Lawmen and Love

 

I've always enjoyed thinking about tough, seasoned lawmen turning as smooshy as a marshmallow when love catches them unawares.

Such is the case in my new release -  Lawmen and Love.

Three tough lawmen aren’t prepared for the moment when love arrives and turns their worlds upside down.

 This boxed set contains three full-length sweet and wholesome romances full of heart, humor, and hope featuring courageous women and brave men who uphold the law.

 

♥ Corsets and Cuffs – He never knew trouble had such a pretty face. She never knew the law could be so handsome and hardheaded.

Pampered and privileged, Brianna Dumont escapes the life she’s always known in an effort to clear her father’s good name. She arrives in Baker City, Oregon, intent on selling her father’s shares in a mine. Only the mine is a bust, her father’s partner is a crusty ol’ coot who hates women, and the sheriff in town is determined to keep her behind bars.

With good friends around him, a small ranch of his own, and a fulfilling job as sheriff, Tully Barrett loves his life. Then an exasperating woman shows up, making demands and driving him crazy. No matter how hard he tries to ignore her brains and beauty, she works her way under his skin.

When trouble follows her to Baker City, will Tully be able to protect her, along with his heart?

  

♥ Caterina - She’s hiding her past. He’s determined to reveal the truth.

On the run from the Italian mafia, feisty Caterina Campanelli escapes New York City with the help of her brother and travels across the country. She ends up in the small, rugged town of Pendleton, Oregon, where she makes new friends and focuses on building her future as a chef. Completely unprepared for the passionate feelings inspired by the handsome deputy in town, the last thing she needs is for a man of the law, especially one so relentless and exasperating, to dig around in her past.

Dedicated to his work as a deputy, Kade Rawlings takes pride in his community and his job protecting it. Determined to remain single and unfettered, he finds himself unable to stay away from the Italian spitfire who rolls into town keeping secrets and making the best food he’s ever eaten. Using his charm, wit, and brawn, he may just get more than he bargained for when he sets out to win her trust and her heart.

Will Kade be able to keep Caterina safe when her past catches up to her?

 

 ♥ Distracting the Deputy - He’s sworn to uphold the law. Her life is riddled with closely guarded secrets. When the past catches up to her, will she rush to him or run away?

When he’s not evading grabby-handed octogenarians, mentoring troubled teens, or rescuing rascally youngsters from disaster, Deputy Knox Strickland can be found upholding the law in the eastern Oregon region he patrols. He avoids making plans for tomorrow, focusing instead on doing his best today. Then one chance encounter with a beautiful woman in a wheat field turns his world upside down. Knox is left questioning what secrets she’s hiding, and how hard he’ll have to work to scale the fortress she's built around her heart.

Zadie Redmond isn’t like most women. A life spent looking over her shoulder has destroyed the promising future she’d once envisioned. Her days are spent leading hunting and fishing adventures or teaching tiny ballerinas the proper way to plié. She fills her evenings with do-it-yourself projects while worrying about the day her past catches up with her. In an unexpected moment, the local deputy swoops into her world like a storybook hero and she knows nothing will ever be the same. Zadie will do anything to keep Knox safe from the danger lurking in the shadows, even if it destroys her chance at love.

Will Knox convince Zadie she can trust him with her secrets and her heart?

Happy Valentine's Day!

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West.

Weaving Songs and Games

 by Shanna Hatfield

Years ago, I was in a museum gift shop and picked up a little booklet that looked interesting.

Weaving Song and Games features exactly what the title implies: games and songs children enjoyed at the end of the 1800s and beginning of the twentieth century. 

The first known loom was developed by primitive man (or woman). Twisted root fibers were stretched between two trees with other fibers interlaced by hand. Later, a flat stick was used to weave under alternate threads and turned on its edge.

In colonial America, pioneers made looms of hand-hewn timbers. They wove the cloth they needed from flax and wool grown in their new country. The material was often dyed with roots, bark, and leaves. 

More complex looms were developed and weaving became widespread. 

Then, as industries grew to make cloth commercially, the need for a loom at home became something of the past, or a hobby. 

