What do you think?
Rate this book
Cactus Rose
In the heat of the southwest, desire is the kindling for two lost souls—and the flame of passion threatens to consume them both.
Rosie Saladay needs to get married—fast. The young widow needs help to protect her late husband’s ranch, but no decent woman can live alone with a hired hand. With the wealthy Wesley Morris making a play for her land, Rosie needs a husband or she risks losing everything. So she hangs a sign at the local saloon: "Husband wanted. Apply inside. No conjugal rights."
Delmar Grant is a sucker for a damsel in distress, and even with Rosie’s restrictions on “boots under her bed” stated firmly in black and white, something about the lovely widow’s plea leaves him unable to turn away her proposal of marriage.
Though neither planned on falling in love, passion ignites between the unlikely couple. But their buried secrets—and enemies with both greed and a grudge—threaten to tear them apart. They'll discover this marriage of convenience may cost them more than they could have ever bargained for.
Rosie Saladay needs to get married—fast. The young widow needs help to protect her late husband’s ranch, but no decent woman can live alone with a hired hand. With the wealthy Wesley Morris making a play for her land, Rosie needs a husband or she risks losing everything. So she hangs a sign at the local saloon: "Husband wanted. Apply inside. No conjugal rights."
Delmar Grant is a sucker for a damsel in distress, and even with Rosie’s restrictions on “boots under her bed” stated firmly in black and white, something about the lovely widow’s plea leaves him unable to turn away her proposal of marriage.
Though neither planned on falling in love, passion ignites between the unlikely couple. But their buried secrets—and enemies with both greed and a grudge—threaten to tear them apart. They'll discover this marriage of convenience may cost them more than they could have ever bargained for.
238 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2015
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Harte
13 books3 followersWhen I was a teenager, growing up in Colorado and just starting to write romantic fiction, there was no better place to be and no better place to write about. The mountains in my back yard, breathtaking canyons to drive up, creeks to watch tumbling over giant boulders, sometimes an arrowhead in the reddish dirt to remind me of those who came before...the past was as real as my present.
There was an old stagecoach road I walked, listening to the wind in the pines, experiencing great solitude all around. There was an Indian cave with a smoke-blackened ceiling, a gold mine that spooked me when I dared to venture too deep inside. The smell of a dug-out horse shed, oats and leather horse tack, lives on in my memory as real as this moment as I write. A tourist attraction called Ghost Town fascinated me, with its rooms filled with ornate brass bedsteads, black high button shoes on display, glass-chimney lamps and pot-bellied stoves.
I fell in love with the Old West. As I began to imagine how people lived back then and how they loved I had to tell their stories.
What did it feel like to fall in love back then, being bound by the strict code that governed all women? What happened when a woman chose to break the rules? Back then, when a woman made love, inside or outside marriage, she took her life in her hands. Pregnancy and childbirth in the Old West made romance a serious business. If a young woman made a bad choice in a man, she faced a lifetime of hardship. If she fell for a bad boy, it wasn't just a romantic fling she could shrug off when it soured. She was likely ruined. Reputation was everything. Throw that away and there were few jobs she could get, few men who would have her.
But women still loved, married and had children. They had incredible love stories. .
My first novel about the Old West was ANGEL. That story taught me just what lay in store for a girl with bad luck and careless choices. The research started out fun and fascinating but quickly informed me of the sobering reality that women paid a severe price for rebellion. Eight more of my novels have explored living and loving in the Old West. HER OUTLAW HEART, my newest historical romance, explores what it means to live and love by Old West standards from a different perspective. My young heroine risks everything for love, fights for her reputation and wins the heart of a true hero.
I'll always love the Old West because it's in my blood. I'll keep writing western romance because 19th century America is still as real to me as the mountains I love.
There was an old stagecoach road I walked, listening to the wind in the pines, experiencing great solitude all around. There was an Indian cave with a smoke-blackened ceiling, a gold mine that spooked me when I dared to venture too deep inside. The smell of a dug-out horse shed, oats and leather horse tack, lives on in my memory as real as this moment as I write. A tourist attraction called Ghost Town fascinated me, with its rooms filled with ornate brass bedsteads, black high button shoes on display, glass-chimney lamps and pot-bellied stoves.
