Preview my next book

Happy Father’s Day! I hope you enjoyed a Sunday of rest.

I have been reading (the When Calls the Heart books and the Where Courage Calls books) and writing nearly non-stop since last week and I’m excited to say that I am 2 books down in each series and 13000 words into my book - A Redeeming Love.

I gave you a sneak peek last week of Ch 1 though I did realize after that Miss Miller’s name was Sarah in previous books and not Sally, so I had to make that correction. This week, I have for you Ch 2 so you can find out a little more about Benjamin.

I also went looking for a couple for my cover and boy let me tell you, the pickings are slim. The image above is one from AI Shutterstock and it’s okay, but I really don’t want to have to use an AI image. However, old west couples who aren’t scantily clad are hard to find, so if anyone knows of some place besides Period Images, I would happily check it out.

I’ve been averaging about 2000 words a day which I haven’t done in over a year, so I’m super excited and fairly confident that I’ll have this book finished by summer.

I do need one more thing from all of you. I recently pulled my books out of Kindle Unlimited so that I could offer them wide and at libraries and because KU lowered the price they pay authors again. Last month, it wasn’t so bad, but sales this month have been very low even with the daily videos and images I’m posting on social media, so if you could fill out the poll below, it would really help me know how to best proceed.

Without further ado, here is Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Ben

Benjamin Carter stepped out of the stage coach and smoothed his jacket. It had been a long ride and he was looking forward to cleaning up before meeting with Wyatt Parsons to solidify the deal.

He grabbed his bag from the back of the coach and surveyed the area. The town was smaller than he’d thought from Wyatt’s description. There was a mercantile across the street, its large window displaying fabric and kitchen wares, a cafe on the other corner that he’d have to be sure and visit, and the steeple of a church just visible farther down the street. The other direction held the saloon and a few other various buildings, some that appeared occupied and others with their windows boarded up, a hazard of frontier towns. The clang of a blacksmith’s hammer from somewhere close by joined the clop clop of horses’ hooves as a wagon passed by on the street before him.

Yes, the town was small. Smaller than he’d come from and probably lacking in some of the finer amenities he was used to, but it also had something else.

Potential.

He knew that when the railroad finally made its appearance that the town would grow. Businesses would fill the vacant buildings and more would spring up in the empty places on main street. Families would filter in and settle down causing property rates to rise. Yes, potential wealth was in the air for Sage Creek if it was ready.

His eyes returned to the saloon and a small sigh spilled from his lips. It was definitely not ready at the moment. The building appeared in decent shape, but the outside wood was faded and worn and the sign was nothing more than a shabby board that read Saloon in free-handed black paint.

Well, if a new coat of paint and a decent sign were the largest of his worries, he had nothing to complain about. Unfortunately, he assumed the inside would need a new facelift as well. How much was the question. He crossed the street and pushed open the wooden door.

For a moment, he could see nothing and then his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. The windows were many but clearly in need of a washing as the light they let in was sparse to say the least. And the smell… It was a mix of stale beer, sweat, and cigar smoke. A cough spilled from his lips before he could stop it.

A few men glanced up from the poker game they were playing before dismissing him and returning their gaze to the cards in their hand. Beers and bottles of whiskey sat on the tables. It was barely noon.

“Well, hello there handsome, I haven’t seen you around here.”

Benjamin took an involuntary step back as the buxom blonde approached him. A saloon girl? Wyatt hadn’t mentioned that he ran that kind of establishment.

“Quiet type, are you? That’s okay. We don’t have to talk.” The blonde stepped closer to him.

“Uh no,” Benjamin said, holding up his hand. “I’m not looking for company. Just a place to clean up. Are there rooms to rent upstairs?”

“Well, not for cleaning up,” she said, giving him a knowing wink. “If you want a room to clean up in, you’ll need to go to the Inn. It’s just across the way.”

“Very well then, thank you.” Benjamin took a final look around and then stepped back out the door. There would be changes when he took over. That was for sure. Starting with repurposing the rooms upstairs to be lodging for men and women working in the town and not for … what they were now.

As he stepped into the street once again, movement from the cafe caught his eye. A woman in a bright blue dress placed a pot of flowers on the windowsill of the cafe. She spent a moment arranging them before she was interrupted by another woman approaching the eatery. The two women conversed for a moment and though Benjamin could not hear the conversation, he could tell it was a friendly one from the smiles and gestures. Then the women disappeared into the eatery. It seemed like a warm and friendly place, exactly the kind of place he was hoping to turn the saloon into. He didn’t mind time in the evenings for the men to drink and play some poker, but the saloon could be so much more than it was right now.

He continued across the street to the inn. It was a quaint two story building and though it also looked weathered, he could tell it was well-cared for.

The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies greeted him as he entered the lobby, followed quickly by the smiling face of an older woman behind the counter. He took in the room as he approached her. It had probably once been the living area for it was a large open space with several chairs positioned either around the table or facing the fireplace. A dark green rug complemented the wooden floors and added warmth to the room.

“Are you looking for a room?” the woman asked when he neared. She looked as if she’d led a tough life if the lines on her face and the gray in her hair was any indication, but he could see the kindness in her eyes.

