Spotlight & Giveaway: More Than a Cowboy by Sarah Mayberry

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sarah Mayberry to HJ!

Hi Sarah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, More Than a Cowboy!

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

Garret’s families have a difficult history, but when she goes to work for him as his private helicopter pilot, she quickly finds herself falling for her new boss. Garret’s got lots of reasons for not giving in to their potent mutual attraction but some things are too big to fight. Just as he and Sierra are starting to understand what they mean to each other, Garret’s father’s history rises up and threatens to destroy their future.
 

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

Context: Sierra is piloting the helicopter, flying Garret from Helena back home to Marietta:

“I keep meaning to ask you, how did you get into flying?” Garret asked.
Her gaze flew back to the mirror and he offered her a crooked smile.
“Humor me.” He said it lightly, but she sensed an undercurrent of seriousness beneath his words.
“It’s a long story. Get comfortable.”
“I’m holding an imaginary martini. Begin,” he said, waving a hand grandly.
“Your father offered free fun-flights at the Marietta Fair one year. I got to sit up front with Jack while he flew.”
There was a short pause while he waited for her to say more. When she didn’t, she heard him laugh briefly.
“Glad I got comfortable for that.”
“Drink your martini,” she said.
“Really wish I could,” he said with a sigh.

What inspired this book?

I love writing about strong heroines with unusual careers. The Carmody Family series as a whole was inspired by Party of Five. My cover image really helped me with Garret – I’d chosen it before I started writing and it really informed my mental image of him.

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

When I was planning and plotting this book, I was thinking that Sierra was going to be very, very sassy and Garret a bit of a playboy, but as I got into the writing, Garret had so much on his plate and Sierra was so invested in his happiness, a lot of that attitude went out the window. Sierra’s character was well established from the previous two books in the series so it was fun seeing her hoist on her own petard in terms of nosiness and concern from her family. I do a lot of thinking before I start writing – I’m definitely a plotter – and I really like to know what my characters want and what they are most afraid of before I start writing. Those two levers help me work out the rest as I write.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I wanted to give Garret and Sierra one night just for themselves before the brown stuff hit the fan. Garret takes her out to a fancy restaurant, and this happens after dessert:

She balanced one hand against the bathroom stall wall as she carefully stepped out of her panties. Then she folded them neatly and nestled them back into the hot pink tissue inside the box. She stifled a nervous laugh as she tucked the box into her purse.
She held her own eye in the mirror as she washed and dried her hands, daring herself to go through with it. Then she stepped out into the restaurant.
It had been bad enough getting used to being braless for the evening, but feeling the cool wash of air around her lady parts as she made her way back to the table was more than a little disconcerting. If she tripped, or a rogue breeze suddenly blew up out of nowhere, she wouldn’t have many secrets from the other diners in this fancy schmancy restaurant.
It’ll be worth it. He’ll love it.
The thought kept her head high as she approached the table. Garret’s gaze was warm as she slipped back into her seat.
“I ordered coffee,” he said.
“It’s not like we were planning on sleeping, right?” she said with a smirk.
He laughed, and she reached into her purse and pulled out the box.
“A little something for you,” she said, sliding it across the table toward him.
He cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Should I guess or just open it?”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to guess what it is. But you’re welcome to try.”
“Now I feel challenged. But just to prove I take instruction well…” He lifted the lid on the box and folded back the pink tissue paper inside.
She watched as comprehension dawned on his face.
“Did you just…” He made a gesture in the air with his hand, inviting her to fill in the blank.
“I did.”
“So you’re not wearing anything under that dress right now?” he clarified.
“Does perfume count?”
His hand shot into the air, his gaze searching for the maitre d’. “Check please.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The scene where Garret confronts his mother was a tough one. There were so many things I wanted to get on the page.

Garret’s stomach churned with acid as he absorbed his mother’s words.
Holy fucking hell.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. What to think.
And then he did.
“Good to know where you stand,” he said. “Thanks for the Ted talk.”
His glass clinked against the marble countertop as he set it down. Then the only sound was the rapid percussion of his shoes on the polished parquet floor as he made his way to the front door.
Night had fallen while he’d been having all his illusions destroyed over a nice glass of merlot. He walked into the dim coolness, away from the house, away from his mother.
Away.
He didn’t stop until he was halfway down the drive. Then he simply stood there, the sky a dark void overhead, hands hanging by his sides, and tried to deny the sting of angry emotion burning at the back of his eyes.
All these years, he’d kept his father’s shitty, sordid little secret to protect his mother. For thirteen years it had chaffed him, kept him from home, pushed him to build his life thousands of miles away.
And it turned out she probably hadn’t needed protecting at all. Turned out she was a deeply practical, pragmatic woman.

