Linda Lael Miller's books teach her readers something,
about herself, her interests and her compassion toward
people, environment, animals and community. ALWAYS A
COWBOY is certainly not a departure from what Linda Lael
Miller likes to share. It's about respect, for people,
for the environment and candidly most especially for
animals, in this case a wild stallion and his mares.
ALWAYS A COWBOY is a western romance with a very valuable
story line and crazy good characters, two and four
footed. ALWAYS A COWBOY is simply another gem from one of
my all-time favorite authors Linda Lael Miller.
The main two-footed characters in ALWAYS A COWBOY
are Lucinda, Luce, and Drake. There are wild stallions
still roaming the vast untouched lands and canyons. In
this story we focus on one particularly amazing stallion
and his band of wild mustangs who is causing a problem for
the ranch lands he calls home. This stallion named Smoke
by Luce has been very busy gathering up many of Drakes
mares and in short Drake wanted them back. It was a very
costly endeavor having Smoke attract these mares for his
own and Drake had to be ever conscious of the bottom line
when running a ranch. There were plenty enough natural
catastrophes including weather, wild animals that ran
havoc over ranchers killing stock. But Smoke was a bandit
of sorts. He stole mares, and these were part of the
breeding stock that helped maintain Drakes ranch. Too
valuable to turn the other cheek.
So meeting Luce turned out to be a dual edge sword. Drake
was attracted to her on many levels and they shared one
thing that was so very important, respect for living
things. Luce was intent on keeping the stallion Smoke
alive and well in what was his natural domain of the wild.
At the same time Luce was smart enough to realize that the
stakes were high for Drake and his family. They needed to
find a way to get their mares back. That was why she was
on Drakes ranch, studying how wildlife co-exist with
animals on a working ranch. Problem was whose side was she
on? And Drake was beginning to wonder if he didn't already
have the answer to that question.
Push and pull that's the kind of relationships that Linda
Lael Miller loves to write about. The tougher and rougher
the guy and the gutsy stubborn woman who is his
counterpart. Miller loves a challenge and in ALWAYS A
COWBOY the challenges are many. There is something about
ranch life that seems a natural setting for a lovely
romance. Kind of getting back to basics and there's no one
better than Miller to set that stage. Her scenic sets,
description of the animals and character development is
truly second to none. Of course that's coming from an
unabashed fan of Miller who has read every book I could
get my hands on. Any Miller fan would readily agree and
ALWAYS A COWBOY is a very worthy addition to her vast
collection.
He's the middle of the three Carson brothers and is as
stubborn as they come—and he won't thank a beautiful
stranger for getting in his way! Drake Carson is the quintessential cowboy. In charge
of the family ranch, he knows the realities of this life,
its pleasures and heartbreaks. Lately, managing the wild
stallions on his property is wearing him down. When an
interfering so-called expert arrives and starts offering her
opinion, Drake is wary, but he can't deny the longing—and
the challenge—she stirs in him.
Luce Hale is researching how wild horses interact
with ranch animals—and with ranchers. The Carson matriarch
invites her to stay with the family, which guarantees
frequent encounters with Drake, her ruggedly handsome and
decidedly unwelcoming son. Luce and Drake are at
odds from the very beginning, especially when it comes to
the rogue stallion who's stealing the ranch mares. But when
Drake believes Luce is in danger, that changes
everything—for both of them.