American Cowboy, the Legend by Jan Scarbrough

Why do we love the legendary American cowboy?

Answer: Because he (or she) is who we want to be

Real cowboys (and cowgirls like Annie Oakley) became romanticized in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, because the public admired the qualities they represented.

Duncan Emrich in a book entitled Folklore in the American Land claims that America has two original legends: Santa Claus and the cowboy.

In his book, Emrich lists these common attributes of an American cowboy.

• Individualism

• Independence

• Freedom

• Not given to bragging (I’ll insert “humble” here)

• Courage

• Cheerfulness

• Pride

• Loyalty

• True to his word

• Generosity

• Kindness

• Unbeatable

Women readers love a good cowboy tale because a true cowboy esteems women. Emrich writes, “One of the strictest code of the West was to respect women. No other class of men looked upon women with greater reverence.”

So when you see the hunky cowboys on the covers of modern romance novels, remember they represent the real men who embodied an American ideal.

***

In my latest book Ben: Dawsons of Montana, my hero Ben and the heroine Leigh are on the dance floor when her ex-husband shows up.

The other couple twirled around so Leigh could see them. Bill and Kiley!

“Just saying hello,” Bill slurred. “We wondered where you disappeared to.”

Leigh turned her head away. What was Bill doing here? He was obviously drunk. Was he following them?

“You two look mighty cozy. Leigh, I see you’ve got a new thing going.”

Kiley grabbed Bill’s arm and tried to pull him away. He was having none of it.

By now, the slow dance music had ended, and the DJ spun a faster song. Slow dance couples left the floor, and the line dancers were back. Frozen in Ben’s arms, Leigh forced herself to step away from their safety.

Ben turned and placed a hand on Leigh’s back to usher her off the floor. “Pull in your horns, Weston,” he said over his shoulder.

“Just so you know, she’s pretty good in bed. I’ve had better, but she’ll do.”

Ben stiffened at Bill’s crude remark. He hauled around, his expression dark, putting himself between Leigh and her ex-husband. “Take that back.”

“Why would I lie to you, bro?”

Leigh’s heart raced. No, they couldn’t fight. Bill was much bigger than Ben. Taller. Heavier. “Ben, it’s okay. Let’s go.”

Ben shook off her restraining hand. Making a fist, he moved back on his right foot and threw a hard right punch toward Bill’s jaw. The mayor stepped forward toward the oncoming fist and blocked the strike with his arm. But he still stumbled backwards. Regaining his balance, Bill came at Ben fists flying. Ben went down. In a second, he was back on his feet.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Fight!”

The two men pummeled each other like an old-time movie saloon fight. Finally knocking each other down, they rolled around on the floor, grappling with each other. A crowd gathered, circled them, and yelled encouragement to both. Hands dangling limply by her side, Leigh held her breath. What a nightmare. What could she do to stop this?

And then the bouncer showed up and pulled them apart. “You two, out!” The brawl was over in seconds.