This week on FOR THE READER I’m highlighting Book 2 in my Prairie Sky Series, Under Prairie Skies!
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
Have you ever noticed that the Lord often makes us face our fears? He knows just the right circumstances to put us in to stretch and grow us. Often it’s the people and situations we least hope to find ourselves with that God uses to mold and shape us.
In my novel, Under Prairie Skies, both of my lead characters are faced with circumstances they’d just as soon avoid. For strong-willed Charlotte Stanton, it’s her selfish pride that’s on the line. If you’ve read Book One in my Prairie Sky series, Under This Same Sky, you’ll recall her as the self-centered, envious cousin of Becky Hollister. She hasn’t changed much at the start of this second book until she meets up with straight-talking, cattleman Chad Avery, who has a knack for bringing her faults to light.
Chad, on the other hand, has a painful past to overcome, one that has closed off his heart to love. Choosing to cling to loss and heartache, he chases a dream that seems unfulfilling without someone to share it with. Charlotte has her job cut out for her as she seeks to pry open his hurtful past and find a way to alleviate his hidden pain.
As iron sharpens iron, the Lord uses them to sharpen each other and work through the challenges they’re facing. It isn’t until they see beyond themselves and their own misgivings that they are able to embrace the joy the Lord has in store for them.
I love watching my characters grow and change throughout the span of the novel. I hope you’ll join them on their journey toward hope and love. Following is an excerpt from the opening chapter of Under Prairie Skies:
April 14, 1855, Hollister homestead, Illinois
The sound of a spry whistle froze Charlotte Stanton in her tracks. She tightened her hold on her bucket of creek water, eyes narrowing. Her uncle’s cabin and property had been vacant for nearly a year. Odd someone would be about.
The whistling grew louder, and Charlotte ducked behind a hickory tree, her heart at her throat. She set her bucket on the ground and peered through the timber in the direction of the sound. Something resembling a deer moved along the timberline.
She swallowed. But, deer didn’t whistle.
Craning her neck for a better look, her stomach clenched as the “whistling deer” transformed into the fringed buckskin jacket of a broad-shouldered man. He emerged onto the open prairie, a string of quail draped over one shoulder and a rifle leaning on the other. Long, easy strides carried him closer to her uncle’s cabin.
Charlotte whirled around and pressed her back to the hickory tree, heart pounding.
A squatter. Sure as winter gives birth to spring.
She smacked her fist against the rough bark of the tree. Why hadn’t she thought to bring her uncle’s muzzleloader? Then again, would she have had the gumption to use it? Though Pa had made certain she knew how to shoot a gun, the thought of pulling the trigger, or even pointing the barrel at someone, turned her stomach.
Still, she had to do something. The man was squatting on her uncle’s land.
Another glance at the buckskin-clad stranger assured Charlotte she couldn’t outrun him. He was as close to the cabin now as she was. She scoured the ground for some sort of defense and spied a good-sized rock wedged in the soil.
She arched a brow. A blow to the head should do it.
Stooping, she pried at the rock, then paused. She meant to drive the man off, not bludgeon him. Besides, it looked far too heavy to lug all that way.
To her left, lay a blunt shaft of wood about the width of a rifle barrel. Perhaps she could fool the stranger into thinking she had the upper hand. The risky notion seemed her only hope. Snatching up the stick, she lifted her eyes heavenward. Lord, help me.
She crouched low and maneuvered her way along the timberline until she’d positioned herself at the man’s back. With soft steps, she emerged from the undergrowth, narrowing the gap between herself and the stranger. His steady whistle worked to her advantage, helping to drown out the faint rustle of grass in her approach.
Hands quivering, Charlotte raised the stick, then lowered it. Who was she kidding? With those firm muscles, if the man turned, he could easily overpower her.
A few more paces and he’d reach her uncle’s cabin. Then there’d be no stopping him.
She lifted her chin and wedged the makeshift gun into the small of the stranger’s back. “Drop the rifle,” she ordered, in as gruff and masculine of voice as she could muster.
The young man whipped his face to the side, revealing a square, clean-shaven jaw and a handsome profile. “Hey now, listen boy…”
“Turn around.” With a hard swallow, Charlotte jabbed the stick in deeper. “I said drop it.”
The man faced forward and stooped to lower his rifle.
