The Creation of a series: Past the secondary characters

 Have you ever thought of what goes into a book? So far we've talked about setting and how it begins. You need to have a place and characters, or what would the point be?

Whether your characters are on a deserted island or on a ranch in the middle of Minnesota, they have to be somewhere, right? 

After your main characters, you add supporting ones, but are you really done? 

I created a town, then the characters came next, but on a ranch there's something else—animals and pets.

What's a ranch without horses?

While the Ridge Ranch has plenty of unnamed horses. Each character has their favorite that they interact with regularly. Scout, the young gelding who likes to run. Bella, who's calm and steady, is a strong work horse that's great with everyone. Another is Remi, who's a great cutting horse, but is very much a one-rider horse and doesn't do well with other people, but is great with other horses.

In addition to horses, what's a ranch without cats and dogs? Molly’s a young barn cat that makes an appearance with her litter of kittens and sets the scene for an awkward moment.

In real life, you can tell so much from a person by how they interact with animals. I love reading books with furry friends, and while all of my books might not have a four-legged buddy, those that do are some of my favorites.

A man's best friend. If you've ever owned a dog, you know certain breeds don't mix well with certain lifestyles. For the ranch, I wanted a dog that wasn't typical; one that was good with cattle and people, and could hold its own against predators, as well as with being okay with colder climates. Minnesota gets cold in the winter. I looked at several cattle dogs and my son was the one to point me toward the Caucasian Shepherd.

These dogs are massive. Much like their name, the Shepard  is a great protector and one of the best country dogs there is. In addition to herding cattle, they’re also strong and can haul a load. They're also fiercely loyal.

Bear, appropriately named, makes his appearance in a few of the Ridge Ranch Series. The way he interacts with his people is sometimes comical.

Come swing by the ranch. Meet the sexy cowboys and stay for the welcoming environment. Don't forget to pet the horses and stop by and give Bear a treat.

From Managing Ryan:

Ryan’s POV

It didn’t take long to identify and fix the problem, but as I walked up the porch to double check everything, she screamed. I rushed to the bedroom.

“Heather?” I asked, pushing the bedroom door open as Molly, our barn cat, ran out.

“Don’t com—” she squeaked.

I knew right away what’d happened. I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I averted my gaze to the ceiling. Too late, though. I’d already seen most of what she had to offer.

She tried to cover herself with her arms, but her ample breasts peeked out from behind them. What she couldn’t hide was her rounded hips or beautiful tanned skin. That was not an image I’d get out of my head anytime soon.

“Ryan!” she growled.

I bit my lip, unsuccessfully hiding my laughter, and eased over to the bed, trying not to look at her. Grabbing the sheet off the stack of linens, I tossed it in her direction. After enough time had passed, I looked at her again.

She was pissed, her face flustered. “What’s so f**king funny?”

I offered her my hand to help her off where she stood on the bed. She must’ve jumped up on it when she startled. Gripping the sheet around her, she accepted my help.

“I wasn’t laughing.” I gulped, trying to regain control of myself.

She glared at me.

“It was a cat.” I gestured at the door.

“I heard a noise, and I investigated.” She pointed to the bed. “Eyes under the bed. That damn thing tried to claw my eyes out.”

“Are you in the habit of getting naked before you investigate sounds under your bed?” I smirked.

Her glare intensified and, once again, I stifled the urge to laugh. 

“I’m not in the habit of showering fully clothed, Ryan. And I wasn’t expecting to be attacked by a rabid animal.”

Another high-pitched squeak came from underneath the bed. Heather jumped straight into my arms. Wrapping my arms around her, I picked her up like she was nothing before spinning away from the bed. I set her down but didn’t let go. My heart raced. The scent of vanilla was stronger than before. I wanted to run my hands up her soft arms and feel her skin against mine. 

“Why are you here?” Her gaze met mine.

I’d lose myself in her long lashes and those innocent hazel eyes if I wasn’t careful.

“You screamed.” I released her, making sure she held onto the sheet before I stepped back. “I’m guessing Molly’s kittens are under your bed.”

“Molly?”

I turned toward the bed and discreetly adjusted myself. Being around her was proving painful.

“The ranch cat. How about I take care of them? And maybe you put on something other than a sheet.” I looked back at her to see her blush.

She held her arm out and motioned toward the bed. “Can I have my bag?”

I laughed and handed it to her. A moment later, she was in the bathroom with the door closed tight and locked. I grabbed her towel off the floor. She must have dropped it when Molly startled her. I awkwardly eased myself down on the floor. I can’t remember the last time just being near a woman had me at half-mast. Granted she was naked when I had her pushed up against me with nothing but a sheet. It didn’t help I’d see most of what was under the sheet.

She was a goddess. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I was beginning to think that as long as she was here at the ranch, relaxing would be damn near impossible?

Under the bed, I found what’d caused all the ruckus. Sure enough, Molly’s three kittens stared at me and meowed.

I’d thank them later for the show they inadvertently caused. It sure made my day, even if it meant a cold shower was in my future.