Wednesday Wonders: CATE CORRALS A CATTLEMAN

Today's Wednesday Wonders features Cate Corrals a Cattleman by Linda Hubalek.

About the book:

 Cate Corrals a Cattleman, book 6 in the Brides with Grit Series is now available! Cate has helped her children find love with the right spouse, so now it was her turn.

Here's the story line.
A clean, sweet western romance, set in 1873. Widowed ranch woman Cate Wilerson’s four children are now all married and she’s enjoying being a grandma. But, she’s only in her forties, so she could be married again for many years. Cate’s ready to tie the knot again and she has already picked her groom.

Cattleman Isaac Connely bought a ring for Cate almost thirty years ago, but Moses Wilerson, a friend to both of them, asked Cate to marry him first. After serving in the Civil War, Isaac followed the Wilersons to Kansas and builds a cattle empire with his inheritance. He respected Cate’s and Moses’ marriage, comforted her through the loss of her husband and remained a friend of the Wilerson family.

Now he’s ready to propose—with the same ring—but someone from his past appears on his doorstep, dredging up a dark secret making him doubt his worth to be Cate’s husband.

Can Cate let go of past hurts and help Isaac realize he is not to blame, so he will finally ask her to marry him?
You'll have to read Cate Corrals a Cattleman to find out what's in store for this middle-aged couple. Love can happen at any age!

Excerpt:

From Cate Corrals a Cattleman, © 2015 by Linda K. Hubalek

By the time Isaac rode back to the ranch and took care of his horse, the sun was sinking low in the west. He’d meant to be home a couple of hours ago, but it never seems to happen that way when you want it to.

What would Cate say now when he was late for supper, too? Would there be a plate of food in the stove warmer, a cold sandwich on a plate on the table, or nothing?

He was bone–tired and sweat–drenched from being out in the heat all day on the back of a horse, but he’d still prefer that to what Cate probably faced in the house today. And neither of them got any sleep last night. Still, they needed to find a quiet spot—maybe the chicken house, where at least those critters would be asleep—to talk about yesterday’s events. And the interrupted proposal was still hanging in the air. Would she still be for it, or glad they got interrupted? Heck, he wasn’t a young buck but a wise, mature man, so he knew he had to face the next “blast of heat”, so to speak.

Isaac took off his hat before walking in through the back door, pausing to listen for voices. At least he didn’t hear heated arguments coming from the kitchen, nor noisy little kids. He toed off his boots on the boot jack and padded in his stocking feet down the back hall to the kitchen. No one was in there, but he spied a cloth covered plate set on the table. Isaac sighed, he was hungry and he was only left a cold plate of something. Well, better than nothing, he thought as he turned to the shelves to get a glass to fill with water from the bucket by the dry sink.

He should have stopped at the basin on the back porch to wash his grimy face, forearms and hands first, but gosh darn it, he was hungry, tired, and this used to be his domain. He’d go back outside to the hand pump and wash after he got food in his stomach.

Uh. The plate was still warm and had mashed potatoes, green beans and a fried chicken breast. How’d he get so lucky to get a decent meal at this late hour?

“The children missed you at meals today,” Cate quietly said as she walked in from the dining room. She was barefoot, so he didn’t hear her as he filled his mouth with another forkful of green beans. He just nodded as he chewed his food.

“How’s the herd doing in this late summer burst of heat, and the hands? Looks like you put in a full day’s work in the sun.” She pulled out a chair and sat across from him, putting her elbows on the table and leaning toward him.

Isaac swallowed his beans. “The longhorns can take the heat, but I worry about their water source. Creek’s getting low. I hope the springs keep flowing or we’re in for trouble.”

“You keep moving the herd a little each day. Will you end up having to take them down to the river for water?” Cate knew land, cattle and had spent many days in the saddle herself over the years.

“Don’t know, just pray for rain in the time being.” Isaac scooped another fork of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Boy, the meal was good tonight, especially compared to the cold beans and jerky he ate at midday. He still wondered why his favorite meal was waiting for him tonight.

“How’s Faye settling in?” Isaac kept his eyes on the plate, still embarrassed about her showing up.

“Umm, it’ll take time. She’s used to being awake at night in a house full of customers, instead of being awake during the day with a house full of babies.”

“How’s her baby? It’s awful thin.” He picked up the chicken breast and took a bite and chewed, waiting for Cate to continue.

“Starved for food and attention. Poor thing sucked down a bottle of milk so fast, it came back up—after Faye had laid her in a basket of clean diapers.” Isaac cringed at that thought. Clean diapers were in constant demand in this house.

“Faye decided to name the baby Violet Rose after the children bugged her for the baby’s name.”

“That’s a nice name,” Isaac commented before taking another bite of chicken.

“Faye named the baby for her favorite customer’s wife and child.”

Isaac choked, then hit his chest to get his food back down. Now he looked over at Cate, who had a smirk on her face.

“Yes, that’s really who she named the child after. Seems to care more about the baby now the poor thing has a name.”

Isaac sat back in his chair. “Cate, I’m so sorry for all this, and how poorly I handled it last night. I should have stayed in the house and helped instead of leaving you to take care of everything.”

“I’m sure Faye wouldn’t have minded you helping with her bath since she’s used to men, but I would have.”

Dang, he was going to die from choking if she kept saying things like that. Isaac gave her a hard stare while trying to swallow.

“Well, it’s true, so ‘it is, what it is’, Isaac. There’s going to be a lot of situations with her and Violet here, but Sara and Marcus will adjust, just as they are adjusting with all the other additions to their new family.”

“Sounds like you didn’t get much sleep last night.” Isaac didn’t mention knowing she spent time crying on the porch.

“Well, I had to deal with a crying daughter who wanted answers and consoling, crying grandchildren upset because the adults were upset, two new additions to the house and where to put them,” and I didn’t get the ring I was expecting. “So no, it wasn’t the best evening for me. I deserved shedding a few tears on the porch while you hung behind the back of the house.”

Ooh, now Cate was speaking her mind. Isaac put his fork down, as he’d lost his appetite.

      About the Author:

Linda Hubalek grew up on the Kansas prairie, always wanting to be a farmer like her parents and ancestors. After earning a college degree in Agriculture, marriage took Linda away from Kansas as her husband worked in engineering jobs in several states.

Meanwhile, Linda wrote about pioneer women that homesteaded in Kansas between 1854 to the early 1900s, especially her Swedish immigrant ancestors. Her historical fiction book series are Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, Planting Dreams and the Kansas Quilter.

She also has a historical western romance series called Brides with Grit.

Linda and her husband finally returned back to Kansas, where they raised American buffalo (bison) for a dozen years.

      Author Links:

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