Harmonica Joe's Wyoming-1910 in the Old West

By Sarah J. McNeal   

Back in 1969, I went on a road trip with my Nebraska friends to most of the northwest.  We saw some gorgeous scenery and met some very fine and friendly folks along the way.  Of all the states we visited, the one I fell in love with at first sight was Wyoming.  The wide-open skies, rolling hills and majestic mountains spoke to my heart.  The people were friendly but they were also people who knew how to keep a secret if asked to and would come to the aid of a friend in trouble, no questions asked.  At least that was my impression of them.  The state motto is “Equality”—and they mean it.  Much to my surprise, Wyoming was the first state in the union to give its women the right to vote.  The spirit of freedom and self-reliance is at the heart of the people who reside in this beautiful state. 

WYOMING RANCH IN WINTER

When I needed to choose a western state for Harmonica Joe’s Reluctant Bride, Wyoming was my immediate choice.  The story of Harmonica Joe’s Reluctant Bride takes place in 1910 when the Industrial Age had just begun to blossom.  Joe Wilding left his home in Virginia to settle into the community of hard working, faithful, mind-your-own-business town folk of Hazard (fictional name), Wyoming.  He had his secrets and heartaches and tried to drown them in liquor and gambling until time folded over and brought Lola into his life as a very unexpected bride.  Joe didn’t have much of a chance at a quiet existence after that.

Harmonica Joe’s Reluctant Bride

Available at Western Trail Blazer Novels

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~*~*~Also available in print~*~*~

Blurb:

A haunted house, a trunk and a date with destiny.

Lola Barton discovers a warp in time in an old trunk when she falls into 1910. She finds herself married to Joseph Wilding, a stranger shadowed by secrets. Mistaken for Callie McGraw, a thief and a woman of ill repute, Lola finds her life is threatened by a scoundrel. Joe stands between her and certain death. With danger threatening all around and secrets keeping them apart, can Joe and Lola find their destiny together?  Or will time and circumstance forever divide them?

Excerpt:

Lola sensed there was a mystery to Joe Wilding, something he was not willing to share with anyone, especially someone he barely knew like her.  Curiosity crept into her veins and spread like wildfire.  Nothing enticed her more than a good mystery. 

Studying his stony features for a moment, Lola guessed that something very sad or very bad had happened to Joe, something she determined to find an answer to.  But for the sake of peace between them, she would let it rest for now.  “What’s that tune you’re playing?  Sounds something like that noise you were making last night.”

“It’s the same tune.  I only know the one.” 

“It sounds like pots clanging together.”  There, she got a good lick in for the insult back in the barn.  His face was unmoved and somehow she felt just a little guilty for saying the smart remark since he seemed in a pensive mood.

“Maybe so,” Joe acknowledged.

“Why do you carry the harmonica with you all the time if you only know one tune?  You don’t even play that one very well.”  A little stab of conscience needled at her chest, but Lola ignored it.  Why was she being so mean spirited toward this man?  He had only hurt her pride some.  She shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it.

He wiped the harmonica on his shirt before he put it back in his pocket.  With a narrow glance toward Lola, he took a deep breath and answered.  “It’s not my harmonica.  It belonged to my brother.  He died.  I killed him.  Now will you just let me have some silence for a while?”  The words seemed to grind up from the bottom of his throat as if he were choking on a bale of tumbleweed.

Places you can find me:

My Website:  http://www.sarahmcneal.com

My Blog Page:  http://www.sarahmcneal.blogspot.com

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Moonlight Romance writers: http://moonlightromanceauthors.blogspot.com/?zx=e8f0512666a5c2c

Sarah’s Provocative Ponderings at Past the Print: http://pasttheprint.blogspot.com/

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