Shannon here: Rachel Blanchard shares insight into her real-life romance and her character’s romance from her Contemporary Romance Novella, The Rancher’s Reason. Comment or answer the question in any post dated June 2nd – 16th to enter the drawing for 4 titles in my June Book Bundle #1. Deadline: June 27th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Rachel:
Real Life Interview:
- What’s the most romantic thing your spouse has ever done for you?
Over the course of our first year of marriage, I had moved away from my family and started a new career. My husband could tell I was stressed out, and he surprised me with annual passes to Disney. A few days later, we found out we were expecting! So, I got to celebrate my birthday at the Crystal Palace with a little one on the way.
- Where is the most romantic place you and your spouse have ever been?
Our first date was at the Lake Buena Vista Red Lobster. We had a nice meal and visit, then walked back to the parking lot with a beautiful fountain as the backdrop. Then, he asked if I wanted to go one more place. He took me to the Boardwalk Resort where we chatted and got to see the Epcot fireworks.
- How soon after meeting your spouse did you know he was the one?
We were a “friends-to-more” story, not going on our first date until we had known each other for six months during my college internship. However, I had only met him at church a few times when I thought to myself, this is the smartest man I have ever met!
His tenacity, intellect, and faithfulness persuaded me to accept his proposal a year later. I didn’t expect to find my husband eighteen hours away from my hometown! But now I understand why everything went so smoothly through the process of applying and attending the Disney College Program.
I just wanted to get some work experience and see the castle for the first time in fourteen years, but God had something bigger in mind. We overcame the obstacles of a long-distance relationship, have been married for ten years, and aspects of this incredible story ended up in my first novel, First in My Heart.
- Who said, “I love you” first, you or your spouse?
After I had relocated back home to finish my English degree, my husband and I were always Facebook messaging. He had mentioned how much all the church people missed me and how they loved me a lot. Then he wrote, and I love you too! There may have been some squealing and jumping up and down on my side of the computer after that.
Character Invteview:
- Do your hero and heroine have as favorite romantic restaurant?
Ace and Willow from The Rancher’s Reason enjoy visiting Golden Days Diner, since it is run by Willow’s parents in their small hometown. Ace loves the family atmosphere, they share a long history there, and neither one needs to visit an upscale locale to have a good time.
- What’s the most romantic present your hero ever bought your heroine?
Ace once bought Willow her own pair of cowgirl boots with funky teal accents. As much as this is a practical gift, since he loves when she visits him at the ranch, the style of the gift shows his thoughtfulness, since Willow loves to express her fun personality through what she wears.
- What simple gesture does your hero do that melts your heroine every time?
Willow’s heart melts when Ace is around their daughter, Jordyn. Although Willow kept Jordyn a secret from Ace for her first few years, Ace welcomes the little girl with open arms and falls in love with her exuberance.
- What is the most caring thing your hero has ever done for your heroine?
Ace must work to forgive a terrible mistake in The Rancher’s Reason. Like our loving Father, the kindest thing one person can do to another is to say, that was wrong, but I’m not going to hold it against you anymore. By moving on from the past, Ace makes room in his heart for more love than he’d ever imagined.
- What is the most caring thing your heroine has ever done for your hero?
Willow puts all her ingenuity into bringing life back to Ace’s dying ranch. Although she initially doesn’t want to get tangled up with it (and him) again, she soon remembers why she fell in love with Ace in the first place and uses her unique talents to make his ranch a hub of joy and community.
Excerpt from The Rancher’s Reason by Rachel Blanchard:
Aria Hutchins. Ace’s stomach had plummeted once her online volunteer application had popped up in his inbox. Instantly, visions of an eager ten-year-old girl had appeared in his mind.
Her wide smile was full of braces. He remembered her tugging his arm, wanting to show him her collection of porcelain ponies, and trying as hard as she could to hang out with her big sister and her boyfriend.
Her big sister—Willow—was someone Ace would rather not see again. When Wyatt Ernest, the only father figure he’d ever known, had been dying, he’d asked Ace to keep his life’s work going. As close as Ace and Willow had become while they dated for three years, it still made no sense how she could dump him and then immediately run into someone else’s arms.
