Rescuing the Rancher – Meet Nate

I’m pretty sure with each book I release, I say it was so much fun to write. But, seriously, Rescuing the Rancher  was SO much fun to write. I just loved both Jossy and Nate, the two main characters, and had a wonderful time creating both of their characters, of tossing obstacles into their path to true love, and of writing their happy ending.

Last week, I shared about what inspired Jossy’s character.

Today, I want to talk about Nate.

When we first meet Nathaniel Knight, he is a bit of an uptight corporate attorney with every hair in place, his expensive tailored suit looking just so. Then he meets the Cole family (Jossy included), and knows life is about to change.

Jossy is such a strong and independent character, I needed a hero who would compliment her strengths and her weaknesses. He needed to be strong but gentle, patient and kind. Not that Nate doesn’t have plenty of his own flaws, but he is just one of those good guys who melt your heart.

As he falls in love with Jossy, Nate is also on his own journey of discovery. Readers get to experience his transformation from Nathaniel the city attorney, to Nate the country lawyer. (And that was so, so neat to write!)

When it came to choosing Nate’s character inspiration, I’ve had someone in mind for a few years. Back when I was kicking around the idea of a new romance series set on a ranch somewhere, and knew there would be a brother and sister, I pictured the sister being tough as nails, and some city guy coming along who would drive her bananas.

I also wanted Nate to be a little on the soft side when he first arrived.

Chris Pratt and this photo of his “before” and “after” is one of the inspirations behind Nate’s character.

It was so easy to picture him as Nathaniel Knight in this image.  He’s handsome, polished. charming

Then Nathaniel ends up in Summer Creek, staying longer than he expected and something starts to happen … he starts to relax and change.

And he turns into Nate, a happy, friendly, down-to-earth guy who can’t help but love Jossy.

Here’s an excerpt from Nate’s initial impressions of Jossy:

His thoughts tripped around Hud’s sister. Jossy was different than any woman Nathaniel had ever met. The resemblance to her brother was strong. Hud’s little girl looked like a miniature replica of Jossy, except for a slight dimple in her chin. At first, he’d thought Cricket belonged to Jossy, until he’d realized the child was Hud’s.

A man with less confidence in himself than Nathaniel possessed would probably find Jossy intimidating and overwhelming. Not only was she as tall as many men, she was vibrant and full of life. An aura pulsed around her, practically humming with unbridled energy.

Then there was the fact that she was stunning. From what he could see, she didn’t wear a speck of makeup and didn’t need it. Her skin was perfect, smooth and unblemished, though tanned from hours spent in the sun. When she smiled, which didn’t happen if she looked his way, he noted sparkling white teeth and a few crinkles at the corners of her eyes, which were an incredible shade of bright blue. Those magnificent orbs were rimmed with thick, dark lashes that curled upward. Silken black curls fell in a riotous mass around her face and shoulders.

Everything about Jossy seemed bold and unapologetic, from the delicious curves of her cheeks to the even more decadent curves of her snug jeans. Just thinking about the way she looked in those jeans made his mouth go dry.

Not that Nathaniel was fascinated with her. Not at all. She was the complete opposite of the type of woman who typically piqued his interest.