Release Day

 

 A marker is called in.

 

 

Brandon comes home from a trail drive to find his wife on her way to Mexico to help the mission folk that took her in. Putting herself in danger. Crossing perilous terrain, where not only the weather kills, but Comancheros and bandoleros as well. He climbs back into the saddle and heads out after her. Both of them now embarked on separate journeys that involves killers, flooded arroyos and narrow divides where one misstep means a plunge to certain death. And, if that’s not enough to challenge them, at journey’s end they’ll face the most dangerous situation of all.

“This book contains plenty of grit and gunfire, but no graphic violence or explicit scenes.”

Excerpt: 

July, 1874

 

The sun hit a blood-red horizon and shot upward in a crown of tangerine brilliance, hurting the eyes, lighting the trail from the top of the canyon to the ranch house like a beacon thrown across the sea.

The early July morning a warm one.

Dust rose as a horse trotted up. Jonas, a young cowhand, reined in his sorrel gelding beside the woman who stood on the veranda. “Rider coming.”

“Is it Brandon?” Hand over her eyes, Alexandria O’Malley Wade strained to make out the narrow trail at the top of the foothill that her husband and their men would come galloping over when they returned from the trail drive. Her tan split-skirt rustled as she leaned against the smooth white-painted railing, trying to get a better view.

Jonas pushed up in his stirrups. Worn leather boots peeping from canvas chaps. “Can’t tell.”

The speck at the top of the canyon grew as it came tumbling down the trail. Her heart thumped and her breath lodged in her throat. Her fingers tingled, her excitement rose.

The speck shifted into a rider.

Anticipation heightened.

Then shriveled. It wasn’t her husband.

The horse was a pinto not the big roan Brandon rode. And even from this distance, she’d know her husband with every fiber of her being.

She heaved a deep breath and waited.

As the rider trotted closer, she slid her hand to the worn wooden handle of her 4.75-inch barrel, single-action, six-cylinder Peacemaker.

Jonas did the same.

She frowned. The pinto looked familiar, but it wasn’t one of theirs.  And instead of a cowboy hat and chaps, the rider wore a sombrero along with a brightly-colored poncho.

Spying her, he yanked the sombrero off his head and waved it.

She recognized the rider and the horse at the same time. Her breath caught then whished out on a mile-wide smile.

“It’s okay, Jonas. I know him.”

Now sure there was no trouble brewing, he nodded, raised his hand to the approaching rider, and putting heels to his horse’s ribs, galloped off.

“Manuel.” She jumped off the porch and ran toward the boy who’d went in search of Brandon when she’d holed up at the mission awaiting the birth of the twins.

He leaped off his horse and grabbed her in a bearhug.

The term boy no longer applied. He was muscled and lean. A man.  A young man, but still a man.

“What are you doing here? Is your family well? Sisters Sarah and Marie? Father Jon?” The questions tumbled over each other.

The smile on his face fell away.

Something was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. Stomach knotting, she took a step back and waited, dread seeping through her pores.

 

What people are saying: 

"Silverhills Rescue (2026) is another Sandra Cox Classic Western filled with action, intrigue, great characters, and excitement." Jacqui Murray, author 

"This well-written  western was hard to put down and I highly recommend it." D.L. Finn, author

“Silverhills’ Rescue is Sandra Cox at her best.” D.K. Deters, author

 

Book 3 of the Silverhills' Saga available at Amazon 

 

Reindeer Facts and Mythology

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Reindeer originally came from Europe and Asia, not the North Pole. The first reindeer in North America were brought over by Icelandic settlers around a thousand years ago, settling in Canada. They were also successfully introduced to Alaska.

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are a member of the deer family, which also includes elk, moose, and caribou. Unlike their cousins the white-tailed deer and mule deer, both males and females grow antlers, the only deer in which this is true. The woody part of the antlers is called “velvet” and is covered in tiny blood vessels. These vessels help to supply nutrients to the growing antler. Once the antlers are fully grown, the velvet dies and is shed. Antlers are typically larger on males.

Reindeer is the European name and is an adapatation of an Old Norse word knowns as hreindyri. The word dyr means animal and hreinn references a horned animal. The horns found on both male and female reindeer are important features to the survival of the animal.

Reindeer have gold eyes in the summer and blue in winter, and they can see light within the ultraviolet range. This helps their survival in the Arctic as many objects blend into the snowy landscape. It also improves their vision during continuous darkness and helps spot predators.

Reindeer are the only deer species to have hair completely covering their nose. Their specialized nose helps to warm incoming cold air before it enters their lungs, and it's also an excellent sniffer. Their good sense of smell helps them find food hidden under snow, locate danger, and recognize direction.

The first mention of Santa’s reindeer is in the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. He lists Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Rudolph wasn’t added until 1939.

Since rutting season is in September and October, the males have lost weight and are exhausted by Decemeber so their antlers fall off to save energy during the hard winter months, meaning Santa’s reindeer are all female.

Reindeer symbolize wisdom, resourcefulness, and cleverness.

If you love reindeer, don’t miss Kristy’s Christmas novella, A Mirthful Wish, along with a prequel short story, The Reindeer That Got Away. Enjoy the holidays with these tales of small-town magic and romance.

A Mirthful Wish by Kristy McCaffrey

The Thatcher-Adler feud goes back generations. Despite this, Ellie Thatcher befriended Liam Adler when she was a girl. She even managed to get a job at the Adler Reindeer Farm while in high school, the very farm that had once belonged to her family. Now, with college and a stint working overseas behind her, she’s returning home to Reindeer Pass to open a photography studio. But the feud has been reignited, and Ellie and Liam are about to get dragged into the middle of it.

Liam Adler has returned to the Colorado town where he grew up to take over the family business after the sudden death of his father. It wasn’t the life path he’d planned, and now he must convince old Eustace Hapgood to sell his land to the Adlers and not the Thatchers. And his opponent is none other than Ellie Thatcher—no longer the sweet and funny little girl he remembers, but all grown-up and strikingly beautiful.

Years ago, Eustace told a young Ellie and Liam about the Legend of Reindeer Pass, where a rare Arctic reindeer herd is rumored to have lived since the first Thatcher and Adler men settled in the valley in the 1800’s. When Ellie and Liam appear before the old man, Eustace tells them he will sell to the first to see the Vaadin, the largest of the elusive female reindeer. But there is more to the legend … only the pure of heart are presented with such a gift. And to a special few, true love is granted.

An excerpt from A Mirthful Wish

Without warning, Ellie kissed Liam, bold and hungry. Wrapping his arms around her, he shifted her out of sight. There was nothing soft and chaste about them finally coming together, the contact escalating quickly to a heat level he was unprepared for.

He’d anticipated this going differently—slower and more private—but nothing with Ellie ever seemed to go to plan.

Ellie broke contact first, her breath fast and hot against his lips. A lingering taste of marinara sauce and sexy Ellie remained.

He didn’t know what to say.

“There was mistletoe,” she whispered, looking as stunned as he felt.

Her eyes flicked upward. A green sprig hung from a hook above their table.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, then left him standing alone in the nook, too shocked to speak, a cold wave engulfing him after the loss of her heat.

Liam scrubbed a hand down his face, waiting for his heartbeat to slow to a reasonable rate.

When Ryan joined him, his brother frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’ve underestimated Ellie Thatcher.”

Learn more about A Mirthful Wish

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