#Free book + giveaway. Hearts of Owyhee by @JacquieRogers #western #romance #oldwest

Jacquie's Website | Pickle Barrel Gazette

Cowboy kisses is not for promotion, although we aren't at all averse to telling people about our books.  Still, every once in a while, the contributors do need to let folks know what we have available.  In my case, the rights to the entire Hearts of Owyhee series reverted back to me Dec. 31, so I'm reissuing the books--re-edited and with new covers.  In one case, Much Ado About Madams, I wrote a new ending.  Well, more like added-to.  

So for this month, I'm hauling out all the books for you to see.  Oh, that reminds me that I need to update my author page here at CK.  Better get to it!

And don't forget that Friday only (Jan. 9, 2015), Much Ado About Madams is free!  If you miss the free day, the book will be only 99¢ the next two days, so still a bargain.

Welcome to 1880s Owyhee County, Idaho Territory!  It was a hoppin' place in those days, and I've brought you several fictional adventures, both novels and short stories.  These can be read in any order, but here's the chronological sequence:

Much Ado About Madams
Hearts of Owyhee #1
by Jacquie Rogers

Amazon Kindle

5 Stars from Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews: "A story this good can only come from the imagination of Jacquie Rogers."

"A rollicking riot of a good read!" ~Ann Charles, author of the Deadwood Mysteries

Low-down on Much Ado About Madams

Oh my stars! Suffragist Lucinda Sharpe can’t believe she was hired to teach a bunch of soiled doves their letters. And what about the handsome brothel owner? Only a despicable cad would engage in such a business.

Blast that woman! Reese McAdams didn’t want the brothel in the first danged place, and now a suffragist schoolteacher is stirring up the works.

Can she reform the Comfort Palace ladies without losing her heart to Reese? Will her secret past ruin her future?

"A romantic trip to the Old West stamped with Jacquie Rogers' special brand of humor. ~ Caroline Clemmons, author of Brazos Bride

"Ms Rogers' clever western romance, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS manages to enrousingly engage her growing readership while reminding us of the difficulties faced by the brave women who tamed the American West. All that, and did I say entertaining!" ~ John Klawitter, author of The Freight Train of Love

♥ ♥ ♥

Much Ado About Marshals
Hearts of Owyhee #2
by Jacquie Rogers

Amazon Kindle

NOR Top Pick
CTRR Award
Winner: RttA, Best Western Historical Romance Novel

5 stars from Laron Glover: Need a break? This is a FUN book (seriously--when's the last time you read a laugh-out-loud book?)! Turn off the iphone, kick off yer boots (or Jimmy Choos) and let Jacquie Rogers provide that mini-vacation you KNOW you need!

Low-down on Much Ado About Marshals

Rancher Cole Richards rescues his friend from robbing a bank, but is shot for his efforts, and now is a wanted man. His friend takes him to Oreana to see the doc, but Cole's mistaken for the new marshal!

Daisy Gardner is obsessed with solving crimes just like dime novel heroine Honey Beaulieu. But Daisy's parents insist she marry a farmer. Problem is, she can't be a detective if she's stuck miles from town. What better solution than to marry the new marshal.

Now Cole faces a dilemma few men have to face—tell the truth and hang, or live a lie and end up married. Either way could cost him his freedom.

5 stars from romantchick: Nancy Drew meets William Shakespeare ...hilarious characters, memorable colloquialisms, a clever, engaging plot and fine writing. All of which recommends Rogers' Much Ado About Marshals as everything to do about a charming, well-written romp.

♥ ♥ ♥

Much Ado About Miners
Hearts of Owyhee #3
by Jacquie Rogers

Amazon Kindle

"My biscuits are burning from this scorcher of a book. I will never be able to bake again without a wicked grin on my face.This is the latest installment of the Much Ado series, and it's as explosive as a stick of dynamite." ~reader Karla Eakin

"My biscuits are burning from this scorcher of a book. I will never be able to bake again without a wicked grin on my face.This is the latest installment of the Much Ado series, and it's as explosive as a stick of dynamite." ~ Agnes Alexander, author of Drina's Choice

Lowdown on Much Ado About Miners

Cupid’s bullet...

