Some of the sexiest men I know live between the covers of a romance novel, contemporary or historical. These heroes don’t come any sexier than the men who ride rough and herd cattle and work the land.
Sometimes, these cowboys are also the hardest to get close to, because beneath their strong outer armor, they can be surprisingly vulnerable. In my romance novels, the heroine finds what that hero needs fixin’ and offers him understanding, healing, love—all things he’ll never ask for. All things he will never admit he needs.
What does the hero offer the heroine and us, as readers?
A man who keeps his promises, stands up for what’s right, and takes pride in what he does. A man who is tolerant and understanding of others and is kind to his elders, children, and animals—unless of course, the animal is a bull looking to buck him.
The cowboy hero offers us a man who is tough but fair and who lives by the Golden Rule.
And of course, a cowboy—at least in my books—always offers us some great-looking eye candy, as follows (from my latest release, The Cowboy’s Little Surprise):
In one startled, reflexive sweep, she took in almost everything about Cole Slater. The light brown hair showing beneath the brim of his battered hat. The firm mouth and jaw. Broad shoulders. Narrow hips. The well-worn jeans, silver belt buckle, and scuffed boots. In the next reluctant second, she turned her gaze to the one feature she had deliberately skipped over the first time.
A pair of blue eyes that made her think instantly of her son…
Yes, this is a secret baby story, one of my favorites.
But it’s also a lot of my favorite eye candy, all wrapped up in one package. 😉
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Readers, I’m happy to chat!
And I’m giving away a book. To be entered to win a copy of one of my available backlist titles, tell me: what’s your favorite type of hero and why?
Note: the winner will receive an autographed print copy of the book. Due to postal regulations and international restrictions, the giveaway is open to entrants with US mailing addresses only. The winner’s name will be drawn from comments left here through March 29 and will be posted in a comment here on April 1—no foolin’! : )
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Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.
Barbara’s thrilled to share news about the debut of a brand-new series, The Hitching Post Hotel, about a matchmaking grandpa determined to see his three granddaughters wed. The series begins in April 2015 with The Cowboy’s Little Surprise, followed by A Rancher of Her Own in July and a third as-yet-untitled book in December.
Find Barbara at the following locations:
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Newsletter ~ Blog ~ Amazon ~ Harlequin ~ Goodreads
The Cowboy’s Little Surprise – Barbara White Daille – April 2015
THE LONG WAY HOME
A guy like Cole Slater is hard to forget. Tina Sanchez should know—for years since high school she’s tried to bury the pain of Cole’s cruel betrayal. But it’s impossible to ignore the man she sees reflected in her young son’s eyes now that Cole is back in her life—and about to meet the child he never knew he had.
Returning home to New Mexico, Cole is determined to put his playboy reputation to rest. Especially now that he knows there’s a little boy looking up to him. And seeing Tina again reignites all the feelings Cole ran from as a teen. Despite his fear that he can’t be the man Tina deserves, he’s determined to try. For his son’s sake—and his own.
Excerpt:
She should have known better than to fall for Cole Slater. At the tender age of seven, she had already heard about his reputation as a sweet-talker. By junior high, he had progressed to a real player. And by senior high, he had turned love-‘em-and-leave-‘em into an art form, changing girlfriends as often as she replaced guest towels here at the Hitching Post.
Too bad she hadn’t remembered all that when he had finally turned his attention her way.
He shoved his hands into his back pockets, which pulled his shirt taut against his chest. Now, she felt herself flushing as she recalled the one and only time—
No, she wasn’t going there…
(end)
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Thanks for inviting me to the blog today, Delilah.
Readers, I’ll be in and out all week to chat and answer questions.
Don’t forget to respond to the question above to enter the contest!
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I can’t enter your contest because I live in Canada but I wanted to tell you that my favorite type of hero is a cowboy that is tough enough to run a ranch and herds of cattle but with a gentle side that lets him interact with children. As to why I like this type of hero – that’s the type of man I would like to have so reading about him is almost as good as the real thing.
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alphas because don’t like to read about betas
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what’s your favorite type of hero and why?
I like the gentle sweet kinda hero.
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Without a doubt my favorite hero is the cowboy. No what we in Texas call the “drugstore cowboy” but a real, honest to God cowboy who lives the life with no apologies. Why???
