Meet my hero Judd Romeo in Kentucky Cowboy as the heroine does for the first time since high school.
Fisting her hand, Mandy pounded on the door. Then she stuck both hands into her pants pockets, knocking her car keys out of the right pocket. She bent down to pick them up.
The door opened and a pair of hand-tooled, black leather cowboy boots stepped into her line of vision.
For an instant, Mandy forgot to breathe, and then her breath came too quickly. Her heart raced. She glanced up. Up past the pointed toes of expensive leather boots, past tight Wranglers, past a big gold belt buckle pressed against a flat belly and a white Western shirt that delineated a broad chest and brawny arms, and into the piercing blue eyes of Judd Romeo.
She tipped her head back, unprepared for what she saw. Time seemed to stand still. Judd shifted his stance and flashed his familiar, bad boy smile. There was a Colin Farrell edginess about him, a sexy untamable quality that welled up from every fiber of his cowboy persona.
“Hello, Mandy,” he said.
Judd is a bull rider, a member of the PBR, the Professional Bull Riders, established to bring mainstream attention to the sport. Mandy has never appreciated his love of bull riding. It’s too risky and foolhardy. Only his mother understood.
His mother had known Judd wanted to be a champion bull rider. He really wanted it. Deep down in his soul.
It had nothing to do with the money. Not even the million-dollar bonus. He wanted to win the championship because he wanted to wear the gold belt buckle that proved he was the world’s best.
Knowing the motivation of a bull rider was important in grasping Judd’s character.
She glanced at the makeshift bucking bull hanging between the trees. “Why do you ride bulls?”
It was a long moment before he answered. “It’s a sensation that’s hard to explain—the greatest sensation imaginable. That shot of adrenaline when you leave the chute is addictive.”
Her eyebrows drew together at his words. “But it’s so dangerous. Men have been killed trying to ride bulls.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand the appeal. It can’t be the money, because your mom told me you barely made ends meet during most of your career. Why have you stuck with it for ten years?”
Judd flashed a sudden confident smile. “It’s quite simple, really,” he said, giving her a once over with a look that curled her toes. “I like to make the crowd cheer. I like to win.”
A reviewer on Amazon recently validated my characterization of Judd. She said, “We are bull riding fans at our house so this book was particularly interesting to me. Ms. Scarbrough must either be a diehard fan of bull riding or did a lot of research of the sport of bull riding and interviews with bull riders because she really relates to the passion these young men have.”
I’d say Judd Romeo is one of my most favorite characters. If you’ve read my books, tell me who you’ve liked the best.