Hired gun Kade McKinnon interrupts a bank holdup and is shot by the teller, Iris Gardner, whose victims have a tendency to be the next groom in town. Will he be the groom this time?

Cupid’s bow...

Iris Gardner, a smart, independent bank clerk, fell in love with Kade when she was too young to know better. So when he walks back into her life and her bank, it's only fitting that she shoots him ... by accident, of course.

Cupid’s blindfold...

Kade doesn’t know Iris’s company is the one who hired him to escort a bullion shipment, and Iris doesn’t know Kade owns the security company, but they both know robbers are on their trail. Which is more likely to be stolen—the silver, or his heart?

"...if you love a good romance set in a fun western setting, and you love to laugh, you will love this book as much as I did!" ~ reader Terry Gregson

♥ ♥ ♥

Much Ado About Mavericks
Hearts of Owyhee #4
by Jacquie Rogers

Amazon Kindle

FIVE STARS! "Jacquie Rogers writes some of the best Historical Romances on today's market. Not content to simply write a plot and toss in a lot of bed scenes and/or filler, this author adds in subplots, humor, action, suspense, and some endearing strays." ~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

"When you read a Jacquie Rogers book, you know you're in for a fast, fun ride!" ~BookwormForever

Low-down on Much Ado About Mavericks

Against the sweeping backdrop of the Owyhee Mountains, Benjamin Lawrence meets the one woman who'll rattle his derby forever.

Ben is a highly respected attorney in Boston, but in Idaho Territory, they still think of him as that gangly awkward boy called Skeeter.  When he goes back home to settle his father’s estate, he’s confronted with an outlandish will and a fiery redheaded head wrangler, who just happens to be the sexiest female he's ever met.

Janelle Kathryn O'Keefe, affectionately called "Jake," can out-ride, out-shoot, and out-rope any cowboy on the Bar EL, which is why she was promoted to foreman.  She's not at all amused that she has to teach an eastern greenhorn how to work cattle, no matter how handsome he is.

5 Stars from reader Claudia Stephan: "I can't even count the times I laughed out loud while reading this book. What are you waiting for? Give it a try!"

♥ ♥ ♥

Contest!

One commenter will win a free digital copy of 

Much Ado About Mavericks  

Drawing will be January 12, 2015, at 9pm Pacific Time

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Jacquie Rogers: A Fun Tour of Idaho History

Most westerns are set in Texas, Arizona, or Wyoming, a few others set in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Montana, then comes Colorado, and New Mexico.  The other states are for the most part ignored, only getting a book set in their neck of the woods on rare occasions.

Of course, every single state I listed is back East to Idahoans.

First, I thought it would be fun to do a glossary.  Ron Scheer does one every now and again in his blog, Buddies In The Saddle, and he always comes up with some interesting terms.  (Great resource--you should check it out!)  Some terms I know, some I never heard of and would like to try, some aren't of much use to me, but fascinating nonetheless.  I thought it would be fun to list a few terms and phrases still in use when I lived in Owyhee County, Idaho, where my ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ series is set.

Bazoo: Late 1880s word for "mouth."  probably from Dutch bazuin meaning "trumpet."  Example: Shut your bazoo before I shut it for you.

California widow: A product of the 1849 gold rush, and referring to the men who left to find the mountain of gold, leaving their wives and children behind.  Some of the men took West Coast wives but were still married to their East Coast brides. Example: If Jeb hadn't opened his big bazoo, his new housekeeper never would have found out about his California widow, but he did miss his son.  In contemporary use, it refers to a woman whose husband is gone a lot because of his job--a long-haul truck driver or something like that.