But when people were weaving, they often sang songs. And children turned the songs into games. There were games in which the children formed the "thread" of the warp, while the child who was the "weaver" ran in and out among other children with a long ribbon. 

Another game, called "Weaver in the Middle" featured one child as the "weaver" who sits in the center of a circle. The other children stand around the weaver, singing:

 

Weaver in the middle, 

Weaver go free,

Weaver in the middle,

Can't catch me.

The children tease the weaver by coming in close, tapping the weaver on the shoulder, or giving a light shove. If the weaver touches them, they take the weaver's place and the weaver joins the other children in the circle. 

When I was working on my soon-to-release sweet historical romance collection of three stories set in 1884 Grass Valley, Oregon, it seemed like a perfect time to work one of the weaving songs into the story. 

There is a fun scene where Birdie, the heroine from the second story in the collection, is at the school, showing the children how to play "Weaver in the Middle."

~*~

The sound of children laughing drew him in that direction. As he neared the schoolyard, he could see Birdie sitting in a circle of children as they danced around her while singing, “Weaver in the middle, weaver go free, weaver in the middle, can’t catch me.” He remembered the game from his school days. The person sitting in the middle was the weaver, and the other youngsters would try to taunt and tease the weaver, but if they got caught or even touched by the weaver, they had to take the weaver’s place, and the weaver got to join the other players.

Two of the bigger boys crept closer and closer to Birdie as the students all sang the song. Birdie had tied a blue ribbon in her hair that morning. He’d noticed it at breakfast and how well it matched her eyes. Rance watched as one of the boys gave it a tug and pulled it from her hair, waving it like a prize. The other boy gave him a shove, and the two of them tripped over Birdie as she sat on the grass, knocking her backward.

He didn’t stop, didn’t think, just charged into the ring of children, swept Birdie into his arms, and marched away from the startled students.

“Do you want your ribbon back?” the boy who’d captured it shouted in question.

“You can keep it, Thomas,” she called over Rance’s shoulder, then waved to the group before turning her attention to Rance. “Might I inquire as to what you are doing?”

“I could ask the same. Birdie, you’re woman grown. Aren’t you a little old to join in the playground tomfoolery?”

She tipped her head and studied him. “Maybe some tomfoolery would do you good, Rance Barlow.”

~*~

The Regional Romance Series written by Kari Trumbo, Kit Morgan, Peggy L. Henderson, and me, will all release September 14!

What's really neat about the series is that each book is a collection of three stories. If you buy all four books, you actually get twelve stories. 

What’s a matchmaker to do when the husband-to-be rejects the bride? 

Again . . .

Widowed as a young wife, Cara Cargill turned her head for business and love of romance into a successful mail-order bride enterprise. She’s never had a problem matching couples until one mule-headed man continues to refuse to wed the women she sends to meet him in Grass Valley, Oregon. In an effort to make a match he’ll keep and uphold her sterling reputation, Cara is desperate to find the perfect bride.

♥ Daisy – When her fiancé leaves her at the altar, Daisy Bancroft knows it is far past time for a change. Her dearest friend, Cara, offers to send her to a newly established town in Oregon, where possibilities abound and the grass is rumored to be as tall as a man’s head. Daisy arrives with plans to wed Tagg Thompson, only to find the obstinate rancher has foisted her off on his best friend.

♥ Birdie – Tired of waiting for her Mister Right to magically appear and whisk her away to a happily-ever-after, Bridget “Birdie” Byrne convinces her sister, a renowned matchmaker, to send her as the bride to Tagg Thompson. The man who greets her upon her arrival isn’t Tagg, but Birdie is certain she’s finally discovered the man she is meant to marry.  

♥ Cara – Fed up with Tagg Thompson and his refusals of every bride she’s sent to Grass Valley for him to wed, Cara decides to meet the exasperating man in person. Her feet are barely on the ground in the rustic town before she’s nearly bowled over by a herd of stampeding cattle and swept into the brawny arms of a cowboy with the bluest eyes she’s ever seen.