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

I would say this is solidly in my wheelhouse – emotional, sexy, warm-hearted contemporary romance. A reviewer on Goodreads described it as “Absolute Mayberry”.

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

I would love for people to finish reading with a smile on their faces and hope in their hearts. Garret is a proof that our families don’t dictate who we are in life, and Sierra and her family are evidence that people are endlessly resilient.

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

I’m working on revamping some Harlequin books I’ve had reverted to me by the publisher. I want to turn five stand-alone books into a family series. They actually fit together really well and I’m excited about sharing the new versions with readers. And, of course, I need to write Book 4 in the Carmody Family series, Jed’s story.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An ebook copy of More Than a Cowboy and 3 Tule ebooks of your choice

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Excerpt from More Than a Cowboy:

Suck on that, gravity.
Sierra Carmody grinned as she watched a broad-winged hawk soar on a thermal twenty feet below the cockpit of the Bell 407. Maybe she was anthropomorphizing her ass off, but it seemed to her that the hawk loved being up here as much as she did.
All around her was the crisp, clear blue of a Montana summer sky, and below was a vast blanket of green and brown occasionally cut through with the snaking line of a road or railway or river. Even the mighty hulk of Copper Mountain was reduced to a plaything from up here, its rocky peak wreathed in fluffy white clouds.
Sierra flashed a smile at the man sitting beside her. Jack grinned back at her, his leathery skin creasing into deep lines.
“Perfect day for it,” he said, his voice tinny over the headset.
“Couldn’t be better,” Sierra agreed.
He turned his attention back to the instruments, his gaze assessing everything with the practiced ease of a helicopter pilot with thousands of flight hours under his belt.
She glanced at her watch, conscious that their passenger, Gideon Tate, was a stickler for being on time. She flicked the switch on the audio panel so he could hear her through his headset.
“Mr. Tate, we’re fifteen minutes out from the ranch. Should be landing right on time.”
“Good to know. Thanks, Sierra,” Gideon said.
She could see Gideon in the small mirror that Jack had retrofitted to the windshield frame for just that purpose, his head buried in his paperwork. The man never seemed to stop working.
She switched the comm back so she and Jack could talk without disturbing their passenger.
“Gideon wants me to collect something for him from Billings next week, if you’re up for another run?” Jack asked.
“Sure. Let me just make sure Jed and Casey don’t need me for anything, but that sounds great.” She bit back the urge to shower him with gratitude for thinking of her, knowing from experience that he would only become red-faced and brusque if she tried to acknowledge his generosity. Like always, she’d find some other way to show her appreciation for the extra flight hours—bringing him some fresh vegetables from the kitchen garden at home or taking on the task of putting the Bell into the hangar for the night.
Jack nodded, adjusting the cyclic to accommodate a crosswind that had just sprung up. She had no idea why she glanced in the mirror to check on their passenger. Maybe she’d heard something over the whir of the rotors or caught movement in her peripheral vision. Whatever it was, what she saw in the mirror had her reaching for her seat belt release.
“Jack. Gideon’s collapsed,” she said urgently.
“Shit.”
Sierra pulled off her headset and twisted around, coming up onto her knees. Although the seats formed a solid bench across the front of the helicopter, there was enough space between the headrest and the ceiling for someone to squeeze through into the rear passenger area. She slithered over the seat in an awkward rush, her boot heels hitting the ceiling on the way over. Then she was on her knees beside Gideon’s too-still form, her fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse.
“Thank God.”
It was faint, but it was there—a delicate percussion beneath her fingertips. She snatched up Gideon’s headset so she could communicate with Jack.
“He’s alive.”
“We’ll be at Marietta hospital in ten,” Jack said, his tone clipped. “What should I tell them?”
“His pulse is thready.” She rubbed her knuckles on Gideon’s sternum and his eyelids fluttered. “He’s semiconscious, and his breathing is shallow.”
The headset went dead and she guessed Jack had switched to external radio. She could feel the powerful growl of the motor as he banked left, then cranked up the speed. Her ears popped as the altitude rapidly decreased.
She concentrated on Gideon, checking his airway to make sure it was clear before releasing his seat belt and putting him into the recovery position across the rear seats. There was a blanket stowed under the forward seats and she yanked it out, spreading it over him to keep him warm. Then she sat on the floor so she could hold his hand, willing him to be okay.
He was only sixty-four. Far too young to die.
And he’d been kind to her—generous—despite the messy history between her family and his.
Or perhaps because of it.
She leaned close so he could hear her over the engine.
“Hang in there, Mr. Tate. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
Maybe it was her imagination, but she could have sworn his fingers briefly tightened around hers.
The next ten minutes seemed to last an hour. Jack checked in on her continuously and she kept monitoring Gideon’s pulse, terrified he was going to stop breathing. She’d completed a comprehensive first aid course last year and she tried to remember the protocol for CPR. Was it thirty chest compressions to two rescue breaths or twenty?
Please don’t die. Please be okay.
“About to land,” Jack said over the headset and Sierra sent up a prayer of thanks to the universe.
The hospital’s helipad was on the roof and Sierra caught a glimpse of the luminescent “H” painted on the cement before the Bell touched down with a thud. A medical team stood at the ready beside the entrance, their uniforms flapping in the rotor wash. Sierra leaned across to release the passenger door and waved them over. Seconds later she was making herself as small as possible as the team crowded into the passenger cabin, utterly focused on their patient.
“Let’s get him oxygen,” a young blonde doctor ordered, her tone authoritative.
“Blood pressure is 180 over 120,” a male nurse said.
“We need to get him to resus. Let’s move, people,” the doctor ordered.
A trolley was wheeled over and Gideon was transferred with brisk efficiency. Then they raced toward the emergency entrance, the doctor leaning over Gideon’s still form.
Sierra let out the breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding, more than a little overwhelmed.
“You okay?” Jack asked from the open doorway.
She nodded, and he held out his hand to help her exit. Her body felt stiff with tension as she slid to the edge of the seat and ducked her head to step down onto the rooftop.
“What do you think it was? A stroke?” she asked.
“Seems the most likely.” He passed a hand over his chin. “I need to call Nancy.”
Sierra’s gut tightened as she thought about Gideon’s family—his wife, Nancy, and his son, Garret. This was going to be a huge shock for them. “Can I help with anything?”
Jack shook his head, the gray in his faded red hair glinting in the afternoon sunlight. “I might be tied up for a bit, though. Reckon you can make your own way home from here?”
“I’ll call home,” Sierra said. “Don’t worry about me.”
She could see how heartsick Jack was and she gave him an impulsive hug. “You were awesome. No one could have got him here faster.”
He managed a sad smile before pulling out his phone. He stared down at the keypad for a long beat, then summoned up a number.
“Nancy? It’s Jack. I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news . . .”
Sierra moved away, giving him space to say what needed to be said. Pulling out her own phone, she dialed home.
It was stupid, but her eyes got hot with emotion when her oldest brother answered the phone.
“Jed, it’s me. I need you to come pick me up.”