Crowbait: Originated around 1855-1860, meaning an emaciated horse (or could be a mule, cow, or oxen) that isn't much good for work anymore.  Example: Jeb wants to sell me some crowbait for fifty dollars.  I doubt that critter would make it halfway home before he gave up the ghost.

Dry gulch: From the early 1870s, this term means to ambush.  It probably stems from bandits luring their victims into a box canyon or dry gulch to kill and rob them.  Can be used as a noun or verb.  Example: Jeb's hair stood on the back of his neck.  He had a strong feeling bandits were waiting in the next arroyo, and they had a mind to dry gulch him.

Hard case: This phrase comes from the 1830s and is used to refer to a man (sometimes a woman) who is prone to felonious behavior and who has few moral scruples.  Generally a very dangerous person.  Example: Jeb pursued a hard case wanted for murder, rape, and painting a puppy.

Hell-bent for leather: Late 1800s saying meaning to ride as fast as you can, more than likely wrecklessly.  Original saying is "hell-for-leather" and was a favorite phrase of Rudyard Kipling, who probably picked it up from the British troops in India, so not exclusive to Western at all.  Example: Jeb rode hell-bent for leather to stay out of rifle range of the mudsills waiting to dry gulch him.

Mudsill: According to Etymology Online: 1680s, "lowest sill of a house," from mud + sill. The word entered U.S. political history in a speech by James M. Hammond of South Carolina, March 4, 1858, in U.S. Senate, alluding scornfully to the very mudsills of society, and the term subsequently was embraced by Northern workers in the pre-Civil War sectional rivalry.  Example: Ready to draw, Jeb rode through the camp of mudsills, never turning his back to a one of them.

The whole kit and caboodle: Mid 1800s.  From  Etymology Online: "also kaboodle, 1861, from kit (n.1) in dismissive sense "number of things viewed as a whole" (1785) + boodle "lot, collection," perhaps from Dutch boedel "property." Kit also was paired with other words in similar formations."  Jeb rode hell-bent for leather out of the box canyon where the whole kit and caboodle of mudsills had tried to dry gulch him.

Idaho Territory

Not for the faint of heart

Before the Europeans, residents of the Idaho area were the Lemhi, Shoshone, Bannock, Nez Perce, Salish, Paiutes, and Piegan Indians.

British fur trappers roamed Idaho in search of beaver pelts and other animal furs as early as 1809, but in 1814, the trading post in southern Idaho was destroyed by the Bannock.  Still, trappers and traders came from the East Coast, Britain, Russia, and the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).  In fact, the later provided the name for Owyhee County.  From Wikipedia:

The name "Owyhee" derives from an early anglicization of the Hawaiian term "Hawaiʻi." When James Cook encountered what he named the Sandwich Islands (now the Hawaiian Islands) in 1778, he found them inhabited by Native Hawaiians who Anglo-Americans referred to as "Owyhees." Noted for their hardy physique and maritime skills, numerous Native Hawaiians were hired as crew members aboard European and American vessels. Many Owyhees sailed on to the American Northwest coast and found employment along the Columbia, where they joined trapping expeditions or worked at some of the fur trade posts.
In 1819, three Owyhees joined Donald Mackenzie's Snake expedition, which went out annually into the Snake country for the North West Company, a Montreal-based organization of Canadian fur traders. The three Hawaiians left the main party during the winter of 1819-20 to explore the then unknown terrain of what since has been called the Owyhee River and mountains and disappeared. They were presumed dead and no further information regarding their whereabouts has been found. In memory of these Native Hawaiians, British fur trappers started to call the region "Owyhee" and the name stuck.

Up to 1846, the area was  considered part of the Oregon Territory, and the primary industry was the fur trade.  Trappers and mountain men were the ones who laid out the Oregon Trail (and all the rest of the major trails, too).

Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville and Joseph Rutherford Walker crossed South Pass with twenty wagons and one hundred and ten men on July 24, 1832. On a two-year leave from the army, Captain Bonneville and Walker led the first wagon train over South Pass on what became the Mormon and Oregon-California Trail.

