Books

Rescuing the Rancher – Meet Jossy

My latest sweet romance, Rescuing the Rancher, releases this week! I’m so, so excited for everyone to read Nate and Jossy’s story.

Part of the reason I’m so looking forward to sharing the story with you is because of Jossy Jansen. She’s strong and vibrant, but vulnerable and flawed. And I just love her character!

If you read Catching the Cowboy you met Jossy, Hud’s teasing, hard-working, sassy older sister.

When I began developing Jossy’s character, I drew a lot of inspiration from someone I’ve known since I was nine.

Miss Molly was always been full of sass and life and a go get ’em attitude. She can shoe a horse, fix a pickup, drive a tractor, dig a ditch, and then lovingly rock a baby to sleep. When I think of a hardworking ranch woman, she always comes to mind.

I greatly admire women who can work like Miss Molly. I’d be dog tired by breakfast if I tried to keep up with her, and comatose by lunchtime. Women ranchers possess a stamina and drive that is hard to emulate let alone describe. So that’s why, when I wrote about Jossy, I fashioned her determination, her vibrant zest for life, and her strength after Miss Molly. And I may have snuck in a few other Miss Molly-esque details into the story, too.

From Catching the Cowboy, we know Jossy resembles Hud with dark curly hair and beautiful blue eyes. I found my visual inspiration for Jossy’s character the moment I saw a photo of Ana Paula Arósio in her younger years.

That hair! That smile! Those eyes! And the hint of sass just made her so perfect for Jossy. So perfect!

And it was easy to see how she’d torment poor Nate, even if she didn’t mean to.

In Rescuing the Rancher, Jossy is a widow who is determined to remain single. Then a handsome attorney from Portland shows up in Summer Creek to help with the town’s historic building project, and Jossy knows she’s in trouble. Big trouble. Which is exactly why she goes out of her way to make sure Nathaniel Knight knows his presence is not wanted around the Lazy J Ranch.

Here’s a little excerpt:
Sure, the guy was handsome, in an urban, rarely-sees-sunshine kind of way. That salon-cut hair was a fantastic shade of light brown and full of finger-tempting waves. Warm green eyes made her think of all the things she loved most about spring. His nose was straight, and his jaw firm. A pair of tantalizing lips that could have been sculpted by a master artist made her absently consider if he was a good kisser.

The expensive tailored suit he wore stretched across broad shoulders, but one glance at his hands removed any doubts about the man being accustomed to hard labor. Beneath the suit, she envisioned soft, lax muscles that were rarely used for more than typing notes and packing around a briefcase. For reasons she couldn’t possibly begin to understand, let alone explain, the thought of him allowing what would otherwise be an impressive physique to go to waste made her angry.

A bump against her leg beneath the table drew her gaze from the unwanted guest to the man sitting beside her. She gave Parker Princeton, her brother’s best friend, a questioning glance as his leg knocked against hers a second time.

“Isn’t that right, Jossy?” Parker asked, staring at her in question.

“Um …” Jossy had no idea what Parker had said. She’d been so involved in scavenging for Nathaniel Knight’s flaws, she hadn’t paid attention to the conversation taking place around her.

“A captivating story of redemption and love between two people yearning for happiness and the true meaning of life.”

Linda Broday

New York Times Bestselling Author

See more of what inspired the story on my Pinterest board for Rescuing the Rancher.

And don’t forget to pre-order your book today! For a very limited time, the price is $2.99, but after it releases, it will go up to $5.99. So get your copy today!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple | Kobo