“I agree with everything you said.” He rested his hands on her shoulders so he didn’t miss one blink of her eyes. “On the ranch when we were together, I felt like our hearts beat as one. Apart, I’m lost.” His throat tightened. “Mi corazon. Will you marry me so our hearts can beat in rhythm once more?”
Epilogue
As they emerged from the granite-and-brick courthouse, Savina felt a chill brush her cheeks. A few brown leaves scuttled along the walkway. Fall was definitely here. Lifting her hand, she moved her finger so the sunlight glinted on her new ring.
“Beautiful, sí?” Estefan raised her hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss over her fingers. “Tell me what we shall do with the rest of our day, mi espousa.” He patted his jacket’s breast pocket. “Cody was generous in the price for Clavo and Canela, so we can indulge ourselves. Your wish is my command.”
Married. The ceremony ended ten minutes ago, and she could scarcely believe they’d gone through with it. “First, I b-believe we should find a b-bookstore so I can b-buy a b-book and learn Spanish. I want to understand every word that comes out of your mouth.”
His dark brows lowered over his eyes. “I’m not sure how I feel about that. A man needs his privacy at times.”
“I have one other wish. Find me a p-post office.”
After a brisk walk of only a few minutes, they located a post office with clerks who sat behind barred arches. Savina pulled two copies of a photograph of her standing on the horses dressed as the Grecian Maiden from her reticule.
“I want one of these.” Estefan held up the image and grinned. “Look how proud you are, like an Amazon. My free-spirited Savina.”
“D-don’t worry. I have more.” From a box on the counter, she lifted an envelope and addressed it to Trent. She slipped two copies inside. “I’m asking him to add one to the family scrapbook. The other I’ve marked for Cinnia so she can see her c-costume was p-part of the Wild West show for awhile.” She hesitated for just a moment and then reached for another envelope. As she wrote out the Columbia, Missouri address, she wondered what her family’s reaction would be to the photograph. In the upper left corner she wrote Trent’s address, because the ranch would always feel like home. And she knew each year she and Estefan would return.
“You’re so quiet. Are you sorry you quit?” Estefan wrapped her in a loose embrace.
“Only a little.” A tiny surge of disappointment welled. She guessed the emotion would fade fast.
“So, you’re ready for our next adventure?” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned.
“What’s that?” His enthusiasm was contagious, and she smiled.
“Lunch at a fancy restaurant followed by a train ride to the racetrack in Freehold, New Jersey. After all, your new husband has a race tomorrow.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and set off walking. “Sound like a good wedding trip, mi mariposa?”
Savina matched his stride and gazed down the block. “As long as we are together, my love, I’ll b-be happy.”
DEAR READER,
When I was offered the opportunity to participate in Debra Holland’s Montana Sky Kindle World, I was flattered and excited. I’ve been a part of this special fictional world, behind the scenes as an editor, since 2012. I’ve grown to love these characters as if they are my own family members.
So, I wanted to find a story that would bring new characters into the world that hopefully readers wanted to meet and would come to care for. I also wanted to have Debra’s beloved characters cross paths with mine in interesting situations. That was a given.
In my first story, Laced By Love, I created sisters who had to rely on one another after they were orphaned as young teens. That story features the younger sister, Cinnia, and her search for a home and love.
The second story, An Unlikely Marriage, featured the older sister, Nola York, who is on a quest that she hopes will lead her one step closer to her dream. After all these years of relying on one another, the sisters made choices that will put them at opposite ends of Montana Territory.
For the third story, Dance Toward the Light, I starred the third member of the set of vaudeville troupe friends, Dorrie Sullivan, and put her on a path to determine what came next in her life. Because vaudeville has filled her life for many years, she capitalizes on those skills.
In the fourth story, Baling Wire Promises, I set the last Andrusha brother, bounty hunter Pete, traveling to reconnect with his brother, Nicolai. All does not go as planned, and Pete finds himself in a situation he could never have predicted.
