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Lost in a Steamy New Series
Welcome to Steam! Not steam as in punk, but real steam as in railroads.
Steam! Romance and Rails is a new Western romance series set in an era when America expanded its boundaries as fast as men could lay track, a time when passions and ambition were destined to collide.
Today is release day for Her Bodyguard, the second book in the series. Check it out...
The most dangerous man may be the one she hires.
For America “Amy” Langford, investing in the Border Tier Railroad isn’t about chasing riches. The savvy businesswoman is after bigger stakes: influence, respect, success her father didn’t live to see. Rioting settlers and underhanded competitors can’t stop her, but a killer might. When a ruggedly handsome drifter comes to her rescue, she trusts her instincts and hires him as her bodyguard.
Buck O'Connor has put his violent past behind him, but being a wanted man dictates a life of deceit. So what’s one more lie? He becomes Amy’s protector so he can secretly thwart her railroad’s progress to help his cousin avoid financial ruin. A great scheme—until he falls in love.
While Buck hides his true purpose, Amy lies to herself about her growing feelings for her bodyguard. But the price for deceit is steep, and the secrets they both hide could destroy their future—if they survive.
From now through Sunday, I’m hosting a special Steam! weekend, and blogging about a variety of topics related to the series. I'll also be giving away lots of freebies. So make sure you
sign up for the drawing.
First, let’s take a look at some little known facts about a railroad construction race through Kansas that sparked a settlers' war—a true
event that's central to the story in Her Bodyguard.
The main
characters from my book are here today, and they’ve agreed to let me interview
them. So with no further delay, let me introduce Buck O’Connor and Amy Langford
from Fort Scott, Kansas.
Buck and Amy, why don’t you tell us how you came to be
involved in this railroad race and the riots that ensued as a result.
Buck: Well, I was living in Texas at the time, and...uh... Actually, it’s all about cows—”
Amy: “Cows?
Oh good grief. You’re avoiding the question, Buck. (Turns to the host) He’s
doing that because he doesn’t want to tell you his cousin brought him to Kansas
as a hired gun to kill me—”
Buck: “Hold on now. Don’t gallop off down that road. I wasn’t about to kill you. Things just got a little tense after the railroad stole the settlers’ land.”
Amy: “The railroad didn’t steal their land. Didn’t
belong to them in the first place. Mr. Joy arranged to buy it from the government.”
Buck: “What little he paid for it, I’d call it stealing.”
Amy: “Well, let’s not debate the definition. Suffice to
say, settlers were squatting on land the railroad owned and didn’t want to pay the asking price to purchase it.”
Buck: “Generally,
folks don’t want to pay highway robbers either.”
Amy: (rolls
her eyes): “We weren’t highway robbers.”
Buck: “You
weren’t. See, Amy here was on the railroad board, doing her best to promote the line and help them
win that race against the Katy.”
Amy: “Things weren’t working out so well...”
Buck::
“Because that fool James Joy didn’t listen to you. If he’d bargained in good
faith to begin with, he wouldn’t have all this trouble.”
Amy: “But then you wouldn’t
have come back from Texas, and I couldn’t have hired you as my bodyguard.”
Host: “Bodyguard? But I thought you said he was a hired gun?”
Amy: “He did both. Buck will tell you, he has many
talents.”
Buck: Oh, so you want to talk about my talents?
Amy: We can discuss those later. Now that I think about it, you weren’t really a
gunslinger. You were wanted for—”
Buck (clears his throat): “We don’t need to go into all
that. Tell them about the Land League.”
Amy: “The settlers formed a vigilante group, dressed it
up as a political organization. Started riots, destroyed railroad
property, attacked representatives. They brought Buck in to slow down the
railroad and force Mr. Joy to settle for cheap. Of course, I didn’t know all this at the time I hired him to be my bodyguard.”
E.E. : “All right. I’m still a little confused, but
obviously you two worked things out. Tell me how this relates to the race.”
Amy: “We couldn’t afford to let the settlers slow us
down. The Border Tier was constructing track at the same time as the Katy. Both
railroads wanted to be the first to reach the border of Indian Territory
because only the winner would get the land grants. And, more important, only one line can pass through Cherokee territory into Texas, tap into the cattle trade.”
Buck: (spreads his arms): “See? I told you.
It’s all about cows.”
E.E. : “I think that about sums it up. Thank you
both for agreeing to be interviewed. And it sounds like there’s an interesting story
behind how you ended up together.
