Love came looking for Charlie Farrow late in life and in a most unexpected form. That form was shapely with curves in all the right places, but the unexpected part was that it belonged to an English aristocrat. Lady Dorothy Applewhite, Duchess of Langdon, didn’t come to Folly, Texas, looking for Charlie, but Fate gave her wheel a hard spin and…the rest happened with the speed of a runaway train. Charlie had to move fast to get out of its way.
Can
a cowboy/ex-rodeo star make a high-maintenance duchess happy? There are only 24
dukedoms in the United Kingdom, so she’s high on the noble scale. Every ranch
hand thinks she’s beautiful, but her visit to Marathon Ranch isn’t going well
until Charlie steps in to help the boss with his ex-girlfriend by squiring the
Duchess around town.
Good
morning, Charlie. Let’s begin with where you are from. I’m from Folly, Texas. A bump in the road. The nearest
big town would be Waco, just so you can get an idea how to find us on the map.
Tell
us a bit about The Cowboy Duke.
It may read like drawing a tough bronc out of the shoot, but it’s our rough
ride to romance. Maybe when I tell you the lovely lady’s name—and she is a Lady—Dorothy
Applewhite. If you’ve read The Texas
Cowboy, you’ll be familiar with Dorothy. You see another side of her in The Cowboy
Duke. Fate couldn’t have been kind and offered me a cowgirl. I fell for the
snooty Duchess of Langdon, my boss’ ex-girlfriend.
What
did you think the first time you saw Dorothy? I couldn’t think for staring. Every hand at Marathon in visual range let
out a sigh. When I could think, I dismissed her entirely, well not completely.
She began to star in my dreams.
What was your
second thought? Out of
my reach. A cowboy and a haughty British Duchess. That’s a good joke.
Do you
feel it was love at first sight? I
know it was the other L-word. She’s very shapely and pretty. I wanted to see her again but told myself it
was hopeless. Hopeless seemed to be the operative word in our romance.
What
do you like most about her? Her sense
of humor and ability to adapt. She fell right in with being my companion.
How
would you describe Dorothy? Two words.
The best. Whether when that bronc comes out of the chute I can stay the course
is anybody’s guess. If you want a
description, she’s slender, looks good in painted on jeans. She’s blonde and
looks like a famous movie star. Her eyes are blue. She can cast a spell on you
with those eyes.
What
made you choose working as a cowboy for a career? As soon as I was old enough to work, I signed on at
the King Ranch, a large ranch is southern Texas, and trained to be what I knew
I was from the time I saw a horse. I followed the rodeo circuit for quite a few
years, then settled in Folly.
What
is your biggest fear? To be crippled
so that I could never ride again.
How
do you relax? Hot shower, TV, or one night a week the boys
and I go into town for beer and some fine Texas barbecue or Tex-Mex.
Who
is your favorite fictional character?
Dorothy!
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Know when to leave the rodeo, son. It’s built on
blood, sweat, and dreams, Not an old man’s game. And I took that advice when this
position at Marathon came up.
Thank you,
Charlie, for taking time out of the ranch’s schedule to speak with us. Now we’d
like to chat with your creator, Linda Nightingale.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Both. A line from a movie or a book might send me to
my computer to write.
Is
there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story
and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Much of the horse things except rodeo and being a real cowboy, I lived.
I bred, trained, and showed my marvelous Andalusian horses.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher. How
did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I
am still shocked to say that Magnolia contacted me. They were starting their
romance line and actively recruiting new authors, I liked what I heard; met my
editor by Zoom, and I have been pleased.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I’d have to attach another page to list them all. At the top is to re-read The Vampire
Lestat. I admire Anne Rice’s ability to enchant her reader and make her unreal
world more real than reality for the time you are immersed in her words. Another
I’ll read later is The Other, an old book about identical twins—disturbing. At the moment, I’m reading a book titled
simply Angels with some very good information.
Last, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I will soon begin working on Cardinal Desires, a vampire novel (back in my own territory) for Magnolia. I don’t expect to see it released before early spring. My Muse is a bit slow and loves to go down paths that lead nowhere. A hazard of writing without outline or definite synopsis.
Charlie
kissed his fingertip and pressed it to her lips. “The answer is yes. You’re
beautiful, regardless of makeup or a brush.”
“Thank
you, Charlie. I think that’s the nicest compliment I ever fished for.” She winked.
“You
don’t need to fish for compliments.” He tapped a fingertip to his chest, and
her willful eyes followed the sexy gesture. “Especially not from me.”
“Good
to know. I was undressed and ready for bed when I heard the commotion and saw
the taillights speeding down the driveway. I decided I’d come and check on you.
It just felt wrong, and I went downstairs to investigate.”
He
rose, paced a few steps, and returned. “Thank you for coming.”
She
took both of his arms, standing back and studying him. “Oh my word, you were
in danger. I couldn’t help overhearing what you told the sheriff.”
“I’m
fine,” he assured her, a charming blush stealing into his cheeks. “They
hightailed it with an empty trailer, so at least…” he trailed off, shaking his
head. “The horses have settled down. Tomorrow, I need to put a padlock on the
barn doors. To think that in small, quiet Folly, we have to lock up our
valuable stock.”
“Call
Ash. He deserves to be awake, too.” She laughed, nodding. “We are. He should
be. He’ll never believe that I’m at the barn with you.”
Charlie
settled on the bench, cell in hand. With a voice command, the phone dialed the
number. A groggy Ash answered on the fourth ring. Charlie leaned forward,
propping his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath and launched into his
tale. As he talked, she could see him growing tense, beating himself up.
“Well, Ash, the way I see it the score is
Marathon one; rustlers zero,” he concluded.
Ash hadn’t
interrupted with questions, listening silently to Charlie’s story, ending with the
call to the sheriff. “I have a nagging
feeling the game isn’t over yet. The rustlers know we have some of the most
valuable stock outside the King Ranch and Ranch 6666. We’re going to start
locking the barn and posting guards. Thanks for scaring them away before they
got what they wanted,” Ash said quietly.
While
Charlie had spoken, the atmosphere had become solemn, muted, and Charlie’s shoulders
looked like they’d been chiseled from stone.
“Charlie
was very brave. He was on a horse with no saddle and bridle. He did not have a
gun, and he was chasing armed men.” The phone was on speaker, and she added her
account of the attempted robbery.
“Dorothy?”
Ash gasped. “What are you doing at the barn at past one in the morning? In
fact, at the barn anytime?”
“Charlie
took me dancing at an actual country and western club.” She moved closer to the
phone, which meant her shoulder and leg rested against Charlie’s.
“Charlie?”
Ash gasped again.
“We
left Buddy T’s a little before one. We’d closed the place.” Aside to
her, he grinned and whispered, “I feel like a shamefaced teenager explaining
why he was late home from a date,” then back into the phone, “The barn clock
read one-twenty when I arrived to do the final walkthrough.”
Ash laughed.
“You two are proper night owls, but it’s my good fortune that you are.”
To learn more about Linda Nightingale and the stories she creates, go to:
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