Linda Yezak – Fictional Romantic Interview – Part 2 of 3

A year ago this month, Patricia and Talon met on the Circle Bar, a ranch Talon had hoped to own, but Patricia inherited. He was a mite surprised when she pulled up their dirt road in her silver Mercedes, and their meeting was a bit rocky, to say the least. Now, a year later, their best friends, Chance and Marie, are married and expecting a baby Davis just any time, and Patricia and Talon are preparing to take their own trip down the aisle. 
Q: Patricia, what did you think of Talon the first time you met him? 
P: I thought he was an arrogant jerk. 
T: Aw, c’mon, now. You weren’t smitten? 
P: Smitten? You were standing there questioning my ownership of the ranch, and my right to be on it. Made me mad. 
T: Yeah, but you got over it. 
Q: What made you change your mind? 
P: I saw him walking through the rodeo arena later, smiling at the guys who greeted him. I found myself wanting him to smile at me like that. He’s got a great smile. 
T: You think so? 
P: Not that smile. That’s the “aw-shucks, ma’am” grin you gave me all that day and the next. I was attracted to the real one, the one you gave your friends—there! That’s it! That one melts my heart every time! 
Q: Talon, when were you first attracted to Pat? 
T: You mean, when did I stop fighting the attraction? One night I told her a story at the kitchen table that made her laugh until she got the hiccups. Cute little hics she couldn’t control. Lost my heart right then and there. 
Q: So, what did you think when she said she wanted to learn bull riding? 
T: If she’d just wanted to learn bull riding, it wouldn’t have been so bad. I could tell her the basics while she kept her feet on the ground. But no, this spunky lady wouldn’t settle for that. She wanted on the back of a bull. 
P: You didn’t think I could do it, did you? 
T: A city girl like you? No way. I figured you’d worry about breaking your manicured fingernails. 
P: Fooled you, didn’t I? Now I barely have fingernails at all. 
Q: Do you think you’ll ever ride again? 
P: I won’t rule it out, but the urge hasn’t hit. After my last belly-flop, it may never hit again. 
Q: What about you, Talon? You said you’d give it up so she wouldn’t have to worry about you anymore. Did you mean it? 
T: 
P: Well, did you? 
T: 
Q: Okay, then. While we wait for Talon to make up his mind, Pat, you said you were going to raise show horses on the ranch. Have you started yet? 
P: Haven’t had time–I’m still learning how to run the ranch. There’s always so much to do. Which is one of the reasons Talon wanted to stop riding. You said you’d quit and concentrate on raising Angus cattle. 
T: 
Q: Um, are you two having a spat? 
T: No, no. It’s just that, well, now that the ol’ arm is healed, I’m beginning to get the itch to ride again. I don’t want to go pro like Chance does, but—
 P: You know if you start riding again, I’ll start riding again. 
Q: There you go, ladies and gentlemen! You heard it here first! The bull riding duo will be at it again in no time! 
T: Now, we didn’t say that— 
P: Nothing like that! We’re just . . . mulling it over. Can we change the subject? 
Q: Let’s move on to the wedding. 
P: My favorite subject! 
Q: Marie chose to go all western–gown and all. Are you going to follow suit?
P: Not entirely. Mom wanted me to do something more suitable for a US senator’s daughter. 
T: Yeah, she’s letting the guys wear western-style suits instead of those fancy duds. Expect to see string ties. 
Q: None of that fu-fu stuff for you, huh? 
T: No, ma’am! 
Q: Have you picked your gown? 
P: I’ve narrowed it down to two. I’m worried about one, worried it may make me look too short. I’m short enough as it is! 
Q: When is the wedding? 
T: That’s the question of the year! 
P: It’ll be one month after Marie’s baby is born. She didn’t want to wear a prego-gown as my maid of honor. One day, Baby Davis will be come into this world, and the next, the invitations will be made. 
Q: Can I expect an invitation? 
P: I’m so excited about this, everyone can expect an invitation!
About Linda: Linda Yezak lives with her husband and three cats in a forest in Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She is a two-time finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, in 2008 for Give the Lady a Ride, a contemporary western comedy romance, published in 2011, and in 2010 for The Cat Lady’s Secret, a Women’s Fiction comedy-drama. She has been published in Christian Romance, Beyondaries, and Vibrant Nation e-zines, has served as a judge in several national and local writing contests, and is currently a freelance editor and a consulting editor for Port Yonder Press.
About the book: Patricia Talbert is a high-class social coordinator from New York. Talon Carlson is a rugged bull rider from Texas. He thinks she’s too polished. She thinks he’s insane.

Opposites aren’t quick to attract when the lady who enters the cowboy’s world is on a mission to sell the ranch. But a box of letters changes her mission-letters of unshakable faith and a love deeper than anything she’s ever experienced.

Soon, she finds his integrity appealing. Her spunk draws him in. He has the faith she craves; she may be the love he longs for. But faith and love aren’t achieved in a single weekend. To buy time to explore the possibilities between them, she issues a challenge: “Teach me to ride bulls.”

From here on, they’re in for the ride of their lives. Give the Lady a Ride-faith and love are just one bull away.

Come back March 16th for an excerpt from Give the Lady a Ride.