The Secrets Of A Broken Heart (Preview)

Chapter One

As the stagecoach rumbled along the uneven, rocky dirt road, the young woman seated on the right side of the rear-facing bench began feeling increasingly like she was going to be sick. She had never been the hardiest traveller, but this trip had tested her stomach to its limit. The train ride from Boston to Aspen, Colorado was long, overfilled with people and very warm. The toasty mid-June sun had streamed through the compartment windows the whole ride, which the young woman hadn’t been prepared for. She’d worn her best outfit- a dark green skirt and blouse that had small white flowers embroidered throughout- as she wanted to look her best when she arrived. However, about ten minutes into the ride, she thoroughly regretted the long sleeves and petticoat she had chosen to wear beneath her skirt to add fullness.

Another thing that she had not prepared for was the stench that emitted from a few of the men aboard the train. In particular, the man who was seated across from her smelled roughly like one of her father’s pigs who had rolled in something it shouldn’t have and then lay in the sun for the rest of the day. The combination of the retch-worthy smell, the close quarters on the train and the heat made Miss Erin Cassidy want to pass out.

She’d hoped when she’d transferred from the train to the stagecoach in Aspen that she might be afforded a private ride the rest of the way, but she had no such luck. She took her eyes off of the countryside rolling past the window just long enough to catch a glimpse of the other two riders. One was a older woman with silvery blonde hair that was tied up in a loose bun atop her head. Erin couldn’t fully see her face, but from the small portion that she could see, the woman looked quite worried about something. She thought she might strike up a conversation with her in a few minutes to see if she could do anything to help her.

The other rider was a gentleman who didn’t look too dissimilar to Erin. The twenty-five year old woman was medium height, around five foot five inches. She’d always wished to be a tall, elegant and thin lady who all the gentlemen fawned over. But as she grew up, Erin discovered that she was never destined to be all that tall or all that thin. She was quite pretty, even though she never believed it when anyone told her that, and had long, wavy red hair that was a perfect contrast to her emerald green eyes.

The gentleman was slightly taller than Erin and had hair that looked like it had the potential to be pleasant reddish brown curls. However, in its current state, the man’s hair more closely resembled a rat’s nest of matted strands. His eyes were slightly sunken into his face, making him look much older than the twenty-seven that Erin knew that he was. He also had a very scruffy beard that made him look like he hadn’t seen a bath for months. 

When the man looked up from staring into the palms of his hands as he had been, their eyes met. Erin knew that she could not be demonstrative in her encouraging look, but she tried her very best. The man looked earnestly at her and returned the encouragement with the smallest of smiles. He knew just as well as she did that they couldn’t signal they knew each other for both of their safety, but the small, shared moment was certainly a special one. 

The stagecoach went over an especially big rock and jostled everyone inside. The older woman let out a small yelp while Erin’s stomach did a somersault. She was so worried that she was going to toss the contents of her stomach all over her beautiful dress that she forced herself to look out the window again. She knew that if she could concentrate on the horizon for just a minute, she would start to feel a little better. She focused her eyes on the distant line and took in a few deep breaths, trying to pretend that she wasn’t shoved in this cramped, hot carriage. 

Instead, she pretended she was back home in Boston. Her hometown no longer held too many happy memories, unfortunately, but there were still a few places that she liked to picture in her mind’s eye. She closed her eyes presently and commanded those locations to be conjured up.

First, she pictured the pasture behind her house. It was big, green, and filled with the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen. She’d passed many peaceful afternoons picking them and hanging them upside down above her bed to dry them. When they were dried, she set them up in a vase on her dresser that was already full to overflowing. Seeing the delicate vase filled with such delicate, eternal beauty brought her so much happiness.

The loveliness of the flowers and the time and care that Erin had put into collecting them made it even more heartbreaking when the vase was shattered and each perfect petal was stamped on. That intrusive thought invaded her consciousness presently. Erin was momentarily forced to remember the dismay she had felt when Edward pressed the tip of his boot into the collection of flowers and swivelled his foot back and forth on top of them, like he was squishing a troublesome bug.

