Misty M. Beller – Romantic Character Interview & Excerpt – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Misty M. Beller shares insight into her characters’ romance from her latest Historical Romance, The Rancher Takes a Cook. Comment or answer the question at the end of this post to enter the drawing for a copy. Choice of paper or e-book for US residents. E-book for international. Deadline: July 18th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Misty:

• What’s the most romantic thing your hero ever did for your heroine?

When he decided he was ready to court Anna, Jacob started leaving a sweet note with a flower around the house where she’d find it. The first note said, “For the sweetest Rose in Texas” and lay next to a yellow rose.

• Where is the most romantic place your hero and heroine have ever been?

Their special spot beside the Guadalupe River, on the edge of Jacob’s ranch. That’s where they had their first real conversation, where he proposed, and the first place they came after their wedding trip.

• Do your hero and heroine have a favorite song?

“The Yellow Rose of Texas.” It was the song playing during their first dance. 🙂

• What’s the most romantic present your heroine ever bought your hero?

For their first Christmas together, Anna found fabric the same sky blue as Jacob’s eyes. She sewed it into a neckerchief, and embroidered his initials in elegant script.

• What is the most caring thing your hero has ever done for your heroine?

After she took sick from overworking herself without enough sleep, Jacob started doing Anna’s morning outside chores. Milking the cow, feeding the chickens—the kind of “footwork” no respectable cowpuncher would be caught doing.

• If your hero and heroine end up married, where will they go on their honeymoon?

Hmm… If I’m not mistaken, San Antonio has a beautiful River Walk, with a river almost as lovely as their Guadalupe River. Might make a good destination for a wedding trip. 🙂
Excerpt from when Jacob and Anna first met:
As Anna neared the door, loud male voices carried from the yard. Lots of voices. Curious, she eased the door open and peeked outside. Cowboys and horses filled the open area like bees in a hive. Most of the men wore the dark features of Monty and the other hands, except two men striding toward the porch.
Examining them more closely, one of the men was Mr. O’Brien. The other man was younger and a bit taller and definitely more trail-worn, a half-grown beard on his face. Something about him looked familiar. Where had she seen him before?
As the men mounted the porch stairs, the younger cowboy removed his hat and knocked it against his chaps. A small cloud of dust billowed. Anna’s breath caught. He was the tall young cowboy in Uncle Walter’s store the first day they’d arrived in Seguin.
At that moment, heat rose up her neck. She still stood with the door cracked, and she wasn’t the only person aware of her spying. Piercing blue eyes stared at her from under raised brows, just before Anna ducked back inside the house and closed the door. The latch clicked as she leaned against the wall, hand pressed against her racing heart, breath coming in short pants.
What had she been thinking to peek through the doorway like a curious child? She was a grown woman who should greet guests with the hospitality and social grace of a southern lady. Of course, she was also the cook, so maybe she would be expected to stay in the kitchen and put together a tray of coffee and cookies. Yes, that’s exactly what she should do.
But before Anna could bolt from the wall and down the hall toward the kitchen, the front door opened and in stepped the blue-eyed cowboy with Mr. O’Brien on his heels.
Summoning her courage and pasting on her hostess smile, Anna turned to face the men—and became lost in eyes bluer than a Texas sky on a fall day. Her gaze sank into them, like coming home.
“Miss Stewart, I’m glad we found you.” Mr. O’Brien’s delighted voice hit her like a shove, pushing her out of her daze. She looked at him, trying to get her bearings. “I have someone special for you to meet.” Clapping Blue-Eyes on the shoulder, Mr. O’Brien continued, “I’d like to introduce my son, Jacob O’Brien.”
“I…I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. O’Brien.” She couldn’t read his expression, but she was making a ninny of herself. She had to get out of here soon to regain her wits. Her earlier intention returned, and Anna curtsied. “Please excuse me, and I’ll put a pot of coffee on to brew.” She fled down the hall before either man could respond.

* * *
Jacob’s gaze followed Miss Stewart’s exit. After two long months on the trail with nothing to look at but filthy cowboys and even filthier cows, he must be hallucinating. He’d expected Aunt Lola’s wrinkled smile to meet him. Instead, he’d found a brown-eyed beauty.

Turning from the empty hallway to face his father, Jacob leveled his focus on the man. “Who was that?”
A chuckle escaped Pa’s grin. “That, my boy, is our new cook, and she’s even better with the food than she is to look at. Makes a blackberry pie that’ll send you down on one knee to propose marriage right there in the dining room.”
Jacob quirked an eyebrow at him. “I doubt that.”
About Misty: Misty M. Beller was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and two daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Learn more and connect:

mistymbeller.com          https://mistymbeller.wordpress.com/       http://theambitiousauthor.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8468992.Misty_M_Beller   

https://twitter.com/MistyMBeller         https://plus.google.com/+MistyBeller/posts

https://www.pinterest.com/MistyMBeller

About the book – The Rancher Takes a Cook:
When their South Carolina home burns to the ground, Anna Stewart’s only choice is to move with her younger brother to the wilds of a Texas ranch.
Their prospects are beginning to look better, until the rancher’s son, Jacob O’Brien, shows up with his alarmingly blue eyes to put a kink in Anna’s well-controlled plans.
When danger escalates in the form of a band of cattle thieves with deadly intent, can Anna learn to release control to God’s capable hands…and those of the blue-eyed cowboy who’s stolen her heart?

Purchase Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Takes-Cook-Misty-Beller/dp/1514652994

released June 26, 2015, from Prism Book Group.

Question for Readers:
Growing up in South Carolina, Anna became proficient in cooking Southern dishes. But when she hired on as cook for a group of mostly Mexican cowpunchers, she quickly learned to vary her cooking style. What’s your favorite type of food to cook or eat?

Come back June 13th for June Foster!