We always think of the Spaulding/Whitman wagon train as the first, but not.  Eliza Spaulding and Narcissa Whitman were the first Euro-American women to make the trek west--the Spauldings to Northern Idaho and the Whitmans to Washington State.  Henry Spaulding also brought the first printing press to Idaho in 1839.

Keep in mind that Idaho wasn't called Idaho yet.  That didn't happen until 1863, when Idaho Territory was carved from Washington Territory.  When I was in school, we where taught that Idaho was from the Shoshone "Ee-da-how," meaning "sun over the mountains," or "gem of the mountains."  This turned out not to be true and as far as we know, the name was simply made up by George M. Willing.  Yep, a hoax.  Good thing we Idahoans have a sense of humor.

Because of modern-day boundary shifts, Owyhee County is no longer the largest county in Idaho, but it's still large--the size of New Jersey.  The population is growing by leaps and bounds and is now 1.5 people per square mile.  Even so, a lot of the old ways are preserved there, both because of the remote location and because the people like it that way.  The latter is what a whole lot of city people don't understand.

So it's with the spirit of those hearty Owyhee pioneers that the Hearts of Owyhee series was born.

Where the Old West really happened!

Much Ado About Marshals

Much Ado About Madams

Much Ado About Mavericks

Jacquie Rogers

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Romancing The West * Blog

♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ 

#1 Much Ado About Marshals 

#2 Much Ado About Madams 

#3 Much Ado About Mavericks

A fun short story: Willow, Wish For Me (Merlin’s Destiny #1)

Jacquie Rogers -- Sourdough Baking: Part 3, Sourdough Biscuits

Sourdough was the most common yeast used in the Old West.  Believe me, it wasn't a hardship.  Delicious!  My family prefers it over regular yeast bread.  By far. One of my family's all-time favorites is sausage gravy and sourdough biscuits.  We don't have it often but it's sure a treat when we do.

So now let's get cooking. :)  

If you have a sourdough starter, go for it.  If you don't, check out Sourdough Baking: Part 2 to make one.

Sourdough Biscuits

Truly, truly, a Food of Love!

(Feed starter the night before: 2 cups flour and 2 cups water, if you don't have enough.)

2 ¾ cups Flour
1 tsp Sugar or Honey
½ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Salt
1 Tbs Baking powder
¼ cup Butter
2 cups Starter
½ cup Milk

Cut butter into dry ingredients. Stir in milk and starter. Knead on floured surface about 30 seconds. Pat to ½" thick (or a little thicker, but not thinner), cut into biscuits, place in greased pan. Let rest at least 30 minutes (or a couple of hours--sourdough isn’t picky). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes depending on your oven (I bake them at 425 degrees for 18 minutes). When done, turn out on rack so the bottoms don’t get soggy.

Don’t forget to feed starter for tomorrow!


New covers!  Yes, the ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ books all have new covers now, so here's the unveiling!

Much Ado About Marshals

5 stars from romantchick: Nancy Drew meets William Shakespeare ...hilarious characters, memorable colloquialisms, a clever, engaging plot and fine writing. All of which recommends Rogers's Much Ado About Marshals as everything to do about a charming, well-written romp.

Much Ado About Madams

A romantic trip to the Old West stamped with Jacquie Rogers' special brand of humor.

 ~ Caroline Clemmons, author of Brazos Bride

Much Ado About Mavericks

FIVE STARS! Jacquie Rogers writes some of the best Historical Romances on today's market. Not content to simply write a plot and toss in a lot of bed scenes and/or filler, this author adds in subplots, humor, action, suspense, and some endearing strays. ~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

Jacquie Rogers -- Sourdough Baking: Part 1

The Joy of Sourdough Baking
Part One
by Jacquie Rogers

While sour breads have been around for thousands of years, the term "sourdough" is relatively modern, coming from the 1800s American West. The folks in the California gold rush broadened the term to mean the starter, the bread, or the baker. To this day, "sour bread" and "sourdough" can mean different things to different people depending on from whence they hail.

