Spotlight & Giveaway: Cowboy to the Rescue by Ann B. Harrison

Posted January 28th, 2019 by Sara in Blog, Spotlight / 25 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ann B. Harrison to HJ!

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

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Jethro Hansen has never done the right thing as far as attitude is concerned. Used to drinking and fighting, his reputation is in ruins. But if you need a wingman when things get tough, he’s your guy. When a routine visit to his lawyer goes bad, he’s the first to stand up and help even if the situation isn’t one that his arch rival will approve of. Luckily for him, he has someone to defend him when punches start flying. Sadie is so out of his league it’s not funny. Sadie St Martin is only in Marietta to help out her old boss while she’s on maternity leave. Getting sucked into the small town wasn’t on her radar, nor was the cute cowboy she’s supposed to guide as he mends his ways. Sometimes love has a mind of its own and the best laid plans never go the way they should.

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Jethro Hansen, meet Sadie St. Martin.”
The woman he’d seen a few weeks ago when he dropped off some paperwork for Layla. Interesting that she turned out to be the new assistant.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

I can’t go past a cowboy in faded denim jeans for inspiration so I have plenty of issues of Cowboys and Indians on my desk, in my bathroom (yes I read in the bath) and beside my bed. My second screensaver is loaded with photos of Montana through the seasons (plus a few hot cowboys) and I often pick one depending on my mood. I’m partial to barns, being a country girl myself, and I love to feel as though I’m ‘in the scene’ while I write.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Jethro Hansen hasn’t had the best upbringing. His father walked out, mother died young and he and his two brothers were left to be brought up by their grandfather. Jethro’s life is all about breaking the rules, drinking and fighting until he finds out his grandpa is dying. That’s the turning point for him to change his behavior. What surprised me was how sensitive he was under all the brash behavior. Sadie St Martin knows what she wants – or so she thinks. A city lawyer from a prominent family, she’s used to the good life. Jethro Hansen is everything she shouldn’t want but she is drawn to him and has to second-guess her future. They say opposites attract and in this case, it’s definitely true.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I like to challenge people so I can’t go past this scene because it was so much fun to write –

He moved forward, slipped his arm around Layla’s shoulders, and she leaned into him. “You’re in labor, right?”
She nodded and moaned again.
“How far apart?” He had helped at many an animal birth on the ranch, but this was the first time he’d been around a pregnant woman in labor. How different could it be?
“Three or four minutes.” Beads of sweat appeared on her top lip.
Heck, that was close from what he remembered. He really should’ve paid more attention to that recent documentary, but his mind had been on other things when the television was blaring in the living room. Wasn’t she due in a few weeks, not now? Maybe he had it wrong.
He turned to Sadie. “Can you call Emily, get her to come help, and maybe let Tyson know?”
Sadie stared at him with panicked eyes. “It’s too early for the baby. We still have another three weeks and four days to get me up to speed on the cases I’ll be dealing with. I have it all written down on my calendar.”
Seriously? “Well, we’ve got no say in the matter. Call Emily. She’ll know what to do.”
Sadie flapped her hands in front of her face as she looked at her watch. “Emily’s out getting her hair done. She won’t be back for an hour or more.” She chewed her lip and stared at her boss, whose face was pale and pinched. “I’ll call Tyson, but he hardly ever picks up, according to Layla.”
There was nothing for it. He’d have to get his lawyer to the hospital himself. “Well, try anyway, and I’ll start walking her out to my truck. I don’t think we have any time to waste.”

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

I want them to feel the emotion between my hero and heroine and root for them. They both come from totally different backgrounds and Jethro has had a hard life so far. I want them to get behind him and see that he can be the man every woman wants by her side.

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

I’m finishing up the last book in The Hansen Brother’s. Crease is the youngest of the brothers and I have to admit to having a soft spot for him. He’s young and kind, with a sense of honor that made me melt. The second Hansen Brothers book is due out in March and if you like Mail Order Bride books, then this twist on that trope is for you. The Convenient Cowboy tells Nate’s story.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Tule tote, copy of ebook Cowboy to the Rescue and Tule swag

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What is the first thing you look for in a future partner apart from the obvious, tall dark and handsome? Do you prefer kind over cute? Funny over handsome?