I fell in love with the Old West. As I began to imagine how people lived back then and how they loved I had to tell their stories.
What did it feel like to fall in love back then, being bound by the strict code that governed all women? What happened when a woman chose to break the rules? Back then, when a woman made love, inside or outside marriage, she took her life in her hands. Pregnancy and childbirth in the Old West made romance a serious business. If a young woman made a bad choice in a man, she faced a lifetime of hardship. If she fell for a bad boy, it wasn't just a romantic fling she could shrug off when it soured. She was likely ruined. Reputation was everything. Throw that away and there were few jobs she could get, few men who would have her.
But women still loved, married and had children. They had incredible love stories. .
My first novel about the Old West was ANGEL. That story taught me just what lay in store for a girl with bad luck and careless choices. The research started out fun and fascinating but quickly informed me of the sobering reality that women paid a severe price for rebellion. Eight more of my novels have explored living and loving in the Old West. HER OUTLAW HEART, my newest historical romance, explores what it means to live and love by Old West standards from a different perspective. My young heroine risks everything for love, fights for her reputation and wins the heart of a true hero.
I'll always love the Old West because it's in my blood. I'll keep writing western romance because 19th century America is still as real to me as the mountains I love.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews
December 7, 2015
This is my first book by Ms Harte and I was pleasantly surprised! Impressed with the quality of writing. The over-all tone of the story hit a chord with me making it a very satisfying read. The characters were well drawn and the setting vivid. A nice twist on the marriage of convenience trope.
August 11, 2015
Rosie Saladay raced into town in her worn out wagon and worn out horses on a mission. She needs a husband, and she needs him today. The local gambler, Wesley Morris, is determined to practically steal her land and mysteriously her husband was killed last week. Everyone believes there is gold on her land, she has something more valuable to history, ancient cliff dwellings; her husband, Abner, swore her to secrecy.
Del Grant riding thru town, drinking and gambling decides to marry Rosie even without “boots under the bed” as they said in the west, a marriage of convenience and protection for Rosie who believes she will be the next one killed for her land.
Rosie, a mill girl, had come west to find her future husband, found he didn’t want a wife, only a housekeeper, so he could research the dwellings and artifacts. She lives a lonely almost destitute existence. I could feel Del’s emotions rolling off of him as he listened to Rosie describe her life. I could feel Rosie’s desire that her late husband had felt a little something for her, fear of what was to become of her, and her determination to safe guard her husband’s legacy. The author poured emotion throughout this book, as we watched Del and Rosie grow into the people they were destined to become.
Del has secrets and he is not sure how to tell Rosie. Rosie has a secret also; she is falling in love with Del. Watching Rosie and Del dance around each other was entertaining as they fell for the each other in a desolate land full of cactus and sand. These are two people who have wanted to be loved for their entire life’s; it was sad and emotional to hear each of their histories; they both deserved to love and be loved. Ms. Harte did a wonderful job pacing the story, the love between Del and Rosie, the mystery of the cliff dwellings, the mystery of Del and his secrets that could finally break Rosie, that snake Wesley Morris, and the manner of Rosie’s first husband Abner death revealed. Ms. Harte pulled the story together, tied up all the ends, and gave us a good book with a wonderful ending.
I would recommend this book for anyone that like western romance. The loves scenes were very tastefully done, more hinted at than descriptive.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.
Del Grant riding thru town, drinking and gambling decides to marry Rosie even without “boots under the bed” as they said in the west, a marriage of convenience and protection for Rosie who believes she will be the next one killed for her land.
Rosie, a mill girl, had come west to find her future husband, found he didn’t want a wife, only a housekeeper, so he could research the dwellings and artifacts. She lives a lonely almost destitute existence. I could feel Del’s emotions rolling off of him as he listened to Rosie describe her life. I could feel Rosie’s desire that her late husband had felt a little something for her, fear of what was to become of her, and her determination to safe guard her husband’s legacy. The author poured emotion throughout this book, as we watched Del and Rosie grow into the people they were destined to become.
