Character Interviews by Merrillee Whren

Today we have Brittany Gorman and Parker Watson from A MATCH TO CALL OURS, the newly crowned book #1 in my Front Porch Promises series, as our guests on the blog.

Interviewer: Hi, Brittany, I’m so glad you could join us.

Brittany: Thanks for having me. It’s not every day that I’m featured on a blog post.

Interviewer: Brittany, where do you live, and what do you do for a living?

Brittany: I’ve just taken a job as a nanny for two six-year-old twin girls. They live on an isolated ranch about sixty miles from Billings, Montana, and I’ll be homeschooling them. I used to be a financial planner, but I lost my job because the company was downsizing. I hope I can get back into finance, but this job is good for the time being. Taking care of these girls will be a new experience.

Interviewer: Tell us something interesting about you.

Brittany: I don’t know that I’m very interesting. My new charges, Rose and Jasmine, were very taken by my freckles. I haven’t always liked them, but the girls wanted to have freckles like me. It reminded me to be happy with the way God created me instead of wishing I looked different. I guess I was thinking about what happened while I was substitute teaching. One kid in the class called me “Miss Carrot Top” or “Miss Freckle-Face” under his breath just loud enough for me to hear. I ignored it, but it still bothered me.

Interviewer: That’s tough. I imagine you’re glad to have a permanent job, but how do you think you’ll like living on an isolated ranch?

Brittany: I’m not sure. I’m hoping I can convince my boss, Parker Watson, to relent and let his daughters go to the small nearby town, Stockton. The people in that town have treated him badly, so he’s against taking the girls there. He says I’m okay to go, but he doesn’t want his daughters anywhere near the people in that town.

Interviewer: Are you involved with someone now who will be hard to see because of being an hour’s drive from Billings?

Brittany: No. I just broke up with my long-time boyfriend, Max. We had dated since I was a junior in high school. Eight years. It feels strange not to be with him, but our relationship was going nowhere. I actually moved to Montana to be with him when he came to college here, but he was more interested in his school projects and work than in me. I’d still like to be friends, but I’m not sure that’s possible.

Interviewer: I’m sorry to hear that. What’s one thing you wish you had that you don’t have now?

Brittany: That’s easy. I’ve always wanted a dog, but my mom was allergic. So I never got one, but I have a collection of ceramic, stuffed, and funny dog items that people have given me over the years.

Interviewer: That sounds like a fun collection. What is one thing you’re looking forward to on the ranch?

Brittany: It’s winter, so I’m hoping sometime I’ll be able to make a snowman with the girls and maybe go sledding. And I’ll be living in a small house on the ranch. It’ll be interesting to live by myself, instead of having a roommate.

Interviewer: What do you think of your boss?

Brittany: I’m not sure what to make of him. He’s the uncle of my former roommate, Heather. She said he was a recluse, and I was expecting some old guy who didn’t like people, but he’s not that old, maybe five or six years older than me. The one thing I do know is he loves his little girls.

Interviewer: Thanks for talking to me, Brittany. I wish you the best in your new job. Now I’m going to talk with Parker.

Brittany: Thanks for having me. I hope you can get Parker to talk.

Interviewer: Parker Watson is joining us now. Welcome.

Parker: Thanks for inviting me, although I’m not sure about this interview stuff.

Interviewer: It won’t be as bad as you think. I’ve just spoken with you new nanny. She indicated that I might have difficulty getting you to talk. What’s that all about?

Parker: Brittany has no trouble speaking her mind. Me on the other hand, I like to keep things to myself. It’s safer that way.

Interviewer: Let’s start with an easy question. How did you become a rancher?

Parker: Actually, I’m not really a rancher. I just live on the ranch my grandparents owned. When they retired, I hated to see the ranch, which has been in our family for four generations, go to someone else. It’s good that I hired someone else to run the ranch, because oil and gas deposits were discovered on the land. I used to be a science teacher before the trouble started. Now I’m a medical writer.

Interviewer: What does a medical writer do?

Parker: I receive information from doctors and scientists and write reports or produce newsletters for them. It is a very interesting job and fits with my science background.

Interviewer: May I ask you about the trouble you mentioned?

Parker: No, I don’t want to talk about it.

Interviewer: Okay, then. Tell me something interesting about you.

Parker: I adopted twin girls after their mother was killed. It was a huge tragedy, but those little girls are my life.

Interviewer: How do you think your new nanny will work out?

Parker: I’m hoping for the best. My niece recommended her, so I’m counting on that recommendation. The girls seem to love her already.

Interviewer: Are you currently in a relationship?

Parker: No way. My last relationship ended badly. She believed the rumors instead of me. Now I keep to myself here on the ranch, so there’s not much chance of repeating that mistake.

Interviewer: What do you wish you could have now that you don’t?

Parker: That’s a hard one to answer. My life was turned upside down because of false rumors. I’d like to say I want the people who falsely accused me to admit their mistake.

Interviewer: I hope you get what you want. Thanks for talking to me.

Parker: Thanks, and you’re welcome.

Interviewer: I hope you enjoyed our visit with Brittany and Parker. If you’d like to ask them a question, please do so in the comments.

You can find buy links for all of the Front Porch Promises series on my website. Tap or click here for A Match to Call Ours.

I’ll be giving away an ebook copy of the last book in the series to one person who leaves a comment. I will draw the winning name on January 29, 2020 at 9PM MST.