Because he has heart. He may be rough and tough on the outside, maybe even a little cocky. But deep down where it counts, he has heart. When he loves, he loves with everything he has. His work ethic is beyond question and he’s always willing to help anyone in need. He loves God, country and his mama and it doesn’t get any better than that. Any lady lucky enough to have the love, devotion and protection of a cowboy knows exactly what I’m talking about. And if he’s an alpha cowboy, so much the better. 😆
So yep, it’s cowboys for me.
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Jo-Anne – thanks so much for leaving a response! I’m right there with you about what you like in a cowboy hero.
All my heroes have that soft side, even if they keep it hidden from everyone except – at last – the heroines. But when it’s a tough guy like a cowboy, that secret side seems even more special.
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Alphas make great heroes, bn.
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Amber – then you would probably love Ben in my book Honorable Rancher. 😉
But I have to say (as I did say above, actually lol) most all my heroes have their softer side.
Thanks for dropping in.
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Shirley – you’ve nailed so much of what I love about cowboys, too! And the list could go on and on, couldn’t it?
Thanks for sharing.
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There are different heroes that I like. I like the cowboy saves the day to the military badass hero. I like don’t meas with what’s mine kinda thing.
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My favorite kind of hero is what I call an M & M man. He has a hard candy shell that surrounds his soft, melty inside. He can be a cowboy or a wounded warrior, but he projects this loner, hard vibe to everyone except his woman. He shows his soft and caring side to her. *dreamy sigh*
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Hi, Kaylee – good to see you here! Thanks for stopping in.
Yes, those protective/territorial males make for good heroes. 🙂
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Marcy – I’m **sighing** right along with you.
I think it’s those kind of heroes who make me love reading – and writing – romance.
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Cowboys are great heroes, but my hero is my hubby. He was a truck driver when we met and convinced me to move 360 miles away. On Tuesday we will celebrate 32 years of marriage! Shirley has described him to a T! 8)
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Ginny – that’s beautiful!
Happy anniversary and congratulations on snagging yourself such a great guy. 🙂 I’m sure he did well in the bargain, too.
Enjoy your day!
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Totally love Marcy’s coment
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I love Marcy’s comment, too!
I don’t have a “favorite” type of hero; I love them all. Alphas, bad-asses, billionaires, military, sensitive, etc. LOL For me the whole story is as important as the type of hero.
Thanks for sharing the excerpt. Secret baby stories used to be one of my favorites but I haven’t read one in a while. I think I might have to change that. 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway, too.
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Thanks Barbara!
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Shirley – I definitely agree!
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Buttons – isn’t that one of the great things about romance! There’s a hero for everyone, and we can find our favorite types, no matter how many there might be. 😉
And speaking of faves, I hope you’ll give secret baby books another try. They’re one of my favorite storylines. (And I’ve written a few of them. lol )
Thanks for commenting!
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🙂 Ginny!
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I like to read all different kind of heros 🙂
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That’s the great thing about romance novels, Beth – we *do* get to read about all those heroes!
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I love the alphas from regency to contemporary, but I have to agree with several others that modern hunky cowboys are the most delicious to read about for me. (Thinking M and M’s, Marcy;) I like my men a little scruffy and tough, but with the tending their generous heart’s need, the heroine finds her coal is really a diamond in the rough. Thanks, Barbara! I’ll look forward to following your Hitchin Post Hotel series.
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Thank *you*, Delilah!
As for those scruffy guys, that exactly describes one of my heroes in this series, a cop who often goes undercover and uses that little edge.
I’m currently searching for good photos to represent him. Sometimes it’s hard to find a guy who’s the right blend of hunky/scruffy – but I’ll keep looking.
What a chore, right? 🙂
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HEY! Speaking of photos…I just noticed! What happened to our pics? Are you April Foolin’ us? 😉
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Hehe, I’ve been on Pinterest selecting images of hunky cowboys in Stetson’s this morning for my story and I agree, searching through the eye candy for just the right one can be such a chore:) But really we must persevere 🙂 Have a great weekend, all.
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As they say – tough job, but someone has to do it! LOL
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Thanks again to Delilah for inviting me here to blog and to everyone who dropped in to chat!
The contest winner is Shirley Long.
Congrats, Shirley! Please get in touch with me through the Contact form at my website.