“That freak picked these for you, didn’t he?” Erin remembered Edward shouting at her.

“No, I picked those, and don’t call him that!” She’d screamed back at him, pushing his boot off of the flowers in an attempt to salvage them. She scrambled to pick up the shattered pieces of the vase as well, as the pink and white glass vessel had been given to her by her late grandmother. But Edward wouldn’t let her. He grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him.

“Your parents disowned him for a reason,” Edward snarled at her. Erin remembered wondering how it could be possible for a man who she had thought was so loving and kind to now look this vicious and cruel. “That boy has the devil in him, and now that you’ve kept visiting him, you’re welcoming Satan into you, too!”

Edward’s words echoed in her mind like a gunshot down a mineshaft. She shook her head in the present, trying to physically rid herself of the memory of her atrocious fiancée. She forced her eyes open and made herself think of the wonderful times that were awaiting her in Dry Creek. She took a few more deep breaths and tried to focus on that.

That’s in the past. It can’t hurt you anymore. You’re going to Dry Creek to have a fresh start with a lovely-sounding new man. What was his name again? Sam. Sam… McKay? No, that’s not right. McKinley! Sam McKinley. You have to do better than that, Erin. You’re getting married to the man today!

Erin allowed herself a small giggle as she remembered that fact. She had applied to be a mail-order bride a few weeks ago, and almost immediately, she’d been matched up with this Sam McKinley. She’d never heard of Dry Creek before, but coming here offered her a chance at a fresh start. And besides, Sam didn’t sound like too bad of a fellow. In fact, quite the opposite.

The stagecoach went over another rut in the road, causing its passengers to be jostled once more. This time, however, the older woman across from Erin gasped louder and clutched her chest. 

“Are you all right?” Erin gently asked her, reaching her hand out. The older woman looked up at her, seemingly surprised that she was talking to her. 

 “Yes, yes, I’m… I’m just fine, thank you dear,” the woman said, patting her chest and smoothing out her hair with her other hand. “I just get a little… anxious on these long rides, but no bother.”

“Are you sure?” Erin prompted her, placing both of her hands back in her lap and clasping them together. “I’m an awfully good listener if there is anything you would like to get off your mind.”

The older woman chuckled and patted Erin’s knee. “You’re very kind, thank you. I haven’t travelled by myself from Aspen to Dry Creek in many years, which in one of the reasons why I’m a little shaky. I’m very used to having my husband or my son with me. But I lost my son in the war and my husband to a heart attack two years ago, so I thought it was high time for me to take this journey myself.”

“That’s very brave of you,” Erin said softly, “and I’m so sorry for your loss.”

The old woman smiled kindly at her. “Thank you my dear. I’ve become rather accustomed to loss, but it doesn’t make the sting of it any duller. I’m grateful that I still have my daughter, son-in-law and my little grandson, Henry. That’s who I’m coming back from visiting.”

“Isn’t that lovely,” Erin said genuinely, returning the woman’s smile. “I don’t want to prod you, but you said that was one of the reasons why you were concerned. Is there another?”

The woman’s look of happiness at the memory of her family slowly faded and was replaced by a stormy look. “Yes, unfortunately. I can tell that you’re not from around here, so you probably don’t know… Not too long ago, the Ute raided a cattle drive, took all the cattle and killed a man. I’m just a little frightened of anything like that happening to our stagecoach.”

Erin’s eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head to the side. “The Ute? What is that?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, of course you don’t know,” the woman responded. “The Ute are the Native American tribe that live in these parts. There have been conflicts between them and us settlers for years; they see Aspen as an imposition on their land. We’re relatively safe in Dry Creek, but still… I always get nervous when we go through this pass.”

Erin nodded thoughtfully to what the woman was saying. She hadn’t even considered the dangers of travelling through areas of the United States that she had not been to before. However, she had faith that nothing bad would befall them today, and so she decided to reassure the older woman.

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Erin said encouragingly. “We haven’t any cattle with us and if they try to rob us of anything else, I’m afraid all they’re going to find in my luggage are homemade dresses and an embarrassing number of books.”