The rain started when Garret Tate was just ten minutes out of Billings, slashing at the windscreen and overwhelming the wipers. He kept his foot on the gas anyway, conscious of the clock running down. He’d been in Rome on a work trip when his mother’s panicked, tearful call lit up his phone yesterday, and he’d been wrangling with travel companies and officialdom ever since.
He wasn’t about to slow down now, not when the doctors had indicated his father’s chances of surviving the next forty-eight hours were no better than fifty-fifty. His relationship with his father hadn’t been strong for a long time, but that didn’t mean Garret didn’t love him. That he didn’t care. That he didn’t want to say goodbye, if that was all there was left to do.
A truck blew past, throwing road dirt and more water at his rental sedan just as his phone came to life with a bright ring. His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Was this The Call? Had he gotten this close to home only to be half an hour too late?
He hit a button on the steering wheel and his mother’s voice filled the car.
“Garret, I know you’re on the road. I just wanted to let you know Dr. Wilson said he’s happy with your father’s overnight results, so they’re going to reduce his sedation. With a bit of luck, he should be waking soon.”
Relief washed through him.
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I’m only about forty minutes away, give or take.”
“Be careful in this weather.”
“I will. See you soon.”
He had a ton more questions, but they could wait until he was face-to-face with his mother. The important thing was that his father was still alive and well enough for the doctors to start bringing him out of the medically induced coma they’d put him in to help him recover from the major stroke he’d experienced yesterday afternoon.
That was a huge step forward. Hopefully the first of many.
Another truck passed, and he redoubled his concentration on the road because no one needed him to end up in a ditch or worse right now. When he finally pulled into a parking spot at Marietta General half an hour later, the rain had slowed to a light pitter-patter and his shoulders and back were aching from the tension of his long journey home.
He climbed out of the car and rolled his neck as he strode toward the building. Minutes later he was being led to the waiting room in the intensive care unit by a middle-aged nurse.
His mother sprang to her feet from where she’d been sitting on one of the two couches in the small space, her eyes red from tears and lack of sleep.
“Garret.” She hugged him tightly, pulling away almost immediately as though she was afraid to let herself to take comfort for too long. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“As if I wouldn’t.”
“Well, I know you and your father have had your differences.” Her gaze was searching, and Garret wondered for the millionth time if she had any idea what had caused those “differences.” Sometimes he was convinced she knew—that she had to know—but then she’d do something or say something and he’d wonder all over again.
“Any more news?” he asked.
She shook her head, her blond bob brushing her shoulders. “They’ve been in with him for a while. Wouldn’t let me stay. They said they’ll assess him when he’s conscious, work out how much damaged he’s suffered . . . Garret, what if he’s not there anymore? What if the blood clot did so much damage he’s gone?”
She lifted a hand to push back her hair and he saw that it was trembling. For the first time in her life she looked every one of her sixty-two years, and he made a bet with himself that she hadn’t eaten or slept since she’d gotten news of her husband’s stroke. It had always been that way—Gideon always came first, above everything, including herself.
“We won’t know anything until they do the tests,” he said, aware he was offering her zero comfort. But he was in no position to offer reassurances or promises. It would be naive to believe his father was simply going to wake from sedation with all his faculties intact.
“I’ve been so scared something like this was going to happen,” his mother said. “He never stops working. Even when he plays golf he’s working, hustling for a contract or networking. I tried to talk him into slowing down but he never listens.”
Garret nodded, guilt biting at him. If he hadn’t chosen to walk away and forge his own path in Seattle, he would have been working at his father’s side at Tate Transport the last eight years, sharing some of the load, and maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Yes, he’d had good reasons for walking away, but right now, right this minute, they felt self-indulgent. Even self-righteous.
Movement drew his attention to the doorway as a tall silver-haired man in a well-cut navy suit appeared.
“You have to be Garret,” he said, offering his hand. “The family resemblance is powerful. Dr. Wilson, we spoken on the phone.”
“We did. Mom said you’ve been in with Dad?”
“I have. He’s conscious and a bit distressed. I’ve explained the situation to him, but it’s a lot to take in. I think he’d benefit from seeing his family for just a few minutes.”
His mother was already moving forward, hope on her face. Garret followed her across the corridor and into a single room where a couple of nurses were adjusting various machines around the bed. His father’s head was propped on a single pillow. There were oxygen prongs in his nose and a line snaking from the inside of his elbow to a drip stand. His face was pale despite his tan; his salt-and-pepper hair rumpled, and the right side of his face sagged noticeably.
