An Unlikely Marriage is a Montana Sky Kindle Worlds novella that stars characters Torin Quaid and Nola York who played a secondary role in the first story. Laced By Love, is still on sale for 99 cents and is on the best selling western romance list.
BLURB: Helping injured cowboy Torin Quaid drive mustangs north provides a way for vaudevillian Nola York to earn a train ticket east—and get one step closer to her goal of auditioning for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West stage production. The temporary marriage is solely for propriety’s sake. Until disaster strikes, and the two must rely on each other—emotionally and physically—to safely reach Torin’s ranch. Will a marriage of convenience turn into more on a trail drive through Montana Territory?
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EXCERPT:
A coil of rope hung from Banan’s saddle, and Torin fumbled with the ties until they came loose. He glanced around for a flattish rock to use to cut the hank. Darn this bum arm. Tensing, he stomped over to a gray rock that would serve. “If you hold the rope taut, then I can cut off a length from one end.”
She complied and, between the two of them, the eight- or nine-inch piece was cut free.
The length in her raised hand hung like a top-heavy shaft of wheat. “Should I just twist apart the wound coil?”
“Only one ply at a time.” If he had two good hands, he’d be almost done by now. “After each removal, check if it fits in the loop.”
Nola shot him a narrowed-eyed look before she stripped off her gloves and picked at the end of the strand, pulling a strip loose.
Maybe his voice wasn’t as calm as he’d thought. He crossed his right arm under his left to support the wrist.
“Don’t you have a story that goes along with a situation like this?” She stretched a ply away from the remaining length. “When we were in Morgan’s Crossing, you always had lots of stories to share.”
Torin clenched his jaw. Her gentle, precise movements reminded him of how his mother unwrapped a present at her birthday or Christmas. Favoring the strip-and-shred method, he’d never understood slow and savoring. He shifted his boots in the thick grass. Somehow, as Nic’s houseguest, he’d felt like he had to earn his keep by being especially congenial. No better way to make light of his stupid mistake in handling the wild stallion that caused his injury than to make fun of himself. “Nope. Never had to repair a wagon before.”
“Huh.” Her nose crinkled as she concentrated on peeling the rope.
Needing to feel like he contributed to this repair, he dug out the chain loop from his pocket and held it up.
Nola aimed the end toward it, but the strand was too wide. “Aren’t all ranchers supposed to know how to do those types of chores?”
The slander of his profession didn’t sit any better than the sting against his pride. He unclenched his jaw before responding. “Not when several men split duties on a ranch. Each has his own specialty.”
For a moment, her hazel eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. Returning her concentration to her task, she went silent.
Being terse toward your new bride on the first full day of your marriage was probably not the wisest act. Torin slipped his good hand into his back pocket and walked a few paces away, tipping up his head to study the wintery sky. Grayish-white clouds bunched together like tufts of cotton formed a puffy bank toward the north. He needed to keep an eye out in case they grew any darker.
AMAZON buy link: https://amzn.com/B01J4R636Y