Frontier Courting by Rhonda Lee Carver

 

When I imagine romance in the Old West I envision a handsome cowboy seeing a beautiful woman across the pasture and sweeping in to claim her. If only...

For men and women back then, finding a partner was less about love and more about surviving the harsh and uncertain world around them. There were many obstacles they had to navigate to even consider "couring" someone...

1. Distance. 

Neighbors didn't live close. They were often separated by days of travel. He couldn't simply text her and ask her on a date. Visiting required planning, which makes sense why, upon their first visit, they married.

2. Community Gatherings.

Socials, barn dances, fairs, and gatherings were the "dating sites" of the Old West. These events were as much for finding a potential partner as they were a social hour for folks. Of course, under the watchful eye of a family member.

3. Reputation.

The frontier was rough, but a woman's reputation still meant everything. Men were expected to be hard-working and a good provider. A woman's reputation was monitored. If it was tarnished, her chances of marrying a good man diminished greatly. 

4. Calling.

Once a man expressed interest, courtship began. No dinner. No live concert. No walks on the beach. The young couple would sit on the porch, take supervised walks in the pasture, or attend church together. 

5. Letters.

You know...pen and paper. Letters were as important as texting is today. What did they write about? Hopes. Dreams. Life. Etc.

Love existed, I'm sure, but they were a lot more practical. Life was difficult. Life required partnership. Although we might look back and be shocked at that way of life, and think how terrible that must have been. Yet, imagine...

A cowboy riding for hours, or days, to visit his potential partner. 

Love letters written under dim lighting or firelight. 

A dance in a dusty barn to the picks on a banjo.

A promise that held more than just that of love, but of endurance, longevity, and partnership.

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“What the fuck does she see in that wuss,” Aaron “Sin” Sails said over the rim of his bottled IPA. He shook his head in disgust. “I’ll never know what beautiful women find attractive in men like Fletcher. A worm has more personality.”

“Money maybe. Some women like bad boys. Others like men with guns.” Arrow Stonebriar flexed his muscles.

“What would you know about guns?” Echo showed off his toned arms.

“Hey, these are regulation.” Arrow joked.

Echo snorted. “Regulation? Those look like they come standard with desk duty.”

“Desk duty? I bet I can outrun, outsmart, and outdo you any day, buddy,” Arrow shot back confidently.

“Last time you ran it was to grab dinner,” Sin chimed in. “And you pulled a hamstring. True hero.”

The group of men laughed.

“Did anyone ask your opinion?” Arrow smirked.

Sin shrugged. “Just spreading the wealth of my knowledge.”

There wasn’t much the men loved more than agitating one another.

Bear remained quiet. He kept his attention glued to the couple sitting at the bar. Aasia and Fletcher were leaning in close, and both seemed agitated. Were they arguing? Was Fletcher breaking up with her as his mother had demanded? Bear had to ease up on the grip that he had on his bottle, or he might shatter the glass. A big part of him wanted to storm over and punch the dirty bastard in his perfectly squared jaw.

Aasia shifted slightly on the barstool and her chin came up. She noticed Bear staring, and he didn’t shy away. She offered him a semi-smile. He responded with a dip of his Stetson. His unwavering gaze stayed on her across the dusty planked floor of Oscar’s long after she went back to her conversation with Fletcher. The neon light above her painted the curves of her face with a blue glow. She was beautiful enough to make Sin's heart skip a few beats.

A lone tendril of hair had escaped from the mass of mahogany waves that draped her shoulders. The lone strand looked stark against her cheek. The close-fitting top showed off her firm breasts and the sparkling navel ring above the low waist of the cutoff jean shorts. Although she was dressed pretty much like every other woman in the place, there was something different about her. Maybe in the way she carried herself with subtle dignity.

Bear admired very few things in life. A well-trained horse, a sunset and Aasia. She could only be described as captivating. She had no idea how much he wanted her. Or did she?

Seeing her with Fletcher sickened Bear.

Her tongue came out to roll across her top lip and his breathing stopped for a second. Her big eyes were sponges to the neon light around her, making them two blue beams. Bear hated that Fletcher was on the receiving end of that look. He didn’t deserve to be in her presence.

Bear sat there in a room full of music and chatter, absolutely intoxicated, not on alcohol but on the woman sitting fifty feet away.

“Are you listening?”

Echo’s question dragged Bear back to the team. “What did I miss?”

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The Story That Keeps Pulling Me Back

One of the things I've learned as a writer is that some stories are quiet while others kick down the door and demand my attention. 

You'd think I'd always start with Book One and move neatly through a series in order. In theory, that's the plan. In reality? Not so much.