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Excerpt from Cowboy to the Rescue:

Sadie looked in the mirror, turned, peeked over her shoulder, and groaned. It was too much for a picnic. Last thing she wanted to do was make Jethro feel out of place because she rocked up looking like she’d just finished a photo shoot for Christian Dior’s spring fashion parade.
She had a pair of well-worn jeans in her wardrobe. Paired with a plain white T-shirt, maybe a scarf around her hair, some cute earrings and she’d be set, instead of this label designer playsuit that screamed money and the French Riviera. She stripped off and threw the offending suit at the back of the closet and pulled out the jeans. Once Sadie laced up her white sneakers, all she had to do was quiet her racing heart before he arrived.
The picnic basket sat ready on the table. She’d debated with herself all morning about what to take for lunch. Was he a quiche kind of guy, or would that be too prissy for him? Should she make big, hunky sandwiches with slabs of meat and cheese and pickles? In the end she’d gone with a mix of easy options. He was doing burgers, so a small selection of cheese and cold cuts along with some crusty bread rolls and a bag of peaches was restrained, even for her. But she figured going overboard would only scare Jethro away. It wasn’t that he didn’t have refined tastes like she was used to, but he didn’t have the funds to waste, and she was sensible enough, sensitive enough, to respect that. Her restaurant mention made her cringe. How stupid could she be? She knew better than anyone what his finances were like. The last thing Sadie wanted was for him to think she was showing off how well- heeled she was while he was struggling to hold everything together.
Nobody was promising hearts and forever, but she want- ed to get to know the man behind the casual smile that left her stomach in knots before she went back to Denver. Before she followed the rest of her well-designed plan to fruition.
The rumble of his truck sounded in her driveway and Sadie ran to the window and peeked out. She watched him slide from his seat, put his hat on, and saunter to the front door. In his worn jeans, checkered shirt, and boots, he looked every inch the confident cowboy, and her heart pounded. Heat pooled in her stomach. This was so not like her. She’d never reacted to a man like this before and in her mind that screamed danger!
Falling for someone here in Marietta wasn’t on the big whiteboard in her room. The magical wedding and ring didn’t appear on her to-do list until she’d made junior partner in one of the law firms of her choice. At least two or three years down the track, according to her calculations. And falling for a cowboy wasn’t what she’d planned. They were poles apart. Like a square peg in a round hole.
The man she imagined she was going to marry was savvy and smart, climbing the professional ladder just like she was. Keen to make the grade and senior partner before their first child was born. She’d take maternity leave and then go back to work determined to let nothing stand in her way of making full partner, preferably at the same time as her husband. Her future was board meetings and country clubs.
The knock on the door broke her out of her reminiscing. Sadie touched her fingers to her hair, smoothing down the damp curls that ran riot around her face, now flushed with imagination. She breathed in and out a couple of times before opening the door.
“Hi, Jethro.” Her voice sounded far too breathless for her own liking.
He gazed at her from under ridiculously long lashes and
smiled, tentatively at first and then an all-out big, toothy grin that made her knees shake.
“Afternoon, Sadie. Don’t you look all summery and pret- ty?” His voice rolled over her skin like a soft summer breeze, doing nothing to fan the heat she couldn’t control.
“Thank you. Did you want to come in?” She held the door open wider and stepped back, leaving him no choice but to come inside. He took off his hat and stepped over the threshold.
“Sure is pretty in here.” He stood just inside the entry, staring into the living room, looking as though he was too scared to touch anything. The white walls and furnishings made the cottage look as though it’d come out of a home design magazine.
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Layla left quite a lot of her furniture here when she moved in with Tyson. Said she wanted more rustic country furniture for the ranch house. Since her lease hadn’t run out there was no hurry to move it. This suits me, and I appreciated the kindness.” She touched his sleeve. “Meant I didn’t have to bring all my furniture from Denver, which is great because my contract is only for three months unless something comes up. I don’t know how long I’m going to be here.”
A shadow flickered over his eyes, and he swallowed. “Well, best we make good the time we have, then. Should we head off now, do you think?” Jethro ran his fingers around the brim of his hat and looked everywhere but at her face.
He was nervous! Had she said the wrong thing? But it was important to be upfront and truthful with him. She was only here temporarily.
“I’ll get the picnic basket.” Sadie moved past him into the kitchen.
“I’ll take that.” Jethro reached past her and scooped the basket off the counter. “Feels like you’re feeding an army.”
“Not really. I was a little restrained, for me at least. I have this terrible habit of overfeeding people.” She was talking too much, but nerves had taken over and she couldn’t help it. “If it were up to me, I’d have added a cake, maybe a bottle of wine. Probably a pie as well. I can’t seem to help myself once I start.”
He turned and grinned at her. “Hey, I’m not complain- ing in the least. This cowboy hasn’t had a meal cooked by a pretty woman in years. I’m used to whatever me or the boys can rustle up, you know? We’re pretty basic when it comes to food. I have the feeling I’m going to enjoy whatever you have in here.”
Now she felt bad for restraining herself. “Oh dear, I didn’t think about that. Hang on.” Sadie turned back to the refrigerator and opened the door. She pulled out half a cherry pie and a bottle of wine, which she passed to Jethro. “Take these.” She then opened the cupboard and took out a container of peanut butter cookies she’d made the previous evening. Cooking helped her unwind and freed her mind from the legal jargon she soaked up during the day. It also helped keep the lust-filled dreams down a notch if she went to bed exhausted.
“Hey, didn’t mean for you to go all crazy on me.”
She raised her head and smiled at him, holding the con- tainer out as bait. “Are you telling me to put these back in the cupboard? Peanut butter cookies? Fresh baked by me last night.”
His mouth dropped open. “Heck, no. Don’t you dare leave them behind. Nobody makes me cookies. I’d have to be insane to even suggest it.”
Sadie laughed and slid her arm around his. “Let’s go be- fore I add too much. I don’t want to overwhelm you with my secret talents.”
Jethro drove with one hand on the wheel and one out the window. “Thought we’d go and take a look at Miracle Lake. How’s that sound to you?”
“Wonderful. I haven’t had a chance to see much of the local sights at all.”
“Well, we can drive around and find our spot. There’s plenty of places to picnic, but I’ll let you choose, since it was your idea.”

