Lazy Days

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Authors: Verna Clay

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Lazy Days

Read the First Book in
Each of Four Series.

 

Cry
of the West: Hallie
(Finding Home Series)

 

Abby: Mail Order Bride

(Unconventional Series)

 

Roth: Protector
(Shapeling Trilogy)

 

Dream Kisses
(Romance on the Ranch Series)

 

 

Copyright © 2013 by Verna Clay

Photo: iStock (IngaIvanova)

 

Table of Contents

 

Cry of the West: Hallie

Finding Home Series

Preface

Prologue

Chapter 1: Finding Courage

Chapter 2: Unexpected Request

Chapter 3: First Names, Please

Chapter 4: Traveling Companions

Chapter 5: No Room at the Inn

Chapter 6: All Aboard!

Chapter 7: Slime

Chapter 8: Westport Bound

Chapter 9: Land Legs

Chapter 10: Gee Haw

Chapter 11: "Westward Ho!"

Chapter 12: Caress

Chapter 13: Crossing the Wakarusa

Chapter 14: Carvings at Alcove Spring

Chapter 15: Bad Dream at Fremont Springs

Chapter 16: Narrow Escape at The Narrows

Chapter 17: The Lone Tree

Chapter 18: Platte Incident

Chapter 19: Fancy Girlfriends

Chapter 20: Descending Windlass Hill

Chapter 21: Eyeful at Ash Hollow

Chapter 22: Release at Register Cliff

Chapter 23: Blessing

Chapter 24: Audaciousness

Chapter 25: Reconciliation at Independence Rock

Chapter 26: Parting of the Waters and Parting of the Ways

Chapter 27: Sad Times at Clover Creek

Chapter 28: Heart to Heart at Shoshone Falls

Chapter 29: Showdown at Fort Boise

Chapter 30: Goodbye Farewell Bend; Hello Blue Mountains

Chapter 31: Decisions…Again

Chapter 32: The Barlow Road: Conquer or Be Conquered

Chapter 33: Beginning Again at the End

Chapter 34: Sowing and Reaping

Chapter 35: Letter

Chapter 36: Not Just Another Day

Epilogue

Research Materials for
Hallie: Cry of the West

Author's Note

Rescue on the Rio: Lilah (Excerpt)
Finding Home Series

Abby: Mail Order Bride
Unconventional Series

Preface

Chapter 1: Courage or Folly?

Chapter 2: Butterflies

Chapter 3: Eight Eyes

Chapter 4: Cookies

Chapter 5: Ornery Chickens

Chapter 6: Miz Pitts

Chapter 7: Barn-Raising

Chapter 8: Wedding Day

Chapter 9: Honeymoon Blues

Chapter 10: Awakenings

Chapter 11: Tidings of Great Joy

Chapter 12: Luke

Chapter 13: Birthdays

Chapter 14: Life's Twist

Chapter 15: Endless Despair

Chapter 16: Toothless Charlie

Chapter 17: Sorrow Expressed

Chapter 18: Revelations

Chapter 19: Homecoming

Epilogue

Author's Note

Broken Angel (Excerpt)
Unconventional Series

Roth: Protector
Shapeling Trilogy

Preface

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Chapter 2: Forest Lesson

Chapter 3: Encounter

Chapter 4: Frustration

Chapter 5: Ultimatum

Chapter 6: New Digs

Chapter 7: Finding Tahnoon

Chapter 8: Caravan

Chapter 9: Adventure

Chapter 10: Revelation

Chapter 11: Truce

Chapter 12: Across the Nile

Chapter 13: Trouble

Chapter 14: Confessions

Chapter 15: Set-Up

Chapter 16: Sting

Chapter 17: Comfort

Chapter 18: Welcome Home

Chapter 19: Polite Conversation

Chapter 20: Deception

Chapter 21: Truth to Tell

Chapter 22: Seeing is Believing

Author's Note

Fawn: Master (excerpt)
Shapeling Trilogy

Dream Kisses
Romance on the Ranch Series

Preface

Chapter 1: Male Model

Chapter 2: Java Break

Chapter 3: Expect the Unexpected

Chapter 4: Stuck in Dodge

Chapter 5: Busted

Chapter 6: Food Server

Chapter 7: Orientation

Chapter 8: Lasso Lessons

Chapter 9: Family Photos

Chapter 10: Cowboy Up

Chapter 11: Morning Regrets

Chapter 12: Role Playing

Chapter 13: "WESTWARD HO!"

Chapter 14: Lost and Alone

Chapter 15: Moonlight and Stars

Chapter 16: Calm before the Storm

Chapter 17: Sharing

Chapter 18: High Fashion Greenhorns

Chapter 19: Storm

Chapter 20: Gossip Girls

Chapter 21: Clean up Girl

Chapter 22: Fling

Chapter 23: Declaration Six Months Later

Epilogue

Author's Note

Honey Kisses (excerpt)
Romance on the Ranch Series

Stranded in Oasis (excerpt)
Oasis, Arizona Series (coming January 2014)

Novels and Novellas by Verna Clay

Cry
of the West

Finding Home Series

 

"Hallie"

 

Verna Clay

 

 

 

This book is dedicated to those
possessing the pioneer spirit of adventure…even the tiniest bit.

 

Cry
of the West

"Hallie"

Finding Home Series

 

Copyright © 2013 by Verna Clay

Second Edition

 

All
rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof
in any form whatsoever.

 

For information contact:

[email protected]
website: www.VernaClay.com

 

Publisher:

M.O.I.
Publishing

"Mirrors of Imagination"

 

Editor: Jami Carpenter (Redpen girl)

 

Cover Design: Verna Clay

 

Pictures:

iStock Photo.com (Dziner4) (pioneer woman)

Dreamstime.com (Philcold) (wagon train)

 

This
book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.

 

Preface

 

Writing Hallie's story has been a labor of love.
For a long time I contemplated writing a book encompassing the Oregon Trail,
and the more research I did as the story unfolded, the more I fell in love with
the pioneers who gave up everything to follow their dreams and the Native
Americans adversely affected by westward migration. The hardships endured by both
groups are unimaginable.

In writing this story, I am in no way attempting
to typify the lives of those who braved the Oregon Trail or the Native
Americans impacted. My story has been written solely as romantic entertainment,
but with the added aspect of research.

Regarding historical accuracy, I attempted to
remain true to history but fudged one event, which I shall explain shortly. As
for the locations described in
Cry of the West,
I decided it would be
helpful if fabricated locations were known prior to the reading of the story. Other
than those listed below, the locations and information remain true to my
research.

The Oregon Trail began in Missouri, not far from
St. Louis, and crossed in greater or lesser degrees, the states we now know as
Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. For much of
trail
history,
these states were considered territories. For the timeframe of my book — 1866 —
Oregon and Kansas were already admitted as states of the Union.

I hope you enjoy your journey from Westport
Landing in Missouri to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Of course, any inaccuracies
other than indicated below, are inadvertent and I take responsibility for them.

Fabrications from my imagination are: the
steamship,
Mirabella;
the towns of Jebson and River Bend Grove; Muddy
Creek Valley; and the Brandon Hotel.

The tornado that struck St. Louis in 1866 is factual;
however, it happened in October, not March.

 

Happy
Trails,

 

Verna
Clay

 

Order
of books in the
Finding Home Series:

 

Hallie:
Cry of the West

Lilah:
Rescue on the Rio

Daisy:
Missouri Challenge

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