I'll let you in on a little secret: I rarely work on just one project at a time. Usually I have a main project and a backup project waiting in the wings for those moments when I get stuck. Sometimes an entirely different story starts shouting for attention. Add in the fact that I write under two pen names, and it's safe to say my imagination stays pretty busy.

Lately, as I've been building the world of Knight Ranch, one particular story keeps tugging at my sleeve.

Maverick and Teddy.

When I first started developing the Knight brothers, Maverick was the one I knew the least about.

Maverick, kept his cards close to his chest.

The more I've gotten to know him, the more I've realized he's carrying far more than he lets anyone see. He's the brother who left. The one who spent years trying to prove himself. The one who never quite felt like he fit where everyone expected him to. And now life is forcing him to figure out who he is when the future he planned no longer exists.

Those kinds of stories always grab me. Not because they're easy. Because they're real.

Real pain. Real loss. Real hope.

But every great romance needs someone capable of standing toe-to-toe with a hero like Maverick. That’s where Teddy Hayes comes in. High school best friend. 

Teddy grew up right alongside the Knight boys. She knows exactly how stubborn Maverick can be. Probably better than anyone. She's built a life of her own, carries her own scars, and isn't interested in letting Maverick push her away when things get hard.

The more I dig into their story, the more layers I uncover.

A history that won’t be buried. And a connection that neither of them ever truly left behind.

Honestly, they weren't supposed to be the story distracting me right now. Weston is patiently waiting his turn to tell his story. But every time I sit down to work on Knight Ranch, Maverick and Teddy find a way to sneak back onto the page.

Maybe that's because they're still figuring each other out.

Or maybe it's because they already know exactly where their story is headed and they're just waiting for me to catch up.

Either way, they've definitely captured my attention.

So now I'm curious.

What's your favorite kind of romance?

• Friends to lovers?

• Second chance romance?

• Small-town romance?

• A wounded hero coming home?

• Secret baby?

Tell me in the comments.

I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about books, cowboys, and happily-ever-afters.

Until next time.

To plot, or not to plot? ~ T.K. Conklin

  

  For those of you that plot, I applaud you. I was never a plotter. Winging it was the way I did it. As I wrote, the characters would usually take over the story and do their own thing. It's a method that has worked pretty well for me so far. Then the dreaded writers block hit!!!

  For several years I struggled to get my brain to refocus on writing. It took an author cruise, the Love Lit Cruise, and a four day cruise alone for my brain to finally reset. So worth it! During Love Lit, author Krysta Dearson put me in writer's bootcamp, and I set time every day to get with her and author Victoria Taylor to write. Progress was made. On the four day cruise alone, I kept up that routine and got quite a bit accomplished.

  A while back I had a brilliant idea for a new book. This time I was going to attempt to actually plot it out. I have tinkered with Scrivener, but couldn't get the hang of it. I tried Dabble, but no success. I'm currently working on a series with EberWrite, but haven't made it far. Ellipsus has some interesting and unique features. I may mess around with it more in the future.

  Several years ago, at the Chanticleer conference, Plottr was one of the vendors and were giving a great deal on a lifetime membership. Troy Lambert was the Plottr representative and did a great job of explaining the software. I signed up for the lifetime membership and forgot about it for a year or so. I messed around with it now and then and did some of the YouTube tutorials, but with the new book I was determined to use it and make progress.

Plottr comes with many templates for various genres and that is helpful. It's easy to move the scene cards around and rearrange your ideas. The Character tab and Places tabs help you keep track of your characters and places. Especially if you have a series.

  So far the story is coming along nicely. Yet, as always, the characters tend to take over so I have to adjust my outline. But that is super easy.

  It's definitely been helpful but I still have a lot to learn with the program because there are tons of useful things in it.

  I still write with Word but if you want you can write your chapters in Plottr on the scene cards. It's easy to export it into Word later.

 Most people I talk to love Scrivener. I have attempted to use it off and on over the years but, for some reason, it doesn't click with me.

  If you are a plotter, what is your preferred plotting method?

  If you want to check out Plottr, here is my link. plottr.com/?ref=tara

  Happy Plotting!

The Ranches ~ Brandi Creek

 

Hello, you lovely people. Brandi Creek here.

When I finished writing The Cowboy I Left Behind, the first book in The Cowboys of Majestic Run series, I thought I was simply introducing readers to Majestic Run Bloodstock.

But somewhere along the way, the farm became more than a setting.