Amy: It's all there in the book. Why don't you give them an excerpt?
Excerpt from Her Bodyguard, available today.
His
breath clouded the air. Come to think of it, this ramshackle barn was damn
frigid. It offered shelter from the sleet, but did little to keep the cold out.
“Here, let me pile up some hay. It’ll block the drafts and keep you warm.”
“What
about you? Are you warm enough?” She hugged the blanket, shivering.
“You
want my coat?” His hands went to the buttons. Should’ve thought to offer it
earlier.
Her
eyes widened. “No, I wasn’t implying that. I just thought you might be cold. We can share the hay.”
For
a moment, he was speechless. It'd been so long since anyone cared about his
comfort, he hadn’t expected it and didn’t know how to respond. He shrugged to
hide how much her concern touched him.
“Ah,
don't worry about me. You hungry?” He rummaged through the saddlebag, finding
the last piece of jerky. “It’s not much, but it’ll take the edge off.”
“Thank
you.” She gifted him with a smile that snatched his breath.
He
leaned back on one arm, trying his damnedest not to look like an infatuated
schoolboy. Instead of sitting here mooning over her, he ought to find out what
he could about the local situation. Whatever she knew might come in handy when
he started searching for that railroad promoter.
“So,
you live out here, Mrs., uh…”
“Langford,”
she finished.
He
tried the name in his head. Mrs. Langford. Nope, he preferred Venus.
She
bit off a small piece of jerky with perfect white teeth, chewed slowly and
swallowed before continuing. “Yes, I live…” Her voice trailed off and her
lashes lowered.
He
leaned forward, worried. “Something wrong?”
She
shook her head. “I'm sorry, Mr. O'Connor. I wasn't honest before. I don't live around
here. I was headed for a friend’s house before starting back to Fort Scott.”
That
she'd fibbed about where she lived didn't surprise him. She'd done it so he'd
think her husband was nearby. But where she was going astonished him. “Fort
Scott? That's another two days’ ride.”
“By
rail it’s only a couple hours. But the line hasn’t reached Girard yet, so we
have to go a few miles north to meet the workers’ train.”
“We?”
“I
was traveling with an escort. He attended a meeting earlier today in Baxter
Springs and didn’t make it back. We’d arranged to stay overnight at a friend’s
farm, so I thought I’d meet him there.”
“Your
husband abandoned you in Girard?”
Irritation
flickered across her face. “He’s not my husband, and he didn’t abandon me.”
It
was on the tip of Buck’s tongue to ask why she was traveling with a man who
wasn’t her husband. But then, what did he care who she traveled with? He opted
for a safer question. “Why were you there? From what I hear, it’s not exactly a
safe place for a woman.”
She
finished chewing the last bite before responding. “I had business in town.”
“Business?”
Her
lips sealed. Apparently, she didn’t wish to elaborate.
Buck
smoothed his mustache with his thumb and forefinger, mulling over her
hesitation. Just what kind of business would a wealthy lady have with a bunch
of rowdy settlers? When he’d come up on her, she’d been terrified, even after
he told her he was trying to help. Had even offered him money. More money…
His
scalp began to tingle, a sure sign something wasn’t right. He leaned forward,
draping an arm over his knee to appear casual. “I didn't mean to frighten you
when I rode up. You must've been expecting trouble.”
“Trouble is one way to put it….” She toyed with
a curl at her cheek, not meeting his eyes. “You see, I thought you were going
to kill me.”
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have you ever been on a train? Do you have a
favorite story you can share?
Those who comment can enter the drawing for a free copy of
Her Bodyguard. I'm also giving away copies of Passion's Prize, the first book in the series, which I co-authored with Golden Heart sisters Jennifer Jakes and Jacqui Nelson. Passion's Prize features three interwoven novellas about a spy, a former madam and an railroad heiress who get caught up in a cutthroat competition between two lines racing for riches.
Also, this month I'm running a special drawing at my website to give away a two-day stay at the Victorian mansion featured in my book. You won't want to miss your chance to enter.
But don’t stop there. Look at your non-writing goals. Make them measurable and attainable. Here are some of mine. Feel free to borrow them.
Being successful is really as simple as living life to its fullest and not being so hard on yourself. To all of my writer friends going to conference this week, I strongly urge you to set conference goals that you can achieve, and ENJOY the experience.
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