Will true love find its home in the hearts of these Grass Valley Brides?

Get all four books in the Regional Romance Series featuring scenic historic locations, exciting drama, and sweet (yet swoony) romance!

Each book is available for pre-order for only $2.99 on Amazon.

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes. When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.


Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

Website | Facebook | Newsletter | BookBub | Pinterest | Goodreads

Starting a New Town

As people from the east moved west for opportunity and new lives, they sometimes stopped in a place that made sense and built a new town. It was as simple as that. Um, not really. In truth, most towns didn't survive if there was no access to water, food, and jobs.

Access to water was an absolute necessity. Even a small creek could be enough, but more towns started on the river banks and valleys. Water to drink and cook with and water for livestock and crop irrigation are the obvious reasons to settle near a water source. Without water to grow food and take care of livestock, there would be no food for the settlers.


Water was also used in mining and manufacturing, thus making a living was possible. Stable businesses grew from prospectors who worked on their own. Mines, sawmills, grain mills, and other manufacturing ventures created new economies provided workers with regular paychecks. The workers provided the businesses with reliable means to start up and keep running to sell their products locally and further. Stock yards or larger ranches also became sources of jobs in the west.

Once steam driven locomotives made it on the rails west, water loading stations became another source of jobs for those in the old west. The railroad in turn transported goods from start up towns across the west and back to the east. As manufacturing, farming, and transportation started taking root, the towns around these industries took shape and the west grew quickly.

As people came to work in the mines, mills, or transportation, the towns grew around the industries. Services were needed to support the people who moved in. General stores, doctors, butchers, blacksmiths, churches, schools, and on and on were needed to serve the people of the new towns.

And this is how the fictional town of Cutter's Creek, Montana came to be. The four authors dreamed up a place that would grow and thrive from the 1860s and beyond. The town started with fur traders and farmers on the banks of the river. A church was central to who they were and where they gathered.

My first book in the fun and inspiring Cutter's Creek series, New Beginnings, is now available for free. And it's also available on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Amazon.

Widower Caleb Jefferson is the blacksmith in Cutter’s Creek with no desire to fall in love again. But after an incident at church, he finally sees his daughter needs a mother—and a mail order bride might be his best option.

Audrey Norris has just learned her late husband had many secrets—including a house note she can’t pay. With her daughter and mother depending on her for support, her options are few and mostly undesirable. After Audrey answers Caleb’s ad and they agree to marriage terms, it seems all her worries will be a thing of the past.

When Audrey arrives in Montana, Caleb tries to make it work, but can’t seem to move past his guilt over his wife’s death. Audrey prays every day for help and guidance. God is taking His time. Meanwhile, the new family grows closer while Caleb drifts further away.

Then one simple misunderstanding severs the fragile balance they’ve created. Will this be the end of Audrey and Caleb or the beginning of a lifetime of love?

___

Get this sweet and clean historical western romance for free on your favorite retailer here:

New Beginnings - Book 3 in the Cutter's Creek Series

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.

Old West Slang by Sophie Dawson

Every era, culture, area, and any other sub-group of a population has its own slang words. Being from the rural Mid-West, our slang tends to be less trendy than those from more metropolitan areas.
Wanting to give characters more personality I’ve researched Cowboy and Western slang. Some are quite familiar and still in use today. Others… Well, let’s just say they are colorful and left to be read and amused about.

A Lick and a Promise - To do a haphazard job. "She just gave it a lick and a promise.
Airtights - Canned goods, such as canned beans, milk, or fruit.

At Sea - At a loss, not comprehending. "When it comes to understanding women, I’m at sea.
Bamboozle - To deceive, impose upon, confound. "After Nick had bamboozled about the money, he was arrested.”
Barkin' at a Knot - Doing something useless; wasting your time, trying something impossible.
Barking Irons - Pistols.’
Biggest Toad in the Puddle - The most important person in a group.
Calf Slobbers - Meringue on the top of pie.