“Gideon,” Garret’s mother said, rushing forward to take his father’s hand.
Garret was aware of his pulse pounding in his ears as he waited for his father to respond.
Come on, Dad. Please still be there.
Slowly his father turned his head toward his mother, his eyes cloudy with confusion.
That could just be the drugs. He’s probably high as a kite.
His father opened his mouth, but all that emerged was a slurred, garbled moan. His mother squeezed his hand, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, Gideon. I’m here. You’re okay,” she soothed.
His father attempted to speak again, but the words were so slurred they were unintelligible. It didn’t matter—Garret could hear the fear in his father’s voice, the terror.
Jesus, this was awful. All his life, his father had been a vital, unstoppable presence. A force of nature. To see him cut down like this . . .
Garret turned away, sucking in a deep breath.
Keep it together, asshole.
It took him a moment to gain control, then he turned back and stepped closer to the bed, standing at his mother’s shoulder.
“Hey, Dad,” he said, and his father’s gaze shifted to him.
There was no mistaking the recognition there, or the warmth.
“They’re taking good care of you, Gideon. It’s going to be all right. We’re going to get on top of this,” his mother said, stroking his arm lovingly.
Dr. Wilson moved forward. “Gideon, I’m going to need to run some tests now to see where we’re at, so I’m going to ask Nancy and Garret to step outside for a bit. But they’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Gideon’s gaze moved to his wife’s face. She lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to it, then moved closer and dropped another one onto his forehead.
“I love you,” she said softly, and there was so much tenderness in her voice Garret got a lump in his throat.
“I’ll see you soon, Dad,” he said.
He led his mother into the corridor, aware of the medical staff closing ranks around the bed as they left. His mother was pale, and when he put his arm around her he realized her whole body was trembling.
“Oh, Garret.” She turned her face into his chest and burst into messy, noisy tears. “His face . . . He can barely open his eye. And his mouth . . .”
“It’s early days yet, Mom. Let’s wait and see what the doctor says,” Garret said, because there wasn’t much else he could say.
He was still trying to find his feet himself, trying to get past the confronting realization that while his father might have survived, his life would never be the same again.
It was half an hour before Dr. Wilson came to talk to them in waiting room.
“Okay,” he said, letting out a long sigh as he sat down. “We’ve completed an initial neurological exam, and it’s clear Gideon’s suffered significant damage. There are still more tests to do, but at the moment I’d put him at a twenty-eight on the stroke scale. In the severe category.”
His mother made a small, distressed noise.
“But that will change with rehab, right?” Garret asked.
Dr. Wilson paused a moment before answering. “At the moment, he has profound paralysis down his right side. He’s lost his speech, and his swallowing reflex is weak. We’ll put him straight into intensive rehabilitation and speech therapy, but there is no guarantee what gains he might make or how long it might take. Rehab is a process, and it’s never a straight line. I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s all I can tell you right now.”
They talked about next steps—moving Gideon to a general ward, intensive rehabilitation—for a few minutes before Dr. Wilson excused himself.
His mother plucked a handful of tissues from the box on the table and blew her nose noisily after he’d gone.
“Hang in there, Mom,” he said. “We’ll make sure Dad gets the best care. And you know how stubborn he is.”
She nodded. Then she took a deep breath, as though girding herself for a difficult conversation. “Garret, we need to talk about the business.”
“Okay. I can call Ron—”
“No. You have to take charge, Garret. Not Ron. I don’t want him swooping in and taking over everything.”
His mother held his gaze, urging him to agree. He studied her face, trying to understand what was going on. Ron Gibson had been with Tate Transport for more than thirty years, working his way from truck driver all the way up to general manager. There was no one his father valued or trusted more, and Garret knew for a fact that the man was a frequent guest at the ranch. There was no one more qualified or better positioned to take over the day-to-day running of the business in the short term. Long term was another story, but that wasn’t a discussion for today.
“I thought you loved Ron.”
“Your father loves Ron. Tate Transport is your father’s legacy, your inheritance. You need to be the one making decisions, not Ron. I want you to take over as CEO immediately.”
Garret thought of his business partners back in Seattle and all the plans they’d made together. After years of back-breaking work, their fledgling coffee machine manufacturing business was on the verge of really taking off. The deal they’d signed in Rome was just the beginning.
But Tate Transport was responsible for the employment of more than a thousand people, some of whom had been with his father for decades.
There was no arguing with those kinds of numbers, or the look on his mother’s face.
“Don’t worry about the business,” he said, aware that he was about to upend his whole life. “I’ll take care of everything. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

