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Mia Hopkins: Cowboy Coctail (Contest)
Sunday, February 16th, 2014

Thanks, Delilah, for the opportunity to come say hi on your blog!

As a native Angeleno, I spend an awful lot of time in my car. The other day as I was driving home late from work, I found myself engaging in unexpected and somewhat inappropriate behavior, especially for someone stuck in L.A. traffic.

I was enjoying myself.

For some reason, the sunset sky was extra beautiful that evening. Pink clouds lashed with deep purple drifted west toward the horizon and the light that shone through my windshield was golden. If there hadn’t been all that traffic, I would’ve been content to speed right past all that beauty without looking up.

Second, a really good song came up on the radio. It was Dierks Bentley’s “Come a Little Closer,” a sexy country song about making amends. Here are some of the lyrics.

Come a little closer, baby
I feel like layin’ you down
On a bed sweet surrender
Where we can work it all out

There, in the middle of rush hour gridlock, I found myself actually smiling. The song reminded me of Cowboy Cocktail, a story I had just finished about two broken-hearted people trying to put themselves back together. Wanda is a busy single mom and Tom, the owner of the local cowboy bar, is her ex-husband’s brother. The attraction they feel is complex, forbidden, and hotter than a blast furnace.

Music is important to me when I write, so for fun, I’ve compiled a short list of sweet, mellow songs that I like to listen to when I’m working on a cowboy romance. Pour yourself a cowboy cocktail—which I’ve been told is whiskey and soda, hold the soda—and turn up the volume. You’ll be smiling in no time, I promise!

  1. “Come a Little Closer,” Dierks Bentley
  2. “When You Say Nothing at All,” Keith Whitley
  3. “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” Dwight Yoakam
  4. “Here Comes the Rain,” The Mavericks
  5. “Always on My Mind,” Willie Nelson
  6. “The Grass is Blue,” Dolly Parton
  7. “Springsteen,” Eric Church
  8. “Gettin’ You Home,” Chris Young
  9. “Remember When,” Alan Jackson
  10. “Neon Moon,” Brooks & Dunn

I’d like to give away an ebook copy of Cowboy Cocktail to a random commenter below. Please answer this question: What music do you listen to when you unwind?

Here’s an excerpt from Cowboy Cocktail by Mia Hopkins, available now on Amazon.com. Connect with her at her blog, miahopkins.blogspot.com.

cocktailcover

Wanda always assumed that Tom had been sleeping in the back room of the Silver Spur among the empty kegs and stacks of bar towels. As she sat at his table, she looked around in awe. With its wood paneling, recessed lighting, and thick oriental floor rugs, his bachelor pad was downright classy.

“How do you like you eggs?” he called from the kitchen.

Fertilized, she thought. Then she shook her head. That’s Tom, you pervert. Cut it out.

“Scrambled is fine,” she said.

“You sure? I can do all the fancy eggs, no problem.”

“I like ‘em scrambled. Save your fancy eggs for the fancy ladies.”

She stood up and walked around the clean, cozy living room. Tom had thrown his cowboy hat on a sofa of caramel leather. The sofa sat alongside a matching armchair draped with a wool Navajo blanket and lit with a copper reading lamp. A huge wooden shelf filled with books stood behind the chair. There was a brand new flatscreen TV on one wall, which Wanda had expected to see, and a happy, healthy houseplant on the coffee table, which she hadn’t.

Wanda sat back down, deeply impressed. The smell of cooking bacon wafted out of the kitchen and completed the effect: this man had his shit together.

Tom came out of the kitchen and set the plates down in front of her. He went back into the kitchen and brought out silverware, napkins, and two glasses of orange juice. Before he sat down, he poured a little ketchup heart on her eggs with a squeeze bottle.

“There you go,” he said. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Aw,” she said, smiling. “Is this what all your fancy ladies get in the morning?”

He took his seat and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Sure. But they get something else first.”

She swatted him with the back of her hand, then picked up her fork and took a bite, feeling the warmth spread through her body from the inside out. She hadn’t been up past midnight in a long time and having a late-night meal felt oddly like naughtiness. She looked up at Tom, who to her surprise was looking at her.

“What?” she asked, automatically wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Nothing.”

