Spotlight & Giveaway: Choosing the Montana Cowboy by Kyra Jacobs

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kyra Jacobs to HJ!

Hi Kyra and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Choosing the Montana Cowboy!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

What happens when a driven, city girl is gunning for a promotion and all that stands in her way is a sexy, stubborn cowboy determined to protect his family, his land, and his small Montana town? Fireworks, that’s what. Throw in an endearing cast of secondary characters, one horny, cantankerous bull, ample Big Sky country views, and a surprise colony of black-footed ferrets, and you’ll want to buckle up for this wild, romantic ride.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

Here’s one:

She opened her mouth to argue, but Sam offered her a wink. Relief washed over Natalie. He wasn’t judging. He was just being … Sam. Sexy and contrary, all rolled into one.

And this one makes me chuckle every time:

“Good, then it’s settled. We’re going out on the range tomorrow. I’ve got the perfect gelding for you to ride.”

Natalie frowned. “A gelding? Is that like a Gator or something?”

“A wha—” Sam dropped his head on a chuckle. “No, city girl. A gelding isn’t a four-wheeler…”

What inspired this book?

There were so many! The beaver dam scene was based on a true story shared by a friend of a friend. And the scene involving goats and glitter… THAT was added for a dear friend, to whom I’ve promised a signed, framed copy. LOL Oh, and the dogs that live at the Flying J Ranch were inspired by a plane trip with my amazing friend Amber and our row mate, Mary.

But at the center of it all was me channeling my eight-year-old self, playing with my beloved Breyer horses and dreaming of the day I’d have a farm full of the real things.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Natalie Wright is a typical, Indiana working woman, focused on work instead of her lackluster love life. I loved seeing Marietta through her outsider’s eyes, as well as through the eyes of the Miles family, who have lived there for generations. Sam is a single-again father of a sixteen-year-old daughter, not wanting to fall for another out-of-towner after the last one loved him and left. His family was such fun to write, and Gramps will always hold a special place in my heart.

Surprises? Yes, I had no idea Sam was afraid of flying. Or what he originally wanted to be when he grew up. (no spoilers)

For me, getting to know them is done by writing the banter between them all; I need to have a good feeling for a character in order to write a believable response to another character’s jab/compliment/musing/etc.

What was your favorite scene to write?

One of my favorite scenes is when Sam and Natalie give into the attraction that’s been brewing since day one. Here’s a snippet:

Natalie pulled back an inch, a smirk on her swollen lips. “Someone’s been drinking.”

She’d tasted his beer. Damn, would that be a dealbreaker? No way would he lie and risk losing whatever trust she had in him. “Just two.”

But she didn’t move away, she just licked her lips. “Tastes good.”

He stifled a groan at the thoughts his view inspired. “I have two left inside. You’re welcome to them. Or anything else I have in there.”

“Hmm. I am a little thirsty.” Natalie glanced to the door, worrying her lower lip. “Trouble is, the only thing I want right now is out here.”

Her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, exploring, the soft touch equal parts of pleasure and torture.

“Careful,” he warned, the sound rough even to his own ears. “You’re playing with fire.”

She arched one brow. “And you struck the match last night.”

He wanted her more than anything he’d wanted in a long, long time. “So, what do we do about it?”

“Hmm. Extinguishing it hasn’t worked for me so far.” Her hands continued their leisurely journey across his abdomen. His chest. “Guess the only thing we can do is let it run its course.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The most difficult scene to write was near the end and was revamped during revisions. I like the final variation much better.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Honestly, I was a little apprehensive when I sat down to write this first cowboy story. But at the end of the day, Choosing the Montana Cowboy (and the entire Miles of Montana series) is at its core a witty, small town romance, not unlike a large portion of my backlist. The scenery was just a bit more…Big Sky.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That it’s okay to deviate from your plans. So often, we cling to what we think we want/need. But when we spend less time trying to control our lives and more time living it, amazing things can happen.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’ve just turned in book three of the series, so be watching for The Cowboy’s Christmas Truce this fall and then The Rodeo Cowboy’s Redemption in early 2026!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner will receive one ebook copy of CHOOSING THE MONTANA COWBOY by Kyra Jacobs plus one additional ebook of the winner’s choice from Tule Publishing.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you had the chance to go to Montana tomorrow, where in the state would you go, and what would you hope to do while you were there?