Both ladies giggled and the older woman seemed slightly less anxious. Erin thought this would be a good opportunity to engage the man sitting beside the older woman in conversation without arousing any suspicion. She looked over at him, but he was looking out the window now.

“Excuse me, sir?” Erin called to him. The man turned his head about sharply and looked at her, wide-eyed. 

“Y-yes?” he said shakily, and Erin tried to calm him down with the expression on her face. 

“What do you think about all of this?” she asked him as casually as she could. “Do you think we have anything to worry about in regard to the Utes?”

The man looked at the older woman, who was now looking up at him, and then he looked away very quickly. He then looked about the cabin in a panicked manner, as if he did not know where to focus his gaze. 

“I-I am very sorry, I’m afraid that I wasn’t… I wasn’t…” the man stammered, and then all of a sudden he stopped glancing around and focused intently on Erin’s face. When their eyes met, Erin saw the man’s eyes unfocus and his jaw slackened. Her heart began beating faster- she knew what was happening to the man, but she couldn’t do anything to help him without alerting the older woman to the fact that they were acquainted. All Erin could do was keep her eyes trained on him so that when he came out of it, the first person he would see was her. 

After a moment, his vacant look passed, and the focus in his eyes returned. He was now sweating rather profusely, and he quickly picked up his handkerchief to mop his brow. Erin desperately wanted to reach out her hand to him to comfort him, but she knew that she couldn’t. Instead, she decided to change the subject.

“Isn’t this lovely weather we’ve been having?” she asked the older woman, trying to steer the focus from the man back onto her. “It always makes me so happy when the early summer arrives, and it seems we’ve been having the most beautiful season in years!”

The older woman kept glancing worriedly at the man beside her, but eventually she focused on Erin. “Yes, you’re absolutely right! It is such a comfort when the warm weather returns, it never fails to brighten my mood.”

Erin and the older woman proceeded to engage in idle conversation until the stagecoach rolled into the centre of Dry Creek. All the while, however, Erin kept glancing up at the man to see how he was doing. Within a few minutes of his absence seizure, the man was looking far better. When he quickly flicked his eyes to look at Erin at one point, she tried to communicate a message to him.

You’re all right, Michael. You won’t ever have to worry about anyone turning their back on you again. You’re safe with me.

Chapter Two

As Erin waited her turn to dismount from the stagecoach, the nerves finally set in. She was just about to meet the man she was to marry, and although she was a little bit excited, she was mostly just anxious. She worried what he would truly be like, if he would be kind to her, and in a moment of weakness, Erin wondered if he would be attractive. 

You silly girl. That does not matter. As long as he is in possession of a good, kind heart, you shall be happy.

Erin did her best to remember that as she ducked her head to get through the door of the coach and came out into the blinding sun. For a moment she couldn’t see anything and had to put her hand up over her eyes. When she had finally blinked enough and her eyes had adjusted to the light, she was able to finally look around.

What she saw in front of her was a very quaint main street. All of the buildings looked like they had been constructed with a great deal of care and with the overall look of the town in mind. As she looked to the right, she could spot a general store, a bank, a dress maker’s shop and farming supply company. Each building except for the farming supply had been constructed out of a reddish brown brick and had welcoming signs out front. To her left, there was the courthouse, apothecary and a tavern with rooms for rent above it. Erin was very relieved to see how pleasant it looked; she didn’t want Mike to have to stay anywhere unpleasant. 

Speaking of Mike, he was already headed off in the direction of the tavern. Erin wanted to call out to him, to tell him that she would be by to visit him the next night. Thankfully, Mike seemed to be able to sense his sister’s desire to say goodbye. He turned around, nodded his head to her and gave her the smallest smile, and then he was gone.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Cassidy?” came a voice from her right. Erin turned to look and see who was talking to her and was greeted with a friendly-looking preacher. He had thinning hair on the top of his head and wore spectacles that made his eyes look much larger than they were. Erin gave him a warm smile.

“I most certainly am,” she said happily, curtseying to him. “Miss Erin Cassidy, at your service.”

The preacher laughed. “Actually, I believe I am just about to perform your service! I’m Father Donovan, allow me to introduce your soon-to-be husband, Sam McKinley.”

