Under a Western Sky boxed set and The Comanchero's Bride by Kaye Spencer set #westernromance #PrairieRosePubs #boxedset #amreading

My novel, The Comanchero's Bride, is in the company of five other outstanding western romance novels in the Prairie Rose Publications’ boxed set, Under a Western Sky. Six great novels in one tidy package. How wonderful is that?

A little about The Comanchero's Bride...

The country music artist, Marty Robbins, has been an influence in my writing since...well, since forever, it seems. Themes and snippets from his gunfighter ballads and songs of the Old West show up in my stories as my little way to pay homage to a man I greatly admire.

His ballad, Meet Me Tonight in Laredo, is the inspiration for The Comanchero's Bride. I expanded upon the 'forbidden love' between the woman (Elizabeth Bradford White) and the former Comanchero (Mingo Valderas), and added the woman's spurned and revenge-seeking suitor (a well-connected politician).

Meet Me Tonight in Laredo on YouTube

Here is an excerpt from The Comanchero's Bride.

At the livery, Mingo remained in the shadows where he could see both ways along the street. Opening the wagon doors just wide enough to allow him to pass through, he eased his way inside. Speaking in a low soothing tone to his horses, he packed and saddled them under the moonlight coming in from two windows. Opening half the double doors, he led the two riding horses out the back, tied them to a corral rail, and returned for the packhorse.

He no more than reached the packhorse when a cold voice in the shadows stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t turn around, Valderas.”

Mingo froze. A few more steps and he would have been on the off side of the packhorse, but where he was, he had no protection.

“I’ve got a good bead right between your shoulders. I know about your fast draw and the price on your head. I’ve also heard stories about your throwing knives, so keep your hands where I can see them.”

“You know me. But who are you? What do you want?” Mingo didn’t care. He knew the challenge from the shadows was a bounty hunter. He needed the man to talk so he could pinpoint his location.

“I came out of El Paso. A man named Jack added to the price on your head—dead or alive—and some politician is offering a pretty penny on top of that to bring in the woman you have with you. He wants her alive.”

From the sound of the man’s voice, he hadn’t moved and was off to his right. Mingo fought the urge to whirl and fire, but shooting blindly was not his way. He wouldn’t risk wild shot that could injure a horse, and gunfire would bring others into the fray. Shadows were both his enemy and ally, depending upon how he used it.

“The way’s clear behind you, so back towards the open wagon door, and keep your hands away from your body. When I heard the talk of a Mexican man traveling with a white woman, and they were staying at the hotel, I fig-ured I’d hit pay dirt. I was just supposed to worry you into making a wrong move. Never thought I’d be the one to catch you.

“I’m taking the woman to El Paso. You, I’m locking up in the back room of the saloon for safe keeping…unless you give me an excuse to kill you right now, which I’ve a yearning to do. I can’t miss at this range. It wouldn’t do my reputation any damage to be the man who took down Mingo Valderas.”

Now, he knew who he was up against. Earl Johns was vicious and a killer, a back-shooting coward. Mingo inched backward, buying thinking time.

“Where’s the woman, Valderas?”

“There is no wom—”

“She’s too close for your comfort.” Elizabeth’s voice cut through the night. The sound of a shotgun hammer pulling back was an angry, lethal sound that made the hairs on Mingo’s arms prickle.

Under a Western Sky is available on Amazon.com
$0.99 digital
Read for free with KindleUnlimited

Purchase Link:

Digital | KindleUnlimited

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

 

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The Comanchero's Bride by Kaye Spencer – June #blogabookscene #PrairieRosePubs

The #blogabookscene theme for June is On the road again.  The traveling excerpt below is from my western romance novel, The Comanchero's Bride. Mingo and Isabel are on the run from a powerful man hellbent on killing Mingo so he can marry Isabel.

EXCERPT

Isabel lost track of the days. Hour after weary hour, creaking saddle leather, plodding steps of horses’ hooves, and the wind worrying the grass were the only sounds. Sometimes, she couldn’t remember what it was like to be warm. Other times, she shed her heavy garments. Horseback riding for pleasure had been one of her favorite pastimes, but with a sidesaddle and only on short jaunts, not for grueling miles at a stretch in a saddle that she had to straddle in an unladylike fashion. Still, tiresome though it was, crossing the prairie on horseback was like attending a traveling school. Each hour, each day brought something new, and she soaked it up with the exuberance of a child who has just learned to read and then realizes an entire world of unimagined adventure awaits her discovery.