For this story, Hearts in Rhythm, I discovered an opera house was built in Helena, Montana and had its premiere performance a couple years before the story is set. So I decided to feature a ballet dancer as the heroine. Short dances, especially ballet numbers, were performed in front of a closed curtain while sets were changed behind the curtain. In a conversation over dinner one night when I was lamenting finding a suitable profession for my hero, an acquaintance mentioned he grew up in a town that had a famous harness race track. I was off and running (very big grin) into my research. Sure enough, harness races for both trotters (horses who move opposing feet in unison) and pacers (horses who move feet on the same side in unison) were very popular events. And a built-in conflict for my hero.
While working on this story, I discovered the basis for my next book that will continue with a hero who is involved with Appaloosas. Look for my next story in November, 2017.
Thanks for reading Hearts in Rhythm.
Linda Carroll-Bradd
**
Other HISTORICAL TITLES By LINDA CARROLL-BRADD
Montana Sky: Laced By Love
A vaudeville troupe arrives in Morgan’s Crossing late in the traveling season. When an event occurs that shakes up the troupe, seamstress Cinnia decides to say no to older sister Nola who has made the sisters’ decisions since being orphaned a decade earlier. Leather worker Nicolai Andrusha is lying low and using an alias until the patent is approved on his family’s leather tanning formula. But he finds the auburn-haired poetess irresistible. Will Nicolai oppose his family obligation to help the stranded beauty who has caught his eye?
o0o
Montana Sky: An Unlikely Marriage
Helping injured cowboy Torin Quaid drive mustangs north seems like a good 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. Easy-going Torin liked the pretty brunette the first night he saw her performing on stage, and he admires her determination to complete the drive.
The temporary marriage is solely for propriety’s sake to avoid scandal on the week-long overland ride to Meadowlark. 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?
o0o
Montana Sky: Dance Toward the Light
Ex-vaudevillian Dorrie Sullivan decides Morgan’s Crossing, Montana Territory needs a community dance. From the first night, things have a way of not going as planned, but Dorrie vows to persevere. Even when a mysterious stranger in town drives her to distraction.
Haunted by the past winter, trapper Valerik Andrusha is seeking refuge with his brother. Instead, Valerik meets vivacious Dorrie who has a knack for drawing him from his depression. Living in adjoining shops, the pair draws close over the summer but do their futures lay on the same path?
o0o
Montana Sky: Baling Wire Promises
Healer Fantine Pomeroy and five children, aged five to eleven years, are the only survivors of an orphanage fire. She vows to transport them safely to another orphanage, and then she can return to her music studies. But she soon discovers the task may be more than she can handle.
Bounty hunter Pete Andrews is beaten after delivering his last bounty. Unsure if robbery or retaliation is the motive, he sets out to lay low and make a visit to his brother in Morgan’s
Crossing. Unable to leave them on their own, he promises to get the woman and children safely to the next town. When he suspects his old life has followed him and threatens the group who has become dear, he vows to protect them. But will that be enough?
o0o
Wandering Home, Book 1 of Dorado, Texas series
Widow Vevina Bernhard sees mysterious lights at night and believes her Texas ranch Shady Oaks is haunted. She needs protection for herself and her 4-year old son but the town’s sheriff offers no help. On hiatus from his Texas Ranger duties, Kell Hawksen hires on as a farrier at the ranch while keeping an eye out for clues to a stagecoach robber in hopes of collecting the bounty. On Samhain, fire erupts and Vevina and Kell battle both the danger and the depth of their feelings.
o0o
Storybook Hero, Book 2 of Dorado, Texas series
Relocating to Texas has lessened Clari Rochester’s health problems, and she yearns for adventure. And she spots it outside her family’s mercantile when a quiet, but compelling, cowboy rescues a small child. Trevor Driscoll is the type of hero she’s come to admire through her love of books, and the type of man she secretly pens in her dime novels. But they’ve never had a real conversation. Trevor knows the logging accident that left him with only eight fingers limits his options, but he’s learned to manage. Until he rescues a fine lady from a runaway horse, spends the afternoon transporting her to safety, and gets a glimpse of what he’s always wanted. How will he respond to the unique present this special woman bestows?