Erin hadn’t even noticed the gentleman standing just behind the preacher. She had thought that he was just a part of the crowd, but when she looked at him now, she could tell that he most certainly was not.

Sam was a very tall man, around six foot one inch. Standing in front of him, Erin suddenly felt very small. He was far more attractive than she’d thought he might have been- he had deep hazel eyes that made the rest of his face look very warm. His hair was dirty blonde, but not scruffy-looking; he currently had it brushed back and away from his face except for a few devious strands that were blowing in his eyes. He had a stately nose and lips that were neither too full nor too thin- Erin had to admit that they looked quite kissable indeed. He had quite obviously shaved for the occasion, but a slight stubble still danced across the bottom of his chin. It was also quite evident that Sam was a hardworking rancher from his tanned skin and his muscular arms.

Erin wasn’t sure what the expression was on her face when she first looked at Sam, but she didn’t much worry because she couldn’t read his look either. Sam looked both shy and contented, but there was also something else mixed in there. She hoped that the expression also contained pleasure at seeing what she looked like, but then she remembered what a shallow sentiment that was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cassidy,” Sam said, giving her a small bow as he said it. He had a lovely voice. It sounded to Erin like the low rumble of thunder across an open plain after an unbearably hot day. That rumble always signified a welcomed release of rain, and so hearing the tone in Sam’s voice put her initial concerns about meeting him to rest. 

“You as well, Mr. McKinley,” Erin said, curtseying once more. 

“Please, call me Sam,” he said quite quickly with a small grin on his face. “Mr. McKinley is what everyone in town called my father.”

“I have the same request for you, then,” Erin replied. “Erin is just fine with me.”

Sam gave her a small nod and then offered her his arm. “Might I accompany you to the chapel, Miss- I mean, Erin?”

Erin giggled a little. It felt so strange to have only just met this man and now she was expected to go off and spend the rest of her life with him. However, she liked the way he talked to her, and Erin knew that nothing between them had to move too quickly. Her mother and father’s marriage had been arranged as well, and theirs was a love for the ages, so Erin had hope that love would develop over time.

“That would be lovely,” she said, looping her hand around his arm. They took a few steps and then Erin stopped them. “Oh! My bags!”

“Not to worry, Miss Cassidy,” Father Donovan said. “Sam has already arranged for one of his farm hands, Walter, to pick those up and take them back to the house for you.”

Father Donovan gestured behind them and Erin turned around to see a young man who couldn’t have been older than fifteen or sixteen struggling to hoist her bags onto the back of a horse. Erin wanted to run and help the boy, whose arms and legs were as skinny as twigs, but he seemed entirely determined to do the job himself. When he’d gotten the final carpet bag attached to the horse, he looked back in the direction of Erin, Sam and the preacher. He saw Erin looking at him so he gave her a big wave.

“Don’t worry Miss Cassidy!” he called loudly and energetically. “I’ll take good care of your things! They’ll be waiting for you in the house when you get there.”

Right then, one of the bags fell off of the horse and thumped to the ground. Walter looked at it, obviously annoyed, but immediately went and put it right back onto the horse. Then, he turned around to them again.

“See? No problem!” he called. Erin had to chuckle a little. She had a soft spot in her heart for young, gangly adolescent boys because they reminded her so much of Michael when he was younger. She hoped that she and Walter would become friends as she came to live at the house.

Erin turned back around in the direction that they had been going and looked up at Sam. 

“You seem to have an excellent helper in that young man,” she said happily as they began walking towards the church. 

Sam laughed. “He tries hard and I’ve never seen him give up on a single task I’ve given him. He can be a thorn in my side by times, but I can’t help but like the kid. He’s the son of a neighbour of mine. His parents passed away when he was small, so now he lives with his grandmother. I’m keeping him on as a farm hand so that he can hopefully start his own one day.”

A bit of fondness for this tall, burly rancher began to develop in Erin’s heart. “That’s awfully kind of you. I’m sure he appreciates the opportunity.”

