Second Chance & Later in Life Tropes ~ Jan Scarbrough

 

As the years go by, I find I’m drawn to second-chance romance and later-in-life tropes. (“A trope speaks to a ‘type’ of story that readers expect. It is a genre-specific device that is the catalyst for the central plot or conflict in a story.”)

I’ve written my share of twenty and thirty-something stories, but I also like exploring characters who have made mistakes, experienced sufferings, and are looking for a better life, even if they don’t know it. One of my favorites is a Montana cowgirl named Liz, divorced, remarried, and now a widow. She doesn’t have time for a third marriage—she thinks!

He’s a silver fox seeking solace. She’s a resilient widow guarding her heart. Can a Montana ranch give them both a second chance at love?

After a devastating loss and a life spent chasing Hollywood’s next big hit, producer and scriptwriter Chaz Kingston craves something real. He’s done with false glitz and tired of an ex-wife—and her fame-hungry family—who only care about trending headlines. When an opportunity arises to adapt a feel-good novel set on a working Montana ranch, Chaz jumps at the chance to escape. But he never expected his R&R to include a bold, beautiful widow who stirs feelings he thought were long gone.

Liz Dawson has battled heartbreak before—once with her wonderful second husband and another time with a man who wasn’t so kind. Now that she’s single again, her focus is on keeping the Six Buckles Guest Ranch going strong. Romance? She’s got no time for that. But when this handsome Hollywood outsider arrives, her determination to stay guarded wavers. As sparks fly in the wide-open Big Sky Country, will Liz and Chaz learn that sometimes love finds you—just when you need it most?

Discover this heartwarming, second-chance Western romance where two wary souls learn that finding hope—and taking risks—can lead to the most unexpected happily ever after.

Liz: The Dawsons of Montana Book 3 can be read as a standalone or as part of the beloved Dawsons of Montana series. Grab your copy today and immerse yourself in the rugged beauty and timeless charm of Big Sky Country!

 

 

The Peppermint Tree is FREE

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

My contemporary western Christmas romance novella is currently a FREE digital download until October 6, 2023, so grab a copy today!

A second-chance romance …

In high school, she had been quiet and wickedly smart, both a determined tomboy and a girly-girl, a combination that was uniquely Skye. She had always caught his eye but for his own self-preservation, he’d stayed away from her, even when she’d made a play for him.

Skye Mallory has always aspired to leave her family’s ranch, and she takes pride in having achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer. But when an unexpected inheritance draws her home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in the wide-open meadows and woodlands of southwestern Colorado. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart nine years ago.

In high school, Joe Carrigan admired Skye for her spirit and intellect, but he knew she was destined for a life beyond ranching. Turning down her romantic overture was the best course of action for them both. But now, he’s returned to their hometown, and it’s inevitable he’ll come face-to-face with his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. This time, however, he won’t be so chivalrous.

THE PEPPERMINT TREE is a standalone novella with a HEA set in Durango, Colorado. It features a second-chance romance, the Christmas holidays, ’70’s music, and medium spice.

Read Chapter One at my website

Download your copy today!

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Find it at Goodreads and BookBub

Read an excerpt

Joe Carrigan watched as the red taillights in the distance slid from left to right and then right even more, finally stopping. He’d been following the Prius for a while, and the driver had been conservative, but their luck had just run out. He was in his Bronco—the same one he’d driven in high school on these very roads—and it could still be trusted in bad weather. He’d been able to afford better cars over the years, but he still had a habit of jumping in this one, especially on a night like this.

He checked his rearview mirror. Thankfully, no cars behind him. He slowed the Bronco and guided it as far to the right as he could without getting stuck.

Stepping out of his vehicle, a blast of cold air hit him as heavy snowflakes engulfed him. He really shouldn’t be out in this, but he’d agreed to meet Oliver and Celeste and a friend of Celeste’s, a blind date he’d been badgered into. His life had been too busy of late for a woman, but it didn’t mean he actually needed or wanted one in his life.

He reached inside the Bronco and grabbed his heavy canvas coat, quickly pulling it on and zipping it to his neck. The snow crunched beneath his boots and his breath came out in white puffs as he crossed the beam of his headlights and approached the Prius. He tapped on the driver’s window, the shadowy figure of a woman on the other side. She hesitated a moment then rolled the window down.

“Are you all right, miss?”

As the woman’s face became fully visible, he did a double-take. “Skylar?”

Her forehead pinched into hard ridges, and her eyes registered a flash of outrage. “Carrigan?”

As if a freight train had hit him, he uttered, “It’s been a long time.”

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A little early :-)

Judd Romeo, My Kentucky Cowboy by Jan Scarbrough

Meet my hero Judd Romeo in Kentucky Cowboy as the heroine Mandy meets him for the first time since high school.

