Cowboy Lovin' Day 2: Celia Yeary

Welcome to Day 2 of Cowboy Lovin'! I promised another author who knows her cowboys. Celia Yeary is a Texas lady and is another great voice in the western romance genre. She's also a fellow author of the Wayback, TX series. And it just so happens that she's celebrating a western romance release this month! Oh, and she brought her excerpts...

"Cowboy Lovin' Ways"

Don’t you just love a handsome, good-hearted, protective cowboy? I grew up with cowboys. No, not in real life, only in my imagination. My love affair with the gentle men of the West began at age eight when a traveling photographer came through the small West Texas town where we lived. He brought along a small Shetland pony for a photo prop. A lucky child who had parents with a little money might have his or her picture taken sitting atop the lovely animal. Me? Not that lucky, but I did watch others as they climbed up, gripped the reins, and turned their heads toward the camera, either smiling or stifling a sob from fear.

The vision stayed with me, and for Christmas I asked for a cowboy outfit and a six-shooter. Well, I did receive those—jeans, a plaid shirt, a neckerchief, and a six-shooter cap gun in a holster. Oh, and a red felt hat with a string to tie under my chin. My little sister also received these gifts, and we launched ourselves into the make-believe world of cowboys. We were never “cowgirls,” oh, no, we were cowboys!

This phase of dressing the part and playing cowboys evolved into attending the Saturday Afternoon Western Matinee. Each week, mother gave each of us two dimes—one for admission and one for a concession stand treat. Each Saturday, we watched Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, Lash LaRue, or The Lone Ranger. Oh, those thrilling days of yesteryear!!!

As an adult, I write Western Historical romance novels, probably because that part of me never grew up. The heroes in my novels are visions in my head, but now with the wizardry of Google, I have the pleasure of finding just the right guy for a particular character. Let me show you.

In ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, Ricardo Romero marries a prissy, proud young lady from East Texas. He takes her across Texas to the edge of the frontier so they may live on his enormous ranch. He has difficulty understanding his new bride, even though he really wants to. For various complicated reasons, she moves out of the main ranch house and into a small cabin to escape her new husband. Here’s what he says to her:

“What do you want?” she asked, never batting an eyelash.

“You know damn well what I want. I want to know what’s come over you to create such a stir and pull such a stunt. And I want you to pack and march your little fanny right back over there to my house.”

It seems Ricardo has much to learn. And he does, believe me.
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In SHOWDOWN IN SOUTHFORK, Cody Matheson, a champion bull rider, teases Marla Ellington, who tries to make sense out of this mysterious cowboy.

“Okay, just tell me this. Probably you think you bought Southfork, but that’s not possible. What makes you think you own it?”

Squinting his eyes, he looked out across the street, as if he searched for an answer. Finally, he drawled, “Bought it on eBay.”

Pointing her finger at him, she said, “Ah-hah. Just as I thought. I don’t know who you gave your money to, but whoever it was, man, did you get ripped off. Don’t you know enough to realize people put fake things on the internet all the time, and some sucker falls for it? You, Mr. Matheson, were taken.”

He tipped his hat back with his thumb and grinned at her. “Aw, don’t get all riled. I’m just teasing you.”

"Teasing? Then tell me the truth. Why are you here?”

“Well, Miss Ellington, your father hired me to be your bodyguard.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Oh, no, you don’t. I know nothing about a bodyguard. My daddy didn’t say anything about doing something like that, so I do not believe you for one minute.”

"Well, it’s the truth. Sounded like a bore at first, but now, well, it’s getting more interesting by the minute.”

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On Jan. 29, my third Western Historical will be released. Title: TEXAS BLUE. Buck Cameron finds Marilee Weston, isolated in the forest. Now that’s he’s located the beautiful young woman with the little girl, should he take the child as he was paid to do? Or rescue both of them to keep them safe?

She emerged from the bushes with Josie at her side. Buck already waited. Heavy, black stubble covered his face, and instead of a hat, he’d tied a bandana around his wet hair to keep it out of his face. He wore black twill trousers, tight fitting, molded to his thighs. Once again, he had strapped his pistols around his lean hips. His white shirt, open at the neck, exposed dark hair on his chest, and it contrasted sharply against his darkened skin. If she hadn’t known he was actually a gentleman, she would have been even more frightened, for he looked like a desperado.

But she saw the now familiar twinkle in his blue eyes and felt somewhat comforted.

"All set?” he asked her, staring into her eyes, warming her and making her yearn to reach out to him, to touch his dark skin.

Thank you for visiting!

Celia Yeary

Romance…and a little bit ’o Texas. You may see my website here: http://www.celiayeary.com/. Or contact me by mail: celiayeary@yahoo.com. Or read my weekly blog: http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/. The books can be found here: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

A thank you to Celia for bringing her love of cowboys to the party as well as some gorgeous covers and the teasers!

Readers, look for Celia's Texas Blue on January 29. Also be sure to check back tomorrow for more Cowboy Lovin'! And you can still enter Alison Kent's giveaway...