The training barns, the breeding program, the horses, and the people carrying old history through those pastures all started to feel alive in a way I couldn't quite walk away from. The more time I spent at Majestic Run, the more I realized there were still stories left to tell.

This series allowed me to explore a world that combines two things I've always loved: cowboys and horses. Some of it came from research into breeding programs, bloodlines, and the quiet pressure that exists behind every promising racehorse. Other parts came from my own love of horse racing and the wonder of watching foals find their legs for the very first time. There's something special about a place where legacy, new beginnings, and big dreams all exist side by side.

That love of horses started long before I became a writer. When I was in high school, my parents managed a ranch in Washington. We spent our days leading trail rides through the forest, riding horses along the beach, and gathering around bonfires at night while campers shared stories beneath the stars. It remains one of my favorite times in life.

One of my strongest memories is walking out into the pasture each morning with a bundle of lead ropes slung over my shoulder. I'd clip halters onto twenty horses, climb onto one bareback, and ride back to the barn while the others followed behind me. At the end of the day, we'd do it all again in reverse. Looking back, I realize those experiences shaped so much of the way I write ranches, horses, and the people who dedicate their lives to them.

The characters who call Majestic Run home lived in my head for months. They made mistakes, carried old wounds, fought for second chances, and refused to take the easy path. Watching their stories unfold across these rolling Kentucky pastures became one of my favorite writing experiences.

If you'd like to spend more time in these worlds, I'd love to invite you to visit two of my favorite ranches.

The Cowboys of Majestic Run is a complete duet set in the world of Kentucky horse breeding, where wounded cowboys, second chances, family legacy, and healing hearts collide.

Men of Mountain Tide Ranch Retreat is a five-book western romance collection spanning more than 2,700 pages. Inspired in part by those years spent on the ranch in Washington, the series is filled with damaged cowboys, resilient heroines, healing after heartbreak, family bonds, friendship, and happily-ever-afters set against breathtaking mountain views.

More than anything, I hope you'll saddle up, spend some time at Majestic Run Bloodstock and Mountain Tide Ranch Retreat, and fall in love with these ranches, horses, and characters the same way I did while writing them.

Happy Reading,

Brandi Creek

Visit the Ranches 

Men of Mountain Tide Ranch Retreat

Available on Kindle and through Kindle Unlimited

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The Cowboys of Majestic Run

Coming to Amazon July 17, 2026

Available in Kindle Unlimited

From the Fugio Cent to the Frontier Penny ~ D. K. Deters

It’s hard to believe that the final penny was struck in 2025, marking the end of a 232-year production run. Last week, I looked through some old pennies I’d saved. It made me wonder about the first American penny and what a penny was worth by the 1880s.

The Fugio cent holds the distinction of being America’s first official circulating coin. It was authorized by the Congress of the Confederation and minted in 1787, a few years before the establishment of the U.S. Mint. It is also one of the few American coins associated with Benjamin Franklin. Its imagery is very close to the designs Franklin had used earlier on the 1776 Continental Currency dollar patterns.

 

The front (obverse): A sun shining on a sundial with the word “FUGIO” (Latin for “I flee” or “I fly”), referring to time flying by or the passage of time. Beneath it appears the famous motto “MIND YOUR BUSINESS.” In the 18^th century, it meant to “pay attention to your work and responsibilities.” It serves as a reminder that time is passing, so make good use of it.

The back (reverse): Thirteen linked rings representing the original thirteen states, surrounding the words “WE ARE ONE.”

Some coin collectors consider the Fugio cent one of the most historically significant American coins because it links the Revolution, Franklin, and the birth of the federal government.

Interestingly, many Fugio cents survive today thanks to what collectors call the Bank of New York Hoard. In 1788, the bank stored several thousand Fugio cents in a keg in its basement. The coins were stored away again in 1856 and largely forgotten until the cache was rediscovered in 1926. Because many of the coins had remained untouched since the eighteenth century, hundreds survived in mint-state condition.

The coins were given to clients as souvenirs and keepsakes until 1948. At that time, only 1,641 of the coins remained. From there, many of these coins were donated or sold. The bank retained 819 of the coins.

I don’t have any relatives from New York, but it’s fun to dream that just maybe someone kept one of those coins for their family. But I digress.

Since my WIP takes place in the 1880s, it’s worth noting that by then a penny still had real, if modest, buying power in towns across the American West.

      

By 1880, Americans had seen several variations of the penny, but the Indian Head cent was the penny of the day. Interestingly, the front profile of the Indian Head cent actually depicts Lady Liberty wearing a Native American feather headdress. The Philadelphia Mint produced nearly 39 million Indian Head pennies in 1880, compared to the 398,577 Fugio cents struck in 1787.