Del has secrets and he is not sure how to tell Rosie. Rosie has a secret also; she is falling in love with Del. Watching Rosie and Del dance around each other was entertaining as they fell for the each other in a desolate land full of cactus and sand. These are two people who have wanted to be loved for their entire life’s; it was sad and emotional to hear each of their histories; they both deserved to love and be loved. Ms. Harte did a wonderful job pacing the story, the love between Del and Rosie, the mystery of the cliff dwellings, the mystery of Del and his secrets that could finally break Rosie, that snake Wesley Morris, and the manner of Rosie’s first husband Abner death revealed. Ms. Harte pulled the story together, tied up all the ends, and gave us a good book with a wonderful ending.
I would recommend this book for anyone that like western romance. The loves scenes were very tastefully done, more hinted at than descriptive.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.
January 4, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. Had a few bumps toward the end that took awAy from 5 star. But overall a good western story with a unique subject.
July 30, 2018
I thought it was going to be a great book from the start. A woman looking for a husband in Arizona Territory — in the saloon?
Rosie Salady suspects her husband was murdered at his work site, far into the interior of their property that is much-speculated about in town to be a gold mine. Perhaps that was the motive, she believes as she eyes the nasty Wesley Morris trying to buy it up. But how can she prove it? Not to mention Abner's work - it has to be protected! In order to keep her husband's land and work site safe, Rosie hastily marries a stranger she finds in the saloon only a week after burying her husband.
Delmar Grant, a gunfighter, continually finds himself gambling away everything as he makes his way back home...a destination he will never reach. He is an attractive man and answers Rosie's strange ad, surviving through the interview process. The judge marries them and Rosie takes Del home. He quickly surmises that Rosie lives in a shack and that her husband didn't put in any work into the house, barn, or any other little things that needed doing. As they pick up married life, Del discovers that Rosie's husband was only home to eat dinner and sleep on a mat in his own add-on to the house. Del quickly puts himself to work tending to things, fixing things, and putting them to rights to improve Rosie's pitiful buildings. Slowly, as they live married life together, they slowly fall in love, even though Del has his own secrets.
Rose was a mill girl with no family. She came west to marry Abner...only to find out he wasn't in need of a wife, but a housekeeper. Rosie kept the house up, cooked, and made sure to look out for absent-minded and dedicated Abner. Rosie's life was so isolating and lonely it was heartbreaking. Del soaks it all in and treats Rosie with kindness and small touches of the love she didn't have but craved.
Eventually Rosie takes Del to Abner's work site - a beautiful indigenous community built into the side of a massive cliff. The residents long gone, Abner dedicated his entire life to documenting every single thing about the site in journals and collections. Del chooses to secret the journals away in the desert, which proves useful later. He also discovers an indication that Abner might have died of natural causes, in addition to his own regrets about Rosie in the last few weeks of his life.
As much as I enjoyed this book and its fresh take on mail-order brides, there were a few strange moments between the two main characters as the book went on. I understood its purpose to create tension and suspense, but it was quite strange. My take-away was that Del thought Rosie was absolutely crazy and told her so without mincing any words. There were a couple times Rosie's freaking out was too much and some things she said didn't make sense. I surmise these were difficult scenes to write. In all this chaos and a dirty underhand deal before Rosie ever set eyes on Del, Rosie is back to living a life of lonely solitude as Del tries to figure out all the players after Rosie's land. He discovers a looter on Abner's site and things begin to unravel at breakneck speeds from there with the looter and Wesley Morris.
An interesting read and commentary on protecting our history and historical sites as is, as well as shining the spotlight on women and their needs in their marriage. The concept of Abner's native work site and treasures reminds me quite a bit of Baxter's Draw by Juliette Harper wherein the three daughters of Langston Lockwood discover a hidden retreat in the property's draw that contain beautiful native artifacts, artwork, and other items.
