Tillie Hamilton is the latest person to use her 180-year-old house in rural Kentucky as a hideout—taking her cue from the infamous outlaw Jesse James who frequented the place. The house she converted into a bed and breakfast is the only sanctuary she’s known, ever since the old woman she inherited it from rescued her from neglect as a small child. However, sparks fly when her benefactor’s handsome grandson, Greg Buchanan, accuses Tillie of exploiting his grandmother’s memory for her own ends by claiming Gram haunts the inn. While reading his grandmother’s private journals, Greg learned Jesse James returned to this house in the 1930s, half a century after historians believed he’d been shot dead. Vowing to debunk the charlatan’s claims of ghosts and to prove his grandmother correct, but quickly discovers the charming Tillie is not at all what he expected. Embarrassed to admit he’s another of the conspiracy theorists she scoffs at, he hides his secondary reason for showing up at her B&B. Yet his attraction to Tillie keeps him torn between setting history right and forging a new history of his own in Tillie’s arms. Tensions mount, leaving his grandmother’s spirit to think her dying wish—something she’s wanted since Tillie and Greg were children—may never come true. Can Gram and Jesse make the two lonely overachievers see they belong in each other’s arms before time runs out for them to seize this opportunity?
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Most historians recognize the work of three engineers as being the men who developed the railways from slow, lumbering colliery lines into fast, inter-city routes. Two are very well known: Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The third was Joseph Locke, who should be recognized for having made a contribution just as great as that of the other two. The Locke family had been colliery managers and overseers for many generations and Joseph, once he had completed his very rudimentary education at Barnsley Grammar School at the age of thirteen, seemed set to follow in their footsteps. However, at the age of nineteen he was taken on as an apprentice by an old friend of his father, George Stephenson, and sent to the new locomotive works at Newcastle. His enthusiasm and willingness to learn soon brought promotion, and he became a highly valued assistant engineer on the prestigious Liverpool & Manchester Railway. During his time there he wrote a pamphlet with Robert Stephenson, arguing the case for steam locomotives and had the embarrassing task of having to correct calculations for a tunnel being built under the direct supervision of George Stephenson. After its opening, he moved on to work on the Grand Junction Railway, at the start working alongside Stephenson rather than as his assistant. But before long, they had quarrelled and the directors handed the whole works over to Lockes control. It was the turning point of his life. Locke was to continue as chief engineer on some of the most important lines in Britain, and his reputation grew to the point where he was also in demand for work in mainland Europe, building major routes in France, the Netherlands and Spain. He became a wealthy man, purchasing the manor of Honiton in Devon and sat in Parliament as the Liberal member for that constituency. He received many honors during his lifetime and died while on holiday at Scotland in 1860 at the age of fifty-five.
About the Author: Anthony Burton is a professional author and broadcaster who has been writing about industrial and transport history for over forty years. He has written numerous railway books, including The Railway Builders, The Railway Empire, Steaming through Britain and The Locomotive Pioneers. He has also written biographies of three other major figures in the world of industry: Josiah Wedgwood, Thomas Telford, Richard Trevithick and (with Jennifer Tann) Matthew Boulton. He has also written and presented TV documentaries for the BBC on the Rainhill trials and Crewe and, more recently, has been historical adviser on a 10-part series for Discovery, On The Rails. Views: 14
A delectable offering from a writer who not only knows how to make us laugh but also knows how to laugh at himself Playful tigers; 'ghosts'; elephants; crows and old favourites like Uncle Ken; Miss Bun; the author's slightly eccentric grandfather and Bond himself weave in and out of the pages of this wildly eclectic; thoroughly delightful and absolutely irresistible anthology featuring previously unpublished pieces like 'Respect Your Breakfast' and 'Uncle Ken Goes to Sea' as well as beloved classics from Bond's books. Marked by the signature charm and subtle wit of one of India's best-loved writers; Ruskin Bond's Book of Humour; will make even the hardened among us crack a smile. Views: 14
