For the Record - Softcover

Jennings, Regina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764211420 ISBN 13: 9780764211423

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers, 2016

Synopsis

Betsy Huckabee dreams of being a big-city journalist, but first she has to get out of Pine Gap. To that end, she pens a romanticized serial for the ladies' pages of a distant newspaper, using the handsome new deputy and his exploits for inspiration. She'd be horrified if he read her breathless descriptions of him, but no one from home will ever know.

About this title

About the Author

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English. She is the author of Sixty Acres and a Bride, Love in the Balance, Caught in the Middle, A Most Inconvenient Marriage, At Love's Bidding, and contributed a novella to both With This Ring? and A Match Made in Texas. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma City. Regina can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.

From the Back Cover

Rather Than Wait for a Hero, She Decided to Create One
 
Betsy Huckabee has big-city dreams, but nobody outside of tiny Pine Gap, Missouri, seems interested in the articles she writes for her uncle's newspaper. Her hopes for independence may be crushed, until the best idea she's ever had comes riding into town.

Deputy Joel Puckett didn't want to leave Texas, but unfair circumstances have made moving to Pine Gap his only shot at keeping a badge. Worse, this small town has big problems, and masked marauders have become too comfortable taking justice into their own hands. He needs to make clear that he's the law in this town--and that job is made more difficult with a nosy reporter who seems to follow him everywhere he goes.

The hero Betsy creates to be the star in a serial for the ladies' pages is based on the dashing deputy, but he's definitely fictional. And since the pieces run only in newspapers far away, no one will ever know. But the more time she spends with Deputy Puckett, the more she appreciates the real hero--and the more she realizes what her ambition could cost him.

"Jennings creates a perfect blend of love, mystery, and wit in this 19th-century romance."--Publishers Weekly starred review

"Jennings' latest is a delightfully entertaining historical romance featuring charismatic humor, unpredictable thrills, and vigilante justice. The plot is tense and exciting, and the novel sparkles with the wit and charm of its spirited heroine. It is more romantic and less stuffy than your average inspirational, and Jennings uses classic western touches like six-shooters, spurs, and white Stetsons to land readers squarely in the Ozark Mountains of 1885." --Booklist

"This is such a delightful read with an adorable romance and a fun and entertaining storyline. . . . The interactions and dialogue between the main characters are sheer perfection. The mystery and drama with the hero's backstory and the masked marauders keep the momentum of the story going at a nice pace and allows for no dull moments. There is so much to love here in this little gem, it is easily one of Jennings' best."--RT Book Reviews

"With her usual touches of humor, Jennings brings the post-Civil War Ozarks to life. In a dangerous land, Betsey and Joel learn real heroes are better than the ones we make up."--Christian Market

"Jennings's lighthearted tone, likable characters, and feel-good narrative with a touch of drama makes for another swoon-worthy historical romance set in the American West. Readers who appreciate Jen Turano won't be disappointed."--Library Journal

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

For The Record

By Regina Jennings

Baker Publishing Group

Copyright © 2016 Regina Jennings
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7642-1142-3

CHAPTER 1

October 1885 Pine Gap, Missouri

Only a limited patch of Earth could claim the privilege of belonging to Texas. Not that he despised the rest of the world for its misfortune, but there was a difference.

Deputy Joel Puckett dropped his saddlebags on the platform of the depot and surveyed the wall of mountains that surrounded the valley. He hadn't seen all of Texas. It'd take more years than his twenty-four to visit every town from the badlands of El Paso to the swamps of Beaumont, but he knew now that a native Texan could sense when he'd been separated from his homeland, and he felt the loss keenly.

The train's chugging had ceased to thunder through the hills, and yet no one came out of the depot to greet him. Rustling started at the top of the hill as a gust worked its way down the mountain, tumbling autumn leaves across the rocky expanse in front of the train station. The stars had already appeared above the mountain, and the air was cooling. Joel lifted his Stetson and ruffled his hair. According to Governor Marmaduke, the people here were desperate for help, begging for relief from the outlaws who razed their homesteads. So if they were anxiously awaiting his arrival, where were they?

