This week, I'm staring with six paragraphs from my western historical, and sequel to Destiny's Bride, White Heart, Lakota Spirit. This is from the prologue:
Grace trudged along behind the wagon, struggling to keep up with
her mother. Though the prairie grass grew knee-high in some places, the wheels
found the dust hidden below and spiraled the powdery dirt into
the air, covering her hair and skin. Her muscles quivered with fatigue.
The day
stretched on as her father kept the family moving, in search of the right place
to stop. The more exhausted she became, the more her thoughts turned to
bitterness. Why did they have to leave their home? Was it this stupid thing called gold fever? She didn’t want to live in a wagon. She
wanted her own soft bed back… and her own cozy home.
She
smacked her dry lips and cursed the day her father announced the beginning of
this horrible journey. He’d walked into the house, slapped his hat against
his knee, displayed his usual heartwarming smile and said, “Pack up the wagon.
I’ve got a plan that’ll make us rich.”
The
anger she experienced then gripped her again.
Grace had just gotten used to being in one place for any length of time.
She’d actually found friends her own age and enjoyed their company. Now, surrounded
by endless prairie, and glancing at her family, she realized how much she
missed her classmates. Tears clouded her eyes.
The creaking wagon wheels, plodding hooves,
and rustling grasses were the only sounds she heard. Pa guided them toward the distant
mountains—the Black Hills, where precious ore supposedly ran in golden veins so
thick the brightness rivaled the sunrise. Funny, from where she stood, they
looked like any other mountains. Nothing
more than granite peaks jutting from a sea of grass and dotted with trees and
scrub brush.
Mama
marched through the weeds ahead, her head held high and her shoulders squared
against the growing wind. Where did she get her stamina? She seemed to be
faring better than Grace. Her mother’s admirable tenacity and devotion
to Papa went without saying. Even when he uprooted the family, Mama never
complained. If given the same opportunity, would Grace be such a follower, she
wondered? Would she ever get a chance to find out? Suitable husbands didn’t pop
up in the middle of nowhere. Being an old maid seemed her fate in life.
Next week, I'll continue, but if you can't wait, all my books are available via my author's page.
Next week, I'll continue, but if you can't wait, all my books are available via my author's page.
Now...here's the list:
Nice excerpt Ginger.
ReplyDeleteregards
Margaret
I'm reading one of yours now Ginger. This one is next on my list.
ReplyDeleteYou show the situation so clearly and poignantly. Enjoyed the six.
ReplyDelete