“Tell me,” she said.

He leaned forward. She blinked slowly, trying not to ogle the long line of his broad back. “Why do you waste your time with ridiculous men?” he asked.

“You mean like your brother?”

“Yeah. Like Sean.”

“Well,” she said, frowning. “I didn’t know Sean was ridiculous until much, much later.” She cleared her throat, dislodging all the insults she usually kept in reserve for her ex-husband and swallowing them down for now. “But that other guy, today,” she said with a sigh, “I suppose I knew he was ridiculous from the start.”

“Then why waste your time?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

It was Tom’s turn to blink. He shook his head slowly and slid his eyes over her. Suddenly feeling naked, she reached down and tugged the hem of her dress down over her thighs. Her skin tingled warmly against the touch of her own hand. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly gone dry.

“The hell you say?” Tom said softly. “You’re certifiable. There’s nowhere on this green earth you’d be classified a beggar, woman.”

“So…what am I?” she said. “A chooser? I don’t seem to have chosen this life, Tom.”

“Maybe not. But you’ve risen to it.”

She frowned. “Then I’m a…”

“Riser.”

Wanda considered it. “I like that. A riser.”

“Yep,” he said, “and you sure as hell get a rise out of me.”

She froze mid-bite and put her fork down slowly. She looked up at him and didn’t flinch, even though her knees were trembling under the table. It had been a year and a half since she’d slept with Sean. Her body was betraying her, getting fired up over Tom—Tom, whom she’d known forever, her ex-husband’s brother. Tom, who hadn’t touched her or even made a pass at her.

Or had he?

She took a breath and broke eye contact, pushing her chair away from the table. “I’d better go,” she said, standing up. Her brain was mighty proud of itself, but her body was furious, throbbing for contact and release.

Tom was quick. He took her forearm; his grip was warm and firm. She gasped but didn’t pull away.

“Fucking hell,” he whispered, closing his eyes. The pain in his face mirrored the deep ache in her bones. He lifted her hand to his mouth and traced his lips slowly across her palm. With incredible gentleness, he pulled her arm toward him and pressed a warm kiss to the pulse on her wrist, his breath washing over the delicate skin and casting a spell as bottomless and dark as shame.

She stared at him, awestruck. He opened his eyes and seared her with irises the color of a high sierra lake.

“Tell me I’m not crazy, Wanda,” he rasped. “I want you so bad I can’t breathe.”

She was so close to him she could smell the musk of his skin, a combination of aftershave, laundry detergent, and clean sweat that suddenly made her tongue ache to know what he tasted like.

When she pulled her hand out of his grasp, she could almost feel his heart collapse in his chest. His guilt was palpable.

“Jesus Christ,” he murmured. “I’m sorry, Wanda. I didn’t mean to—“

Before he could finish the sentence, and before she could second-guess herself, she stepped into the space between his legs, put her hands on his rigid shoulders, and pressed her lips to his.

16 comments to “Mia Hopkins: Cowboy Coctail (Contest)”

  1. Toni Whitmire
    Comment
    1
    · February 16th, 2014 at 6:22 am · Link

    I listens to the blues to unwind bibbiesparks@yahoo.com



  2. Lisa J
    Comment
    2
    · February 16th, 2014 at 9:05 am · Link

    Kid Rock post-rap era music. I love his last thee cds. I can put All Summer Long on repeat and listen to it for my whole 45 minute drive home.



  3. Linda
    Comment
    3
    · February 16th, 2014 at 10:26 am · Link

    Looks good. If I don’t win it, I’ll be getting it as soon as I get some money on my account. 🙂



  4. Ronnie c
    Comment
    4
    · February 16th, 2014 at 10:33 am · Link

    Just bought it. Great price for a hot read. Thanks for the excerpt!!! 😉



  5. Pat Freely
    Comment
    5
    · February 16th, 2014 at 12:01 pm · Link

    Country is always my unwind. I listen while driving so I don’t stress.



  6. Sandra Rodriquez
    Comment
    6
    · February 16th, 2014 at 12:03 pm · Link

    Country for sure especially George Strait!!♥



  7. Charlene
    Comment
    7
    · February 16th, 2014 at 12:31 pm · Link

    Holy Hanna! That was an excellent excerpt, totally sold me on the book. I will be picking it up for sure.