Charlotte threw back her shoulders. So far, so good. He’d not seen through her guise. She bent to reach for the gun, only to feel strong hands grip her arm and hurl her through the air in one smooth motion. The sky was still spinning as her back hit the ground with a thud. She cringed, the air expelling from her lungs in a soft moan. With a slow blink, she shook her head, struggling to regain her senses. She squinted into the mid-morning sun, and tried to push herself to a sitting position. The man’s shadowed image stared down at her, his firm hold pinning her arms to the ground.
With a frustrated sigh, she lay back, jaw clenched. He’d bested her.
What now?
I hope you enjoyed this snippet from Chapter One. If so, check out the blurb and Giveaway below!
Under Prairie Skies ~ Blurb ~ Beyond shattered dreams lies a realm of possibilities ~ Illinois prairie ~1855
Unsettled by the news that her estranged cousin and uncle are returning home after a year away, Charlotte Stanton goes to ready their cabin and finds a handsome stranger has taken up residence. Convinced he’s a squatter, she throws him off the property without learning his full identity. Little does she know, their paths are destined to cross again.
Quiet and ruggedly handsome, Chad Avery’s uncanny ability to see through Charlotte’s feisty exterior and expose her inner weaknesses both infuriates and intrigues her. When a tragic accident incites her family to move east, Charlotte stays behind in hopes of becoming better acquainted with the elusive cattleman. Yet Chad’s unwillingness to divulge his hidden past, along with his vow not to love again, threatens to keep them apart forever.
Cynthia Roemer’s PRAIRIE SKY SERIES: Stories of faith and resilience on the Midwest prairie Inspirational Historical Romance
UNDER THIS SAME SKY ~ BOOK ONE
UNDER PRAIRIE SKIES ~ BOOK TWO
UNDER MOONLIT SKIES ~ BOOK THREE
~Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
**Connect with Cynthia Roemer on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.
IF YOU’VE NOT READ THIS SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES, HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A SIGNED, PRINT COPY! ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY BELOW. I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING CHAD AND CHARLOTTE’S STORY WITH ONE OF YOU!
I haven’t read any of the books. I live on the Great Plains of Texas. Very much a prairie.
Sounds like beautiful country, Rachel! So glad you stopped by to comment and enter! I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read my Prairie Sky Series. Blessings!
I have not read any of them yet.
Hi Amelia! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. The best to you in the giveaway!
I have not read any of the books, but I would love to. The covers are beautiful and the books sound like great reads. Thank you for the chance.
Thank you for your kind words, Alicia! I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and learning about my characters in Under Prairie Skies! Blessings!
I haven’t read any of your books yet, but I hope to this year. This series sounds like the kind of books I would enjoy reading!
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for your kind words! I hope you’ll be blessed in reading them! The best to you in the giveaway!
Sounds like a good heart.will that I am to request tiem
Thank for the review on the book. Would love to win a print copy when it is available.
Thanks, Lual! The best to you in the giveaway! God bless!
I’ve not yet read this series. Sounds like a must read.
Thanks, Caryl! I pray you’ll be blessed by them! Thanks for stopping by!
I am halfway through Under This Same Sky and loving it! I will eventually finish the series. (I don’t know what happened to my original comment).
Thanks so much, Perrianne! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for re-posting your comment. I hadn’t realized it was missing. The best to you in the giveaway!
I haven’t read any books in this series but the synopsis for this books sounds really good.
Thanks Vivian! I hope you have the opportunity to read and be blessed by them. Thanks for stopping by to enter!
I haven’t read any yet, but they sound exciting.
Hi Courtney! It’s great to meet you and introduce you to my writing. I hope you’ll enjoy my Prairie Sky Series! Thanks for stopping by to enter.
Haven’t read any yet, but sure would like to! Thanks for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! Would love to win a print copy! God bless!
Hi Lual! Nice to have you stop by! I hope you have the opportunity to read all three books in the series! Thanks for your interest. The best to you in the giveaway!
I haven’t read any of your books but would love to!
Hi Brenda! Oh, I do hope you get the chance to read them! Thanks for your support and for stopping by to enter. God bless!
not yet
Hi Barb! May you be blessed by my novels if and when you have opportunity to read them. Blessings!
I haven’t read any of your books, yet, but have read about them and I plan to buy them if I don’t win. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity and good luck everyone.
Thanks, Debbie! How sweet of you! I so appreciate your kind remarks and your generous spirit toward others. The best to you in the giveaway. Blessings as you read!
I haven’t read any books in Cynthia’s Prairie Sky Series yet.
Hi Cassandra! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have the opportunity to read my Prairie Sky Series and be blessed when you do! =)