"Heather Blanton is blessed with a natural storytelling ability, an "old
soul" wisdom, and wide expansive heart. Her characters are vividly
drawn, and in the western settings where life can be hard, over quickly,
and seemingly without meaning, she reveals Larger Hands holding
everyone and everything together."
—Mark Richard, Executive Producer,
AMC's Hell on Wheels, and PEN/Ernest Hemingway Award winner
The Book
~~~The haunting final chapter in the Defiance series!~~~
 |
| AMAZON |
Logan Tillane carries a Bible in his hand, wears a gun on his hip, and fights for lost souls any way he can. Newly arrived in Defiance, he has trouble, though, telling saints from sinners. The challenge only worsens when Delilah flings open the doors to the scandalous Crystal Chandelier. She and the new preacher have opposite plans for the town. One wants to save it, one wants to lead it straight to hell.
For Tillane and McIntyre, finding redemption was a long, hard road. God's grace has washed away their sins, but the consequences remain and God will not be mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...and the harvest is finally at hand.
WARNING: This author attempts to be historically accurate. The story, therefore, contains situations regarding bigotry and racism that some readers may find offensive. Obviously, they do NOT reflect the personal views of the author.
Formats: Kindle & Paperback
Print Length: 308 pages
Publisher: Rivulet Publishing
Publication Date: June 22, 2016
Enjoy an Excerpt from A Promise in Defiance
Billy
slipped his hand into Hannah’s and they meandered down the river’s shoreline in
perfect peace. The sun had sunk below the towering peaks leaving a beautiful
peach glow in the sky, but night would fall fast now. Though this would be a
short walk, he loved the sound of the water and being alone with the future
Mrs. Page. Mollie was sweet enough to watch Billy for a few minutes so he could
do this properly.
Butterflies
cavorting in his stomach, Billy touched the ring in his breast pocket.
“Do
you miss your parents, Billy?”
The
question nearly made him stumble, unexpected as it was. Hannah could do
that—throw him off balance—because he never knew where her mind was going. Was
he a cad if he told her the truth? Hannah already knew his parents had sent him
away rather than let him marry her and raise the baby. She didn’t know his
father had threatened to disinherit him. His mother . . . his
mother was trapped in a loveless marriage, and couldn’t have affected things
one way or the other. He supposed he had some pity for her, but he felt like
he’d made a pretty clean break from his family. They’d forced him into it.
“No,
I don’t,” he said. “I mean, I miss my mother some, but you and Little Billy,
and your sisters, you’re all my family now. I don’t even think about Pa.” He
stopped and they faced each other. “What made you ask about them?”
“What
kind of life can we have together if your family never accepts me?”
He
didn’t know what to say. He’d accepted things. Frank Page thought he was too
good to acknowledge a bastard grandson, so Billy had walked away and wasn’t
ever going back. Nothing would ever come between him and Hannah and Little
Billy again. Not parents. Not Indians. Not another man. Therefore, he only knew
one way to answer Hannah.
Holding
on to her hand, he dropped to one knee in the damp sand, pulled a ring of
rubies and white gold from his pocket, and held it up for her inspection. Too
much of the light was gone to make out her face clearly, but he could see the
tears sparkling in her eyes. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
God will bless our marriage, Hannah. I don’t need anybody else’s blessing.”
When she didn’t raise her hand to accept the ring he assumed it was because he
hadn’t asked the actual question. He cleared his throat. “Hannah, I love you.
Will you marry me?”
The
pause between the question and her answer dragged on a bit too long. Growing
concerned, he was about to speak when she placed her hands on his cheeks and
pulled him to his feet. Still holding him, she said softly, “I do love you more
than anything. Yes, I will marry you.”
Relief
and joy exploded in his heart. He kissed her deeply, passionately, hungry for
every ounce of her. He folded her into his arms, pulled her firmly against him,
and wallowed breathlessly in her sweetness. Her soft curves and the way she fit
with him warmed his thoughts like too much whiskey. Desire, foolish and
intoxicating, begged his hands to roam.
He
tried not to remember the one time they had been together, but he couldn’t
block it out. He wanted to loosen her braid and let all that golden hair rain
down on him like a waterfall. He dragged his lips to her neck, kissed her jaw,
hugged her tighter, and nibbled on her ear. Lightheaded, he backed away and
held her at arm’s length before he crossed a line. He could hear her breathing
hard. He imagined he could even hear her heart pounding.
“Oh
my,” she whispered so softly he almost didn’t catch it. “You make me dizzy.”
He
squeezed her hand. She felt like his wife already, but the rest of that
commitment would have to wait. They wouldn’t be together as husband and wife
until they were wed. He exhaled, a long, deep breath. Soon. . . “We
need to speak to our new preacher and see when—”
“Billy,
“Hannah interrupted, still sounding a bit breathless. “You haven’t put the ring
on my finger.”
Laughing,
he slapped his forehead and slipped it off the tip of his pinky. He didn’t even
remember putting it there, but at least he hadn’t dropped it. “My beloved.”
Hannah
extended her hand and Billy pushed it down her finger.
“Goodness,
it’s a perfect fit.” She held out her hand, but the light was gone. “Hmmm.
Guess we’ll have to go inside if I actually want to see my engagement ring.
“She moved her left hand to his face again. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure it’s
stunning. All I really want is you.”
He
refrained from kissing her, well aware his self-control was as fragile as
butterfly wings. A lack of self-control had caused too much heartache already.
He could wait. But he was going to find the preacher tomorrow. “How about we
announce the engagement Wednesday night when everyone comes to the hotel for
dinner?”
“Yes,
all right.”
He
wrapped his arm around her and they started back for the town hall. She rested
her head on his shoulder as they strolled along the path. He would have felt
ten feet tall if it wasn’t for one small thing.
Don't miss the other two books in the Romance in the Rockies series!
Book Giveaway
Meet the Author
The author is generously giving away one paperback (US and Canada only)
AND one e-book of A Promise in Defiance. Simply comment for a chance to win. Winner will be chosen on 7/28/16.
Meet the Author
Heather Blanton is the independent bestselling author of several
Christian Westerns, including the Romance in the Rockies series, which
has sold over 40,000 copies. Intrigued by the concept of three good
sisters stranded in a lawless Colorado mining town, a few
A
former journalist, Heather is an avid researcher and skillfully weaves
truth in among the fictional story lines. She loves exploring the
American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts
of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the
top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw's note in her hand.
She
writes Westerns because she grew up on a steady diet of Bonanza,
Gunsmoke, and John Wayne movies. Her most fond childhood memory is of
sitting next to her father, munching on popcorn, and watching Lucas
McCain unload that Winchester!