Sam chuckled and shook his head. “Sure does. If that kid thanks me for anything else in the next month, I’m going to hang him out to dry by his suspenders.”

Erin joined in on the laughter, and then a comfortable silence fell between the couple. As they walked towards the church, Erin thought about how strange it felt to be walking towards her wedding ceremony right now. It certainly didn’t feel like she was. She had thought that her wedding day would be far more of a celebration with plenty of friends and family present. But her parents had practically disowned her, as had the rest of her friends and ex-fiancé in Boston, so she supposed she should have known it would be like this. Still, she would have very much enjoyed having at least Michael attend their wedding, but she knew that wasn’t possible. 

When they arrived in front of the church, Erin was once again surprised by how beautiful the building was. It looked almost like it belonged in a quaint town in England because it was so small and beautiful. The outside was all white and it had a big wooden cross over the door. There were plenty of plants and flowers growing in the garden just outside. Erin wished that she could stop to pick a bouquet so that she would have something to carry down the aisle, but she felt silly asking to stop and do that.

Just as they were about to ascend the stairs, the front doors opened and a young woman and a middle-aged man came out front. The woman was also dressed in what appeared to be her finest dress, and the man seemed to have attempted to dress nicely. He wore a pair of faded black wool trousers that were about two sizes too big for him and a jacket that looked like it had been taken out of the local lost and found. However, they both wore big smiles on their faces and when they saw the trio at the bottom of the stairs, they quickly came to greet them.

“Hello, you must be Miss Cassidy!” the woman said warmly, opening her arms to Erin and embracing her without hesitation. “I’m Anna Scoggins, a friend of Sam’s. It’s so lovely to meet you, I’m so happy that you and Sam are getting married today!”

Erin was quite surprised by this sudden show of affection, but it was greatly appreciated. She eventually embraced Anna back and then the two pulled apart from each other.

“Thank you so much,” Erin said gratefully. “Yes, I’m Miss Cassidy… but not for much longer I suppose.”

Both women laughed and then Anna looked at the bouquet that she was holding. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, how silly of me. Here, these are for you. I picked them from my garden because I thought every bride should have a bouquet to hold while walking down the aisle!” she said cheerily, offering the flowers to Erin. As Erin looked at them, she saw just how beautiful they were. It was a collection of irises, daffodils and tulips- the perfect spring/ early summer bouquet.

“Oh my goodness,” Erin said, overwhelmed by the kindness of the gesture, “t-thank you! I… I was just thinking how… how lovely it would be to… to…”

But Erin couldn’t finish her sentence because she was starting to cry. Thankfully, Anna saw the tears in her eyes and pulled her in for another gentle hug. 

“Don’t you start that now, sweetheart,” she said kindly. “You save those tears of joy for when you’re standing up at the altar!”

Erin let out a gasping laugh, and then was able to get herself back under control. She looked over to the other man who had come out with Anna. He was talking with Sam, but when he felt her eyes on him, he came over to greet her. 

“Nice to meet you, Miss Erin,” the man said. His voice didn’t match his exterior appearance- although he looked very gruff and unkempt, his tone was very gentle and soft. “I’m Jake, Jake Sorenson, I own the tavern in town. Sam and I are good friends, which is why he asked me to be one of the witnesses to your wedding today. Congratulations, by the way.”

Erin gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you very much, Mr. Sorenson, it’s lovely to meet you as well. Yes, of course, I did forget about witnesses entirely! Thank you for being here today.”

Jake gave her a curt nod and a smile, and then he turned to Sam. “Well, are we going to do this hitching or do I have to open up the tavern even later today?”

Everyone laughed and Sam turned to Erin.

“Are you ready, Erin?” he asked, and the sound of his voice made Erin feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Yes, I believe I am, thank you Sam,” she replied happily. She took his arm with one hand and held her bouquet in the other, and then the pair walked into the church together.

The ceremony took not but ten minutes, and as Erin gazed into the eyes of the man who was to become her husband, she felt surprisingly calm. She was worried that she would have a last-minute panic and might try to run away but she never once felt like she was making the wrong decision. She was very happy to have been introduced to a man like Sam, and she was very much looking forward to getting to know him better.

