New Western by Sandra Cox

Keeper Tyree Release

Thanks so much for hosting me and helping me get the word out about Keeper, C. Lee. Appreciate it and you.

Today’s cowboy word: Barker.

Like we do today, the cowboys of the old West used a good bit of slang. Barker is another term for—no not a dog–😊 but a gun. He raised his barker.

~*~

Keeper Tyree is an aging bounty hunter who lives by his own set of rules. He’s a hard man, but he’s just, and his word is his bond. He’s a loner and likes it that way. Then Cathleen O’Donnell catapults into his life looking to hire his gun. Josiah Pardee has killed her boy and she’s out for vengeance. Somehow all his hard and fast rules, including working alone and minding his own business, crumbles in the face of the immovable widow he now works for. He finds himself rescuing soiled doves, a myopic bookworm more suited to city life than the Wild West, and an hombre being dragged to death by angry cardplayers, as he tracks down the murdering sidewinder Josiah Pardee. 

Excerpt

He pulled out the hard-backed chair at his favorite table in the dining room and dropped down. From here he could see both the entryway and the kitchen. Part of the reason he was an aging gunman instead of a resident of Boot Hill was an abundance of caution.  Drink might slow him down but he could always function.

Molly saw him from the kitchen door, disappeared and whisked back with the coffee pot, and poured him a cup, steam rising and carrying the aromatic fragrance of dark beans.

“Thanks, Molly.”

“I missed you last night.”

“I went out.” 

“I can tell. You wreak of rotgut. It’s coming out of your pores.” She wrinkled her nose. 

“Well, I washed up and put on a clean shirt. Can’t do anything about my pores.” He took a gulp of strong, scalding liquid. “That’s good coffee.” Then added a healthy dollop from his flask. 

“Want some breakfast?”

“I’d take a beefsteak —”

“Rare?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Put your clothes outside your door and I’ll wash ‘em.”

“Again, thanks. You’ll make someone a wonderful wife.”

“But not you.”

“I’m not looking for marriage. Is that a problem?” He set down his cup. Molly was a widow. He’d been at the boarding house for over a year now. They’d always enjoyed a good romp, with no strings, for most of that time. It was a comfortable arrangement. It would be inconvenient to find a new place but not as inconvenient as having a woman hanging out for a ring.

She gave out a great guffaw that had her ample bosom shaking. “You should have seen your face.” She walked away shaking her head and still laughing.

A few minutes later she returned with a beefsteak that nearly mooed at him.

“I’m going to be gone for a while,” he told her as she plopped the plate in front of him, the steak still sizzling.

“You going after Pardee?”

“You’re smart as well as beautiful. How’d you figure that one out?”

A young couple walked in and sat at a table near the door.

“Be right with ya,” Molly called out.

The man nodded and held up his hand.

“Cathleen O’Donnell comes in my place for the first time looking for you. Pardee killed her son. I can put two and two together and get four. You be careful, Keeper.”

“I’m not worried about Pardee.”

“I’m not talking about Pardee.”

Before he could respond she pivoted and bustled away.

Bio
Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener, and also writes as S. Cox. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina.

Her stories consist of all things Western and more. She is a category bestselling Amazon author, Eppie finalist and award winner. 

Order link: https://tinyurl.com/KeeperTyree

Web link: http://sandracoxwriter.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sandra_Cox