Mingo showed her how to keep her directions straight in the dark by using the North Star as a fixed point and to tell time at night by the position of the constellations. Watching The Hunter’s trek across the sky helped her endure many long, cold hours, and when it hung low in the western sky, she knew sunrise was near and that usually meant food and rest in the warmth of Mingo’s arms as they snuggled under the blankets in some secluded hideaway. She learned how to go without hot meals and baths, but most useful of all, she learned how to sleep in the saddle as miles of dark, monotonous prairie sameness lulled her into a stupor.

 

She loved listening to the stories Mingo told of his life, which helped to pass the time. Then other times, he often didn’t speak for hours, needing silence in order to hear the night noises—coyotes yipping, owls hooting, the breeze humming through the greasewood and scrub trees, and an occasional cow lowing or dog barking in the distance. He said these things talked to him, explaining to him what stirred out in the dark places where he couldn’t see.

 

Always, though, he focused on the land, constantly surveying it from near-to-far and back, both ahead and behind, and Isabel soon fell into the same observations. He made decisions with the seasoned confidence of a man who knew how to make their passing virtually invisible.

 

He was a mercurial spirit, constant, yet ever changing with uncanny intuition, which prompted him to leave an obvious path for a trail only he could see. They left tracks. He covered their tracks. They doubled back, and they circled around. He purposely chose rough terrain to discourage followers and to make their passing difficult to trace. 

 

Sometimes they rode by daylight and rested by night. He plotted their way from water source to water source then, for no reason she could discern, he would pass up watering holes when they needed to refill their canteens. When she asked, he could only shrug and say he listened to his instincts. Even though he thought out every move with deliberate care, the moment she was comfortable with their routine, he changed it. She observed his every movement, questioned him to find out his thoughts in order to learn everything she could.

 

She prayed nothing would separate them again, but always in the back of her mind, the possibility lurked. And she knew it was those same fears, although he never said so, that pushed him to teach her how to live and survive without him. He told of landmarks to watch for in order to keep her bearings straight for the Rio Grande. She memorized the names of allies along the way and where they lived. He assured her as long as she kept her path southerly, someone in his family would eventually locate her.

 

 

The Comanchero's Bride is also included in the boxed set Under a Western Sky.

 

 

 

 

The Comanchero's Bride is available as a single novel HERE.

 

It is also included in the boxed set, Under a Western Sky, which is available HERE.

 

 

 

 

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

 
 

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The Comanchero's Bride by Kaye Spencer – June #blogabookscene #PrairieRosePubs @PrairieRosePubs

The #blogabookscene theme for June is On the road again.  The travel excerpt below is from my western romance novel, The Comanchero's Bride. Mingo and Isabel are moments away from embarking upon a literal run for their lives from Albuquerque in the New Mexico Territory to the safety of Mexico's border.

Excerpt
Mingo guided Isabel across the yard to the barn then set about tightening the cinches, checking the ties around the bedrolls, shaking and pulling at the packhorse’s load, and making doubly sure the saddlebags and canteens were secure.

Over his shoulder, he said, “Slide your shotgun into the scabbard and tie your bags to the saddle or hang them over the saddle horn.” Hearing no movement, he glanced her way and saw that she stood beside her horse, staring at it.

“Isabel?”

“The saddle.”

He looked at it, then at her, and shrugged, motioning for her to mount. “Sí, and that is your horse.”

“But I’ve never ridden on a saddle like that.”

Grinning, he swatted her rear playfully then gave her a leg up. “You will have a few hundred miles to practice.”

She made a face at him as she adjusted her reins and settled her feet in the stirrups. “Why didn’t you ride your palomino here?”

“I need him to be fresh when we cross the border. An old friend is looking after him.”

“You’ve mentioned this friend before.”

He heard the curiosity in her voice. “For now, it is best he remains just an old friend.”

“You’re keeping secrets from me?”

He didn’t hesitate. “I am, but it is for both your protection and his if I am arrested. If we are caught, you cannot be forced to reveal what you do not know, and he would be accused of interfering with the law. I will not jeopardize him and, until we meet at the border, it is better you do not know. I ask for your trust in this.”

