Hello, I’m Melinda Curtis and I write lighthearted sweet romance and romcoms. Today, I’m talking about my “heart” horse (a horse you love more than you might need) and how she influenced how I include horses in my western romances.
When I was a teenager, I owned a seven-year-old, red roan, appaloosa mare. Misty was gentle as a kitten when I was in the stall with her, in the pasture with her, grooming her, washing her, or saddling her up. But something happened when I got in the saddle. Misty wanted to run. And once Misty started to run, she didn’t want to stop.
The cowboys in the neighborhood told me I had soft hands and good legs—which meant I had a light touch on the reins and knew how to control a horse with my heels. They very politely never said anything about my seat—which refers to how much air goes between your booty and the western saddle when horses go faster than a walk. My seat wasn’t good (I got a lot of air).
So Misty and I tried compromise. I worked on my “seat” and exercised her more. We galloped up hills and in circles around the corral. I got a little better, but she never lost her need to run. Then one day, after she should have been winded from racing up a vineyard hill, she took the bit in her mouth and tossed her head. Her neck hit my nose. Blood spattered everywhere. She shook her head once and realized as I did (in horror!) that she’d broken the chin strap. The chin strap is what holds the bit in place. No chin strap means no bit pressure which means Misty could ignore the reins.
She whinnied. It was a happy sound. A carefree sound. If you were a horse, that is. To me, it sounded more like brouhahahaha! Misty spun and headed back downhill between the shiny green grapevines at a full gallop. I knew she was headed back home. But I also knew there was a barbed wire fence at the bottom of the hill and we’d have to make a hard left.
Now, my teenage brain was calculating the odds of me falling on that rusted barbed wire fence. They weren’t good odds. I’m not a daredevil. I don’t bungee jump. I don’t even cannonball into swimming pools. But that day, I leapt out of my saddle and tumbled about twenty feet in clay soil to the bottom of the hill. Took me a couple of minutes to catch my breath, wipe my bloody nose and my tears, and get to my feet.
And Misty? She was waiting for me back at the door to her stall, ears perked up and ready to be brushed and loved and cooed over by her adoring girl. Do goldfishes really have the shortest memories? That day, it seemed like horses did.
Have you ever had an animal that taught you a lot about life and/or yourself? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment to let me know. One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of the first book in the series — A Cowgirl Never Forgets. The drawing from the commenters will be Sunday.
Fast forward to me writing cowboy romances/romcoms. I love drawing on my experiences with Misty when creating the perfect foil for my hero or heroine. My characters’ lives aren’t perfect and neither are their mounts. But they learn to deal with it and laugh along the way to their happily ever after.
Here’s a little about A Cowgirl Never Forgets:
Rodeo cowgirl Maggie Blackwell doesn’t need her estranged family. She’s got Clem Coogan—her best friend, rodeo buddy and absolute rock. But when a rodeo accident leaves Clem with a terrible concussion, he’s convinced they’re a romantic item…and proposes to her. Now until his memory comes back, Maggie’s playing along. But can she keep this headache from turning into heartache for both of them?
You can meet my latest western couple—Griff and Bess—in The Rodeo Star’s Reunion. In this second chance romance, Bess had a sweet spot for reckless cowboy Griff—until he ghosted her on prom night. No explanation was ever given, and Bess was too proud to ask for one. Now, years later, he’s suddenly offering to help with her ranch and with the high school rodeo team that she coaches, which rekindles a spark from long ago. But will their resurfacing feelings survive when Bess discovers the real secret that Griff’s been holding on to for all these years?
The Rodeo Star’s Reunion is Book 5 in the Cowboy Academy series. Each book features a hero that spent time as a foster child at the Done Roamin’ Ranch, a rodeo stock distributor and teen foster home. The books are all connected but all stand alone. You can grab your copy of The Rodeo Star’s Reunion on Harlequin HERE or Amazon HERE.
BIO:
USA Today Bestselling Author Melinda Curtis writes lighthearted sweet romances and romcoms, both independently and for Harlequin. Half her titles every year are western/cowboy romances. You can learn more about Melinda’s books, shop for deals and autographed print editions, or listen to her audio books for free at the following sites:
Website / Direct Store / YouTube Channel