That doesn’t mean that sourdough is exclusively North American. Northern European rye breads are nearly all made from sourdough starter because rye doesn’t contain enough gluten for baker’s yeast to work properly. Those recipes are hundreds of years old.

Sourdough Biscuits from
Discovering Sourdough

All sourdough breads and quickbreads begin with . . . ta daaaa . . . a starter.

Starter can also be called "sponge." No matter what you call it, it’s nothing more than yeast that you culture yourself. The starter is fragile and will die if frozen or overheated. In winter, the cook often slept with the starter to keep it warm. After all, without starter, he could only bake hardtack. 

How it works:

With flour and warm water as food, the yeast spores break down into starch and sugar, which promotes fermentation. Handled a little differently, you’ll make a fine pint of ale instead of a loaf of bread--a story better told by someone who brews it. The fermentation produces more yeast which is what makes the bread light and fluffy during the baking process.

From Beth's Bread:

Other terms for natural leaven starters are :
Levain (French)
Desem (Flemish
Barm (British) (not in traditional usage)
Lievito naturale (Italian)
Friendship Starter (if not yeasted)

The major distinctions between the various terms for natural leavens, other than the terminology, are the grain used, the degree of hydration and, to some extent, the storage medium and temperature, all of which affect the degree of complexity and sourness of each type of starter.

A note about taste:

In the modern day, sourdough bread tastes a bit sour and sometimes a lot sour, if you buy the more expensive variety. But in the Old West, they didn’t want their bread to taste sour and went to great lengths to make sure it tasted as sweet and good as any yeast bread, and as light, too.

Stay tuned for Jacquie's next article (October 12th)

Part Two: The Care and Feeding of Starter

Much Ado About Mavericks

♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3

by Jacquie Rogers

♥ FIVE STARS! Jacquie Rogers writes some of the best Historical Romances on today's market. Not content to simply write a plot and toss in a lot of bed scenes and/or filler, this author adds in subplots, humor, action, suspense, and some endearing strays.
~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

♥ When you read a Jacquie Rogers book, you know you're in for a fast, fun ride!
~BookwormForever

Overview

• A sexy ranch foreman who just happens to be a beautiful woman
• A Boston lawyer who wants to settle his father's estate and go back East
• Rustlers who have another agenda in mind
• Mayhem endangers them all--but can the foreman and the lawyer ever see eye to eye?

Benjamin Lawrence is a highly respected attorney in Boston, but in Idaho Territory, they still think of him as that gangly awkward boy named Skeeter. When he goes back home to settle his estate, he's confronted with a ridiculous will that would be easy to overturn--but can he win the regard of his family and neighbors--and the foreman?

The Bar EL's foreman, Janelle Kathryn aka J.K. aka Jake O'Keefe, is recognized as the best foreman in the territory. But being the best at her job still isn't enough--now she has to teach the new owner how to rope, brand, and work cattle before she receives clear title to her own ranch, the Circle J. The last thing she expects is rustlers. Can she save her ranch without losing her heart?

Jacquie Rogers

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Romancing The West * Blog

♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ 

#1 Much Ado About Marshals 

#2 Much Ado About Madams 

#3 Much Ado About Mavericks

A fun short story: Willow, Wish For Me (Merlin’s Destiny #1)

Country Cookin' with Jacquie Rogers

 

Cooking on the cattle trail, cooking at a round-up, and cooking at home were three entirely different disciplines. Camp cooks might not necessarily be great bunkhouse cooks, and round-up cooks might not cut it on the trail. For this article, I'm going to talk about round-up cooking.

 

First, a confession: I don't measure or use recipes as defined by those things called cookbooks. My mama didn't measure and neither did her mama, so that's just the way it goes in our family. But it's a real advantage when you read old-time recipes that call for a pinch of salt and two handfuls of flour. We know just what to do. But telling someone else how to make a dish is a wee bit more difficult because of it.

