Sara Walter Ellwood on why a cowboy is the perfect hero

Best-selling author Carolyn Brown picked Sara Walter Ellwood's Gambling on a Secret as one of her favorite reads of 2012 (righthere on HEA!).And Carolyn would know what makes a Western romance great – seeing as how she writes some pretty great ones herself. Sara joins us now to talk about why cowboys are such perfect heroes.

Sara: Ever wonder what it is about cowboys that just make them irresistible heroes? Being a contemporary Western author, I've pondered this question for a long time, until I remembered an old song.

When it comes to cowboys, the old Waylon Jennings/Willy Nelson song says it all. If you've listened to country music as long as I have, you know exactly which song I'm talking about: Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys. If you pay attention to the song, it paints a pretty accurate picture of what we want our heroes to be — loners and bad boys.

I enjoy reading and writing heroes who start the book as the least likely man to end up in a happy ever after. And cowboys make perfect hero material — especially if he's also a small-town sheriff or an ex-soldier. The reasons are many.

Whether he's a rodeo cowboy or a gentleman rancher, I want my romance cowboy to be the epitome of the hardworking man. And who doesn't like to watch or imagine a man working? Despite the heroine's independence and career, there's something fundamental about being taken care of or at least knowing she can be if she decided to take a chance with life and give up what she's been doing up until now.

Cowboys should be tough enough to withstand long hot days and cold nights out on the range rounding up cattle, yet be as caring and gentle as a mother with a babe when it comes to their animals — especially when it comes to his dog and horse. To me, these qualities, no matter how big of a jerk he might be in the beginning of the book, show he's got a sensitive spot under all that gruff, and he'll protect those he loves, which includes the heroine — once she burrows under his hard exterior and lands in that big, soft heart.

What's a good Western without a saloon scene or two? My cowboys are as much at home singing in some honky-tonk as they are drinking or fighting in one. Since they are such loners, but don't take crap from anyone, cowboys are often trouble magnets. What better reason to get into trouble than for the heroine — whether she wants him to protect her or not?

If he's also a lawman, besides being a cowboy, he's even more likely to find himself in trouble with the heroine, and he'll do anything he has to to protect her from the bad guys on her tail, which puts him right smack dab in harm's way of her lassoing his heart whether he wants her to or not.

However, even after the heroine captures the big, bad cowboy's heart, she might have a hard time holding him. He'll buck his feelings as much as a bronco will a rodeo cowboy, but in the end, his sense of honor and loyalty will kick in and he'll tame that bronc to find himself in a happily ever after.

Here's the blurb for Gambling on a Secret:

When Charli bets everything on a secret, will she find the deck stacked against her?

Former runaway-turned heiress Charli Monroe is hiding her sordid past and planning a future in Colton, Texas. Attending the local college for a degree in social work, she intends to raise cattle on her newly purchased ranch, which she plans to open as a home for troubled teens. Only a few glitches—the Victorian mansion is crumbling, the barn needs a roof, and her oilman neighbor wants more than friendship. When she meets Dylan Quinn, Charli is willing to take a chance on the town drunk to help her rebuild the rundown ranch.

Dylan has his demons, too. The former Special Forces commander can't get past his ex-wife's betrayal and the botched mission that left him with much more than a bad limp. Certain the greedy oilman next door to Charli wants much more than just her heart, Dylan's even willing to stop drinking in order to protect her.

When things get dangerous and secrets of the past are revealed, is he only looking out for his new employer, or is she the new start he so desperately needs?

To find out more about Sara and her books, you can visit her website, www.sarawalterellwood.com. You can also connect with her on her blog, Facebook and Twitter (@sara_w_ellwood).