His boots echoed on the platform as he strode to the depot building and rattled the door. Locked. The brim of his hat bumped against the glass as he peered through the lone window but found no one. No help coming from that quarter.

Joel scanned the dense woods that surrounded him, but couldn't make out anything in the darkness. He picked up his saddlebags and studied the rocky road that passed along the railroad tracks. When they'd arranged for him to ride the train, he hadn't counted on being afoot once he arrived. He should have insisted on bringing his horse. Who knew what kind of mount they'd be able to provide? For now he'd have to make use of his own two feet. Uphill or downhill? Which would take him to civilization sooner?

The sounds shifted. Joel froze as his hearing instinctively separated the routine noises from the new element. Years of tracking had honed his senses so that any change alerted him. An unknown entity had entered the area and was even now racing toward him.

Hooves on rocks. Many hooves. Voices raised, calling to each other not in anger but in a boisterous excitement that usually preceded acts of derring-do. They were coming down the hill fast. Most men would've stepped out of sight until they knew what they were facing, but the thought never occurred to Joel. His hand flexed at his side, and he didn't have to check that his six-shooter was in place. His feet were spread wide in classic gunslinger pose. What if he was in over his head? What if he'd made a mistake? With the horses barreling out of the trees, it was too late to second-guess himself.

His blood chilled at the sight of the first rider — a torch-toting apparition straight from hell, complete with a disfigured, blackened face and horns. As more of them raced from the trees, Joel realized the masks were burlap sacks, holes cut out for eyes and marked with white paint to make terrifying faces. Cones had been attached at the corners like horns, tassels streaming in the wind from their tips.

Hooting and hollering, the riders raced into the clearing, straight at him. Who were they? If they meant him harm, he was hopelessly outnumbered. With coats turned inside out and socks over their boots, the only identifying markings would've been those of their horses, but even they looked to be rubbed with soot. Dozens of them appeared, some waving a bundle of switches in one hand instead of a torch, but they paid him no mind. Streaming past the depot, they continued their ghastly calling as if he were of no more consequence than the squirrels darting about for acorns beneath the oaks.

Instead of being relieved, Joel fumed. He was not used to being ignored. As the men were disappearing into the trees, he cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered a challenge.

"Hey! Don't you see me standing here, or are y'all afraid to stop?"

He was downright affronted that no one thought enough of him to break stride.

Save one.

Just before his horse dipped out of sight, one man reined hard to the left. Gravel flew as his horse cut and circled around the depot clearing. The man was massive, and the loose sack over his head only added to his bulky profile. One of his horns had twisted and pointed down like a crazed bull's. His horse plunged its head, wanting to rejoin the herd, but the masked man held it steady and steered it directly toward Joel.

With the disguise, Joel couldn't make out much about the man besides his size and his attitude. A leader — definitely. Fearless and arrogant. Someone he'd lock horns with sooner or later.

Might as well be sooner.

Joel stepped to the edge of the platform and looked down on the rider. Every nerve was taut. Every sense sharpened.

The man's expression was not visible through the mask. He shifted in his saddle, and before Joel knew it, he felt the cold wooden handle of his own gun in his palm. But the man hadn't drawn a gun on him. Instead of bullets flying his way, a bundle of switches skidded across the platform and landed at Joel's feet.

One glance to see they posed no threat, and then Joel had the rider back in his sights.

The man's horse pranced as the noise of the other riders faded into the woods.

"A bundle of sticks?" Joel said. "What's that supposed to mean? Who are you?"

The white painted circle over the masked man's mouth distorted and stretched with his answer. "I'm the law."

Turning his horse, the rider spurred it, and they shot off like a cannonball to catch their companions, thundering across the clearing and ducking where the road entered the woods.

Joel's scalp crawled. Releasing a long breath, he holstered his gun and only then allowed himself to consider what could've happened. They'd warned him that the mountains were dangerous. He'd thought the risk better than the fate that faced him at home, but now he wasn't sure. Whatever he'd expected on his arrival, this wasn't it.

Nope. This definitely wasn't Texas.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from For The Record by Regina Jennings. Copyright © 2016 Regina Jennings. Excerpted by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764211420
• ISBN 13: 9780764211423
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 329