The Sheriff's Sweetheart (24 page)

Dear Reader,

 

Thank you so much for choosing
The Sheriff's Sweetheart
, the third book in my Brides of Simpson Creek series. I hope you enjoyed Prissy's story—she's truly a “girly” girl who would have been a “shop till you drop” girl if she'd been born in this time, but she has a tender heart for spiritual things, too. I have to admit I love “rascals” like Sam—they give an author an excellent chance to show how the power of God can transform a man into a hero.

I had already written the first books in the series when I actually got to visit San Saba County, the locale of the series, and the actual tributary of the San Saba River, Simpson Creek. During our time there, my husband and I got to visit the legendary Wedding Tree depicted in this book, a huge, venerable live oak whose spreading branches cover the narrow dusty road where it is situated. It's well worth a visit, if you're ever in the hill country of Texas, and it really did serve as a wedding place for Indians and early settlers. I could think of no better place for my hero and heroine to be married.

I love hearing from readers. You can contact me via my website at www.lauriekingery.com to hear about my upcoming books from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historicals or through Facebook.

 

Blessings,

Laurie Kingery

1. Prissy Gilmore is a very fashion-conscious girl for her time and place. Do you think a girl who takes pleasure in fine clothing can be a woman of God? Why or why not?
   
2. What do you think of Sam's motives for taking the ruby ring belonging to Kendall Raney? How does this act snowball for Sam?
   
3. What do you think of Prissy's reaction toward her father's romance with Mariah Fairchild?
   
4. How do you think Sam's upbringing impacts his character?
   
5. How are Reverend Chadwick and the church a unifying force in Simpson Creek?
   
6. Is Prissy wrong to pressure Caroline Wallace not to give up on the idea of getting married and having children of her own some day?
   
7. How does Sam's childhood result in his initial lack of faith?
   
8. What meaning does the verse I've chosen as the novel's epigraph, Joshua 24:15—“Choose you this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”—have for Sam?
   
9. What are Sam's values in the beginning of this story, and how do they change?
   
10. How does Prissy's character grow during this story?
    
11. Have you ever met someone to date through a matchmaking service like the Spinsters' Club? How did that work out?
    
12. Have you ever met anyone like Delbert Perry? Do you think such a transformation is possible?
    
13. How would you feel if your church building were suddenly unavailable to you? How much of the church experience is the building, and how much is the people?
    
14. Prissy Gilmore is not talented in sewing as Milly Brookfield is, or as skillful in baking as Sarah Walker. What is her chief talent?
    
15. Who should be the next heroine in the Simpson Creek series? What type of hero does she need?