 
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Excerpt from Choosing the Montana Cowboy:

Chapter One
Natalie Wright sat in her rental car, AC cranked, sunglasses on, and noise-canceling AirPods in. It was her pre-presentation routine, designed for mind clearing and courage bolstering. This evening, Sara Bareilles was in her ear encouraging her to be braaaaaave, which would have been a whole lot easier if she wasn’t parked facing Copper Mountain. The giant landmark stood sentry over tiny Marietta, Montana, the sight equally breathtaking and foreboding.

Natalie drew in a deep breath and let the song’s words wash over her. There was nothing to be nervous about—she’d spent weeks preparing for this public hearing, researching the town, its history, and its finances to the nth degree. Her company’s resort could go a long way toward reviving the small, former mining community.

No, not could. Would. It would help move them further out of the red and into the black. She truly believed that, which made the prospect of selling Terakion Enterprise’s proposal to its townsfolk an exciting one. All she had to do now was go in there and get them to believe it, too.

And once she did, Natalie would have more successful, completed projects than any of the other internal applicants vying for the open senior project lead position—one of the few jobs at her wonderful company that involved less travel and would finally allow her to put down roots.

On a determined nod, she gathered her things and headed for the courthouse. To her surprise, every door she tried on the beautiful, historic building was locked up tight. Perplexed, Natalie pulled out her cell phone to quadruple-check her calendar. The hearing was today, wasn’t it?

“You’re early, young lady.”

Nat looked up to find an older, portly man walking toward her and offered him a broad smile. “I learned ages ago that early is a must. Are you able to get me inside?”

“I’d be a terrible mayor if I couldn’t. It’s Natalie, correct?”

Now she recognized his voice; they’d spoken on the phone several times prior to her arrival. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mayor.”

“The pleasure’s all mine. I’ve been looking forward to hearing your presentation. Seems like this resort could be a real boost for our area.” He stepped past her to swipe a badge across an electronic faceplate beside the door. A beep sounded followed by a soft click, and the mayor pulled the door open wide. “You’re lucky I forgot my travel mug or you would have been sitting on these steps for another half hour. We’re not used to vendors being so punctual.”

“Really?” Natalie pulled her rolling briefcase across the front door’s threshold into a wide lobby, her nose greeted by the smell she could only describe as old building. It instantly brought back memories of the hunting cabin her family used to vacation at when she was young. Natalie missed those days.

“Actually, we don’t have many vendors come on-site period anymore. Most default to doing their presentations online these days.”

“Ah. Well, at Terakion, we pride ourselves in establishing a presence in the communities we partner with during our projects.” Which was why she had a room at the Bramble House reserved for the next week. Hopefully, her project would receive its needed votes tonight, and she’d be able to stay longer while helping oversee permit acquisitions and the construction kickoff. Natalie had never been to Montana before, and she was looking forward to soaking up the amazing views of Big Sky country. “Our thinking is that it’s easier to build relationships on-site rather than across the miles.”

“I can’t argue with that,” he said.

The mayor led her to where the Crawford County officials held their public meetings, then excused himself with a promise to return before the meeting got started. Natalie thanked him and took a moment to size up the room. The meeting space was a wide rectangle, its walls a subtle cream color and floors covered in a navy-blue carpet worn thin in several places.

Note to self: watch where you step tonight.

At the head of the room were three wooden desks, their designs rustic yet elegant. Atop each was a microphone and a pad and pen—she guessed that was where the commissioners or board members sat during their meetings. The desks faced five rows of stackable chairs, a small pathway cleared down the center of the room for speaker access. At the front of the seating area stood a lone wooden podium wired with its own microphone. On the wall to her left hung a wide retractable projector screen; to her right, additional tables lined the opposite wall, and a large projector hung from the ceiling.

Excellent—it was just as the commissioner’s secretary had said it would be; Natalie had learned the hard way early in her career with Terakion that room setup was something to confirm ahead of time. Even so, she always brought her own projector and extra cables just in case—a tip her mentor at work had shared after he’d found himself stuck on more than one occasion.

Natalie unpacked her things, the words to “Brave” still echoing in her mind. She could absolutely do this. The resort presented a great opportunity for Marietta and its surrounding area. Even better, the proposed build site was far enough from downtown that it shouldn’t impact daily traffic or divert sales from existing businesses. In fact, try as she might, Nat hadn’t identified a single negative to Terakion’s proposed development, the River Bend Resort—yet another reason she was feeling optimistic about tonight, intimidating mountain looming just outside or not.

Highly optimistic. All she had to do was win over the townsfolk.

Totally doable.

“I still can’t come up with a single good reason for adding some swanky resort to Marietta,” a man said, his deep voice followed by a clatter of footsteps in the main hall.

Nat grimaced. Okay, so this wouldn’t be a complete cakewalk. Maybe some light conversation and refreshments would help.