He’d thought their love would last a lifetime, but instead, he’d been left alone again. He’d made a new home for himself in Sommerton, an old German farming town far enough north to prevent him from ever bumping into Willow Hutchins. Until a familiar red sedan rolled down Ernest Ranch’s dirt drive.
Ace had hoped Patrick or Riley Hutchins would drop Aria off for her volunteer shift, but here Willow was, her eyes wide as she saw him propped against his poop shovel in the parking lot. This was not the way he’d hoped to see her again, four years later. Oh well, he’d look like a coward if he ran away now. Instead, Ace leaned back against the chipped metal railing of the paddock and tipped his hat.
Willow was even more stunning than Ace had remembered, with that dark hair, smattering of freckles across her nose, and welcoming glint in her blue eyes, as if she had no idea that she was, in fact, the most beautiful woman in the world. He’d been wise, very wise, to keep his distance all this time. Despite his casual posture, she still had the power to shake him up.
Thankfully, he didn’t have much time to focus on his former flame, because Aria leapt out of the passenger seat and called out, “Ace!”
He embraced her with his free arm and chuckled. “Hey, kiddo. Don’t get too close, I’m doing a dirty job here.”
“That’s okay, I came prepared.” Aria sashayed back and forth, showing off her braid, plaid button-up shirt and dark-wash jeans. The clothes looked brand new and too nice to labor in, but he didn’t want to discourage her on her first day.
“Perfect. I can’t believe how grown up you are. How’ve things been?”
“Great.”
Ace’s brow furrowed. “I saw in that email you’ve got epilepsy now?”
Aria huffed. “I’m fine, it was just one seizure. They’ve controlled it with medicine, but we had to let you know just in case.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re doing all right now.” He adjusted the shovel as Willow, still in the car, lowered the window exactly two inches.
She looked at Ace for only a split second. “Hello. Have a great first day, Ari.”
“Aren’t you going to come out?” Aria asked her.
Ace shuffled his feet and bit back a smile. Aria might’ve grown up, but she hadn’t lost her precocious nature.
Willow’s cheeks flushed. So, she was still highly susceptible to teasing. “Sorry, I have an appointment to get to,” she said. “You’re welcome for the ride.”
Aria whispered to Ace, “I’d better let her go now, or she won’t come back to get me.” She waved cheerily and called, “Bye, sis!”
Willow’s car screeched forward toward the paddock before she corrected and reversed. Interesting. She was as flustered by seeing him again as he was seeing her.
Reader Question: What is something great and unexpected that God worked into your life story?
June Book Bundle #1
Winning Over the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter, Contemporary Romance, print
Streams in the Wasteland by Susan Tigert, Historical Romance, print
Dangerous Shadows by Gail Pallotta, Romantic Suspense, digital
Beach House Rescue by Hope Toler Dougherty, Contemporary Fiction, print
About Rachel: As an indie author, Rachel Blanchard writes sweet stories filled with hope, romance, and redemption. Her publication credits include Spark Flash Fiction, The Secret Place, ChristianDevotions.us, and Inkspirations Online. She is an English major, teacher, wife, and mother of three, and can be found frequenting theme parks and bookstores in Central Florida! Learn more and connect:
Rachel’s Website Rachel’s Instagram Rachel’s Facebook
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About the book – The Rancher’s Reasons: Succumbing to her younger sister’s pleas for more school volunteer hours, chorus teacher and single mom Willow Hutchins does the one thing she swore she’d never do—steps foot on the Missouri ranch run by her high school sweetheart, Ace Sterling. As Ace invests in her sister, Willow is roped into using her creative talents to save Ace’s ranch from financial disaster. But the more time they spend together, the more danger Willow is in of Ace discovering her biggest secret. He’s the father of her three-year-old daughter.
Ace wonders if he can keep his passion project alive after repeated sabotage attempts from a local developer, plus an ever-growing pile of bills. Even more confusing is the woman who once pushed him away entering his life again. Can he trust himself to be near to Willow, for the horses’ sake? Or will Ace’s last remaining dream burn up in smoke?
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The Rancher’s Reason Rachel’s Books
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Four wonderful children! Even though I was told at 18 that it’s going to be hard to get pregnant lol