News, Press & Reviews

Four interwoven stories about siblings and their search for love. No Man’s Land-the strip of land between Kansas and Texas not claimed as a territory by the U.S. government.

Basket Stitch - Cathy Marie Hake
Summer, 1886 – Deborah Preston has come to No Man’s Land to be with her intended, Dustin Travis. She learns Dustin is dead and buried next to a pig named Petunia. Now what is she going to do? She has no family left, and is in mourning for her father. The Stafford’s come to her rescue, offering her a place to stay with them at their ranch. Micah Stafford is the only person that thinks Deborah doesn’t belong there and wants her gone. He doesn’t think a woman from Boston can survive in such a harsh, brutal place as No Man’s Land.

Will Micah change his mind about Deborah and finally realize she does belong in No Man’s Land and to him? Will Deborah be the one woman who can soften Micah’s heart?

Double Cross - Tracey V. Bateman
April, 1886 - Lou, short for Louisa, Stafford doesn’t want to be domesticated. She doesn’t want to learn how to cook, sew, or clean just in order to catch a husband. She would rather be chasing and branding cows, fishing and wearing pants. Trent Chamberlain is a traveling preacher. With him are two orphans, Timmy and Davy. Trent knows this is not the best life for the boys. When he comes to No Man’s Land and meets the Stafford clan, he decides this would be the place to settle with the boys. He meets Lou under the worse possible conditions, when she has had a run-in with a skunk.

Will Lou overcome her tomboy ways for the preacher? Can Trent love a woman who would rather wear pants than a dress?

Spider Web Rose - Vickie McDonough
Spring, 1887 - Rachel Donovan blames herself for her Grandpa’s injuries. With him injured and their horses gone, what is she to do? She also misses wearing dresses. She does not want to break her promise to her Grandpa, while they are traveling through No Man’s Land. For their safety, he wants her to dress as a boy. Joshua Stafford, a jokester, stumbles across Rachel dressed as a boy, he asks her what she is doing on Stafford land, and she tells him her Grandpa is injured and they have no horses. When Joshua asks her name, she states Lee. Joshua brings Rachel and her Grandpa to the ranch for safety and to tend to her Grandpa’s injuries. Joshua admires Lee spunk and determination to stand his ground.

Will Rachel tell Joshua the truth about her appearance? Will Rachel and her Grandpa be forced to leave, once the truth is known by all? Will Joshua be able to handle the truth when it is told? Can he and Rachel have a future together?

Double Running - Carol Cox
Late Spring 1887 - Sam Stafford is the only sibling which has not fallen under the love bug. He has no intention of doing so anytime soon. He has a full life, does carpentry, and is Uncle to Timmy and Davy. He also helps at the Stafford ranch. Why is everyone pushing him to get married? Hope Masterson is coming home after being with her Aunt for three years without snagging a husband. Hope is delighted no one wanted to hook up with her. She does not feel she is pretty, has bad eyesight, is clumsy, and would rather be reading or doing stitch work. When the townspeople decided to have Hope and Sam head the committee for the Fourth of July celebration, neither one is thrilled with this turn of events.

Will Sam see Hope as the ugly duckling or the graceful swan? Will Hope finally have her knight in shining armor with Sam? Or will he feel sorry for her?

One can never go wrong with a Barbour novella. I enjoyed all the stories in A STITCH IN TIME. It was wonderful to have the characters in all four stories. There is romance, comedy in each of the stories. There is also a common thread of hope, faith in each one. In each story, the woman held her ground. In Basket Stitch, Deborah did not back down from Micah, she would not allow him to scare her away. In Double Cross, Louisa kept true to herself, no matter what people thought about a woman wearing pants, she continue to dress how she wanted. In Spider Web Rose, Rachel tried to keep her promise to her grandfather with all her might. In Double Running, Hope knew she was not the pick of the crop, yet she accepted how she was. There is nothing wrong with being a strong woman, physically or emotionally.

Related Authors

• Tracey V. Bateman

• Carol Cox

• Cathy Marie Hake

• Vickie McDonough

Related Books

• Stitch In Time, A (Trade Paper)