Thank you for joining me on my
Blog Tour for my new release, The Lady And The Lawman. I've included a brief
excerpt below. Jennifer
Colorado- 1878
Curled in a ball on the
uncomfortable bench seat of the stage, her arm an awkward pillow against the
jolts and rocking of the stage, Margaret Atwater snoozed fitfully. The heat was
stifling, covering her like a wool blanket in July. Her dress clung to her
sweaty skin, her hair damp and sticking to her brow. She'd undone the top few
buttons at the neck, revealing the full swell of her breasts above her snug
corset. The smallest of adjustment offered a reprieve from the endless warmth
and the strict confines of polite society. Who cared about social mores when it
was almost too hot to breathe, much less be covered head to toe in linen and
cotton?
The leather curtains flapped
noisily with each rock or lumbering sway. Rays of intense sun intermittently
filtered through and burned through her closed lids. She licked her parched
lips, anticipating the next stop on the route like a lost man in a desert
finding an oasis. She must look as poorly as she felt. But she didn't care. She
was safely away from her fiancé's clutches and that was her sole concern.
It was impossible to say exactly
where she was beyond a two days' ride west of St. Louis. She'd lost track in
the tedium of horse hooves and the never-ending sway and dip of the stage. If
she had to guess, she was somewhere in the new state of Colorado.
Deafening shots rang out, rousing
her. “What?” she whispered to herself, clearing her fuzzy head.
A second round of gunfire chipped
pieces of wood out of the panel above her head and the stage lurched forward
with incredible speed.
“Oh no!” she shouted,
instinctively covering her head.
There was no time to panic, or
even think. Chunks of wood flew through the air and landed in her hair, on her
lap. The uncontrollable swaying had her reaching her arms out, one hand hitting
the side of the stage, her fancy East Coast hat toppling off her head.
She spread her legs wide on the
floor to help maintain her balance and grunted in an unladylike fashion as she
held on. If any of her society friends could see her now, they’d probably faint
dead away. Her dress was unbuttoned low enough to expose her ample cleavage the
lace on her corset, her hat was crushed beneath her feet, and tendrils of her
dark hair fell from its pins. Her dress was stained and wrinkled from travel,
and most likely beyond repair.
Through the clamoring leather
flap, she could make out a blur of the endless green prairie. A wheel caught on
what felt like a deep rut and the stage jumped as if it were a feather in the
wind. It fell more like a boulder from a cliff.
Dust kicked up as the stage slid
to a rough stop and she coughed in the thick air. The stage—and Margaret—landed
on its side, the horses unable to drag the heavy load farther. Whoever fired
the gunshots were nearby. She heard their heavy breathing from where she laid,
sprawled in a heap, her skirts around her neck.
Wincing, she rubbed her hip where
she landed on the corner of the seat. Continuing on, she did a quick assessment
of the rest of her body and found only a few sore spots and probably, come
tomorrow, many a bruise. Attempting to get her bearings, she looked up at the
roof, no, the wall of the stage. Carefully but without any ladylike grace, she
pulled herself up to the window to peek out, standing on the other wall and
door, which were now the floor. Her legs, tangled in the mess of skirts and
petticoats, made it extremely difficult.
Two men on horseback waved their
guns and one fired again into the air. Her heart leapt into her throat as she
covered her ears and flinched at the deafening sound. Only a squeak escaped her
throat, a full scream clogged by fear. She was going to die. Alone, standing in
a tipped carriage, a complete mess, shot by bandits or robbers or desperadoes.
She'd never contemplated how she would eventually die, but she always assumed
she'd be old and gray, and not in the middle of nowhere!
On All Romance Ebooks- https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theladyandthelawman-1222712-158.html
Contact Jennifer:
@jenniferzane
Facebook: jenniferzanewriter
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