I grew up in Texas, in a
small town housing the only college in the country that offers a degree in
rodeo. (Technically, it's a degree in agri-business, with a specialization in
rodeo. Still, it was the only one in the country!)
So I grew up around
cowboys. I went to rodeos to watch my cowboy friends rope and ride, winced when
they were thrown by a bull or a bronco. I helped toss hay out of the back of
pickups while my cowboy friends lured the cattle in with their own special call
(I didn't even know the term "cattle call" meant anything other than
calling cows in for dinner until I was an adult). I've been to cattle auctions
and I've watched cowboys guide their animals onto trucks after a sale. I
learned to dance—the two-step (fast and slow), the waltz, the Cotton-Eyed
Joe—from cowboys.
But I didn't really learn
to appreciate those cowboys until I moved away from Texas for several years.
They were just part of the background, part of the world I lived in. Until I
wasn't around them any longer, I didn't really know how much the cowboys I grew
up around had shaped my ideas of what makes the ideal man. Now that I'm back in
Texas, I've spent some time thinking about what it is that is so appealing
about a cowboy.
Of course, it doesn't
hurt that all that hard work—the roping calves, riding horses, hauling hay,
mucking out stalls, and such—generally leads to a great body. Most cowboys are
lean and muscled, and I could spend hours pinning cowboy pictures to my
Pinterest page (and maybe I have, once or twice . . . ).
But I think there's a lot
more to our long-lasting cultural love affair with cowboys than just their
toned muscles.
The cowboy represents the
epitome of American masculinity, I think. He's the quintessential strong,
silent type. But while he might not talk too much about how much he loves
someone, he shows it in every action.
Even if a woman might not
know how a cowboy feels about her, his huge capacity for love shines through in
the way he treats his family, the animals under his care (who doesn't love the
way a cowboy tends to his horse?), even the very land he works.
And he works hard—often
from sunup to sundown, often for little pay. That kind of dedication comes from
a deep belief in the value of the work he does, and his ability to value
actions often translates to the people he loves.
But he can play hard,
too—he might not let loose often, but when he does, he can be loads of
fun. All that Saturday night dancing can be exhilarating!
And he has faith—usually
in a God, but almost always in the world around him. Even when things
seem bleak, a cowboy generally knows (even if he doesn't talk about it) that
with some hard work, some play, and a little attention to the people, animals,
and land he cares for, things will work out in the end.
And with an attitude like
that, who wouldn't love a cowboy?
He'll do anything to win her heart. She'll do anything to keep him
away.
Country star Cole Grayson is in town, and Kylie Andrews is less than
thrilled. As if months of changing the radio station and tearing down his
posters weren’t bad enough, now she has to deal with a town of fans swarming
toward the man who deceived her the year before. But when Kylie’s eyes meet
Cole’s again, she can’t deny the electric chemistry that drew her to him the
first time around.
Cole Grayson is on a mission. Ever since Kylie left him, he hasn’t been
able to forget her sweet country smile. After writing a song just for her, he
sets off for her hometown to prove he’s not the player she thinks he is. But as
much as Cole can’t forget her, Kylie wonders if she can forgive him…
Excerpt:
Kylie Andrews’s Texas-themed gift
shop, Cowbelles, sat on the very outer edge of Fort Worth’s Stockyards
District, not far from Jimmy’s Honky Tonk. And much to her dismay, no matter
how often she cleared it, the wall adjacent to her store remained covered with
announcements for local events.
Like, for example, concerts.
She stared at the latest layer of
advertisements.
From the topmost poster, Cole
Grayson stared out at her, leaning against the edge of an old barn door, guitar
at his feet. One booted foot was kicked up against the wooden wall behind him.
His dark-blond hair curled around behind one ear and fell down across his eye
on the other side. A cowboy hat rested on the ground next to the guitar.
Her hand drifted up toward the
image, hovering several inches from the picture of his face. She glanced
around. None of the other shopkeepers were outside. No one was watching.
“Bastard,” she whispered to herself, and
ripped the poster off the wall.
At least, she tried to. It was
thicker than she had expected, attached more firmly, and it resisted her pull.
Chewing on her lip, she took another
look around, dropped her bag to the ground, and reached up to grasp the edge
with both fists, jerking at it in opposite directions. A tiny tear opened up
along the side, and she yanked harder. Finally, the poster ripped—right across
Cole Grayson’s lying eyes.
She tugged at the image some more,
glancing around surreptitiously every few moments and dropping ragged pieces of
paper on the ground at her feet, until there was nothing left on the wall but a
few fluttering strips.
Gathering the mutilated shreds
together, she opened her bag and shoved them inside until they overflowed,
bright ribbons of color in the morning light.
Book Trailer
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About the Author:
Margo Bond Collins is the author of contemporary romance, urban
fantasy, and paranormal mysteries. She has published a number of novels,
including Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy,
Texas. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled
pets. Although writing fiction is her first love, she also teaches
college-level English courses online. She enjoys reading romance and paranormal
fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes,
monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them (and
sometimes fight them). She currently writes for Entangled’s Red-Hot Bliss line.
Connect with Margo:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin @MargoBondCollin
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Cowboys are the quintessential American hero, especially in their capacity for work an devotion. Well, ideally :) Your Cole sounds like a dandy one, too. Best of luck, Margo!
ReplyDeleteMargo, Wonderful post! I can't even begin to tell you how much I adored Zorro and Desperado growing up! (Okay, it was as much an Antonio Banderas thing as a cowboy thing, but still...*G*)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking part in My Kind of Hero! :-)
Ooooo - Melissa - you and I could have been sitting side by side in the theater drooling in our popcorn. *fans self* Antonio Banderas in Desperado. YUM!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was because he was such a departure from the cowboys I grew up watching in the old John Wayne movies or Bonanza and Gunsmoke.
Dena, Oh yeah! Totally. I was an even bigger Zorro fan than Desperado but I adored them both. :-)
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