Fisting her hand, Mandy pounded on the door. Then she stuck both hands into her pants pockets, knocking her car keys out of the right pocket. She bent down to pick them up.

The door opened and a pair of hand-tooled, black leather cowboy boots stepped into her line of vision.

For an instant, Mandy forgot to breathe, and then her breath came too quickly. Her heart raced. She glanced up. Up past the pointed toes of expensive leather boots, past tight Wranglers, past a big gold belt buckle pressed against a flat belly and a white Western shirt that delineated a broad chest and brawny arms, and into the piercing blue eyes of Judd Romeo.

She tipped her head back, unprepared for what she saw. Time seemed to stand still. Judd shifted his stance and flashed his familiar, bad boy smile. There was a Colin Farrell edginess about him, a sexy untamable quality that welled up from every fiber of his cowboy persona.

“Hello, Mandy,” he said.

Judd is a bull rider, a member of the PBR, the Professional Bull Riders, established to bring mainstream attention to the sport. Mandy has never appreciated his love of bull riding. It’s too risky and foolhardy. Only Judd's mother understood his passion.

His mother had known Judd wanted to be a champion bull rider. He really wanted it. Deep down in his soul.

It had nothing to do with the money. Not even the million-dollar bonus. He wanted to win the championship because he wanted to wear the gold belt buckle that proved he was the world’s best.

Knowing the motivation of a bull rider was important in grasping Judd’s character.

She glanced at the makeshift bucking bull hanging between the trees. “Why do you ride bulls?”

It was a long moment before he answered. “It’s a sensation that’s hard to explain—the greatest sensation imaginable. That shot of adrenaline when you leave the chute is addictive.”

Her eyebrows drew together at his words. “But it’s so dangerous. Men have been killed trying to ride bulls.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand the appeal. It can’t be the money, because your mom told me you barely made ends meet during most of your career. Why have you stuck with it for ten years?”

Judd flashed a sudden confident smile. “It’s quite simple, really,” he said, giving her a once over with a look that curled her toes. “I like to make the crowd cheer. I like to win.”

From https://www.facebook.com/pbr

A reviewer on Amazon recently validated my characterization of Judd. She said, “We are bull riding fans at our house so this book was particularly interesting to me. Ms. Scarbrough must either be a diehard fan of bull riding or did a lot of research of the sport of bull riding and interviews with bull riders because she really relates to the passion these young men have.”

I’d say Judd Romeo is one of my most favorite characters. If you’ve read my contemporary western books, tell me the character you liked.

Buy Kentucky Cowboy at most ebook retailers. https://books2read.com/KYCowboy

My Western Books are in KU another month by Jan Scarbrough

 I want to use my May blog to let you know my two Western series are on Kindle Unlimited until mid-June. If you read KU books, take this last chance to grab my books before they go "wide" to Apple, B&N, Kobo, and other retailers.

A happily-ever-after series of romances, The Dawsons of Montana tells the stories of rancher Jim Dawson’s widow Liz, and his children Brody, Mercer, and Ben. Can they find happiness and love in the aftermath of the patriarch’s untimely death? 

Stepson Brody returns home after years of rodeoing to find the girl he left behind.

Jim and Liz’s daughter Mercer is hit hard by her father’s death until her stepbrother’s rodeo buddy helps her overcome her grief.

Jim’s widow Liz is left alone again until a guest comes to stay who throws her whole life into turmoil.

Ben, Jim’s son by his first wife, resents his father’s second family. He only comes home to keep a promise to his late father but doesn’t count on falling in love.

***

The Ghost Mountain Ranch -- The secrets of the past still haunt the living…

On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living.

Thirty years ago, Darby Heston fled her family’s Montana dude ranch. Now she must return to help her father. Would the boyfriend she’d abandoned still be there? Hank Slade has never stopped loving Darby, but is he willing to risk his heart again? Secrets tore them apart once. Given a second chance at love, will more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?

Slade Heston is spending the summer as a hired hand at his grandfather’s dude ranch, trying to figure out life, not fall in love. Laurie Chastain is supposed to write promotions for the ranch, but she has a secret goal. What did a 1970s radical resistance group have to do with her grandfather? Laurie’s only clue leads her to Ghost Mountain Ranch. Will their growing attraction be enough to protect Slade and Laurie from the ghosts of the past?

Kelsey Heston’s using the skills learned at her family’s Kentucky horse farm to improve tourism at her grandfather’s dude ranch. But what is her old college sweetheart doing here? Max Lee has come to Ghost Mountain Ranch searching for a missing woman. Instead, he finds Kelsey. But old secrets are stirring, secrets someone might be willing to kill to keep. Can they finally lay the old ghosts to rest, or will the echoes of a decades-old murder destroy their second chance at love?