Authors saddle up with their favorite cowboy romances

Harlequin authors Christine Rimmer, whose new release is The Maverick's Accidental Bride, and Catherine Mann, whose new release is Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO, join us to share their thoughts on what makes for a good cowboy romance.

Christine Rimmer, author of The Maverick's Accidental Bride

Cowboy romances. Nothing like them. They are always so uniquely American, taking place in the great wide-open western spaces where the possibilities are infinite — as are the potential threats and lurking dangers.

A good cowboy romance is, by necessity, going to be a lot about the cowboy hero, who is tall and lean and strong and capable. His boots are dusty; the man is not afraid of hard work. He might be kind of shy, and something of a loner. After all, he spends his days out working cattle and he tends to be a man of few words. But he's always there to take things in hand when the going gets rough. And if you scratch his seemingly gruff exterior, you're bound to find a tender heart underneath — not to mention an ideal example of American-style heroism. A cowboy hero doesn't expect things to come easy; he works hard for what's his. And against all odds, he stands up for his country, for his family, for those in need and for what's right. He is honest to the core.

For years now, I've been writing for Harlequin Special Edition. Ours is the home and family contemporary romance series line. Our stories tend to center on the heroine and her search for love and forever within her particular community.

In Special Edition, you'll find a lot of cowboy heroes. A cowboy hero has the core values that Special Edition readers look for. And he's usually matched up with the perfect heroine for him — a capable, loving, family-first woman who might need him to save her when things go wrong, but who will definitely be more than able to turn around and save him right back.

Some of my favorite cowboy romances are from Special Edition. And more than one bestselling mainstream romance author has written for the Special Edition line. Susan Mallery, Debbie Macomber and Linda Lael Miller all wrote fabulous cowboy romances for Special Edition. And RaeAnne Thayne, Diana Palmer and Rachel Lee still do.

Ask me to name my favorite all-time cowboy romance? Not possible. There are so many. But one of my top 10 came out last December from Special Edition. Caro Carson's A Texas Rescue Christmas is the second in Carson's Texas Rescue series — and I know, I know. It's not Christmastime. But roll with me here. A great story is a great story, no matter the season.

Trey Waterston, our cowboy hero, has a big secret he's been keeping from his family for a decade now. Born a rancher, he hasn't been home to the family ranch in all that time. Once he was the local hero, set to run the ranch when his time came, the smartest guy around. But a football injury, improperly treated, changed all that. Now he works for a landscaper in Oklahoma, cut off from the Texas ranch that he loves and that is his birthright. He doesn't want his family to know that there's something "wrong" with him, with his brain, that when his parents come to visit him, he travels the route between his small apartment and the hotel where they'll stay, travels it over and over again, until he's sure they won't guess how hard it is for him to find the way. Trey is trapped by his own cowboy nature, by his pride and his need to be self-sufficient, to stand on his own.

But now his younger brother is getting married at the family ranch at Christmas. A man like Trey can't beg off on his brother's wedding. So he comes home to the James Hill Ranch, where the weather has turned bad and an innocent city woman, Rebecca Cargill, has disappeared into the worsening storm.

Trey, being Trey, can't let Becky freeze to death out there on her own. He has to save her. And, in the end, being a cowboy's heroine, Becky is bound to save him right back.

This story has everything I love in a cowboy romance: It's fast-paced and tender, sweet and sexy and heartbreaking, too. Trey and Becky each face real, potentially life-destroying issues. You'll find yourself rooting for them and their happy-ever-after as this iconic cowboy love story unfolds.

About The Maverick's Accidental Bride (courtesy of Harlequin):

Married by mistake?

Rust Creek Ramblings

Welcome back, faithful readers! The Rust Creek Rambler has an exclusive for you: Jordyn Leigh Cates has gotten married! That's right, our innocent Jordyn, who came to town a few years back with the Rust Creek Falls "Gal Rush," tied the knot on July Fourth in what appeared to be a very impulsive ceremony.

No one could blame the blushing bridesmaid for saying "I do" to Will Clifton. The sexy, blue-eyed rancher is six feet of pure muscle and charm. But are these two merely love-struck friends who got swept away at someone else's wedding? Our sources suggest otherwise. Stay tuned to find out the true story behind these surprise spouses—and see if they can make it past their honeymoon!

Find out more at www.christinerimmer.com.

Catherine Mann, author of Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO

Confession time. I find myself mesmerized by heroes who are called to protect the land. Their territory. Their family. Those heroes come in different forms — from the soldier, to the cop, to the cowboy.

One of my all-time-favorite romance novels — Moonglow, Texas by Mary McBride — actually combines the hero and badge. In this case, a good old cowboy from Moonglow, Texas, who went off to become a U.S. Marshal only to return home reluctantly.

I'm a huge fan of TV series like Justified (Raylan Givens, wowsa, I would have his babies!). During the era of Walker, Texas Ranger, Hubby and I used to have a weekly date to cheer on Walker's cowboy/lawman endeavors, coupled with saving his lawyer girlfriend from the dangers that seemed to come her way with each episode.

And then there are Western movies that have stayed with me like Legends of the Fall. Brad Pitt's character's love for his wife and bonds with the land moved me deeply. Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven is another memorable example. His story chronicles the internal struggles that these men of the earth, protectors of the land and all around them, go through as they treasure life but have to sometimes take life.

They are so much more than the hat, their horse, what they own, or the badge they wear. They are a walking personification of a code of honor, of the ultimate protector willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. As John Wayne once said, "Courage is being scared to death — and saddling up anyway."

So back to Moonglow, Texas. Dan Shackelford is no ordinary cowboy with a badge. He has that something extra that makes for a keeper-shelf character. He's flawed. He's human. Even seemingly unredeemable until we see deeper, thanks to the author's deft writing.

Dan is burned-out, stressed from the job and the death of a friend he feels he failed. He's drinking. He's hiding. He's a worn-out, wounded soul. Some might say he has PTSD.

The story taps into our need to believe in the healing power of love. Absolutely someone with a drinking problem, depression or PTSD, benefits from professional treatment. And just as Dan hits rock bottom, Molly comes into his life. He doesn't want her help — or her love. But once he turns the corner, realizing the time has come to embrace life and pull his world together again, he becomes the hero Molly needs him to be. And she is the perfect woman for him.

This summer, my Harlequin Desire books Pursued by the Rich Rancher and Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO finish off my Diamonds in the Rough trilogy about three cowboys who find their way back to redemption and love when put to the test by the corporation's elderly, dying owner. I hope you find their journey as fulfilling as I did.

"Find Her. Protect Her. Spoil Her. Dance With Her. And Never Stop Loving Her. Or Someone Else Will." — The Cowboy Way

About Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO (courtesy of Harlequin):

Jewelry designer Amie McNair would do anything for her dying grandmother, including promise to travel with the outsider chosen to run her family's business empire. Simple. All she has to do is keep her hands to herself…and find a way to let the sexy new CEO know she's pregnant with his child.

Preston Armstrong has secrets of his own. But spending a week with Amie has this tight-lipped cowboy longing to open up. Even if his past threatens their future—as a couple, and a family.

Find out more at www.catherinemann.com.