When it was time to exchange rings, Erin took out the simple silver band that she had been able to buy with what little money she had left from her parents. She was concerned that Sam might be disappointed by it, but as she slipped it on his finger, Sam looked completely satisfied. It looked quite at home on his ring finger. When he pulled out the ring that was to go on her finger, however, it took Erin’s breath away. It was a beautiful gold band with what looked to be a diamond in the middle. On one side of the diamond was a greenish stone and on the other was an amber stone. As Sam put it on Erin’s finger, she was so surprised by its beauty that she hardly heard him saying his vows. 

And then came the moment that Erin had been the most worried for: the first kiss. Father Donovan finished what he had to say in the ceremony and then looked at both Sam and Erin. 

“It is my great honour to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” Father Donovan said. Erin’s heart began racing faster as she turned to look at her husband. Sam looked just as nervous as she was, and she could also tell that by his suddenly moist palms. However, the nerves were quickly swept away as Sam leaned in, paused momentarily, and then pressed his lips against Erin’s.

As soon as their lips touched, Erin felt like she had been struck by lightning. She had never been kissed before, of course, and so she was finally able to understand a bit of how the characters in the books that she had read felt. She brought her free hand up to Sam’s face and gently placed it upon his cheek as they kissed. When Sam finally drew his lips away, Erin was left feeling like she had been hit by a runaway train… in a good way, however!

Immediately, Anna and Jake started clapping and Erin couldn’t stop smiling. She and Sam thanked Father Donovan profusely and then walked hand-in-hand down the aisle. When they got outside, Anna quickly ran in front of them and began tossing flower petals over them. Everyone laughed, and Erin couldn’t have felt more at home or happy in her new town with her new husband. 

“Well, now that the formality is done with,” Jake said, rubbing his hands together hungrily, “now the real fun can begin! Come on, we’ve got the bunch waiting for you at the tavern.”

“Sorry, what?” Erin asked quickly, looking to Sam. “I thought that we were just having the ceremony and then returning to your home.”

The corner of Sam’s mouth turned upwards. “I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a reception of sorts at the tavern. Figured it’d be a nice way to introduce you to everyone but, you know, also celebrate…us. But if you’d rather just go back to the house, that’s fine. You had a long trip.”

Erin had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from smiling too widely. It was such a sweet gesture; one that she hadn’t been expecting at all. She was absolutely exhausted and so a part of her did just want to get to her new home and have a rest, but she knew that wouldn’t be very kind. And so, Erin gave Sam’s upper arm a squeeze and replied to him.

“That would be lovely, thank you for thinking of that,” she said quietly. She was still having a very hard time reading Sam as he seemed rather reserved, but she could already tell that he was her kind of man. What she meant by that exactly, she couldn’t put her finger on. But it was a good feeling and she certainly didn’t want to lose it.

The four of them walked to the saloon together with Sam spending much of his time talking with Jake, while Anna and Erin got to know each other a little better. Erin was so relieved to have found a young woman who thought so similarly to her and enjoyed many of the same things, it turned out. One of her main concerns, besides what her husband would be like, was if she was going to be able to make friends in her new town. Thankfully, however, this didn’t seem like it was going to be an issue. 

When they got to the tavern, there was quite a crowd waiting outside. When all of the well-wishers saw the couple approaching the building, they began cheering and hollering. Erin could feel her cheeks going red, and she looked up at Sam to see his reaction. She was very surprised to see that he was already looking at her, and when their eyes met, they both quickly looked away. Erin’s heart started beating a little faster, but she didn’t let herself get too carried away. Although she had just married this man, she hardly knew him at all. She wanted to take things slowly, and she wouldn’t let her heart get in the way of that.

Jake unlocked the tavern and within moments the big crowd from outside had flooded inside. Erin felt a little overwhelmed seeing all of the new faces but she knew she would get to know them all well in time. Everyone who came over to offer congratulations was so friendly and nice that Erin was utterly thrilled. No stranger had ever been this kind to her in Boston, so she was very happy with this development. 

