Thankful for Cowboys: 10 Things That Make a Western Romance Hero Worth Falling For
November is the month for counting blessings like family, friends, good books.
Readers who take a chance on my books.
Cats who allow me to use a small portion of my own desk.
And, of course, fictional cowboys.
Here are ten things that make a western romance hero worth falling for.
1. A grumpy cowboy makes us want to discover his weakness.
Luke Wolfe isn’t the sort of man you’d hire to lead the town’s welcoming committee. Which makes pairing him with Goldi so much fun. He can insist he prefers peace and quiet. But in Goldi’s Grumpy Cowboy, he falls hard.
2. A little rivalry makes the romance sweeter.
When two stubborn people clash, even an innocent conversation can turn competitive. Someone has to get the last word. Someone has to prove a point. In Red’s Enemy Cowboy, enemies-to-lovers romance gives us the pleasure of watching certainty unravel, one inconvenient spark at a time.
3. He remembers the little things.
How she takes her coffee. Which pie she orders. The dream she mentioned once and tried to laugh off. Meanwhile, she’s reconsidering her entire position on falling in love
4. He falls for a woman with plans of her own.
I love writing heroines who bring their own ambitions, opinions, and complications into a romance. Their heroes have to learn who these women are and what matters to them. Winning her heart requires paying attention to the life she wants.
5. Forced proximity exposes all sorts of inconvenient truths.
Put two people on the same committee, and eventually they have to speak. Strand them in a cabin during a storm, and avoiding each other becomes a much bigger project. It’s difficult to maintain a satisfying grudge when the person responsible keeps giving you reasons to reconsider.
6. His softer side catches us off guard. And throw in he can laugh at himself, and he’s hard to resist.
Confidence looks good on a cowboy. So does a little humility. Give me the cowboy who handles a frightened animal with patience. One who can laugh at himself when he’s done something silly like burns dinner. If he washes the dishes afterward, somebody should marry that man.
7. He makes ordinary moments romantic.
A hand offered across an icy patch. His coat around her shoulders before she admits she’s cold. Flowers are lovely, but a cowboy who notices she’s shivering before she does? He’s making a strong case for himself.
8. He has something to lose.
The best romantic tension comes when love matters enough to frighten both people. Pride gets in the way. Old hurts interfere. A misunderstanding lands exactly where it can do the most damage. I want readers to understand why a cowboy might struggle to say what’s in his heart. Then I want to see him take the risk.
9. He chooses her and keeps choosing her.
Through family complications, stubborn disagreements, and days when neither of them says the right thing, by the time I reach the last page, I want to believe these two will still be stealing kisses in the kitchen years from now.
10. He gives us a happily ever after we believe in.
By the end, I want to imagine these two sharing ordinary days. Teasing each other. Disagreeing about something ridiculous and finding their way back to laughter. Can the cowboy still be stubborn and capable of driving her crazy? Almost certainly. But at the end, we know why the cowboy and his heroine belong together.
What makes a cowboy hero irresistible to you? A grumpy attitude, a generous heart, a sense of humor, or something else? Tell me in the comments.
Niki J. Mitchell
Romancing the West!
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