She nodded. “You have my trust, always.”

He turned for the door, but stopped when she clutched his shoulder. Looking at her, what he saw in her eyes made him lay a hand on her knee, concerned...

The Comanchero's Bride is available on Amazon.
Print | eBook | KindleUnlimited

The Comanchero's Bride is also included in this boxed set.
Click HERE for more information.

July's Blog-a-Book-Scene theme: Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Until then,

Kaye Spencer

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#blogabookscene ~ ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!

Blog-a-Book-Scene is a monthly themed blogging endeavor from a group of authors who love to share excerpts from their stories. Find us on Twitter with the hashtag #blogabookscene and #PrairieRosePub.
 
Ah, love. A romance writer's favorite subject. It’s why I write romance—so I can get two hearts together and make a happy-ever-after for them.

In my recent release, WILD TEXAS HEARTS, we meet Lizzie Sutton, a less-than-feminine woman who finds her way to a deserted cabin seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Except the cabin belongs to Cain "Wolf" Richards (the good man working for the outlaws in TEXAS GOLD) and he’s not interested in sharing.  That is, until he gets to know the strong, intelligent woman beneath the rough language and dirty buckskins.

The oil-and-water mix of two strong willed survivors was a lot of fun to write. But they couldn’t stay apart for long. And while Wolf is figuring out he doesn’t want revenge, he wants a future with Lizzie, she’s trying to change herself into the ideal woman in order to attract his attention. All in the name of a marriage proposal.

WILD TEXAS HEARTS

After holstering his revolver, Wolf snagged Lizzie’s hands.

“Why, Lizzie?”

“You didn’t need to bring Black Jack to justice. It was time to let the sheriff do his job.”

Wolf tugged her closer, smoothed a hand the length of her braid. “I don’t care about that. Why would you offer to change for me?”

She looked away, studied the floor. “I…” She leaned into his touch for a moment before putting a little more space between them. “You want a perfect woman for your wife. I know I can never be as good as Emily, but I’ll try…”

“No.” He turned Lizzie to face him, framing her face with his hands. “I’m not looking for another Emily. I loved her and I suppose a part of me always will. She gave me my son. But she’s gone. And there’s this other woman I know.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “She dresses like a man, shoots better than I do, and her language would make a sailor blush. And she’s perfect for me, just the way she is.” He brushed a kiss on Lizzie’s forehead, her eyelids, her lips. “In fact, there’s only one thing I would change.”

Lizzie’s eyes drifted open, her gaze suspicious. “What would that be?”

“Your last name.” Wolf eased away to look her in the eyes so she never doubted that she was exactly who he wanted. “Will you marry me, Elizabeth Ann Sutter? Make us a family again. Build your tomorrows here, with me.”

Her eyes reflected her shock. “Did Millicent tell you my full name?”

Wolf’s shout of laughter echoed through the store. Lizzie didn’t join in.

“You really want to marry me?”

She sounded so unsure, he couldn’t tease her anymore. “I really do.” Wolf kissed her, a gentle caress.

“No more bird’s nest hats and fancy hair,” she warned.

He kissed her again, harder. “Agreed. Now and then, though, would you wear a corset under your union suit?” Wolf brushed a fingertip along her jaw and down her throat to where her buttons began and leaned close to her ear. “Just so I can take it off you?”

Lizzie grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged his lips to hers. “You’ve got yourself a bargain, Richards.”

The bell over the door tinkled cheerfully as some fool started inside. With a snarl, Lizzie drew Wolf’s revolver and shot the bell clean off the doorframe, without looking around. Carruthers’ scream of terror could be heard before the door slammed shut.

Wolf broke their kiss, laughing. “One thing’s for certain, life with you will never be boring.”

“Count on it,” she agreed, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to pick up where they left off.

I love that proposal! My own was nowhere near as exciting, but it got the job done nearly 37 years ago.

HOW ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL? DO YOU HAVE A PROPOSAL STORY TO TELL? PLEASE SHARE!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tracy 
www.tracygarrett.com
Facebook: TracyGarrett.author
Twitter:  @TGarrett_Author

WILD TEXAS HEARTS

UNDER A WESTERN SKY Boxed Set 

– includes my story, TEXAS GOLD & 5 other novels