Rosie Salady suspects her husband was murdered at his work site, far into the interior of their property that is much-speculated about in town to be a gold mine. Perhaps that was the motive, she believes as she eyes the nasty Wesley Morris trying to buy it up. But how can she prove it? Not to mention Abner's work - it has to be protected! In order to keep her husband's land and work site safe, Rosie hastily marries a stranger she finds in the saloon only a week after burying her husband.
Delmar Grant, a gunfighter, continually finds himself gambling away everything as he makes his way back home...a destination he will never reach. He is an attractive man and answers Rosie's strange ad, surviving through the interview process. The judge marries them and Rosie takes Del home. He quickly surmises that Rosie lives in a shack and that her husband didn't put in any work into the house, barn, or any other little things that needed doing. As they pick up married life, Del discovers that Rosie's husband was only home to eat dinner and sleep on a mat in his own add-on to the house. Del quickly puts himself to work tending to things, fixing things, and putting them to rights to improve Rosie's pitiful buildings. Slowly, as they live married life together, they slowly fall in love, even though Del has his own secrets.
Rose was a mill girl with no family. She came west to marry Abner...only to find out he wasn't in need of a wife, but a housekeeper. Rosie kept the house up, cooked, and made sure to look out for absent-minded and dedicated Abner. Rosie's life was so isolating and lonely it was heartbreaking. Del soaks it all in and treats Rosie with kindness and small touches of the love she didn't have but craved.
Eventually Rosie takes Del to Abner's work site - a beautiful indigenous community built into the side of a massive cliff. The residents long gone, Abner dedicated his entire life to documenting every single thing about the site in journals and collections. Del chooses to secret the journals away in the desert, which proves useful later. He also discovers an indication that Abner might have died of natural causes, in addition to his own regrets about Rosie in the last few weeks of his life.
As much as I enjoyed this book and its fresh take on mail-order brides, there were a few strange moments between the two main characters as the book went on. I understood its purpose to create tension and suspense, but it was quite strange. My take-away was that Del thought Rosie was absolutely crazy and told her so without mincing any words. There were a couple times Rosie's freaking out was too much and some things she said didn't make sense. I surmise these were difficult scenes to write. In all this chaos and a dirty underhand deal before Rosie ever set eyes on Del, Rosie is back to living a life of lonely solitude as Del tries to figure out all the players after Rosie's land. He discovers a looter on Abner's site and things begin to unravel at breakneck speeds from there with the looter and Wesley Morris.
An interesting read and commentary on protecting our history and historical sites as is, as well as shining the spotlight on women and their needs in their marriage. The concept of Abner's native work site and treasures reminds me quite a bit of Baxter's Draw by Juliette Harper wherein the three daughters of Langston Lockwood discover a hidden retreat in the property's draw that contain beautiful native artifacts, artwork, and other items.
September 14, 2015
I got the idea for Cactus Rose nearly 20 years ago, about a widow so desperate for help she would advertise for a husband and marry him on the spot. But it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I figured out what she was protecting. It couldn't be cattle, water rights or gold. That's been done a zillion times. Once I got the idea, I couldn't write fast enough!
But it wasn't as easy as that...to figure out what kind of man would help her, and who was against her.
It wasn't until a year ago that luck found me and this book, plus another I'd worked on a long time, and 9 of my old books found a publisher.
Cactus Rose is one of my favorite books, not just because it's new, but because of the secret and the heroine and hero so in need of love. The whole desert atmosphere of this book symbolized the parched lives of these two people who found love together so unexpectedly. This isn't an earth-shattering romance or a big, grand read. Just a nice story that I'm very proud of.
Special thanks to my agent and editor for making it possible for Cactus Rose to exist.
But it wasn't as easy as that...to figure out what kind of man would help her, and who was against her.
It wasn't until a year ago that luck found me and this book, plus another I'd worked on a long time, and 9 of my old books found a publisher.
Cactus Rose is one of my favorite books, not just because it's new, but because of the secret and the heroine and hero so in need of love. The whole desert atmosphere of this book symbolized the parched lives of these two people who found love together so unexpectedly. This isn't an earth-shattering romance or a big, grand read. Just a nice story that I'm very proud of.
Special thanks to my agent and editor for making it possible for Cactus Rose to exist.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews