Here's a book on my to-be-read list, a suspenseful, romantic, western historical by Tammy Doherty set around the time of the Civil War. Celtic Knot is the third and final book in her series. Please enjoy the following excerpt and character interview, and if you hop on over to Tammy's own blog (link at the bottom) and leave a comment there, you'll be entered in a drawing for a free copy of the book!
About CELTIC
KNOT by Tammy Doherty
When widow Abby
Finnegan meets ranch hand Kyle Lachapelle, she figures he’s as deceitful as her
family. But Kyle is a Secret Service operative working undercover, and Abby has
a disturbing connection to his counterfeiting case. Abby’s protecting her heart
while Kyle can’t afford the feelings stirring in his. Love is out of the
question…or is it the answer?
Excerpt
“Look, mister,” Boone stood toe
to toe with Kyle, their eyes level with one another. “I’m the law in these here
parts an’ it’s my job to know about newcomers to town. An’ I ain’t partial to
your wiseacre answers.”
“Well, I guess that makes us
even, ‘cause I’m not partial to your lewd, nosy attitude.” Kyle held Boone’s
gaze, as if daring the other man to make something of his answer.
Boone stared back, unblinking. He
wouldn't back down from a stare-off. Most cowpunchers either worked for Raymond
Bigelow or were just passing through Prophecy. Bigelow hands generally knew
their place when it came to Boone Warren. Rambling men were naturally
intimidated by Boone’s large size and the way he carried himself. This man was
quite obviously not intimidated or impressed.
Tension thickened the air as each
man waited for the other to back down. Abby noticed that while Boone’s gun
rested in its customary place at his hip, the stranger was unarmed. If
Lachapelle noted this fact he made no sign that it mattered. And though she
well knew how apt Boone was with his fists, she began to wonder if perhaps this
newcomer might be able to best him in a fight. She wasn’t willing to find out
the answers to any of these questions.
“That’s enough,” she scolded
sharply. “I’ll not have such a show of childish violence in front of my daughter.”
Even the sharpness in her voice
did not break the staring match. Abby frowned and forced herself between the
two men, shoving Boone backwards. He broke eye contact with Lachapelle and
turned his gaze to her.
“I’m ashamed of you, Boone
Warren.” Her voice was quiet, yet forceful. “You really must learn your
manners.”
He dipped his head as if
apologizing, but only to Abby and only for a moment. His anger was barely
veiled as he looked again at Lachapelle. “Make sure you're on your best
behavior when in my town. I don’t tolerate any hooliganism. Understood?”
Character Interview
Today I have
the pleasure of chatting with Millie Finnigan. Millie's mother, Abby Finnigan,
is the heroine of CELTIC KNOT.
Welcome,
Millie. Have a cookie and tell us a little about yourself.
Millie grabs
a cookie but waits to eat it.
Hi, I'm excited to be here today. Let's
see, I'm seven years old and I live with my mother in Prophecy, Colorado."
She takes a bite of cookie, not talking again until she's finished chewing.
"My real name is Millicent but Momma only calls me that when she's cross.
I try not to make her angry 'cause she works real hard and hardly ever smiles.
Momma has a pretty smile but sometimes her eyes seem to look far away and her
face gets sad.
Why do
you think she's sad?
It's
as if she's looking at a photograph in her memory." Millie fidgets with
her dress, dropping her gaze a moment before continuing. "Remembering
Daddy, I think. He died when I was four. That's when we moved back to Prophecy.
Momma says that Daddy called me his little blessing. I don't hardly remember
him. Sometimes that makes me sad.
What
makes you happy?
A smile brightens
Millie's countenance.
Playing with my best friend, Jennifer Stanton. Her
pa is the town preacher an' her folks are real nice. They always treat me like
family. Pastor and Mrs. Stanton worry about Momma an' me, 'cause we don't
always have money for nice things. But Momma takes real good care of me.
Doesn't
your grandfather own the largest ranch around Prophecy? In fact, he owns most
of the town. Why doesn't your mother ask him for help?
Millie
shrugs.
Momma's family isn't very nice. I've never even met my
grandfather. Once, I heard someone say that Raymond Bigelow, that's Momma's
father, is so mean an d contrary he makes Satan look angelic. All's I know is
my uncle Clayton is scary. He says things like teaching the whelp proper respect. That's what he calls me, the whelp.
Millie shudders.
I
don't like him.
I'm
sure your mother stays away from Clayton, then.
We try
but Momma works at the Silver Streak Saloon, as a maid. Uncle Clayton goes
there a lot and he looks for Momma. He likes being mean, an' not just to her. I
can't understand why Boone is friends with him.
Who is
Boone?
He's
our sheriff. Boone's real nice. He always wants to buy me stuff but Momma won't
let him. She says she don't want to be beholden to him." Millie scrunches
her nose. "Not sure what that means. I do know Boone wants to marry Momma.
He might be a nice daddy. Still, I want Momma to be happy. She never smiles for
Boone, least ways, not the kind of smile she gets when Mr. Lachapelle is
around.
Kyle
Lachapelle? When did you meet him?
He
came into the mercantile one morning when Momma was buying supplies an'
things." Millie leans forward to whisper, "He likes lemon candies
just like me." She sits back in the chair, speaking in her normal voice
once more. "An' he stood up to Boone, didn't let anyone push him around.
Later, he walked with Momma and me and he was a real gentleman. I hope he comes
around more, 'cept Momma told him she don't want to be his friend. I hope she
changes her mind.
I sure
hope so, too. Millie, it's been a joy having you here today. Do take one of
those lemon candies from the jar for later. Yes, you may take one for Jennifer
as well. Thank you for visiting.
~ Purchase Links: Amazon
About the
Author
Tammy Doherty lives on a small
farm in central Massachusetts with her husband and two children. A veterinary
technician by training, she works for a veterinary supply distributor as well
as working on the family perennial farm. Tammy is a member of American
Christian Fiction Writers and is a Grace Awards board member. Her three
historical Christian romance novels, Celtic
Cross, Claddaugh and Celtic Knot,
are available in print and as eBooks. Currently she is working on contemporary
romantic suspense. Visit Tammy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TammyDohertyAuthor, or on her blog The Mystique of Naultag http://mystiqueofnaultag.blogspot.com/
Don't forget to drop by Tammy's blog at the link right above
to enter the drawing for a free book!
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