“Yes, please.”

“For how many nights?” She opened a brown ledger book and then picked up a pencil.

He thought for a moment. Though he hated to spend extra money lodging somewhere else, it would have to be done until he could clear out and clean the current rooms at the saloon. “Can we start with a week and extend it if need be?” he asked.

The woman smiled at him. “Of course we can. I’m Martha Davis by the way. My husband Clark and I run this inn.”

“Benjamin Carter. Nice to meet you.”

“What brings you to Sage Creek?” she asked as she wrote his name down in a ledger book.

“Business,” Benjamin said. “I’m purchasing the saloon.”

Martha’s eyes widened in surprise. “Purchasing? I didn’t even know Wyatt was selling.”

Benjamin cocked his head to the side and lifted a brow. “I saw the ad in a Fort Worth paper a few months ago. After several letters, we came to an agreement, but I asked him to keep the sale quiet until the final papers were signed.”

“I see,” Martha said. “May I ask what you plan to do with the saloon?”

“I plan to turn it into a reputable establishment with boarding rooms upstairs and a restaurant downstairs. Tell me, how many rooms do you have here at the inn?”

Martha stiffened and her smile faltered. “You aren’t aiming to put me out of business are you?” she asked with a chuckle, but Benjamin could tell her words betrayed a real fear.

“Absolutely not. With the railroad coming, I’m sure there will be plenty of men needing rooms.”

“Ah yes, the railroad.” At this, she relaxed a little. “We have ten rooms and we serve breakfast every morning for our guests. Here you go. Room one is upstairs on the right.”

Martha handed him a key and Benjamin took it with a smile of gratitude. “Thank you, ma’am.”

He walked up the wooden stairs covered in a handsome green fabric and to his room. It was small but homey. There was a bed and a dresser with a few drawers in the corner. Atop it sat a washbasin, a towel, and a lantern for when the sun set. A few hooks to hang clothing items hung along the wall. Though he would have liked a bath to fully cleanse the dirt from his body, he knew it would be too much work for Martha and he could make do with the short basin and the towel for now.

After cleaning up, Benjamin left his room and headed back over to the saloon. The blonde was nowhere to be seen, so he made his way to the bar to inquire about Mr. Parsons.

“What can I do for you?” the barkeep asked. He was shorter than Benjamin with a balding head and a large black mustache, but his eyes and smile were friendly. If he was amenable and good at his job, Benjamin would ask him to stay on.

“I’m looking for Wyatt Parsons.”

The barkeep lifted a brow but asked no question. “He’s in his office.” He pointed to a hallway at the back of the saloon.

Benjamin nodded and headed that direction. The office was easy enough to find though the door was closed. Benjamin rapped his knuckles on the wood and a moment later the door opened.

The man before him was haggard. His hair hung in clumps that looked as if they’d never seen a brush, his eyes were cold and hard, and a scar stretched across his cheek.

“Wyatt Parsons?” Benjamin asked.

The man narrowed his eyes. “Who’s asking?”

“Benjamin Carter. I believe we have a deal to finalize.”

Wyatt’s gaze softened, or at least became less wary, and he stepped back. “Indeed, Mr. Carter, come on in.”

Benjamin stepped into the office and took in the room. It was of modest size with a desk, a cabinet with drawers, and two chairs though the walls were bare. Wyatt motioned for him to take one of the chairs and then he took the second chair behind the desk.

“Thank you for not sharing the details of the sale to anyone,” Benjamin began.

Wyatt nodded and then leaned back in his chair. “I realize selling it that I don’t get much say, but what are you planning to do with it?”

“Well, update it a little for one,” Benjamin began. “A new coat of paint, a name change with a new sign—”

“But you plan to keep it a saloon,” Wyatt said, cutting him off.

“Yes, but there will be some changes,” Benjamin said, hesitantly. He didn’t know how attached Wyatt was to the saloon, so he needed to choose his words carefully. “The entertaining rooms upstairs will be converted to boarding rooms for one.”

“Boarding rooms?” Wyatt asked. “Whatever for? We have an inn across the street.”

“We do, but it only has ten rooms. We’ll need more than that with the railroad coming.”

Wyatt scratched at the side of his face for a minute as if mulling over this information. “I see, but then where will the girls do their entertaining?”

Benjamin cleared his throat and tugged at his jacket once more. “I’m not planning on having that sort of entertainment in the new establishment. I’m aiming for something more amenable to everyone, including families.”

“Families?” Wyatt laughed out loud. “We don’t get families in here. There’s a church and a cafe for that. We get single men looking for drinks and entertainment.”

“That’s your clientele now,” Benjamin said, “but it doesn’t have to remain that way. I think Sage Creek is ready for something different.”

Wyatt chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think you know what you’re getting into, but I’m glad it will be your head on the platter and not mine.”

For a brief minute, Benjamin wondered if he made a mistake, but this was where he felt God calling him, so he would trust that everything would work out.

END

If you haven’t visited Sage Creek and you’d like to know more about Sarah Miller and Martha and Clark Davis, then be sure to read the previous four books.

And if you’re looking for some great deals on other books, be sure to check out the deals below!

Lorana