o0o
My Heart Knew, Book 3 of Dorado, Texas series
From the moment tomboy Maisie Treadwell meets cowboy Dylan MacInnes, the sparks and words fly. To rectify causing his ankle sprain, Maisie is at the mercy of meeting Dylan’s demands. A shared interest in adventure stories draws them closer. Soon, Maisie can’t wait to spend time reading aloud to the recuperating virile man. Until the afternoon she overhears him explaining that his demands were meant to teach her a lesson. Can Dylan find a way to again win her trust?
o0o
Sparked by Fire, Book 4 of Dorado, Texas series
Ivey Treadwell, cook at her family’s boarding house, wants to accomplish something big. For now, she satisfies herself with improving on the traditional recipes for the boarders by adding gathered herbs and spices. An incident with a broken pot causes her to see Berg Spengler, the town’s blacksmith, in a new light.
Stigmatized for his huge size and blamed for his brother’s injury, Berg has discovered being alone is safer for his heart. But when he sees interest spark in Ivey’s eyes, he decides to take a chance and approach her. The pair discovers an attraction that heats up each time they are alone together. Will Ivey convince Berg his wandering days are over and his home is here with her in Dorado?
o0o
A Year of Romance, Books 1-4 of Dorado, Texas series
Wandering Home: Will a justice-seeking wanderer find solace on a ranch with a stubborn widow determined to protect what is hers?
Storybook Hero: Can a starry-eyed dreamer’s search for adventure overcome a taciturn man’s belief he has nothing to offer?
My Heart Knew: Will falling in love with a strong-willed cowboy be the adventure a tomboy maid has been seeking?
Sparked By Fire: Can a wounded soul find solace in the attentions from a cook who nurtures through her culinary creations?
(in print)
o0o
Perfectly Mismatched
Book 1 of Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series
Shame over her father’s arrest sends socialite Aurelia Northcliffe running for a new home and a new name. After she makes sure her younger sister is secure, she travels west to become a mail-order bride in Jubilee Springs, CO. Not only is she shocked at the size of the tiny mining town, the men she’s matched with make her second guess her decision. One potential groom is much too unsophisticated and the other much too discerning—even if he’s the one who makes her feel safe.
Mine Manager Declan MacNeill prides himself on following rules to the letter. Initially resistant to the upcoming bride event, he remembers his short marriage in Ireland and realizes what he’s been missing. His first sight of his potential bride sets his protective instincts on high alert. Everything about her behavior indicates she’s keeping secrets. And Declan is determined on finding out why.
o0o
The Ring That Binds
Widow Celina Innes, a dress shop owner in the small 1886 mining town of Aspen, Colorado, struggles to run her shop and live down her late husband’s bad choices for the sake of her four-year old daughter, Keena. She made the mistake of following after one man’s dream of striking it rich and has sworn not to do it again. Co-owner of Toussaint’s General Store, Mikel, watches this proud woman run a successful business but wishes he could make her life a little easier. He has to be contented by slipping treats to the child in hopes of pleasing her mama. When illness strikes the child, Celina turns to Mikel for help and they work together all night to get past the crisis, deepening their friendship. But when the crisis is over, Mikel disappears from Aspen and Celina learns he is seeking to increase his stores. How could she have been so wrong about the man? Can a woman sworn to put down roots and a man looking for more riches find happiness?
o0o
Silent Signals
After losing half his herd in the Great Blizzard of 1886, rancher Konrad Werner needs to safeguard his cattle. Tomboy Anora Huxley trains the Australian Shepherds and Kelpies that run the family’s sheep herd. Although cattlemen and shepherds are at odds, the pair discovers common interests. A threat is overheard, and Konrad rides out to Anora’s ranch to protect her. The tense situation reveals their true feelings. Will Anora be swayed by family loyalty, or will she listen to her heart that responds to Konrad’s silent signals?
o0o
Dreams of Gold
Easterner Ciara Morrissey travels west to honor a sacred promise to her mother and locate her fortune-seeking father. Three years of acting as caretaker to her grandparents and mother until their deaths has created a thirst in Ciara to see what the wide world has to offer.
