.”

“Well, it’s done.”

She looked at her boots as she talked. Not a good sign, he was discovering. She always insisted on having her own way when she did that.

Her voice lowered and took on a submissive note. “I’m ready to help Stubby with the
meals.”

Jack took off his Stetson and slapped the new-fangled hat against his leg. The maker had started selling them last year. Already he and two of his men wore their Stetsons daily. No keeping this hat only for good, not when it was such a help against heat and rain.

“Caroline, you need to go to my ranch.”

Before she could argue, the old cook piped into the conversation. “I qu—”

He did not allow Stubby to finish. The man would not go on the cattle drive if he did. With Stubby quitting, Caroline would be forced to learn everything on her own. Jack could not foist that burden onto his new bride. Bad enough she had to start on another trip right after finishing the long ordeal of getting to Texas.

“Alright, Stubby. I surrender.” Jack beat the hat against his thigh once more. 

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And what a trail the Shawnee was! The American Civil War all but closed what was also called the Texas Road or the Kansas Trail. In reality, no one drove herds north from Texas in 1865. The cattle drives resumed in 1866, though not peacefully.

While the war had stopped, the battles with unhappy settlers continued. The Texas longhorns brought what was called the Spanish Fever, killing farmers' livestock. Actually from a tick, the longhorns were immune while cows grazing on that same land they crossed were not.

Jayhawkers

Often, vigilantes tried to block herds from entering their land. Drovers learned to skirt those settlers. 

One of the first to resume the drives was a young cowhand named James Daugherty. He joined a cattle drive in the spring of 1866. After more than a thousand miles, he neared the Kansas line with the herd. Anti-slavery vigilantes known as Jayhawkers ambushed in the night, stampeding the longhorns and killing one of the trail hands. Daugherty managed to recover 350 steers and sell them at Fort Scott rather than his original destination. (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/shawnee-trail)

Six states passed legislation to block the cattle drives in 1867. Because of unrest as well as the risk to the settlers' livestock, the Shawnee trail became obsolete. A new and well-known route resulted--The Chisholm Trail.

Jack Poston longs for more than beans to eat. In need of a wife to cook for him and to tend the chickens, he sends for a mail-order bride. When she arrives later than he expected, it throws his plans into disarray. He must leave for a cattle drive, while she heads to his ranch.

Having lost two grooms, Caroline refuses to lose sight of her new husband. She determines to keep him safe from the unknown danger that lurks on the Shawnee Trail. But, as they face the hardships of the trail, Caroline realizes another real threat follows her.

Will they find a love strong enough to survive the treacherous journey and bring them together, or will danger ultimately tear them apart?

For fans of western romance and suspense, The Bride on the Shawnee Trail is a must-read. Don't miss out on this thrilling tale of love, danger, and survival. Buy now before the price changes!