Her Cadillac Cowboy by Rue Allyn
A rich cowboy with a classic Cadillac—sounds like the stuff of dreams for a small-town Texas girl, right? Wrong! Josh McKinley and his classic car have been Sara Carson’s nightmare since Josh left ten years ago. Now the cowboy and his Caddy are back. Sara must choose between loyalty to her family and love for the one man she shouldn’t want.
Is the key to Sara Carson’s heart the Cadillac that their families have been feuding over for ten years? Or will Josh McKinley have to give up the car he treasures in order to win the woman he loves?
“A well-developed story with a number of well-drawn and interesting characters. Each new complication in the love relationship keeps the pages turning until the emotionally satisfying conclusion.” 5 Stars! ~ Scribes World Reviews
“The inner conflicts of both Sara and Josh keep the sparks flying . . . I would definitely recommend this book.” Asm53,Writers Club Romance Group
“Not at all what you might expect from the title, Her Cadillac Cowboy, manages to address some weighty issues—such as care of an older and ailing parent as well as a woman’s place in a patriarchal family owned business, and to entertain with a light frothy, and very charming romance. A cowboy with a caddy? Sounds yummy to me. But our heroine, Sara Anne Carson equates him more with week-gone-over fish. Until the masterful Rue Allyn takes Sara, and us, along for a wonderful ride.” Leann “Buzzy” Arndt/Buzz Review News and Midwest Book Review
Excerpt
Sara wandered down the hall, turned the corner at the end of the corridor, and ran smack into a bare, sweaty, male chest. The impact was brief. Hard hands closed over her shoulders and steadied her before setting her away. Sara looked up. Her mouth opened and closed, then opened again.
“You!” echoed through the emptiness.
Sara jumped back farther. More memories squeezed her heart. Of all the voices that she might hear, she never expected to hear Josh McKinley’s deep baritone.
“So, you’re back.” His mouth twisted on the statement. His graveled voice and daredevil blue eyes challenged her.
She wasn’t ready for this. “What are you doing here? Gloating because my father’s bedridden and can’t throw you out?”
“Not gloating, working.”
What a surprising idea. “That’s ridiculous. It’s Sunday and Carson’s Cars is closed.”
“Always was, as I recall. Guess even an old devil like your daddy needs a day of rest.”
Her eyes widened. How dare Josh try to provoke her. He’d betrayed her, run off like a coward. Never mind that she’d done her own running a few years later. “My father would never hire a McKinley, and no McKinley would want to do an honest day’s work when he could shyster widows and orphans instead.”
Josh hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and leaned against the wall, his narrow hips cocked at an aggressive angle. “I don’t work for your father.”
He had no right to prop his broad shoulders against that wall. “Then you’re not working here, so get off Carson’s property.”
Damn him with his dark hair and bright eyes. He didn’t move. He gave a slow smile and looked her over, head to toe and back. “You’ve changed, Sara.”
Déjà vu skittered bumps over her skin. Time was when she would have danced naked in a cactus patch for that smile. No more. “Maybe it’s time you found out just how much I have changed.”
“Go ahead, show me.”
“I’m not a lonely, defenseless, little girl anymore.”
“You weren’t little in high school, Pipsqueak.”
She winced at the childhood nickname. He was right. She’d been a gawky five-foot-nine when she’d first fallen for Josh McKinley. She wouldn’t fall again. “Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have no right. No McKinley has the right to treat a Carson with anything but healthy respect and wide distance.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You would too, if you had any sense.”
“What harm did the McKinleys ever do to you?”
Sara gasped. “Your uncle was my father’s best friend and lawyer. My mother went to Sampson McKinley for advice, and he manipulated her. He betrayed my father’s trust. He broke up my parents’ marriage just to get his hands on that cursed Cadillac you men love so much.”
Josh gave a short, dry laugh. He crossed work-hardened arms, thick with ropy muscles, over his chest. “My uncle never betrayed a friend or a client in his entire life.”
“Go ahead, keep your delusions. Because of your damned uncle, I lost my mother. If I hadn’t been stupid enough to imagine you were different, I never would have cuddled up to a McKinley snake like you.” She widened her stance and placed a fist on each hip.
His smile broadened. “Yeah, you did cuddle up to me, didn’t you, Pipsqueak?” He straightened and walked toward her.
“I was young and ignorant. I know better now.” Sara stood her ground until she could smell the scent of sawdust mixed with male musk.
“Really? Maybe we should find out for sure.”
She danced backward, out of reach. “Oh no, you don’t. You aren’t laying a hand on me.”
“Chicken, Pipsqueak?” He remained in place, his face shadowed in the meager light.
“No, just wiser, and I told you not to call me that.” Keeping her eyes on him, she fished in her purse for her cell phone. “I also told you to leave.”
“That you did.” He crossed his arms.
“So why aren’t you leaving?” Sara backed toward the wall. He wasn’t pursuing her, so why feel she should run down the hallway to her left?
“’Cause I still have work to do.” He dropped his arms, ambled past her, and sauntered down the corridor she might have used for escape. Had she really thought she needed to escape? Why? Josh hadn’t done anything save disagree with her. He was insolent, even arrogant. Yes, but he wasn’t a threat. Not physically. No if anything was a threat it was the memories of a different time, a different Josh, and if she was honest, a different Sara. But that was then, this was now, and she wouldn’t let the past change anything.
About the Author
Author of historical and contemporary romances, I fell in love with happily ever after the day I heard my first story. (Yes, I was a precocious little brat who read at the age of two, but I could hear much earlier than that.) I studied literature for far too many years before discovering that writing stories was much more fun than analyzing them. Heck, as an author, I get to read the story before anyone else. I am happily married to my sweetheart of many, many years. My husband and I retired overseas this year (2018). I am an avid reader and traveler, I love to hear from readers about your favorite books and real-life adventures. Crazy Cat stories are especially welcome. You can send me your words of wisdom . . . Don’t shake your head at me; all words are wise in one context or another. You can trust me on this; I’m an author. As I was saying, you can send your words of wisdom, humor, and friendship to me at Rue(at) RueAllyn.com. Can’t wait to hear from you.
Find Rue Allyn Here:
Website~~https://RueAllyn.com
Blog~~ https://www.rueallyn.com/blog/
Facebook~~https://www.facebook.com/RueAllynAuthor
Twitter~~https://twitter.com/RueAllyn
Amazon~~https://www.amazon.com/Rue-Allyn/e/B00AUBF3NI/
Goodreads~~https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5031290.Rue_Allyn
Pinterest~~https://www.pinterest.com/RueAllyn/
Triberr~~https://triberr.com/rue-rueallyn.com
Also by Rue Allyn
The Wildfire Love series:
A Wish for All Seasons: A MacKai Family Novella
Appearing in Follow Your Star Home by The Bluestocking Belles
The Knight Chronicles:
Book 2: Knight Protector: A MacKai Family Novel
Book3: Knight Defender: A MacKai Family
Sexy Sailors Series:
Interview with Rue Allyn by Holly Hewson for TRS
HH: Rue, thank you for talking with us at The Romance Studio. Please tell us about your latest release, Her Cadillac Cowboy.
Rue: Her Cadillac Cowboy is a reunion story. During high school, Sara and Josh dated briefly in defiance of the feud between their families. But immaturity caused irresponsible actions on both their parts and they broke up. Now they’ve both returned. More mature and more determined to make their dreams come true. Here’s the blurb: A rich cowboy with a classic Cadillac—sounds like the stuff of dreams for a small-town Texas girl, right? Wrong! Josh McKinley and his classic car have been Sara Carson’s nightmare since Josh left ten years ago. Now the cowboy and his Caddy are back. Sara must choose between loyalty to her family and love for the one man she shouldn’t want.
Is the key to Sara Carson’s heart the Cadillac that their families have been feuding over for ten years? Or will Josh McKinley have to give up the car he treasures in order to win the woman he loves?
HH: What do you like best about Sara and why will readers identify with her?
Rue: I like very much that Sara returns to her hometown despite doubts and fears and plans to not only help care for her father but to persuade him to let her take the job she’s always wanted as head of Carson’s cars. I believe readers will identify with her ambition and her dedication to family as well as some of the difficulties she faces.
HH: What do you like best about Josh and why will readers love him?
Rue: Josh carries around a lot of emotional baggage, but he’s succeeded despite his past and now wants very much to help children succeed and protect them from life’s cruelties. Who can’t love a man who is great with children? Men have their nurturing, mentoring sides, but we don’t often get to see them in fiction. Josh gives readers a chance to see a hero in more than the traditional sense of a victor over evil.
HH: What can you tell us about your popular Knight Chronicles series?
Rue: I love the medieval period, so writing about knights and ladies is totally fun for me. However, none of the characters in these books has it easy. The church and questions of faith are the focus of Knight Errant. Love of nation versus personal love is the difficulty faced in Knight Protector. Knight Defender is all about family, loyalty, truth, and deception. Love does triumph in each tale, but the difficulties encountered, ranging from the early inquisition to spies and lies often seem insurmountable.
HH: What can you tell us about your Wildfire, Love series?
Rue: The impetus for this series is three sisters, Bostonians, trying to escape the toils of a tyrannical grandfather. One of the sisters has already run away before the start of the first book. News reaches the two remaining sisters that their sibling was sighted in San Francisco and is accused of murder. In the first book, one sister rides the rails (just completed that year) to San Francisco intent on rescue. While she finds love there, her sister has disappeared. The sister escaping murder charges ends up in Wyoming, where she and the lawman pursuing her fall in love. The sister who remained in Boston to hold the fort after their grandfather died, is subject to the whims of his will, the men who run his businesses, and the legal mess he left. Her one help is the lawyer who drafted the will and even he has legal restrictions that prevent him from giving as much help as he would like. Each of these sisters is forced to reach beyond her comfort zone and learn to deal with the world in new ways. New ways that leave them both stronger, more flexible and able to truly love the men who love them.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers?
Rue: I am very excited about the coming year. Her Cadillac Cowboy will be my first self-published book, to be release in mid-March. After that, I plan to release one book every two months alternating between contemporaries and historicals. The best way for readers to stay informed of my plans and new releases is to join my Facebook group, the RAV*ON Community, and/or sign up for the RAV*ON newsletter.
HH: What is your writing schedule like?
Rue: For the past two years, I’ve had a fairly light writing schedule. Part of that had to do with changes at my publisher. Part of that schedule was caused by my husband’s retirement and our subsequent move south. I had time to consider what I wanted to do with my career. I also had time to think carefully about what I could offer to readers. Self-publishing will allow me greater control over the quality and types of books I provide for readers. In addition, I’ll have greater flexibility in how I interact with readers.
HH: What are your goals for this year?
Rue: In addition to releasing at least five books, I’ll be writing 2 novels and 1 novella. The first novel takes us back to Wyoming a few years after Wildfire Love # 2 to discover what happens to Boyd Alvarez (friend of the lawman in the earlier book) and Elise Van Demer (daughter of the villain from that same book). The novella will introduce the main characters in the second novel I plan to write this year. Readers can look for the release of the novella in late September along with three other novellas from the Bluestocking Belles. The two novels are tentatively scheduled for release in 2020.
HH: Will you be making any online or physical appearances this year?
Rue: Physical appearances are not on my schedule this year. However, my online presence will increase considerably. I am a member of the Bluestocking Belles, a group of like-minded authors who publish and market cooperatively, so you will find me on their blogs and at their FB events. I’ve re-joined Ashley York’s Medieval Mondays group and will be sharing blogs with those authors every Monday. I’ve also scheduled a number of blog appearances and FB events to celebrate each of my new releases this year. With one book out every two months that will be a fair number of online appearances. As I said earlier, the best way to keep up with where and when I’ll be is to join my Facebook group, the RAV*ON Community, and/or sign up for the RAV*ON newsletter.
HH: What are you reading at the moment?
Rue: I almost want to say what am I not reading. I’ve just finished a binge of Cara Elliot’s regency books. I’m re-reading a couple of Suzanne Brockman’s SEAL books, I’ve read, for editorial purposes, seven different novellas from the Bluestocking Belles. I’m researching mules and mule team driving as well as the Lakota wars for my current work in progress. I’ll be adding research on pirates and the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean for my next Bluestocking Belles’ novella and the follow on novel. Oh, and I’m updating my knowledge of Main Coon cats for the revised edition of The Catnapped Lover (coming in July 2019).
Holly, thank you and all the TRS staff for this opportunity to share what I’m doing with all your readers. I look forward to hearing from many of them.
HH: Thank you!
