By Constance Bretes (Guest Blogger)
My
husband and I love to go sapphire digging, and gold panning up in the
mountains behind our home. We brought property in Montana some years
back, that had mining rights along the Missouri River, where we could
dig for sapphires. The name of the place is Eldorado Heights Bar.
There are several of these types of places in our area, there is the
Spokane Bar, and The American Bar all nearby and along the Missouri
River. Back in the early 1900s, miners searched for gold along the
river, and as they dug, they kept finding these colored stones. Not
knowing what they were, the miners cast them off to the side as the
continued to dread the area for gold.
Later,
it was learned that the colored stones, were indeed sapphires, rubies
and garnets.
This
was not the only place in Montana where you could find these gems and
gold. Philipsburg, Alden, and a few other places have sapphires and
gold. The town of Philipsburg was of great interest to us. It is a
small, historical town and was used as a backdrop for my story, Blue
As Sapphires. In the story, I changed Philipsburg to Frankenburg
because I’ve added some things that Philipsburg did not have. But
one area that my husband and I was very interested in was Gem
Mountains. It had a mining operation there. The owners went into the
mountains and dug a couple of truckloads of gravel and brought it to
the base of the mountain for visitors who could either search through
the gravel there or buy buckets of gravel, to dig for Sapphires.
There are also claims along the Rock Creek River of gold. My love for
these things found its way into my ebook, Blue As Sapphires.
Blurb
Marissa's
home was her haven, until Riley invaded her space.
Escaping
from her abusive ex-husband, Marissa Simpson returns to her hometown
to start over. She spends her days working at the local jewelry
store, and the rest of her time is dedicated to mining along Red Rock
River, searching for precious gems. Marissa has no intention of
getting involved with another man, or with the community she left
behind all those years ago. That is, until Riley McCade shows up.
Riley
is the Sheriff of Quartz County. He loves his community and goes out
of his way to protect and serve. When he meets up with Marissa, he's
bound and determined to get to know her even though she insists she's
not interested.
The
more Riley learns about Marissa's past, the more he concludes that
she may be in danger. When her ex-husband shows up, can Riley protect
her? And can he earn her love in the process?
Excerpt
“Hello,
Sheriff. What can I do for you today?”
“I
thought you would have listened to me and reconsidered trying to make
this place livable again.”
“Nope,
I’m going to try to make a go of it.”
Riley
splayed his hand on the back of his neck and gave her a small smile.
“You need to go to the county office and get an inspector to come
out here and determine what needs to be taken care of before you make
this your home. The house has to be up to code.”
“And
if I don’t?” she said evenly.
“I’d
have to serve you with a notice and remove you from the premises
until the house meets the building code.”
“Really,”
she replied in a low voice, taut with anger. “I guess I’ll
contact the inspector tomorrow and see when I can get someone out. Is
that all, Sheriff?”
“For
now. Tell me, Marissa, how have you been?” Riley asked. “You
haven’t been here
in
a long time.”
“I’m
doing well. Thank you,” she replied icily. A suggestion of
annoyance hovered in her eyes.
“So,
are you married? Do you have children?”
“No,
and no, and why?”
It
seemed to Riley that Marissa was being evasive and noncommittal. She
sure was an attractive woman, maybe a little too thin, but she had a
lovely face and perfect rose-colored lips. Something about her piqued
his interest.
“I
just wondered how you were. Is this the first time you’ve been back
to Frankenburg since high school?”
“Yes.”
“What
brings you back?”
“I
wanted to come back.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He
was aware of her annoyance, he tried to coax her into a better mood,
but failed.
“Marissa,
if you’d like, I could make you an offer on the twenty acres of
land. That would giveyou
enough money to buy a nice home in town and live more comfortably
than you would here.”
“Why
are you so bent on me leaving this house?” Marissa shot him a cold
look, uncrossing her arms and squeezing her hands into fists.
“I’m
not bent on anything, but I told you before I think the house is
dangerous to live in.”
“Well,
it’s my problem, so I’d appreciate it if you would mind your own
business.”
“Why
are you so testy? We’re a tight community here in Frankenburg, you
know that. We look out for each other and try to help when we can.
I’m only trying to be neighborly and keep you safe.”
“I’m
not interested in you being neighborly and keeping me safe. I’m
capable of taking care of myself, and I don’t need any help.”
“All
right, Marissa, but you get that inspector out here as soon as
possible.” Riley’s voice was smooth, but insistent.
“Yes,
Sheriff.” She spat out the words contemptuously, did a mock salute,
whirled around, walked into the house, and slammed the door in his
face.
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About
Me
I
started writing contemporary romance and contemporary romance
suspense fifteen years ago, and after multiple rejections, got my
first contract for Delayed Justice, released in 2014.
I
lives in Basin, Montana, where three feline furballs own me and my
husband, and a dog that lives next door named Sara, who thinks she
also lives with the Bretes family. I love the mountains that surround
my home, I love basket weaving, jewelry making, and just visiting all
the folks in the small community we live in.
I
currently have seven books published, and a number of other ones in
various stages of edits. Right now, I’m working on a new book,
called Roadside Love, a murder mystery/romance in a small town
in Wyoming. I have two other books that are at the end of their
editing days and now at critique partners, Elkhorn In The
Moonlight and Rocky River Gold. Both are small town
romances.
I
can be reached through the following media.
Email:
bretesc [at] gmail [dot] com
Be
sure to visit my webpage, navigate to the News & Things, and
enter the monthly rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. Join my
newsletter mailing list also at that site, and you will get my
newsletter, once a month and only occasionally, anytime the rest of
the month, if I suddenly have something that has come up after the
newsletter was sent out.
