Series
Info: Tainted Dreams is
the standalone sequel to Along the Way Home.
Genre: Historical Western Romance/Frontier
and Pioneer Romance
Tagline:
They survived the Oregon Trail, but
claiming a legacy would be their biggest challenge yet…
Back cover copy:
Sometimes, the end
justifies the means…
Kate Davis arrived
into Oregon City transformed from a pampered daughter of fortune into a
determined woman with a plan--fulfill her father's dream of starting a horse
ranch in Oregon Territory.
She quickly discovers
a harsh truth--even thousands of miles from home, on an unsettled land America
doesn't yet own or govern, gender still takes precedence over ability. Refusing
to be ruled once again by the stifling laws and societal norms she'd escaped by
leaving Virginia, Kate begins creatively claiming what is rightfully hers.
Until a visit to the
land office changes everything.
Jake Fitzpatrick
guided Kate across the Oregon Trail, and fell in love with her along the way.
Now he wants to marry her and build a life together, but a ruthless man from
Jake's past threatens to reveal a dark secret, and destroy everything he's
worked so hard to achieve.
Excerpt #1: (Jake,
Kate, and two people they rescued on the Oregon Trail, William and Margaret, have
entered Oregon City. They are looking for the hotel.)
At the end of the
block a man burst from the saloon and stumbled into the street, stopping mere
inches from Jake's horse, Plug. Instead of backing away, the man lurched
forward and reached for Jake's saddle horn.
"Hey
there!" Jake said. Raising his left leg, he ignored the resulting twinge
of pain and shoved the stranger aside with his boot heel. "Watch it!"
The man drew back and
stared at him, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. He raised an unsteady finger,
slurred an unintelligible response, and then fell face-first into a patch of
mud.
"Drunken
fool," Jake muttered, then faced the others. "Let's keep
moving."
High-pitched
squealing foiled his plan.
On the upper deck of
the saloon a horde of harlots stood clustered together, giggling and shrieking
as they pointed toward him. Clenching his jaw, he focused on the street ahead,
all the while hoping Kate didn't notice one woman in particular who'd separated
herself from the others and was now hanging over the railing, calling him by
name.
Jake pressed his boot
heels into Plug's side, urging him to a steady trot. Thankfully the others
followed and they quickly left the saloon behind.
Minutes later, Kate
motioned to the end of the street. "William, we're running out of road and
I still don't see a hotel."
William pulled a
rumpled paper from his pocket. He studied it briefly and then eyed the
surrounding buildings. "My uncle sent me a rough sketch of where it's
located, but there are so many new buildings, it's useless. Jake, do you know
where it's at?"
Jake shook his head.
"There wasn't a hotel the last time I was here."
"Perhaps one of
those men sitting in front of the apothecary would know?" Margaret
suggested.
"We'll find it
ourselves," Jake replied. He led the group around the corner and onto the
next street.
Buildings, so new
their fresh pine scent still hung in the air, lined one side of the street
while the other side held only two—an enormous livery and a two-story building
with the word Hotel prominently displayed on a white sign with black lettering.
A matching sign beside a light-rimmed window read Rooms Available by the Day
or Week.
They dismounted,
secured their horses to the empty hitching posts in front of the hotel, and
headed for the door. William reached for the glass knob, then turned to the
others with a worried frown.
"I haven't seen
my uncle in over seven years, so I don't know what to expect. Though from what
I've observed so far, living out west doesn't seem to improve manners." He
stepped inside and ushered Margaret and Kate through the doorway. Jake followed
them, then stopped cold.
Behind the hotel's
front desk sat Theodore Martin—the one man Jake never wanted to see again as
long as he lived.
END OF EXCERPT
Excerpt #2 (Kate meets a man from
Jake’s past.)
Kate entered the
hotel lobby and stood behind William and Margaret. While she waited for Jake to
join her, she gazed around the spacious room.
Rag rugs dotted the
gleaming pine board floor and a marble-topped oak desk sat in the back left
corner. Navy plaid curtains on both windows—one overlooking the front steps and
the other facing the alley—were pulled closed, yet the room was well lit by
three oil lamps and warmed by flames flickering in the stone fireplace at the
back wall.
Behind her, Jake shut
the door and then stepped so close she felt the brim of her hat brush against
his chest.
Jake—the man who'd
hired on as her family's guide across the Oregon Trail.
Jake—the man who'd
supported her through the darkest time of her life.
Jake—the man she
loved.
"William! You're
finally here!" The man Kate assumed to be William's uncle rose to his feet
and hurried around the desk and across the room. Though by the creases around
his eyes he looked to be in his early forties, he had hair the color of coal,
broad shoulders, and a trim waist. His clothing, while outdated by nearly a
decade, was impeccable, and a brown silk cravat perfectly arranged at his neck
and embellished with a gold pin completed the outfit.
This man was a
welcome change from the other men she’d seen so far in the town.
"I've been
waiting for you to walk through that door for weeks." He grabbed William
into a fierce hug, then pulled back to look at him again. "I was worried
you'd run into trouble."
"We did,"
William replied.
"We?"
William's uncle finally took note of the others lingering at his door. His eyes
scanned the ragged group, narrowed briefly when they reached Jake, and then
returned to his nephew.
William removed his
hat and beckoned Margaret a few steps forward to join him. "Uncle
Theodore, I'm proud to introduce you to my wife, Margaret. We married the day
before departing from Independence."
