MILLWRIGHT'S DAUGHTER Now a Single

You can now purchase my novella, Millwright's Daughter, as a single. CLICK HERE to access the purchase link.

Millwright's Daughter has been part of the anthology, Under a Mulberry Moon, since July. If you have already read Under a Mulberry Moon, you have probably already read Millwright's Daughter. For the time being, you may still purchase the anthology and enjoy Millwright's Daughter as one of nine stories.

However, Under a Mulberry Moon is scheduled to be unpublished and the full rights to the stories will revert to the authors at that time. When that happens, I will be writing two more books in this series, Kerr's Ferry Mill -- one to cover the time before the Great Flood that wiped out the first mill, and one after as California enters the age of electricity.

Here is an excerpt from Millwright's Daughter: 

P

hoebe’s steps slowed as she spotted her husband talking to a man, probably a customer, just outside the mill office door. She waited several feet away and studied her husband with his tall, barrel-chested form and shoulders still wide in spite of now being middle-aged. Unlike her mousy brown hair that had started to grow gray hairs all over, gray streaked the temples of his otherwise dark hair, adding to his distinguished appearance rather than making him appear old.

            Phoebe watched the two men shake hands. She did not recall having seen before the young stranger with his light brown hair and eyes about the same color. Judging from his collarless work shirt of plaid homespun woven of different shades of brown and madder red and the medium-brimmed slouch hat he wore, she now guessed him to be a laborer looking for a job.  From the smiles and nods, she guessed her husband and the stranger had come to an agreement. She noticed the shine on the seat of his pants as she watched him climb into the bench of a freight wagon pulled by two mules.

            As the young man raised his hand in farewell, Phoebe, her hand in her pocket, took that as a sign she could approach her husband without interrupting his business. Even as he turned his blue-grey eyes to study her—the eyes a Wells trait which had been passed down to Lydia and Joey as well as Eliza, while poor Julie had inherited her own non-descript hazel eyes—his   expression changed from a smile to a scowl at the sight of her. In spite of his demeanor telling her he did not welcome her presence, she approached with confidence. She knew he would want what she brought him.

            “Get everything you need from town? No one gave you trouble about putting it on the account, did they?”

            Phoebe shook her head. She nodded towards the departing wagon. “Who was that?”

            Joseph assumed a smug expression. “New man to help haul flour to the railroad. Ol’ Jensen said he’s raising his prices as of the first of the month. Kit Halsey said he’ll do the job for the same price per sack I’ve been paying. When I gave him a quote, I shaved a few cents off what I usually pay, and the kid didn’t know the difference.”

            “I see.” Phoebe understood more than her husband thought her capable of. He not only drove a hard bargain, he would take advantage when he could get away with it. However, she knew now was not the time to comment about it. She pulled the two letters out of her pocket and handed them to Joseph. “One is from Eliza’s grandmother.”

Mill office and at one time the Superintendent's residence-Knight's Ferry