The Haines children have been separated from each other since their parents’ deaths five years ago, but now an unexpected opportunity appears for Brittany to join her brother in Wyoming Territory. In accepting the offer, Brittany makes two things clear. One, she will be returning east in one year since she doesn’t believe the west is a good place for her two younger siblings to grow up, and two, she will not marry a westerner. But when things go wrong the minute she steps off the stage, Brittany begins to question her decision to travel west. And when the same westerner keeps coming to her aid, Brittany is forced to admit that maybe not all westerners are bad.
Nathan Lindale came to Wyoming Territory in hopes of forgetting his past, but finds that to be impossible, especially when his long time enemy Rueben Pierce appears. As tension mounts, he’s faced with the question of whether he will continue to cling to the pain the past holds or release it for something better.
Will they open their eyes to the unexpected, or in clinging to their own ideas, will they let present opportunities slip past them?
Targeted Age Group:: Adult
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I've always loved the Old West and everything historical. When I had an idea involving a western man with a troubled past and an eastern woman unsure about her future, there was no stopping the flood of ideas that followed. The story insisted on being written.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
My characters did not start out so clearly as they appear in the book. With each draft I wrote, they began to come into better focus and to develop their own personalities until I didn't have to wonder what they would do; I knew how they were going to react.
Book Sample
“I can’t wait to see Clem again.” Somehow, Brittany knew that Johnny would understand her excitement.
“I can imagine. And he’s sure gonna get the surprise of his life when he gets home and sees you.”
Brittany frowned, puzzled by his words. “Home? Home from where?”
Johnny looked sideways at her. “Oh, you don’t know, do you?”
“Don’t know what?” Brittany’s heart began to pound.
“He’s gone.”
“Gone! Gone where?” Panic filled her and made her voice squeak.
“Relax. He’s gone on the cattle drive to Cheyenne, but he’ll be back in three weeks, Lord willing.”
“Three weeks! But—” Panic gave way to helplessness, and Brittany felt tears sting her eyes. After this long trip, covering hundreds of miles by train, stage, and now horseback, Clem wouldn’t be waiting to meet her at the end of the journey. How could he do this to her? “I wrote to him, telling him when I would be here.”
Johnny cleared his throat. “Ah, yes, your letter—”
Brittany swiveled her gaze to his face. More bad news?
“I’m afraid Clem never got your letter,” Johnny said, his voice apologetic. “He’d already left by the time it came.”
This couldn't be happening. Brittany felt as if she were caught in a terrible nightmare, only there was no waking up from this one. Clem wasn’t here to meet her—and didn’t know she was coming.
The trip was fast turning into a disaster.
Links to Purchase Print Books
Link to Buy Settle My Heart Print Edition at Amazon
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Author Bio:
Alena Mentink is a Nebraska author who enjoys mixing history with fiction characters to create a story for God’s glory. Alena lives on a farm outside of Stromsburg with her parents and seven siblings, and is currently writing a novel set near her home in Polk County.