Book Info:

Can the twisted road to redemption lead to love?

Jethro Hansen knows how it feels to let down those he loves. Before his grandfather passed, he tried to make amends for his wild youth and has devoted his future to bringing the family ranch back to financial health. The last thing the confirmed bachelor expects is to stand in as a labor coach for his attorney, and enemy’s wife. Even more awkward, the attentive and attractive woman at the expectant mother’s side is making it nearly impossible to keep his focus on his ranch and family legacy.

Sadie St. Martin interned in Denver for Layla Cox and followed her to Marietta, Montana, to run her law practice while she’s on maternity leave. Sadie has some major decisions to make about her future and they become even tougher after she helps Layla through labor alongside a sexy, confident cowboy who is also a client.

Sadie’s fought hard for her career. Jethro is everything she shouldn’t want, but can this big city girl’s head overrule her heart in small town Montana?

Meet the Author:

After moving to the lush green wine region of Australia’s Hunter Valley, Ann has the perfect surrounding to let her imagination to run wild. She alternates her time between writing western romances, women’s fiction romantic and playing in her garden. Two kinds of hero make Ann to a mass of nerves. The hot cowboy with a slow sexy drawl (she used to live out in the desert and enjoyed every minute) and a man in a kilt (Imagine Jamie Fraser) She can’t wait to visit Scotland where she can get her fill of the tartan clad hotties for, um research purposes, of course.

In the meantime, her dear husband puts up with her talking to her characters and getting lost in worlds only she can imagine as she battles to bring stories to the page for everyone to enjoy.
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