Meet Gus - From "A Gallows Waited"

My name is Gus. Folks know me as Mr. Tower’s ramrod, a good man—if I say so myself—though I never was anything more than a hired hand. I’m here to tell ya a bit about A Gallows Waited. Larion wrote the story, and she wrote good, being educated more than me, but still she asked me to come tell ya a bit about it, to get ya interested and all.

When that little thing got off the train, I couldn’t feel nothing more than sorry fer her. Elizabeth was plain as a mouse, and laced into a drab shapeless dress that looked like her mother should’a been wearing it, not a woman no more than 25. Her hair was so light, pulled back tight the way it was, she looked nearly skinned. Elisabeth looked, well, not scared, more like just nothing. Ya know, that blank look on her face like maybe she was a bit simple minded. Mr. Tower sent me right off to fetch her luggage. Dang if she didn’t bring a dog with her. That didn’t set too well with Mr. Tower, I can tell ya. He told her right off he’d tolerate no animals in the house. Thought I saw something in her then, like resignation, like the poor little thing just give up on life. She didn’t argue none, just climbed up on the wagon seat for Mr. Tower to take her to the boarding house where she’d stay ‘till they got married. Fool thing for the man to do if you ask me. He was old enough to be her father, friend of her father’s, and it was him that arranged the marriage. Don’t think Elizabeth had much to say about it or maybe she just didn’t care, coming all the way from back east to marry a man she’d never seen afore. Wasn’t right. I may be no more than a hired hand, maybe getting on in years, too, but there ought to be love in a marriage. Was in mine. Loved my wife and loved that baby girl she gave to me before I lost them both to cholera. My little girl would be the same age as Elizabeth. Elizabeth has them same big blue eyes, reminding me of that babe I lost every time she looked up enough to see them eyes. Guess maybe that’s why I wanted to help her so much that same day her and Mr. Tower got hitched when Tim Bowman rode into the ranch and shot Mr. Tower dead.

Now that Bowman, he fascinated me from the minute I laid eyes on him. Had me a short time talking to him, me talking mostly, afore Mr. Tower got home from wedding Elizabeth.  I knew right off he weren’t no run of the mill grub line rider. Looked poor, but he rode and talked proud, had a voice you could hear yards away without him even raising it, when he bothered to speak, that was. Not a talking man and it didn’t take me long to learn he had him a big hate, riding him hard. He was mad, deep down and clear through, at everyone and all the world, but as soon as he opened his eyes—need to back track her a bit. See as soon as Mr. Tower seen Bowman, he pulled out his gun and started shooting. He got lucky with one of his wild shots as far as winging Bowman, but Bowman’s single shot back dropped Tower to the ground dying. What followed was the crazy thing I ever did see. Tower went to confessing, though I never did get the straight of that, and made me promise to see to Bowman being cleared. Not only that, he went and left half his belongings, the ranch included, to the man that just shot and killed him. I had to go after that there Bowman, and I’ll tell ya true, I was a bit nervous about it. Drug him back to the ranch and as soon as he opened his eyes, there was Elizabeth and those big blue eyes he saw.

Working out the riddle of the wild story Tower told as he was dying about that Bowman fella, weren’t easy, ‘specially when Bowman swore he weren’t the man Tower thought he was. I had my hands full, let me tell ya, what with keeping my promise to Tower and trying to teach Elizabeth she didn’t have to pay any mind to what other folks said and should speak up fer herself. Elizabeth had been treated bad by that daddy of hers, but she had a spark in her that just needed lighting. That Bowman, now he did some lighting. She come out fighting when the sheriff thought to hang him.

Now that’s all Larion wants me to be telling ya. She says telling too much now will spoil the story so’s I’ll just shut my yap. Y’all want ta see how Elizabeth turned out and how Bowman found out there was more in the world than hate, yar just gonna have ta read the book. I don’t reckon you’ll be sorry. I’ll let her tell ya all them other things like whar ya can buy it and such.

Thank you, Gus. I’ll just add this much, A Gallows Waited historical, western sweet romance is available at:  http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com  

 For more information, blurbs, excerpts and such, on A Gallows Waited as well as other in my western collection, drop by my site.  http://www.larriane.com

Larion Wills, a multi-genre author, also writes under the name of Larriane Wills. From science fiction to western romances she holds up to her tag of ‘two names, one author, thousands of stories.’

About the author:

 Born in Oklahoma, but raised in Arizona she feels a native to the state and has settled in the high desert country. In a quiet, rural area with a family who tolerates her writer’s single-mindedness, she presents us with a series of unique westerns while still producing contemporary romances, many laced with paranormal settings, all with strong characterizations and suspenseful plots, capable of dragging you into a story in a genre you thought before you didn’t care for. Under her pen of Larriane she writes science fiction and fantasy.

Larriane AKA Larion Wills, two names one author, thousands of stories

buy links: http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com with nine to choose from

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/ one and counting

my links:

http://www.larriane.com http://larionmusing.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Larriane-Wills/1535007230