Canned Cow - Canned milk.
Conniption Fit - A fit of hysteria.
Come a Cropper - Come to ruin, fail, or fall heavily. "He had big plans to get rich, but it all became a cropper, when the railroad didn't come through."
Disremember - Forget or choose to forget.
Driving the Nail -  A sport consisting of attempts to drive a nail into a post with rifle or pistol fire.
Dumpish - Sad, melancholy
Fetch - Bring, give. "Fetch me that hammer." "He fetched him a punch in the nose."
Fixin' - Intending. "I'm fixin' to get supper started."
Fixings or Fixins' - Cooked food, also called "Doings." Arrangements, embellishments, trimmings, garnishings. The term was also used for the tobacco and paper needed to roll cigarettes.
Get a Wiggle On - Hurry.
Grassed - To be thrown from a horse.
Hitched - Got married.
Hitch in the Giddy-up - Not feeling well, as in: "I've had a hitch in my giddy-up the last couple days."
Keep That Dry - Keep it secret.
Knee-high to a... - Humorous description of short stature or youth. "He ain’t knee-high to a grasshopper.”

Knobs - Spurs
Lands Sakes! -  A more socially acceptable alternative for "Lord's sake."
Lead Poisoning - Shot. "He died of lead poisoning."
Mountain Oysters - Fried or roasted calves' testicles. Also called Prairie Oysters.
Muddy end of the Stick - Short end of the stick.
Mud Fence, Ugly as a - Used to describe someone who was very ugly.
Necessary - Outhouse, water closet; bathroom.
Night Hawk - While the rest of the cowboys slept under the stars on a cattle drive, one unlucky soul who drew the short straw, the "night hawk", had to stay up all night standing guard.
Peskily - Very, extremely, confoundedly. "I'm peskily sorry to hear of your loss.”
Pop Your Corn - Say what you have to say, speak out.
Prairie Coal - Cowchips.

Raft - A large quantity.
Salt Horse - Corned beef.
Simon Pure - The real thing, a genuine fact. "This is the Simon pure."
Skunk Eggs - Onions.
Slap-Jacks - Pancakes.
Talk a donkey's hind leg off - To talk with no purpose.
War Bag - Cowboys traveled light, and stored their meager worldly possessions in his "war bag". Inside was generally everything he owned, typically an extra set of clothes, extra ammunition, spare parts for equipment, playing cards, bill of sale for his horse, and maybe a harmonica or a few precious letters. Also called a "war sack" and a "yannigan bag."
Whistle Berries - Beans.

Found on https://www.legendsofamerica.com/

Sophie Dawson writes sweet, clean romances both historical and contemporary. Her next release is Wanted: Shopkeeper available for pre-order at https://www.amazon.com/Wanted-Shopkeeper-Silverpines-Book-4-ebook/dp/B07BWZ4ZF3

From Ghost Town to Holiday Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

When I embarked on the adventure of writing my first sweet Victorian holiday romance, I debated using a real town for the setting or making one up. I knew I wanted the story to take place in Eastern Oregon, but where?

I came across information about a ghost town named Hardman that had once been a stop along the stage route. My curiosity led me to discover that Hardman, Oregon, once boasted several churches, a newspaper office and skating rink, along with a variety of other businesses. The school was located on one end of town.

 As my imagination began to create the town in my head, my fingers began typing out the first story in the Hardman Holidays series - The Christmas Bargain. Today, there are a handful of dilapidated old buildings in town, but the bones of those old structures help me picture what the town once looked like, back when it was a bustling town.

A few months ago, I decided it was time to update the covers for all the books in the series.

The moment I saw this graphic, I knew it would be perfect for the covers. This is exactly how Hardman looks in my head when I close my eyes and imagine it back in it's glory days when it was a busy, bustling town.

Today (only today), you can get the first book in the series free and the second book for just 99 cents.

 The Christmas Bargain - Free

The Christmas Token - 99 cents

Also, I invite you to join me at a party I'm hosting on Facebook today. You'll be among the first to see the cover of the latest Hardman Holidays book - The Christmas Confection. It releases Dec. 5!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1942492956038626/

Hope to see you there!

***

A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.” She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America. Find Shanna’s books at: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online: ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter