Hello my friends and happy Saturday! I’m honored to have Julia, er I mean Jules here with me today. Jules is the main character from Taming Julia by Jodie Wolfe. You can read me review here. Please join me in welcoming Jules to the blog! And make sure you read the entire post – I have a special excerpt at the end 🙂
In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery’s sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation’s ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.
Jules Walker strides into Drew’s life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle–more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she’s not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.
Welcome to the blog today! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Names Jules Walker, I mean Jules Montgomery. Keep forgettin’ about my married name. My given name is Julia, but I’ve always gone by Jules as far as I can recollect.
What did you think the first time you saw Drew?
He’s one fine lookin’ man, even though he seems a might particular when it comes to some things. Guess he’s gotten used to things havin’ to be a certain way. Then again, I’m the same way sometimes too.
I can’t imagine leaving everything I’ve ever known to marry someone I’ve never met. How scary was that for you?
Well, I think the scariest thing was travellin’ in that stagecoach. I’ve never been boxed in like that afore. Give me wide open spaces and I’m happy. As far as marryin’ Drew, I wouldn’t say it was scary. I just followed what my brother wanted me to do. He’s never led me to do somethin’ that didn’t have a good reason behind it. I knew I could trust him, even when it meant leavin’ everythin’ I’d ever known.
It must have been a huge adjustment once you got to Drew’s house and began everyday life. What was the hardest adjustment for you?
Cookin’ on that beast of his. Don’t seem right to have to use it and be cooped up like a hen in a hen house, ‘specially when havin’ an outdoors fire is so much better. Besides you get more fresh air that way.
I was nervous to meet my mother-in-law, but it turned out okay because she was a sweet woman. What is Drew’s mom like? Did you get along right away?
That woman is ornery. Reminds me of a fella my brother and I met along the trail one time. This fella was convinced that you had to sleep with your head facin’ east. Couldn’t talk him out of it no matter how hard we tried.
Do you have any advice for the newlyweds out there?
Get to know your man and his ways. Sometimes they can be mighty peculiar. There are plenty of things Drew does that I don’t understand one bit, but I’m tryin’ to be the best wife I can. It’s goin’ to take some doin’ though, I think.
That’s good advice! Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today 🙂
Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and COMPEL Training. She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. A former columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine, her articles can be found online at: Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. She’s a contributor and co-founder of Stitches Thru Time blog. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie.
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Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com
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Matrimony News, February 6, 1875 edition
Minister bachelor aged 27, height 5 feet 10 inches seeks genteel, honest and first-rate homemaker with a desire to serve God. Must be willing to marry by proxy and arrive in Burrton Springs, Kansas by May 1.
~*~
Burrton Springs, Kansas, Saturday, May 1, 1875
Dear Lord, please don’t let that creature be my new wife. Drew Montgomery swiped the sweat trickling a path down his neck and shoved the new hat back on his head. He squinted, taking in the lone passenger stepping from the stagecoach. At least, he thought it was a woman. He shielded his eyes from the sun, taking in the britches.
Britches? A gun belt strapped to a slim waist. He gulped. A rifle rested on her shoulder, and she wore a Stetson situated low on her brow. The figure shifted sideways, and Drew groaned, fearing his proxy mail-order bride had arrived by the look of all the curves. He squared his shoulders and crossed the street.
“Are you Montgomery?” Her coffee-brown gaze seared through him.
He snapped his gaping mouth shut and nodded. “Y-yes.”
“Name’s Jules Walker.” She shoved her hand into his and shook it so hard his teeth clattered. “I reckon, Jules Montgomery since we’re hitched.” She waved a slip of paper in his face. “Got the paper here to prove it. So are you my husband or not?”
Drew caught a whiff of dirt. He coughed and cleared his throat.
She peered at him as if he were a chicken with one leg.
“I’m Drew.” He managed to choke the words out. “Isn’t your name Julia?”
She scrunched her face, pushed her Stetson from her head, and allowed it to dangle from the string around her neck. Her brown hair scattered in disarray, slipping from a shoulder-length braid. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been called Julia. Like I said, name’s Jules.”
“But…” Drew let the word hang between them. No matter. “Where’re your things?”
           “Got my knapsack and that there.” She pointed to the top of the stagecoach. He expected to see a trunk, but a saddle rested there instead. What kind of woman brought a saddle into a marriage? What kind of woman showed up dressed like a man? No. No. Something was terribly wrong.
Thank you for featuring me and Jules today!