Good Morning from Lovely Indian Creek Campground!
We came up Wednesday for a short camping trip. If the wind hadn't been so bad it would have been much lovelier. Heading home this morning but please welcome new-to-me-our-blog author, Bonita Clifton with a peek at her novel, Time of the Rose!
An antiques buff who longs to experience the olden days. A cowboy who’s fallen into the wrong era. Can they change history with their passion?
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 2014. Madison Calloway has become too well acquainted with despair. Still reeling from a nasty divorce, the heartbroken travel agent is nevertheless determined to embrace an intriguing work trip to a Wild West tourist town. And when a magnetically masculine gunslinger shows up at the shooting exhibition, he captures her imagination with his skillful display…and outlandish claims of being from 1878.
Colton Chase is too busy pursuing a murderer to pause for love. Yet after a mysterious flower hurtles him over one hundred years into the future, he’s willing to explore his unexpected connection with a beautiful and feisty stranger. So when she accidentally accompanies him back to his own time, he gallantly protects her from danger by pretending she’s his wife.
Unprepared for the hardships of the rancher’s rough-and-tumble life, Madison wavers between her yearning for the familiar and the joy of their growing relationship. And with the man who slaughtered his family still on the loose, Colton knows he may have to sacrifice his own happiness to see her safely returned home.
Can the lovestruck pair turn an impossible meeting into happily ever after?
Excerpt: Madison rode the cinnamon-color mare toward the foothills, daggers of blowing rain stinging her face and hands. She’d strapped her leather shoulder bag behind the saddle like she had seen Colt do. Soggy hair clung to her cheeks, her expression one of concentration as she sat astride the trotting horse, not daring to encourage the mare to go any faster; the soreness in her pelvis almost more than she could stand now.
“Colt, now why couldn’t you have stayed at Ernie’s until this storm passed?” she muttered to herself, certain the wine had given her the courage if not the coordination for this mission.
Initially, she’d flipped up the hood on her rain jacket and jogged toward the Jackson Hole Rodeo Arena, hoping to borrow Cinnabar from Ernie Hawkins, or better yet, find Colt safe, chatting it up with friends and having dinner. Ernie must’ve thought she’d lost her marbles, wanting to ride out in this weather. But by that time, she hadn’t cared. Colt wasn’t there and Ernie hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped off Cinnabar earlier.
First, she’d inquired about borrowing a horse, and when he apologetically refused, she asked to rent one for a few hours. He couldn’t do that, either. Increasingly desperate as the storm closed in, she’d finally begged, explaining she feared for Colt’s safety. They arrived at a mutual agreement. Madison purchased Cinnabar and all the mare’s tack. It was a good thing Ernie took credit cards. Geez, she must be nuts. Disbelieving the hoops she had jumped through, and for a virtual stranger’s benefit, she rationalized that she had become quite attached to Cinnabar. And she’d always wanted a horse. She had no idea what she would do with the mare once this little mission of mercy was complete. She mused that she could always ride her to work—wouldn’t that be a sight? Maybe if she were lucky, ole Ernie would buy Cinnabar back when she returned. Oh well, she really had always wanted a horse.
Colt damn well better appreciate her efforts. She could’ve turned her back and flown home, never giving him another thought. But somehow, in a short time, he’d become a close friend, and she sincerely desired to help him overcome his problems, whatever they may be.
And she couldn’t get that amazing kiss out of her head.
The damp air turned more frigid, skies a slate gray as she steered Cinnabar along the same path they’d ridden that morning. She half expected it to start snowing. The rain came as a weeping drizzle, and Cinnabar’s hooves sank into the spongy soil with every step. At least the crisp tang of moist sagebrush and cedar mixed with the sweet scent of buttercups was pleasant enough.
Daylight evaporated within thick, swirling clouds, and it occurred to her that she hadn’t left a message for Mark as to her whereabouts. She pulled the cell phone from her jacket pocket and discovered no signal and a low battery. Dammit. If she were to encounter trouble, nobody would know where to find her—only Ernie, and all he knew was that she’d barged into his office insisting she had to have a horse.
Where was that elusive meadow? She thought sure she knew, though began to doubt herself. Jumpy, Madison scrutinized every shadowy movement, recalling Colt’s account of Old Bones, which instigated a creepy chill to zigzag up her spine. Hastily, she pushed the memory away and tried thinking about something a little less frightening, like cute, happy deer with spotted fawns that looked like Bambi.
Thunder clapped around her with earth-jarring force, and Cinnabar shied. Her fists tightened in the reins. “It’s all right, girl,” she crooned as there came an illuminating flash of lightning.
On the crest of the next ridge stood a horse, with a man astride, brilliantly silhouetted against the eeriness of impending dusk. Her heart thumped wildly. He looked so majestic, ethereal, reminding her of a painting she once saw of a single cowboy riding watch over his herd beneath the ghostly light of a full moon.
Bonita is an award-winning American author of historical and contemporary romance. Her first published novel, Time of the Rose (1994 Leisure Books/LoveSpell Timeswept imprint), was a finalist for the HOLT Medallion (Virginia Romance Writers). The 2nd Edition of Time of the Rose is scheduled for release on December 12, 2020.
Bonita has a background in the travel industry, law enforcement, healthcare, and, most notably, as a stay-at-home mom of four incredible humans. She lives near the sugary white sands of Panama City Beach in Florida. When she isn’t playing in the sand or splashing in the ocean, (even though she can’t swim and water scares her to death), she’s with her own macho hero, traveling, riding horses, or planted in her office chair hard at work creating captivating characters to throw into exciting and nearly impossible adventures. One of her very favorite things is sharing snuggles with a willing pooch. Needless to say, there are always plenty of dogs and other critters in her books—especially horses and bears. She asks you, what’s a good story without a few lovable (and often scary) critters?
Along with her real-life hero, the amazing idea man, Bonita writes steamy historical romance as a duo under the pen name Sindee Harlow (The Honeyrose Collection).
Find out more about Bonita by visiting her Website.
Get your copy of Time of the Rose at Amazon.
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Wow, Bonita what an exciting blurb and excerpt and a beautiful cover. Thank you for sharing!
Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
1 comment:
You had me at "magnetically masculine gunslinger ".
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