    As for your question, music does soothe the beast and I listen to it all. My favorites though are country followed by classic rock.

    Thanks for the contest and good luck to everyone!



  8. Michelle Gallegos
    Comment
    8
    · February 16th, 2014 at 3:07 pm · Link

    I like crooners…..Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr, Josh Grobin, Frank Sinatra, etc. I like country ballads, too and classical pieces from Gershwin. I have pretty eclectic musical taste, just no rap. Lol!



  9. j c
    Comment
    9
    · February 16th, 2014 at 5:06 pm · Link

    Easy music slow reggae helps



  10. Melissa Porter
    Comment
    10
    · February 16th, 2014 at 6:28 pm · Link

    I listen to all kinds of music. Unwinding It would have to be something calm. Like Tom Petty.

    Thanks for sharing the book. I have added it to my need to read list.



  11. Samanthe Beck
    Comment
    11
    · February 16th, 2014 at 11:47 pm · Link

    I’ve just recently rediscovered country music, thanks to Music Choice on Verizon FiOS. Cole Swindell’s “Chillin’ It” always has me leaning back in my chair and putting my feet up.

    Loved your excerpt. Hot, sexy, and still amazingly character driven, for such a short passage. Love how he seduced her wrist! 😛



  12. Kady Winter
    Comment
    12
    · February 16th, 2014 at 11:49 pm · Link

    I like Alt Rock. 98.7 for you LA local girl! Really enjoyed this excerpt, too. Great teaser! 😉



  13. Charlene Sands
    Comment
    13
    · February 17th, 2014 at 12:01 am · Link

    Great excerpt! I love country music. My favs are Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift. Country songs are like short wonderful love stories even when they break your heart. 😉



  14. Kate Willoughby (@Kate_Willoughby)
    Comment
    14
    · February 17th, 2014 at 11:33 am · Link

    I don’t generally turn to music to unwind. I turn to food! LOL I should switch to music because that doesn’t make you gain weight.



  15. Mia Hopkins
    Comment
    15
    · February 17th, 2014 at 1:04 pm · Link

    Yay! A big thanks to all of you for your comments…warm fuzzies all around…

    Toni, I fell in love with the blues on a trip to Memphis. Albert King is one of my favorites.

    Lisa, that Kid Rock song is something else. I love the Sweet Home Alabama lick.

    Linda, Tom and Wanda were such a blast to write. Thanks for reading!

    Ronnie, I love you. That is all.

    Pat, I feel the same way. I’ve probably added years to my life by replacing road rage with Alan Jackson.

    Sandra, can’t go wrong with George Strait. A classy guy, too! Thanks for reading!

    Charlene, the classic rock station is right next to the country preset on my car radio! Thanks for your kind words.

    JC, slow reggae reminds me of lazy vacation days in Hawaii. I like Jimmy Cliff.

    Melissa, my husband introduced me to Tom Petty’s music years ago. Such good stuff. Thank you for reading!

    Sam, oooh, that’s a good one! Country music makes me feel like chillin’. Or getting into a bar fight. Or making out with a cowboy in his truck. But those are my three modes of existence anyway.

    Kady, Chili Peppers! Pearl Jam! Love, love, love that station. The music of my youth, when all that stuff was on KROQ. (sniff) Thanks for stopping by!

    Charlene S., I love that Tim McGraw gets better and better with age. P.S. I have The Texas Renegade Returns on pre-order…can’t wait! Thanks for reading!

    Kate, music is great, but nothing helps me dry my tears faster than a jar of Nutella and a box of crackers. I understand, my friend. I understand.

    Now I shall put your names into a hat…(like an actual hat)…



  16. Mia Hopkins
    Comment
    16
    · February 17th, 2014 at 1:08 pm · Link

    THE WINNER IS…

    MICHELLE GALLEGOS!
    (who has excellent taste in music…Harry Connick, Jr. and Gershwin, spot on!)

    Michelle, please email me and I will get Cowboy Cocktail to you STAT!

    mia.hopkins.writes [at] gmail [dot com]!

    Thanks for reading, everyone!



Comments are closed.