 

Tonight, after the cattle are all bedded down and the horses put back in the remuda, the cowhands are in for a real treat. We're having beans and cornbread. As my husband is the bean cook around this outfit, I had him write this up for us. Warning: he can be...well, indelicate at times.

 

Mr. Rogers' Ham and Beans Recipe

(simple and very tasty)

Ingredients:

One or two hambones, hamhocks, or better yet ham shanks, smoked.

1 lb dry navy beans

3 bay leaves

3 or more cloves garlic, crushed.

4-6 shakes of Tabasco Original or a few dried cayenne flakes.

One large white onion, or medium yellow. White is best.

Pinch of dry mustard.

One small squirt of catsup (modern addition).

• Soak beans overnight (at least 4-6 hours), be sure to use lotsa water, drain and rinse in collander.
• DO NOT COOK IN SOAKWATER, unless you live alone and enjoy your own farts.
• Put ham in pot, dump drained beans on top, add new water to cover plus 1 inch.
• Cover and bring to simmer. DO NOT BOIL HARD.
• Chop onion and add to pot. Reserve some chopped onion for topping.
• Add bay leaves, garlic, mustard.
• Simmer another hour and half or so. DO NOT BOIL. Add more water as needed to keep beans covered. (Note: What Mr. R actually means is a gentle boil.)
• DO NOT ADD ANY SALT. AND DO NOT STIR, IT BREAKS THE BEANS.
• Remove ham bones to chopping block. Remove meat and separate from fat, skin and gristle. Chop meat and return to pot. May also return bones, if desired, and marrow can be extracted and added to chopped meat. Discard fat, skin, and other crapola. Continue to simmer slowly, covered, while doing this. DO NOT BOIL.
• When beans are tender, add Tabasco and catsup (if desired) and stir carefully. This will break a few beans, but not too many, and will thicken the sauce.
• Did I mention the beans must not boil?
• Serve immediately, topped with more chopped onions, fresh pepper to taste, and hot corn bread.
• Some people also add salt to taste, but you should not need any as the ham will have imparted more salt than you should be eating anyhow. Unless you can find salt-free ham, good luck with that.
• If you are Jacquie, put your cornbread in bottom of bowl, ladle beans and ham over, top with onions and dot with catsup. If you are not Jacquie, do not do this as it ruins the beans and makes the cornbread soggy.

 

Now for the cornbread. These days, most cornbread os more like yellow cake. Also, people get fancy and put kernal corn, jalapenos, cheese, and every other thing in their cornbread. That's fine, but first it's good to know the basics. I make the cornbread, so here goes.

 

Mrs. Rogers' Cornbread

 

Oven: 425 degrees

Grease a 9"x9" pan and dust with cornmeal

 

Mix dry ingredients together:

2 cups Cornmeal (we prefer blue but yellow or white are fine)

3/4 cup Flour (I use spelt)

1/4 cup Sugar or Honey (to taste)

1 1/2 Tbs Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

 

In the dry ingredients, put:

2 Eggs

1 cube soft Butter (or 1/2 cup oil)

1 to 1 3/4 cup Milk (depends on the type of cornmeal and flour--should be a nice batter, like pancake batter)

 

Mix (not too much!) and pour into the greased pan and bake for um, well, that depends on the kind of flour and cornmeal you use. If you use yellow cornmeal and white wheat flour, then 25 minutes ought to do it. If you use blue cornmeal and spelt flour, baking time will be closer to 35 minutes. Depending your oven, of course.

 

Yum! Hot cornbread smothered in beans and ham. Life is good.

 

Might not be so good if that's all you ate, though, which was often the case on a trail drive--only you'd have beans with wild game meat (if any meat at all), and sourdough biscuits. We'll get into sourdough cooking next month.

