Zina Abbott Books: November 2022

Today's Saturday Snippet is taken from

Marigold

Christmas Quilt Brides, Book 2

by Zina Abbott

“Carpentry work? You build buildings, like out of wood?” Rose’s tone held a note of excitement and expectation.

“Yes, I did a lot of wood construction. A great number of the construction jobs on the frontier involved the use of native stone, but the interiors often required a lot of wood.”

“Then you know how to build fireplaces with chimneys?” Rose licked her lips before biting her bottom one.

“Yes. Almost every house I’ve built has had at least one fireplace,” George answered cautiously. What was the woman getting at? Who would build a fireplace without a chimney?

“Oh, good. Then maybe you’d like to meet with my sister about a construction job. You see, she ordered one of those prefabricated house kits. Well, she ordered two. The small, one-bedroom house is the one Joshua and our friend, Philo Lansing, put up for her. That’s where she’s living now. However, the other house is a two-story place and a lot bigger. Joshua said he could help when he wasn’t busy with his own work, but it’s too involved of a project for him to take on by himself. Well, him and Philo, since they both have farms to see to. Mari hasn’t been in a huge hurry to get the two-story house finished. She’s been happy living in the small house. With so many people in New Ponca wanting their business buildings and houses built, carpenters have been charging a premium. She figured she’d wait until they got hungry enough to drop their prices to a more reasonable range. Her situation has changed, and now she’s ready to build the house.”

“Why didn’t she and her husband just build the big house to begin with?” After trying to follow and keep up with Rose’s story, George felt like his head was spinning.

“Oh, my sister isn’t married. She’s a schoolteacher. Only, the school board is fighting her about honoring the contract Mr. Barnes, the founder of New Ponca, made with Mari. It’s funny, you know? Men talk all the time about the importance of honor and how their word is their bond. Yet, when it comes to dealings with women, many don’t think honoring their word applies. They figure they can ignore contractual obligations and dictate their own terms. We women are just supposed to go along and accept whatever they decide to allow us, which almost always isn’t very much—certainly not what they would offer a man for the same job.”

George creased his brow. This was beginning to sound familiar, like the incident he read about in the local newspaper. “What is your sister’s name?”

“Marigold Calloway. Anyway, Mari never has been one to suffer fools gladly. As far as she’s concerned, that is what many men are, especially when they get an inflated sense of self-importance. Even though she will take the school board and all its members to court to see they honor the contract, she knows they will not hire her again after this school year.”

Marigold Calloway. George worked his lips side to side as the name lodged in his brain. He now knew why the name Calloway seemed familiar. He and Daniel had gone into town two weeks before. While there, he had picked up a copy of the local newspaper with the intent of checking the advertisements to see what kind of work or construction jobs were available. The headline story had detailed the proceedings of the most recent school board meeting. Much to the chagrin of the chairman, Miss Calloway had stood her ground and insisted the board honor the existing teaching contract. Most women he knew would dissolve into tears if confronted like she evidently had been. Not Miss Marigold Calloway.

Marigold, Book 2 in the Christmas Quilt Brides series is currently available for purchase as an ebook. It is also available at no additional cost to with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

To find the book description and link, please

CLICK HERE.

Bee Sting Cake by Brunhilde, Book 12 in the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series has been released and is now available for purchase as an ebook. It is also available at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. It will be available in paperback soon. To find the book description and link, please CLICK HERE

Loving Lila, Book 1 in the Thanksgiving Brides series is now available for sale as an ebook and at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To find the book description and link, Please CLICK HERE

Ellie, book 13 in the Runaway Brides of the West series is now for sale as an ebook, plus available on Kindle Unlimited at no additional cost. A paperback version will be available soon.

To find the book description and pre-order link for Ellie, please CLICK HERE.

Set in the days of the Oklahoma Land Runs, Joshua's Bride is now available for purchase as an ebook, paperback and it is available on Kindle Unlimited .