By Kristy McCaffrey
Situated near the Four Corners region of the U.S., the town
of Durango sits on the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern
Colorado. In the 1870’s it was called Animas City, but when the Denver &
Rio Grande Railroad arrived in 1881 the town was renamed by ex-Colorado Governor
Alexander C. Hunt after Durango, Mexico. The name originated from the Basque
word Urango, which means “water town.”
Durango, Colorado, 1883 |
The San Juans are part of the Rocky Mountains, and with high
quantities of minerals present, gold and silver mining camps soon popped up
during the 19th century. Those camps are now major towns such as Telluride,
Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, Creede, and Durango.
The San Juan Mountains |
In 1882, a narrow-gauge steam railroad was constructed to
connect the mining town of Silverton with the coal and smelting operations of
Durango. Today, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes daily
trips between the two towns for anyone who wishes to see the grandeur of the
San Juans. Additionally, visitors can enjoy wilderness trekking, mountain
climbing, and camping. In the winter, skiing is a favorite pastime at the
well-known Durango Mountain Resort, known locally as Purgatory.
It’s Christmas in July!! Digital copies of my contemporary
western novella, THE PEPPERMINT TREE, are on sale for 99 cents. The story is
set in and around the Durango area.
When an unexpected inheritance draws lawyer Skye Mallory home
for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in
her Colorado hometown. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her
heart in high school. Joe Carrigan has returned to the community he left years
ago, ready to face his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. But this time, he won’t
be so chivalrous.
Read an excerpt
Joe Carrigan watched as the red taillights in the distance
slid from left to right and then right even more, finally stopping. He’d been
following the Prius for a while, and the driver had been conservative, but
their luck had just run out. He was in his Bronco—the same one he’d driven in
high school on these very roads—and it could still be trusted in bad weather.
He’d been able to afford better cars over the years, but he still had a habit
of jumping in this one, especially on a night like this.
He checked his rearview mirror. Thankfully, no cars behind
him. He slowed the Bronco and guided it as far to the right as he could without
getting stuck.
Stepping out of his vehicle, a blast of cold air hit him as
heavy snowflakes engulfed him. He really shouldn’t be out in this, but he’d
agreed to meet Oliver and Celeste and a friend of Celeste’s, a blind date he’d
been badgered into. His life had been too busy of late for a woman, but it
didn’t mean he actually needed or wanted one in his life.
He reached inside the Bronco and grabbed his heavy canvas
coat, quickly pulling it on and zipping it to his neck. The snow crunched
beneath his boots and his breath came out in white puffs as he crossed the beam
of his headlights and approached the Prius. He tapped on the driver’s window,
the shadowy figure of a woman on the other side. She hesitated a moment then
rolled the window down.
“Are you all right, miss?”
As the woman’s face became fully visible, he did a
double-take. “Skylar?”
Her forehead pinched into hard ridges, and her eyes
registered a flash of outrage. “Carrigan?”
As if a freight train had hit him, he uttered, “It’s been a
long time.”
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Also, don't miss my July website giveaway - an autographed print copy of THE PEPPERMINT TREE. Enter today.
Also, don't miss my July website giveaway - an autographed print copy of THE PEPPERMINT TREE. Enter today.
4 comments:
Durango is a beautiful area. And The peppermint Tree is one of my favorite stories! Thank you Kristy.
I love Durango! And I'm so happy you liked the story!!
Looks like such a fun story, Kristy. I'll have to check it out!
Thank you, Shanna!!
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