By Kristy McCaffrey
I’m
pleased to announce the release of Lassoing
A Groom, a new collection of historical western romance short stories. I’m
very excited to be included in this anthology, alongside some of the best
western romance writers today. These sweet stories will make you laugh and
sigh, and keep you reading for that happily-ever-after.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m
giving away an e-copy! To be eligible, leave a comment below (be sure to
include your email). If you’re reading this via email, click here to go directly
to my blog. I’ll pick a winner by the end of the week.
How is a woman supposed to catch a husband? In the wild, wild west, she's got to find a way to Lasso a Groom! Some of them are lawmen...some are outlaws. Ranchers and homesteaders are fair game, as well--none of 'em are safe from love's lariat, or the women who finally manage to rope 'em in!
DON'T GO SNARING MY HEART by Jacquie Rogers
Can rancher Dex Madsen get past loner Betsy Lynch's goats and killer chicken to help save her mining claim and win her heart?
RACE TO MARRY by Kirsten Lynn
He's in town to tame a man-killer. She's accused of being one. When she proposes marriage the race is on.
WANTED: THE SHERIFF by Tracy Garrett
He's a confirmed bachelor...but she'll capture his heart.
CANYON CROSSING by Kristy McCaffrey
In search of her brother, Annabel Cross enters Grand Canyon. When U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus Docherty rescues her from a cliff side, her most guarded secret might save them.
THE PERFECT HOMESTEAD BRIDE by Linda Hubalek
Will a dangerous man from Gussie Hamner's past sabotage the future she's building with Noah Wilerson?
THE WORST OUTLAW IN THE WEST by Kathleen Rice Adams
An inept bank robber and a bossy spinster team up to rob an empty vault. What could go wrong?
More
on my story:
In
search of her brother, Annabel Cross enters Grand Canyon with a guide and a
mule. When circumstances have her hanging from a cliff side, her rescue at the
hands of U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus Docherty is fortuitous in more ways than
one. He’s chasing the notorious Red Bandit, and it soon becomes clear that
Annabel’s brother is mixed up with the criminal as well. While the marshal
believes she may be in on a double-cross, she has a more pressing secret to
hide. She can talk to deceased spirits, and she wonders whether to tell Angus
about the old Apache ever near to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s
an excerpt from “Canyon Crossing”:
Grand Canyon
August 1898
She dreamt she died in Grand
Canyon.
Annabel’s eyes flew open and she
gasped for breath. Lying on a narrow precipice, hundreds of feet from certain
death, the Grand Canyon beckoned to her, ready to cradle her in its
otherworldly embrace. Did she still dream?
Carefully, she pushed herself
upright, hardly daring to breathe. Perched on the edge of a cliff, she was
inches from a dramatic fall. A side glance to the east told her the sun was
rising. What had happened? She and her guide, Frank Smith, had made camp, eaten
a meal of beans, biscuits, and coffee, and then gone to sleep. Where was he?
Where was the mule, Speck, who carried their gear? Had they fallen to their
deaths?
Annabel sought to calm her panic.
She was only twenty years old, she couldn’t die now. A slight movement caused her to slip; she frantically grabbed
a scraggly bush, fear filling her with desperation. Finally, she stopped, barely
daring to breathe lest it dislodge her further. Her mind raced for a solution.
Maybe Frank was nearby.
“Help.” Her voice was weak.
“Help!” Better, stronger, but not
enough. “Help me! Help! Help!”
“Are you hurt?” a man yelled from
above.
Annabel’s gaze flew upward, not
recognizing the voice. Still, elation filled her. “No. I-I don’t believe so.”
“If I throw a rope, can you grab
it?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll try.” She
attempted to quiet her shaking.
A knotted cord slapped the ground
beside her. Slowly, she reached out with her right hand and grasped it. Letting
go of the bush, she clung to the lifeline with both hands. In small increments
she moved upward, all the while straining not to slip off. Just as her aching
palms screamed for release, she neared an unseen ledge that harbored the man
and the life-saving tether. As she struggled to climb over the edge, a large
shadow reached for her and strong arms yanked her to the safety of flat ground.
A man hovered above, breathing heavily.
“I can’t thank you enough,”
Annabel said. Drained of strength, she lay on the ground, facing the sky. “How
did you find me?” She winced as the rising sun glowed behind him, casting the
man into an enigmatic dark silhouette. Shading her eyes, a flash caught her
eye. He wore a badge, a silver star.
“I heard your cries for help,” he
replied.
“Are you a lawman?”
“U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus
Docherty, miss.” He tipped his hat. “How is it that you’re down here?”
Annabel scooted to a sitting
position away from the precipitous drop-off and scanned the surroundings. The
trail from the Grand View Hotel was narrow, but she and Frank had made camp
here anyway. There’d really been no choice. But now, there was no sign of it at
all. Frank, Speck, and all the gear had vanished. Had she fallen asleep and
rolled out of the encampment? It was certainly possible. She could’ve perished
in her sleep and not even known it. Her heart pounded from the near-miss with
death.
“I was with a guide and a mule,”
she said. “But I don’t know where they are.” The entire incident seemed
incomprehensible to her.
“What’s your name?” the marshal
asked.
“Annabel C-C-Cross.” She paused,
attempting to quiet her unsteady nerves.
It’ll be alright, Annabel. Just calm yourself.
“You’ve no idea how you came to
be down there?” The man nodded just beyond the cliff from which he’d recently
rescued her.
“I must’ve fallen in my sleep.”
“Why did the guide leave you
behind, then?” The marshal’s voice—recovered from his exertions—spoke in
careful measures.
“Maybe he didn’t,” she insisted.
“Maybe he fell, too.”
“With all of your gear, and the
mule?” He sounded skeptical. “There’s no sign of anything resembling a camp
here.”
Annabel didn’t know what to
think. The truth was, she hardly knew Frank Smith, but when she’d employed him
at the Grand View Hotel on the South Rim three days ago the older man had
appeared quite amiable and helpful. Granted, he wasn’t a guide, but rather a
prospector, and a little off the mark in intelligence, but he knew of her
brother and said he’d take her to him. It was exactly what she needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lassoing A Groom is now available!!