 

I don't have any excerpts in Much Ado About Mavericks about round-up cooking that make any sense without going into a lot of detail, so here's a scene where Ben Lawrence comes home to the Bar EL Ranch for the first time in thirteen years. He's greeted by Teddy and Homer, two "strays" Jake picked up. Yes, Jake's the heroine. Her name is Janelle Kathryn, aka J.K., shortened to Jake. She's the foreman, hired by Ben's deceased father. "Skeeter" is the detested nickname foisted on Ben by his father.

 

This isn't exactly a romantic scene, but it gives you a little insight to Jake, who likes to think of herself as a hardened cowhand, no more, no less.

 

Much Ado About Mavericks (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3)

by Jacquie Rogers

 

The towering, lone cottonwood was the first thing Ben saw when he turned the team onto the Bar EL lane. The tree had nearly doubled in size since he’d left for Harvard—but then, so had he. Grass had replaced the sagebrush around the house, lending the two-story frame building an air of peacefulness.

 

The fragrance of the newly mown lawn intermingled with the familiar odor of cow manure. “Smells like money,” his father had always said. Ben didn’t agree—he’d made piles of money in Boston without ever once shoveling shit.

 

He had known no peace in Henderson Flats, or in that house. His shoulders tensed more the closer he got, relaxing only when he assured himself he’d be stuck here only a short time.

 

“Jake! Jake!” Two small boys shouted and ran, arms waving, to greet them as Ben pulled the wagon into the yard.

 

“Who’re these boys?” he asked, wondering if they weren’t his half-brothers. He wouldn’t have put it past the old man—just to spite his mother.

 

“My strays. Found ‘em, kept ‘em. Good boys.”

 

The older boy grabbed the harness and the younger one scrambled up to the seat. “Are you Skeeter?” He studied Ben. “You don’t look like no ‘skeeter I ever seen.”

 

Ben held out his hand. “I’m Ben Lawrence.”

 

The little boy jumped on his lap. “I’m Theodore Somethin’ Somethin’, but you can call me Teddy.” He pointed at the other boy. “That there’s Homer Franklin Collingwood. I just about can’t say it in one breath.”

 

Ben chuckled. “Yes, Homer does have quite a sobriquet.”

 

Teddy frowned, then smiled. “Aw, yer joshing with me. Homer ain’t no drunk.” He scooted off Ben’s lap and onto Jake’s. “So where’s Skeeter? You was supposed to bring him back.”

 

Jake patted the little fellow, who couldn’t have been more than five or six, on the back. “Folks change sometimes, Teddy. He went away ‘Skeeter’ and come back ‘Ben.’ That’ll happen to you someday, too. You won’t be ‘Teddy’ no more—you’ll be ‘Ted,’ a fine man’s name for the fine man you’ll be.”

 

Ben hopped down from the seat, smiled, and shook hands with Homer. “You’re a sharp looking boy. Glad to meet you.”

 

“I ain’t no boy,” Homer retorted, scowling. “I’m a cowhand at the Bar EL and the Circle J. Teddy is, too. Jake’s our boss.”

 

Teddy ran beside Homer. “Yeah, we gots jobs and make money and sleep in the Circle J bunkhouse. Don’t want no wimmen, though. Them old fellers, well, they’s always talking about wimmen.” He hawked up a wad and spat, seeming mighty pleased with the six or eight feet it traveled. He grinned, showing his baby teeth. “Can you do that?”

 

Ben swallowed a chuckle, then shook his head and grinned at the boy. “I’ll need some practice, and probably a good teacher. Maybe you can help me later.”

 

The boy puffed out his chest. “Sure enough. Ain’t nobody can spit farther than me. Not even Jake.”

Much Ado About Mavericks available at the Kindle Store 

Jacquie Rogers

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Romancing The West * Blog

♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥

#1 Much Ado About Marshals 

#2 Much Ado About Madams  (FREE July 13!)

#3 Much Ado About Mavericks

A short story: Willow, Wish For Me (Merlin’s Destiny #1)