Title: Dulcina
Author: Linda Carroll-Bradd
Publisher: Inked Figments
Series: The Widows of
Wildcat Ridge, book 5
Release
Date: November 15, 2018
Tagline: Will bringing an old friend to town provide
the help Dulcina needs or a new kind of trouble?
Blurb:
Left widowed following a Utah mining disaster, Dulcina Crass faces
running a saloon on her own when her previous contribution was solely as the
singer. She struggles to learn the necessary tasks but her heart isn’t in being
a saloon keeper. All she ever wanted was to be a famous singer. Will asking
Gabriel Magnus, a neighbor from her New Mexico hometown, bring the help she
needs or a new kind of trouble?
Gabriel Magnus isn’t fulfilled by his role as ranch hand on the
family’s New Mexico sheep ranch. What he wants is the chance to prove his boot
making skills are good enough to start his own business. When he receives a
letter from recent widow Dulcina offering a partnership in the Last Chance
Saloon, he recognizes the chance to come to the rescue of the vivacious girl he
wanted to court a decade earlier. Upon his arrival, he presents her with a
demand--her answer could decide both of their fates.
Purchase
Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B07JL58L4B
Excerpt:
“Ceremony?”
Her eyes shot wide. “You intend us to be married today?”
“I
do, and I’ll not marry a woman wearing mourning black.” The drab color did
nothing to highlight her natural beauty. “You look fit to join the circle of viudas in the Questa marketplace.”
Lips
pinched, she glanced around the immediate area. “But, Gabriel, I have been in
mourning for Stuart since the mine disaster.”
He
bristled at the mention of that man’s name but kept his expression calm. “A
status that ends now. Stuart is gone, never to return in this lifetime.” When
he spotted her lower lip quiver, he braced himself. The way their life would be
structured moving forward had to be laid out. “Today will be the first day of
our marriage, yours and mine, and he will not come between us. I will proclaim
my vows next to a woman who looks to the future, not one who still clutches the
past.” He stepped back to gather his luggage then carried it to where she
stood. “Please show me to the saloon, where I assume you also live.”
“Oh.”
She dropped her gaze and pulled at the strings on her reticule. “I thought
you’d book a room in the hotel while we get reacquainted.”
If
she thought she was the one making decisions, she’d been on her own too long.
Maybe her late husband allowed that behavior. She might as well learn that he
would not. He narrowed his eyes. “We will get reacquainted while living under
the same roof.” The words “and in the same bed” remained unspoken. He didn’t
think she was ready to hear his opinion of how the arrangement would play out.
“But
Wildcat Ridge has no minister. Poor Reverend Bainum was lost in—”
“I
know.” His voice snapped sharper than he intended. He held up a hand. “The mine
collapse. The town can only be saved if you stop looking at what you lost and
focus on what can be gained.” Realizing other people paid too close attention
to their conversation, he clasped her hand and guided her to a nearby bench. “I
am sorry, Dulcina. I do understand you have been through a loss. But that
tragedy is not my experience. I see new opportunities, and I aim to grab them.”
He smiled. “The best one is you.”
Her
eyes shot wide. “I’d planned for us to take a day trip to Curdy’s Crossing on
Saturday after the horse-related business is concluded. The church there is run
by Minister Stone, and other widows have had him perform their wedding
ceremonies. I thought we could marry after services on Sunday.” She ducked her
head. “The marriage that is supposed to be only a formality.”
Bio:
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 four adult children and two granddaughters,
Linda now writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch
of humor from her home in the southern California mountains.
Linda’s
Links:
Website
www.lindacarroll-bradd.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/linda.carrollbraddAmazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/lindacarroll-bradd
BookBub page https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-carroll-bradd
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806413.Linda_Carroll_Bradd
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