Theodore took
Margaret's hand and bowed with a grace and confidence Kate hadn't seen since
the ballrooms of Virginia. "Please pardon my initial shock. My nephew is a
lucky man to have a bride as lovely as you."
"Thank
you," Margaret murmured, absently running her free hand along the curve of
her waist.
"You're
welcome." Theodore released her hand. "ʺI consider it a privilege to
have you as a member of our family." He straightened and eyed the lobby
doorway, where Kate still waited with Jake at her back. His smile faded. "William,
you mentioned trouble earlier, a fact that doesn't surprise me now that I see
who you kept company with on the trail."
Kate's mouth dropped
open. What had she or Jake done to offend this man?
"The return to
civilization can be a tough adjustment." Theodore motioned to William's
bare head, then to his hat clutched against his leg. "I'm pleased to see
you haven't forgotten the formalities of polite society."
Kate's cheeks flamed.
Propriety had been ingrained in her since birth, but she'd only been wearing a
man's hat since July—her father's hat, willed to her on his deathbed. While she
had no intention of replacing it with a bonnet any time soon, she did intend to
do her best to act according to society's conventions. She quickly pulled off
the hat and ran her free hand from her forehead to her collar several times in
a futile attempt to tame her wild curls.
Sighting Theodore's
slack-jawed astonishment, Kate bit her tongue to stifle a laugh. He likely
regretted his pointed words; she didn't need to further add to his embarrassment.
"Seems your
companion has better manners than you." Theodore nodded toward Jake, who,
to Kate's surprise, still hadn't removed his hat.
"Seems so,"
Jake replied, slowly pushing up the brim with one finger.
Kate kept quiet, but
wondered what would possess Jake to purposely be so rude to someone he'd just
met. Especially a prominent business owner, one that could potentially serve as
an ally if she ran into trouble with her future plans.
"William,"
Theodore said, smoothly turning to address his nephew again, "who is this
beautiful creature hiding beneath those ill-fitting clothes?"
William glanced at
Jake and gave a nearly imperceptible shrug of apology, then focused again on
his uncle. "I'm pleased to introduce Katherine Davis—"
"And the
infamous trail guide, Jake Fitzpatrick," Theodore finished.
"You know each
other?" William asked, his tone mirroring Kate's own surprise.
Jake gave a curt nod.
"We've met."
"And then some."
Theodore's laugh seemed more smug than jovial. "We came across the trail
together a few years ago."
Margaret clapped her
hands together in delight. "Isn't that something? Two friends meet again
after all this time."
"Friend isn't a
word I'd use to describe him," Jake said, removing his hat and stepping
beside Kate in one fluid move.
End of Excerpt
About the Author:
Christi Corbett,
winner of the 2013 RONE Award for Best American Historical novel, lives in a
small town in Oregon with her husband and their twin children. The home's
location holds a special place in her writing life; it stands just six hundred
feet from the original Applegate Trail and the view from her back door is a
hill travelers looked upon years ago as they explored the Oregon Territory and
beyond.
Social Media Links:
Available from the following retailers:
Tags/Keywords: Oregon Territory, Oregon Trail, pioneer romance,
frontier romance, 19th Century American History, Oregon History, Clean
Read, Tainted Dreams, Along the Way Home, Christi Corbett
Along the Way Home
Tagline: They lost everything but their dreams
on the Oregon Trail…
Back Cover Copy:
Kate Davis is
intrigued when her father reveals his dream of starting a horse ranch in Oregon
Territory. Settlers out west value a strong woman, and though she manages the
financials of her father's mercantile her competence earns her ridicule, not
respect, from Virginia's elite society.
Jake Fitzpatrick, an
experienced trail guide, wants land out west to raise cattle and crops. But
dreams require money and he's eating dandelion greens for dinner. So when a
wealthy businessman offers double wages to guide his family across the Oregon
Trail, Jake accepts with one stipulation--he is in complete control.
Departure day finds
Kate clinging to her possessions as Jake demands she abandon all he deems
frivolous, including her deceased mother's heirlooms. Jake stands firm,
refusing to let the whims of a headstrong woman jeopardize the wages he so
desperately needs--even a beautiful one with fiery green eyes and a temper to
match.
Trail life is a
battle of wills between them until tragedy strikes, leaving Jake with an
honor-bound promise to protect her from harm and Kate with a monumental
choice--go back to everything she's ever known or toward everything she's ever
wanted?
Buy Links:
Author Endorsements for Along the Way
Home:
In Along the Way Home,
author Christi Corbett unfurls an unforgettable epic romance inside of an epic
Western adventure. Beautifully crafted, this debut novel is a tender journey of
the heart as well as a treacherous journey of many miles. Along the Way Home is a squeaky-clean historical romance with
authentic period details and deep emotion. Much danger, risk, courage and
compassion will make you long for more books from this talented author. As
heartwarming as Christy."
Eve Paludan, author of Taking
Back Tara (Ranch Lovers Romance series)
*************************************
A breathtaking account of courage and adventure along the
Oregon Trail. Travel this dangerous journey with characters you will treasure
as they cope with heart-wrenching difficulties they never thought to encounter
in a search to fulfill their hopes and dreams. Christi Corbett’s debut novel, Along the Way Home, will both surprise
and delight.
Jillian Kent, author of The
Ravensmoore Chronicles.
************************************
A dash of action! A touch of
intrigue! Loads of sweet, clean romantic promise…
Reid Lance Rosenthal,
Winner of 15 National Awards, #1 Best Selling Author of the Threads West, An American Saga series.