Sam stayed close to her the whole time, but there was very little space for them to talk. People kept coming up to them, congratulating them and introducing themselves to Erin. At one point, a man who had introduced himself as Mayor Daniel Edwards came up to Erin holding a glass of brown liquid that he appeared to be having a bit of difficulty keeping inside the glass.

“Here, Miss Erin,” the mayor said, putting the glass right into her hand, “or should I say Mrs. McKinley! Nothing like a good glass of sarsaparilla to quench the thirst after a long day.”

Erin took the glass and looked at it hesitantly. “Sarsaparilla, you said? That’s very kind of you, Mayor Edwards, but I’m not much of a drinker.”

The mayor’s brow immediately furrowed and he put a hand on his hip. “You’re not much of a… Oh, you think this is alcohol! No, no, it’s got no alcohol in it. It’s more of a…. well, I can’t explain it. But it’s got a mighty nice taste to it!”

“All right then,” Erin said warmly, bringing the glass up to her lips, “Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”

However, the moment the cool liquid rushed past her lips, Erin had to spit it back out into the glass in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting it to be so… sparkly, was how she would describe it. Mortified, she put her hand over her mouth and looked at the mayor, wide-eyed.

“I’m so sorry, Mayor Edwards, I didn’t mean to do that…” she said quickly, but the mayor was already starting to laugh. 

However, a moment later she heard from behind her, “What did you give her, Dan? I told you not to give her any of your mixes!”

Erin whirled around and waved her hands in front of her to stop Sam from confronting the mayor.

“No! No, it wasn’t anything bad,” she said quickly, “it was only sarsaparilla. I just hadn’t had it before, so I was a little surprised when it was so…”

“Sparkly?” Sam offered. 

Erin nodded, surprised by his perfect description. “Yes, exactly.”

Same gave her a little smile. “I felt the same way the first time I tried it. Would you like me to finish it for you?”

Erin quickly shook her head. “Oh no, that’s fine thank you. Now that the initial shock has passed, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

To prove that she was serious, Erin took another drink a little more gently this time and found that it was indeed a lovely, refreshing beverage. She smiled at Sam as she took the glass from her lips. 

“See? Lovely,” she said. 

“Lovely,” Sam repeated. There was a pause, and both of them continued looking into each other’s eyes. Sam broke off the shared glance quickly, but it lingered just long enough for Erin to think that he may have been talking about more than just the drink when he said that.

---

“The Secrets Of A Broken Heart” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Growing up in Boston, Erin Cassidy has lived a difficult life. She’s always had to fend for herself and her brother Michael, who has been shunned by their family and the community due to his health issues. She hasn’t seen a great deal of kindness in the world, so when she responds to a mail-order bride ad from a cattle rancher in Dry Creek, Wyoming, she doesn’t expect much. When she arrives however and encounters a kind and honorable man she would really like to get to know better, everything changes… How can she overcome the dark secret she keeps though, knowing how it could ruin her chances of happiness? When Sam discovers she has been going out on a walk every evening, will he be willing to hear her explanation and possibly forgive her?

Sam McKinley is a successful cattle rancher who prides himself on being a stand-up gentleman and a hard worker. Regrettably, he’s never had much luck with love, which is why he sends out a listing for a mail-order bride. He’s always been an independent man without too many people to rely on, so he’s not sure how he’ll adjust to having not just another person in the house, but a wife, too! When Sam meets Erin though, they surprise each other by being respectful and not trying to push anything too quickly. Even though she is the prettiest woman he has ever seen, he cannot help but think that she’s still a total stranger to him. Understandably, his initial hesitation acts as the perfect safety net to avoid getting hurt. When she gives him a reason not to trust her, could he believe the woman who stole his heart against his own judgment?

The problem is, both Sam and Erin have secrets they’re hiding from the other. Why is Sam going into town on a moment’s notice and why is Erin secretly meeting a red-haired gentleman? As they begin to discover their secrets, will they be able to make their marriage work? When whispers of cattle thieves start growing around town, will suspicious and strange behaviors put an end to Sam and Erin’s story before it even started?

“The Secrets Of A Broken Heart” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!