This week’s
Blog Tour Tuesday features
An Unlikely Marriage by Linda
Carroll-Bradd
Last week
marked the release of An Unlikely Marriage, my second
story in Debra Holland’s Montana Sky Kindle World. Secondary characters Torin
and Nola from the first release, Laced By Love, are the protagonists in
this novella. Not only did I get to view the wedding ceremony from a different
viewpoint but I enjoyed delving into the relationship between the sisters.
Instead of taking place in tiny Morgan’s Crossing, this story starts out with
some familiar characters in Sweetwater Springs.
Blurb:
Helping injured cowboy Torin
Quaid drive mustangs north provides a way for vaudevillian Nola York to earn a
train ticket east—and get one step closer to her goal of auditioning for
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West stage production. The temporary marriage is solely for
propriety’s sake. Until disaster strikes, and the two must rely on each other—emotionally
and physically—to safely reach Torin’s ranch. Will a marriage of convenience
turn into more on a trail drive through Montana Territory?
Purchase Link:
Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01J4R636Y
Excerpt:
Ten minutes later, all four adults stood in the show
wagon’s middle aisle, and no one could move more than a few inches. Thankfully,
the dogs were bedded down in their crates built under the cushioned settee that
Cinnia claimed as her bed for the night.
Nola and Cinnia requested two minutes behind the sleeping
area curtain to put on nightgowns. They wiggled and flopped like fish on a
riverbank to slide off their petticoats, drawers, corsets, and chemises before
slipping warm flannel gowns over their heads. Taking turns, they removed the
pins from each other’s hair then plaited the lengths into single thick braids.
When she climbed down to put away her dress, Nola was
careful to clutch the sides of her red gown close to her thighs. Wearing night
clothes around males—no matter how sensible and opaque—sent an uncustomary
flush to her cheeks. After opening the door, she glanced inside the tallest
cupboard, normally filled to the brim with the special dresses of three
performing women. The sight of the empty space was another reminder of
tomorrow’s farewell. Her throat tightened. She draped the neckline of her
rust-colored gown over the farthest wooden peg. Now all the dresses she owned
could be unfolded from the storage drawers and hung in this cupboard.
From behind, a firm body bumped then steadied her. “Excuse
me.”
The heat from Torin’s hand on her hip seeped through the
single layer of flannel and branded her skin. Shaking her head at the nonsense
of thinking he’d staked his claim, Nola held up her hands. “We’ve managed this
before. What is the problem?” Her personal crisis was the thought of what would
come in the next few minutes when she shared a mattress with her…uh, Torin. She
couldn’t risk thinking of him as her husband—that would suggest a level of
marriage they hadn’t agreed to.
Cinnia pointed between the two men. “They take up more
space than you, me, and Dorrie did.” Moving behind Nic, she eased along the
aisle to pull open a cupboard door and store her dress and underclothes.
“Whatever clothes you men remove need to go into a cupboard. One of the secrets
of living in harmony inside a wagon is tidiness.”
A deep groan sounded. Torin clapped his good hand over his
heart and turned to look at her, brow wrinkled. “We’re doomed, my dear Nola,
because I am a slob.”
“I’m not worried.” Nola scooted the dowels for the hammock
to the edge. Then she flashed a smile over her shoulder as she climbed into the
sleeping alcove. “I’m a great organizer.” Once on the mattress, she dove under
the quilt and scooted to the far edge, near the hatch that led to the driver’s
bench.
“Nic, grab the ends here. Nola says the dowels fit in
grooves along the cupboard bottoms. This is your sleeping hammock.” With a
grunt, Torin climbed up onto the bed and pulled the curtains closed.
Silhouetted by lantern light, he curled his large body nearly in half to
unfasten his outerwear. Mutterings accented each move, as using only one hand,
he scooted his pants down his legs. A minute later, his jeans and shirt dropped
to the floor with a thump.
At least, he’s wearing drawers and an undershirt.
The pinch of unease loosened from her chest. She’d wondered if he was the type to
wear a nightshirt. Since his mustang round-up involved sleeping along the
trail, he probably had to be ready for anything as he bedded down each night.
Nola breathed in the scent of the campfire clinging to their skin and hair. A
scent she’d be experiencing over the next two weeks. Good thing, she liked
outdoor smells.
Rustling and jostling noises came from the front of the
wagon as the other two got settled in.
“Good night, Nic,” Cinnia whispered.
A whoosh sounded right before the lantern light disappeared.
The moonlight filtering through the curtained window fell across their bed,
making Nola aware of a much-bigger body occupying the other half, or
two-thirds, of her mattress.
Too tall to fit the mattress length, Torin laid at an
angle on his right side, facing the curtain. The quilt barely covered the top
of his shoulder.
Probably the most comfortable position for his wrapped
left wrist. His injury. Her thoughts stilled, and she bit back a gasp.
In all the hustle of the wedding and setting up the camp, she’d forgotten to
offer him willow bark tea. He’d had at least one cupful every morning and
evening since they’d met. She levered herself up on an elbow, wondering if
Torin was still awake and if she should offer to remedy the oversight.
A breathy snore was her answer.
One simple wifely duty, and she’d failed. An omission that
boded ill for the next two weeks.
~~**~~
My first story in the Montana Sky Kindle World
About The Author:
After years spent in the administrative support field, Linda
decided to exercise another part of her brain and write a novel. She loved
reading romance and figured that’s what she’d write. Easier said than done.
After years of workshops and RWA chapter meetings, she finally saw her
manuscripts place in contests. Twelve years after her first writing class, she
sold a confession story. From that point on, she couldn’t be stopped and is
always pleased when her sweet-to-sensual contemporary and historical stories find
homes.
With interests as widespread as baking, crocheting, watching
dog agility matches, and reading thrillers by Swedish authors, Linda is the
mother to 4 adult children and grandmother to 2 granddaughters. She currently
lives in the southern California mountains with her husband of 37 years and
their two much-loved dogs.
Web Contacts
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My latest book is Lawfully Engaged.