“You worry too much,” said an older, gentler male voice. “Enjoy the night off.”

“Of course I worry, and so should you. And not just about what desserts that might be here.”

Nat grinned and reached for the box propped atop her rolling briefcase. Plastic cups and two gallons of red punch purchased from the small grocery in town this afternoon, and cookies from a place called the Java Café. Small towns loved to be fed treats with presentations, and not just with store-bought cookies. Buying local helped earn trust—another tip from her beloved mentor before he retired.

“You will be nice tonight, Samuel,” a woman said, authority in her tone. “And Eli, behave yourself.”

“Yes, dear.”

Nat grinned as she began setting out the refreshments. Was this Eli a natural troublemaker or just being ornery tonight? This was one of the parts she loved most about her job—reading people. Some were easier than others.

The footsteps paused, and Nat looked up to find a trio at the opening to the room watching her. A white-haired couple—both wearing cowboy boots, she in a modest sundress and the man she presumed to be Eli dressed in flannel, denim, and grinning broadly—and a dark-haired cowboy in worn denim, a clean, ivory T-shirt, cowboy boots, and carrying a Stetson in his hands. The younger cowboy wore a neatly trimmed beard, the faintest hint of gray sprinkled throughout. His green eyes studied her from across the room, wariness radiating from his tall, muscular frame. Unlike Eli, there was nothing smiley about this guy.

Yep, Nat had her work cut out for her. Lucky for her, she was up for the task. I’ll win them over in no time. Even Mr. Smiley over there.

“Good evening,” she said, offering them a broad smile as she set out cups on the side table. “Are you here for the public hearing?”

“Sure are,” Eli said. “You the lady putting it on?”

“I am.” She stepped forward and offered him her hand. “Natalie Wright with Terakion Enterprises. And you are?”

“Elijah Miles,” he said, taking her hand. “This is my wife, Sunnie, and my grandson, Sam.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Natalie said, offering the others nods. “Anyone hungry? Thirsty? I’ve got cookies from the Java Café and fruit punch to go along with them.”

“Gonna need something stronger than punch for this,” Sam said under his breath.

That comment earned a smack on the arm from the woman beside him. “Punch would be lovely, thank you.”

On a nod, Nat filled three small cups and made her way toward the front row where they’d taken seats. She took a quick glance at the room’s wall clock—they had more than thirty minutes yet before the hearing was set to start. Plenty of time to engage with the newcomers and start building a rapport.

“There you are.” She handed a cup to each of the older couple first, careful not to spill anything as she shifted the cups in her grasp. They thanked her for the beverages, and she turned to offer the last cup to Sam. “And here you—”

Nat’s heel caught on the aged carpet, jerking her step to a halt. Her upper body, however, didn’t get the memo. She tumbled forward, the cowboy quick to catch her before she face-planted into his chest. The contents of Sam’s drink, however, flew past his extended arms and smacked into his chest.

They both looked to the newly painted bright red bullseye painted on his shirt, and Nat felt Sam’s grip on her tighten ever so slightly. His warm, firm, man-who-most-definitely-works-with-his-hands grip. She’d read those kinds of descriptions in romance novels before but never experienced that type of contact for herself. Good grief, no wonder the heroines in those stories always melted into the hero’s arms. How could they not?

“Are you okay?”

Her gaze flashed to his, mere inches separating them. There was an intensity in the depths of his green eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I… Yes. Thank you.”

“Snacks and a show,” Eli said beside them with a chuckle. “We need to come to public hearings more often.”

The comment pulled her out of whatever handsome-cowboy stupor she’d fallen into, and Natalie scrambled to put some space between them and get her wits about her. “Sam, I am so, so sorry. Here, let me find something to clean this up.”

She hurried across the room for napkins, stumbling as her heel caught on another bare spot in the floor. If this kept up, she’d be kicking off her shoes and going barefoot the rest of the night.

“Don’t worry about it.” Sam rose from his seat. “I’ve got an extra shirt in the truck.”

His grandmother nodded. “Good. But don’t you go getting any crazy ideas about leaving and not coming back. We need you here.”

On a grunt, he strode from the room without another look back. Natalie’s heart sank. So much for winning over the early attendees.

“Don’t you worry about Sam,” his grandmother said. “A little punch won’t make him melt.”

“That’s good to know,” Nat said, trying to smile.

But it might make winning over this crowd a little tougher.