He’s all wrong but he makes her feel like she’s flying…

When Sierra Carmody lands a temporary job as a private helicopter pilot for Garret Tate, it’s a dream come true. The last thing she expects or wants is to fight a powerful attraction to her new boss when their families share a painful history. But Garret draws her like no other, and she can’t stop thinking about him.

His world is sinking but she feels like solid ground…

Garret Tate is determined to be nothing like his father, which means keeping his hands strictly to himself around the hired help. But Sierra tempts him far more than just physically. She’s smart, funny, capable and honest and everything he never knew he wanted. It’s not long before they give in to their off-the-charts chemistry. But just as they start to think it’s real love, Garret’s father’s dark past catches up with them, threatening to bring everything crashing down.

Torn between family loyalty and love, can there be a safe landing?

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Meet the Author:

He’s all wrong but he makes her feel like she’s flying…

When Sierra Carmody lands a temporary job as a private helicopter pilot for Garret Tate, it’s a dream come true. The last thing she expects or wants is to fight a powerful attraction to her new boss when their families share a painful history. But Garret draws her like no other, and she can’t stop thinking about him.

His world is sinking but she feels like solid ground…

Garret Tate is determined to be nothing like his father, which means keeping his hands strictly to himself around the hired help. But Sierra tempts him far more than just physically. She’s smart, funny, capable and honest and everything he never knew he wanted. It’s not long before they give in to their off-the-charts chemistry. But just as they start to think it’s real love, Garret’s father’s dark past catches up with them, threatening to bring everything crashing down.

Torn between family loyalty and love, can there be a safe landing?
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