On the frontier, a purchase depended heavily on where you were. Remote posts often ran on barter and credit.

While a penny wouldn’t buy a meal, it still mattered in daily exchanges. In that sense, the humble cent wasn’t just currency—it was a measure of the ordinary moments in the Old West.

(The following prices aren’t exact for every town.)

Everyday Small Goods

• Stick of candy – 1¢ to 2¢
• Handful of penny candy – 1¢ to 3¢
• Matches (single or small bundle) – 1¢ to 5¢
• Lead pencil (cheap) – 1¢ to 3¢
• Sheet of writing paper – 1¢
• Envelope – 1¢ 

---

Food Staples (small amounts)

• Cup of coffee (in a town shop or counter) – 5¢
• Hard biscuit or roll – 1¢ to 3¢
• Small piece of cheese – 3¢ to 10¢
• Salt pork (small cut) – 5¢ to 15¢
• Beans (by the scoop) – 3¢ to 10¢

---

Tobacco & Personal Goods

• Chewing tobacco (pinch or plug slice) – 2¢ to 10¢
• Pipe tobacco (small measure) – 5¢ to 15¢
• Basic soap bar – 3¢ to 10¢
• Simple handkerchief – 5¢ to 15¢

These were small comforts, but they were part of everyday life in a cash-poor frontier economy.

Resources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161017224536/http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Fugio.intro.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20140701221227/http://hlrc.com/articles/09132013.pdf

Root Beer Float Anyone?

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

How many remember the Root Beer Float? It was a summer favorite where I grew up. Recently, I had the pleasure of doing some research on the subject. Here are some interesting facts. But first, we must set the stage.

In late 1890, Bob Womack found gold in the Cripple Creek area. By 1891, the strike was verified, and the rush was on.

By 1896, Coors had started selling his beer in a store he purchased for that purpose. Prior to this, many miners brewed their own spirits. There was even a root beer called Myers Avenue Red, brewed in the area.

Now, we come to the Root Beer Float.

In August 1893, Frank J. Wisner was looking out at night and saw the snowcap on a dark mountain, Cow Mountain to be exact. It reminded him of vanilla ice cream in a dark liquid. The next day, he put vanilla ice cream into the Myers Avenue Red root beer. He called it the Black Cow.

The other story says Wisner saw the snowcap on Cow Mountain, which reminded him of the black-and-white cow. Hence the name Black Cow.

Now, here's the question. Was Frank J. Wisner in Cripple Creek, Colorado, in August of 1893? Did he own the Cripple Creek Brewing Company in Cripple Creek, Colorado? 

The evidence seems to suggest the answer to those questions may be 'no'. Perhaps the most telling piece of the puzzle. His family called him a flim-flam man.

As with all legends, there may be elements of truth. I leave it to you whether you want to believe the story or do further research.

Still, it's a great story and can give Colorado another first. 

Until next time.

Stay safe - Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon 

In 1869, Wyoming Shocked America by Letting Women Vote

In Wyoming Territory, women didn’t have room for fainting couches. They ran boarding houses, filed homestead claims, managed ranches while husbands were on cattle drives, and taught school in one-room buildings with coal stoves.

So it’s no surprise that a strong woman, Esther Hobart Morris, helped change history in the rugged mining towns of the West long before women across America won the right to vote.

Morris lived in South Pass City, a rough gold-rush town filled with miners, saloons, and muddy streets. At the time, women in the United States had almost no political power. They couldn’t vote, hold most public offices, or influence the laws that shaped their lives.

Morris believed that needed to change. When the Wyoming Territory debated whether women should have the right to vote, she supported the idea and spoke openly about equality. Territorial leaders eventually passed a groundbreaking law—granting women the right to vote in 1869. Wyoming became the first place in the United States to do this. The law was signed by John Allen Campbell, and it sparked national attention.

Morris didn’t stop there. In 1870, she became the first woman in the United States to serve as a justice of the peace, helping settle disputes and uphold the law in South Pass City. Her role proved that women could serve in positions of authority just as capably as men.

Thus, a Wyoming woman in the 1870s could walk into a polling place, argue her opinion, and go home. The men adapted because on the frontier, survival depended on respect. Strength wasn’t intimidating. It was necessary.

Wyoming became known as the Equality State. Decades later, when the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women the right to vote nationwide, Wyoming had already been allowing women to vote for more than 50 years.

On the frontier, where people often had to build new communities from scratch, bold ideas sometimes took root first. I am thankful that Esther Hobart Morris was brave enough to stand up for a women’s right to vote.