Sam Miles sat in a wrinkled Luke Bryan T-shirt he’d pulled from the back of his truck, glaring at Natalie’s slideshow. Not because she’d ruined his favorite American Eagle shirt—clothes were just clothes, nothing worth getting upset over—but because her company’s ridiculous development was about to undermine the ranch land his family had worked for five generations. He’d planned to come here tonight and get the other locals riled up, get them to fight back. But then Natalie had gone and fallen into his arms, and damn if the clumsy, curvy, out-of-towner hadn’t managed to stir feelings inside him that had long been dormant.

Needy feelings. Hungry feelings.

Feelings he had no business having here or now. And definitely not with the woman sent here to convince the town that big business was in their best interest. Which was wrong, by the way. This River Bend Resort of hers would both take farming land away from the Flying J Ranch and be in direct competition with their own lodge and small collection of cabins. Surely, she had to know that. And if she did and was still here pushing for some new resort to be built, then she wasn’t someone he wanted to be interested in.

Too bad his libido didn’t seem to be listening.

“The resort will offer our clients a mixture of luxury with the Big Sky country rustic feel. And when they’re ready to step outside and explore their surroundings, that’s when we steer them to you. To your shops, your restaurants, your locally owned excursions. We don’t want to be just another resort; we want to be your partner in the hospitality industry.”

Natalie offered the group another megawatt smile. It was no wonder those big-city yahoos had hired her. Between that smile and those curves, it was tough to stay focused on the proposal he was here to fight. Hell, those hip-hugging gray dress slacks of hers could well be illegal in ten states. And that purple top? His hands could still feel its silky touch. But it was that accidental peek of cleavage he’d caught trying to keep her upright that had sent his thoughts spiraling.

And his thoughts hadn’t spiraled like this in a good, long while. She waved a hand toward the screen before them and turned, the view of her profile sending his thoughts back to their close encounter earlier. To how soft she felt in his grasp, how subtle her lavender perfume had been…

Sam dragged a hand down the side of his face. Good God, man, get it together.

If his parents hadn’t scheduled their anniversary vacation for this month, they would be here tonight instead of him. His father would have smooth talked the other locals out of listening to Natalie’s proposal, and Sam might have never crossed paths with the woman. So why didn’t that thought make him feel any better? As if sensing his internal struggle, his daughter Madison’s voice joined the current jumble of thoughts.

“You need to get out there and date, Dad. No one said marriage had to be a one and done deal. Look how happy Mom is.”

As if that was supposed to make him feel better. Sure, he wanted Sasha to be happy, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear about it over and over every time Madison came home from visiting her mother in Northern California. Especially not when his replacement was such a dweeb. And marriages should be a one-and-done deal, dammit. Wasn’t that what they stood up before the preacher and pledged to begin with?

Resentment cleared the desire from his mind, allowing Sam to focus on the task at hand—blocking the proposed development. He studied the presentation’s current slide, displaying big-city business mumbo jumbo like poised for growth and robust offerings. Hank Nelson would be rolling over in his freshly dug grave if he knew what his money-grubbing son, Jack, was about to do with the land that had been in their family for more than a hundred years. Sure, everyone knew Jack wasn’t exactly the farming type, but he could have gifted the land to his kids—they’d always loved spending time with their grandpa on his sprawling farm.

Of course, everyone also knew how much Jack loved to make a quick buck so he could turn around and bet it on the ponies.

“I grew up in a small town in Indiana, so I understand how important it is not to disturb that sense of community,” Natalie said. “Terakion Enterprises understands it, as well—I wouldn’t be working for them if I didn’t believe that.”

That girl-next-door charm of hers was appealing, he’d give her that. But Marietta was a town proud of its heritage. Surely, everyone would stick to their guns that they didn’t need some fancy resort coming in and disrupting their cozy, small-town atmosphere.

He cast a subtle glance around the room to confirm as much. But wait—what was this? People were nodding and smiling? Hells bells, even the mayor was over there looking like he was ready to sign the town over to her. And were the county commissioners actually smiling? Something had to be done before his family lost everything.

Sam spoke up. “With all due respect, Miss Natalie, things out here are different from in the Midwest. What your company is proposing will bring all sorts of unwanted change to our area. Increased traffic, noise, air pollution, and light pollution, just to name a few.”

Natalie picked up a pen and paper. “Thank you for that feedback, Sam. Part of my job tonight is to collect your concerns and take them back to our team at Terakion so we can do everything possible to address them.”

More like be the pretty face, sent ahead of the wolves. “Great, then have them also figure out a way to let my family keep farming their westernmost fifty acres, just like Henry Nelson did the last decade.”

Murmuring sounded around him. Sam was pleased to see a few of the other ranchers nodding in agreement. Come on, friends and neighbors, don’t fail us now.

