Real Life Cowboy

My book Bridled Heart is up for book of the week at The Romance Studio

This book was set among the rodeo crowd. Well the elite rodeo crowd the cowboys who make it to the National Finals Rodeo every year. I used four time and reigning bareback rider Bobby Mote as my go to cowboy to learn about the rodeo life and what a cowboy thinks about when riding a bucking horse.

I was impressed by the workout regime he keeps. But a fit body is harder to tear apart than a flimsy one. They use their arms and legs to balance and hold onto the animal. More of the cowboy's body that is in contact with the animal the easier it is to feel their movements. That means staying in the saddle and not being thrown in the air and keeping a tight grip on the rope to feel the tug and give on the animal's head.

Here's a blurb and excerpt for Bridled Heart.
A specialized placement schedule and self-imposed vow of celibacy keeps ER nurse, Gina Montgomery, from getting too close to anyone. Music is her only solace and release from a past laced with abuse. But when that music draws the attention of a handsome bareback rider, her chosen solitary life—not to mention her vow—gets tested to the limits.

Holt Reynolds let his younger sister down when she needed him most. With the similarities to his sister far too evident in Gina, he can’t get the woman out of his head, or her poignant music out of his heart. But how can he find a way to free her bridled heart before the past resurfaces to destroy their one chance at happiness?

Excerpt
Reaching the bleachers, she put a hand on the bench to climb back up into her seat when the announcer boomed, “Next up is Holt Reynolds, an Oregon cowboy who is well on his way to making the top fifteen and vying for the National title.”
Her breathing stopped and her heart palpitated. He was here. Did she want to see him or keep the memory of their encounter just that—a fond memory?
The announcer kept talking, and she found herself hurrying to the fence, watching through the railing. She had to see him, if for no other reason than to dispel the hold he had over her.
A horse and rider lunged out of the chute. The crowd roared. Her gaze traveled from the large, dark muscular beast to the man, waving one arm in the air and raking his spurs on the bucking, twisting horse’s shoulders. The animal leaped, twisted, and leaped again. Muscles bulged below rolled up sleeve and mounded the upper part of Holt’s shirt. Fear clenched her chest. What if he fell? What if the animal came down on top of him?
His gaze was riveted on the horse’s ears. The concentration on his face showed a fierce competitiveness she’d not witnessed at their first encounter.
The buzzer vibrated along her nerves like a cheese grater. Gina clung to the fence watching Holt relax his position on the horse, grabbing the handhold with two hands. The animal continued bucking and kicking. Her heart pounded harder with each jolt to Holt’s body.
A man on another horse rushed alongside the bucking animal. Holt gripped the other cowboy around the waist, slipped from the bucking horse, and landed on his feet.
He walked toward the fence, keeping the animal in his sight…until his gaze latched onto hers peering through the fence. He stopped, stared, and a slow, surprised grin tipped his lips.
The warmth in his eyes rolled over her like an old friend. A flash behind him drew her gaze.
The horse circled back by Holt, its legs lashing out as it bucked and kicked. Her throat clogged with fear. Not a sound emitted when she opened her mouth. Her fear registered on Holt's face at the same time the horse bucked by him. A hoof caught Holt in the chest, flinging him against the fence.
“Holt!”


Paty
www.patyjager.net
www.patyjager.blogspot.com

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