Five Facts about The Hitching Post Hotel Series
1. The series came about because I love writing books where the hero and heroine are matched by someone else—whether they choose to be or not!
2. I wanted someone a little different for the role of matchmaker, which is how seventy-something Grandpa Jed was “born.”
3. Jed Garland knows all of the potential grooms very well, as he trained every hero in this series to work on his ranch when they were still teenagers.
4. At the beginning of the series, each of the three heroines has a big reason for NOT wanting to be involved in reviving the Hitching Post as a wedding hotel. Of course, that only makes things worse when they learn about Grandpa Jed’s plan!
5. The hotel in the series is loosely based on an old house in the town my family visited every summer. Because I’ve never been inside the house, I had the fun of making the Hitching Post whatever I wanted it to be.
Excerpt:
As a shadow fell across the open doorway of the barn, Pete took one look, lowered the pitchfork he was holding, and set it against the wall outside the stall. Frowning, he stared at the woman who stepped into his domain.
Technically, he didn’t own anything on the ranch. Still, even the thought of this particular granddaughter of Jed’s coming near the barn left him feeling possessive. Old habits might die hard, but old memories never left you.
He’d heard from Cole that Jane had arrived at the Hitching Post the night before.
Feet planted wide, he rested his hands on his hips. “Can I help you?” He hoped not. In fact, since his conversation with Jed a couple of days ago, he’d kept his fingers crossed that the boss would change his mind about having him babysit Jane.
From a strap around her neck hung a camera that probably cost more than he spent in a year on clothing for him and the kids. Without answering, she raised the camera and aimed it at him, making him feel like a bug under a microscope. Before he could react, she had fired off a couple of shots.
He raised a brow. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you can stop doing it right now.”
“Just testing the lighting in case I want a few promo shots.”
“You reckon newlyweds will care about the inside of a barn?”
“Atmosphere,” she said shortly, turning to click off a series of photos down the length of the stalls.
Silently, he watched her. Over the years he’d avoided coming in contact with her, his long-distance eyesight must have begun to fail. He hadn’t realized she looked this good close-up. Tall and slim, she had pale, perfect skin he wouldn’t dare touch with his workman’s hands and straight black hair that glistened in the light, tempting him to run his fingers through it.
Every time he’d seen her, she was dressed head-to-foot in black, and now was no exception. He didn’t get why anyone would feel an attraction for the color, a stark reminder to him of funerals and the day they’d laid his mama to rest. But he managed to look beyond Jane’s taste in clothes long enough to check her out.
Today she wore a pair of jeans topped by a loose T-shirt. The only color on her—if you could call it that—came from the cold strands of the silver necklace dangling almost to her waist. She looked as out of place in here as he’d have looked at an opera house.
When she focused on the final stall in the row, old Daffodil stuck her head through the open door. Swaybacked, bowlegged, and cantankerous when she chose to go that route, the mare lived out her days in comfort thanks to Jed, with Pete’s assistance.
Jane gave a throaty chuckle that yanked his attention back to her. The sound seemed to echo in the cavernous barn…and to rattle something deep inside him.
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