Natalie tipped her head, her lips pursed in a look of sympathy. “I don’t believe we’d heard about such an arrangement. Was this a verbal agreement between the two families?”

Like those fancy tennis matches on TV, heads turned from her direction to his.

“No. We had a lease. In writing.”

The collective looked back to her for a rebuttal. Sam felt a tiny bit satisfied to see Natalie’s megawatt smile dim.

“You leased the land from Mr. Nelson?” She moved to the podium and began flipping through pages in a fancy notebook. “For how long?”

Heads around him turned left. “Ten years.”

Heads turned right. Natalie was frowning now. “That is definitely an agreement we were unaware of, but I’ll make sure we look into it.”

The murmuring around him grew, and Sam felt the tide begin to change. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “I thought you said you’d done extensive research on the area?”

Something came down hard on his boot. Sam turned a surprised look to his gran, who sat to his left.

“Manners,” she mouthed.

He arched a brow. Suzanne “Sunnie” Miles had never been the type of woman to hold her tongue or to pull the manners card in the middle of a town hall discussion. So why change now? The look she gave him in return warned that he best not argue.

“I assure you, a significant amount of time and research went into the Marietta site location selection.”

Someone across the room asked about their own past agreement with Hank Nelson. Followed by another of his neighbors. Hank had been a kindhearted man, offering use of his land to many of the area residents—some for farming, some for lumber, some for housing animals. Sam’s family, however, was the only one who had been leasing from Hank. On paper, anyway.

Natalie looked genuinely flustered now, a lovely shade of pink tinting her cheeks. Part of him felt bad about stirring the pot, but Sam tamped down that guilt. He would do whatever it took to protect his family and his land. Besides, Natalie would always have another project to chase after. His family only had one ranch.

“Yes, thank you, I have a note here to look into that. Yes. And everyone, please, remember our key points from tonight. While our new resort may bring some initial changes to the area, the benefits of those changes will—”

An alarm sounded from the back of the room, loud as a dozen bull elk bucks in heat.

“Fire alarm,” Lyle Tate yelled over the noise, rising to his feet. “Everyone out.”

At the front of the room, Natalie paled. “But—”

“No time for buts, Miss Wright.” Mayor Gleeson guided her toward the door with the others. “As old as this building is, we don’t take alarms lightly. It could be anything.”

Or nothing. Sam smirked. He got his grandparents to their feet and ushered them toward the door, filing through the cramped space like the cattle he herded daily. Up ahead, he could see Natalie, her neck craned as she pointed back toward the podium. That was when he saw her purse still sitting on a chair near the refreshment table.

Sam had been married long enough to know how important it was for a woman not to lose her purse. She was probably in a panic, thinking that if the building was truly on fire, she’d lose everything in it. The jaded cowboy in him wanted to look the other way. The gentleman he’d been raised to be made him turn around to get it for her.

Besides, if he rescued her purse, maybe Natalie would stay true to her word and get her company to look into his existing lease of the Nelson property. Surely, they couldn’t develop while that was still in place. If that happened, his family would lose this season’s crops.

Or worse—all crops on that land going forward, forever. That’d be one helluva financial hit to the Miles family.

“Be right back,” he told Gramps, then stepped to the wall and squeezed his way against the flow to take one for the team.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Putting down roots means something very different to this Midwest girl and sexy Montana cowboy.

Natalie Wright loves being a development coordinator for new construction. But while the travel was exciting at first, she’s ready to put her suitcase away. All she needs is one more successful project, which seems simple until a certain cowboy walks into her public hearing in Marietta, Montana.

Sam Miles has his hands full overseeing the Flying J ranch and being a single dad. But when he learns there are plans to drop some swanky resort on the land next door, he will do all he can to block the project—a task that would be infinitely easier without Natalie’s megawatt smile.

They’re soon exchanging playful barbs, neither willing to give an inch on which goal should take priority for the town. Then news of an endangered species habitat on the development site threatens to jeopardize the resort’s progress, and Sam and Natalie team up to protect both their livelihoods—and try not to get their hearts broken along the way.

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Meet the Author:

Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who writes of love, humor, and mystery in the Midwest and beyond. Her romance novels range from sweet contemporary to romantic suspense and paranormal/fantasy. No matter the setting, Kyra employs both comedy and chaos to help her characters find inspiration and/or redemption on their way to happily ever after.

When this Hoosier native isn’t pounding out scenes for her next book, she’s likely outside, elbow-deep in snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving family. Kyra also loves to read, tries to golf, and is an avid college football fan.
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