Rosalind James | The Appeal of the Country Boy

They talk slow and decide fast. They can fix anything with parts, and drive anything with wheels. They’re the guys you want with you if the plane’s going down. Country boys.

Country boys aren’t chewing out the barista because their half-caf nonfat dry cappuccino isn’t extra-hot. To them, coffee comes only one way, and it’s not worth making a fuss over. If something’s wrong, you fix it, or you put up with it.

So is it that they’re simple? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that they were raised with some pretty straightforward values, of which hard work comes pretty high up the list. What woman doesn’t want a dependable, stoical, hard-working man? I write a lot of New Zealand romance as well, and the Maori have a saying. Moe atu nga ringa raupo. Marry a man with calloused hands.

When the tire goes flat, when the storm hits, when the dishwasher starts making a funny noise? A country boy knows what to do, and he’s not going to panic about it. He grew up knowing that when something breaks, you don’t buy a new one—you fix the old one. And if that doesn’t work, you take it apart and save the parts that might be useful. He knows how to handle tools, and he might look pretty good in a tool belt. He got his muscles swinging on the rope swing in the barn and bucking bales, not in the gym, and he probably doesn’t wax his chest.

You don’t get to change friends a whole lot when you grow up in the country, either. You probably graduated from high school with the same kids who were in your kindergarten class. Country boys know that if they give their word, they’d better mean it, or everybody in town will know they broke it. Their old friends tend to be their best friends, and when they say “I do,” they don’t mean, “For now.”

Then there’s that issue of respect. If you want to know how a man will treat you, you can look at how he treats his mother. A country boy probably grew up saying, “Yes, ma’am,” and there’s nothing like those two words spoken in a nice slow drawl. But then there are those times you don’t want to be respected, too. Country boys know how to dance, and they like to do it fast and wild. But after a while, they’re more than happy to dial it right on down, pull you up close, and do it nice and slow and sweet.

You know what? That might be the best part of all.

About Rosalind James

Rosalind James is the author of the Kindle-bestselling "Escape to New Zealand" series (also available in paperback), as well as the U.S.-based "Kincaids" series (Book 3, "Asking for Trouble," now available!) Rosalind is a former marketing executive who most recently spent several years in Australia and New Zealand, where she fell in love with the people, the landscape, and the culture of both countries. She attributes her rapid success to the fact that "Lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!"

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About CARRY ME HOME

Paradise, Idaho, may not be the largest town, but for newly minted professor Zoe Santangelo, it’s the first step on the path to her big break. After teaching in a small Idaho school, her next stop is the Ivy League, and no one is going to stand in her way. She’ll do what it takes to move up, to protect her students from a creepy campus stalker—and to protect her heart from Cal Jackson, the hot, hunky cowboy who keeps coming to her rescue.

After a career-ending injury, Cal has left professional football behind and come home to work the family farm. He’s determined not to get mixed up with any more city girls who don’t want to settle down with a country boy. But after he rescues sassy geologist Zoe from a snowy ditch, he can’t stop thinking about her. Can Cal keep Zoe safe from whoever is targeting her—and can he show her that having ambition doesn’t mean she has to sacrifice love?