Gotta Love Those Cowboys

I used to hate cowboys.

I know that sounds odd, especially since I’ve written half a dozen cowboy romances for Harlequin American. But the truth of the matter is, I used to be the world’s biggest snob. Cowboys? Yuk. Give me a military man or a sports action hero, not someone who made his living roping steers or trying to ride bucking broncs.

And then I met a bull rider.

Honestly, I didn’t want a thing to do with the man. What kind of fool mounted a two-thousand pound animal as a way of making a living? Stupid, thy name is cowboy. But a funny thing happened on the way to the rodeo.

I fell in love.

Somehow the world’s biggest idiot turned out to the be the world’s sweetest man. And he loved animals. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a man that’s not afraid to bottle feed a baby calf.

I married my cowboy and now I enjoy writing about them. We even moved to what I call Cowboy Country California, way up in the northern part of the state. Ten miles away from my house is one of the west coast’s largest stock yards. It’s not uncommon for them to house up to three-thousand head of cattle in a weekend. And if you follow a crow due north, you’ll bump into Four Star Rodeo, a leading breeder of bucking bulls. You might have seen some of their stock at the NFR. And, of course, one can’t forget Growney Brothers right down the road. Their bull, Red Rock, became a household name thanks to a little movie called EIGHT SECONDS.

It’s not uncommon to hear the chink-chink-chink of spurs on the sidewalk. Horses neigh and the lull of cows can be heard in the distance. The men who care for these animals are everywhere, even waiting in line at the local espresso house. Yes, cowboys love triple shot lattes, too.

I’ve learned a few other things along the way. Here’s my Top Five Things I Bet You Didn’t Know About Cowboys.

1. A true cowboy hangs up his hat…always. Failing that, he’ll set it down open side up. To place a hat open side down is bad luck…and God forbid you set a hat down on a bed. Yikes!

2. Most cowboys always leave their spurs on, yes, even with they take off their boots…and if you’ve never stubbed your toe on rowels, you’ve never experienced true pain.

3. The shape of a cowboy’s hat will tell you what kind of stock he works with and where he’s from. Low brim with curled edges—probably rides broncs or bulls. Tight crease: horse show exhibitor. Flat hat with no crease—a high desert rider.

4. Cowboys love starch, and I’m not talking potatoes. Wrangler jeans are so heavily coated with the fabric hardening substance that they can literally stand up on their own.

5. If you want to know what type of rodeo event a cowboy competes in, look at his boots. Rough stock riders wear boots with rawhide heels. Why? Rawhide is harder than leather. The abuse a boot takes from the constant spurring action causes the soft leather to shred.

And that’s it! Don’t forget to enter my COWBOY CONTEST at http://www.pamelabritton.com/. One lucky reader will win a super cool cowgirl necklace. Good luck!

Pamela