Sheriff Quinn Riley has been tracking the Irish charlatan who swindled half the population of Bull City, Wyoming. He’s determined to stick close to the opinionated woman who arrived on the runaway stagecoach. Within only a few hours, easterner Ciara Morrissey upsets the townspeople by making inquires about his prime suspect. He’s duty-bound to keep her safe, even when being close to the green-eyed beauty sets off a stampede in his heart.
o0o
ANTHOLOGIES
Wishes on a Star in Sweetwater Springs Christmas, edited by Debra Holland (14 stories)
Free-spirit Richelle Quaid is outspoken, confident and a little bit spoiled. She sets tongues wagging with her bloomers and bicycle but also catches the eye of visiting rancher Landon Howard. An incident with her bicycle causes his prize colt to bolt into the cold Montana night. As Richelle and Landon track the animal together, they can’t fight their growing attraction. Will a wish made on a star foretell their future?
(also in print)
o0o
Bewitching Gypsy in Spooktacular Seductions (8 stories)
Fiona Mikolas is an outcast—branded by her fiery red hair and a purple birth mark—forced to live a solitary life, traveling a circuit of southern states in America and selling healing potions. Until the night of All Hallow’s Eve, when her lonely life is changed by the arrival of two strangers in her camp.
Beaten and robbed, rancher Hagan Fletcher tracks his stolen stallion and stumbles toward a campfire in south Texas. He awakens, suffering from amnesia and is intrigued by the mysterious beauty to look beneath the surface to who she really is.
(also in print)
o0o
Between the Lines in Lariats, Letters and Lace (8 stories)
Dance hall girl Daisy Shaddock and her miner brother, Perry, work toward a mutual goal of owning a book shop. Perry’s partner Walt Renfrid arrives in town, dreading the promi
se he must fulfill—delivery of a fateful letter. Recognizing Daisy, Walt can’t resist delaying his purpose for a few stolen moments in her company. Will the news he must deliver push her away or draw the couple closer?
(also in print)
o0o
A Promise Kept in One Medieval Knight
Weaver Thordia Ulfsdottir cannot wait for her brother to deliver the sword he crafted—payment is needed for food. In Castle Kilburren, she demands an audience with the Earl but is thwarted by a tipsy knight. Captain Rory MacGuignard flirts, hoping to steal a kiss from the comely lass. Next day, Rory arranges a temporary job for this poor but proud woman he’s offended. Time spent in his company softens Thordia’s opinion. Opposing political beliefs and family loyalty rip them apart, and Thordia despairs of returning to Rory’s side.
(also in print)
o0o
Golden Moments in Christmas Caring II (19 stories, proceeds to charity)
Days before Christmas in 1850 gold rush country, laundress Felicity Albertine sets out to deliver the last bundle of clean clothes to a tardy customer. She arrives at Hagan Rendell’s mining cabin to find him injured and sick and can’t abandon him—no matter the risk to her reputation. In and out of fevered dreams for two days, Hagan is vaguely aware of a caring presence, tending the gash in his leg and keeping him fed. When he rouses, he discovers a beautiful woman who looks on the bright side of every incident—a balm to his lonely spirit. Then outsiders arrive in the midst of a storm. Will their special idyll be ruined?
o0o
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication—a confession story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, Linda now writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor and a bit of sass from her home in the southern California mountains.
Montana Sky: Hearts In Rhythm (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Entertainers of The West Book 5) Page 10