Author Spotlight: Leah Vale Is Here with Holiday Fun!

I am filled with holiday joy to bring you one of my fellow Tule authors, Leah Vale, who is here with her newest Christmas romance!

Having never met an unhappy ending she couldn’t mentally “fix,” Leah Vale believes writing romance novels is the perfect job for her. A Pacific Northwest native with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington, she lives in Central Oregon, with a huge golden retriever who thinks he’s a lap dog. While having the chance to share her “happy endings from scratch” is a dream come true, dinner generally has to come premade from the store.

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It is such a delight to be able to join you here at Nan’s place again to share a little about the second book in my Grit and Grace series for Tule Publishing, Catching a Christmas Cowboy, which is available now.

The last time I visited, I shared a little about the research I had the pleasure (yes, I’m a nerd that way) of doing for the series, learning about rodeos, women bronc riders, and rodeo rough-stock contractors. But with this book being a Christmas story (which I was so excited to have the opportunity to write), my research took a turn away from rodeo stock into the realm of Santa’s sleigh—-or more specifically, reindeer and the myths surrounding these amazing creatures.

Now, say it with me … Did you know that …

Male reindeer shed their antlers in late fall till early December after mating season and don’t grow them back until the following spring, whereas females keep their antlers through the winter until their calves are born in May. Which means … drumroll please …  Santa’s sleigh has been pulled by the ladies all these years. Not that different from the typical minivan or SUV full of kids’ stuff trying to get to all the sports practices and dance lessons, I suppose.

I also learned that reindeer don’t eat carrots. They physically can’t because they lack the top incisor teeth to chew carrots down to a digestible size. A reindeer’s food of choice is lichen, but one farm I discovered in Texas gives raisins as treats, along with oats, apples, and parsnips.

Clearly, I had a lot of fun writing Emma and Noah’s story, and not just because of the reindeer Noah rents for Grit and Grace’s Christmas open house.

Thank you again to Nan for allowing me to be a part of what I hope to be a wonderful festive season for you all.

Happy Holidays!

Leah Vale

Catching a Christmas Cowboy

Reluctantly retiring from Special Forces following an injury, Noah Halliday returns to Texas seeking solitude through the holidays at his brother’s unoccupied ranch. Arriving late, he intends to crash in the first bedroom he finds only to be chased out by a beautiful blonde brandishing a boot. New Plan.

The ranch has been leased to a group of women determined to challenge the traditions and beliefs of the male dominated rodeo rough stock contractor world. There’s nowhere to hide. Never one to be idle, Noah pitches in and his Christmas spirit is rekindled by the feisty cowgirl.

Emma Barrett had been a timid child until she’d been lifted onto the back of a bronc, and she finally discovered her skill and power. She excelled at the sport and is determined to solidify her place at Grit and Grace by training the new bronc she and her partners have heavily invested in. The last thing she needs is a horse whispering, sexy ex-soldier offering to work by her side this Christmas as she and her partners launch their enterprise.

Excerpt:

Emma hurried after Beth into the equipment barn. The gingerbread village appeared to be intact. The whole thing looked great, with the gingerbread Beth and Sammie had baked shaped and glued together to resemble the buildings on Last Stand’s Main Street, with tiny lights and tufts of fake snow transforming it into a Christmas winter wonderland.
Noah had, somehow, wired lights to shine within the buildings and illuminate the tiny vintage-era light posts, so the entire display glowed with life.
Emma processed all this in a breath before her attention was caught by the group of people standing off to the side of the display. Beth, Sammie, Meira, and Laura, together with Alec, Justin, and Carlos, were tightly clustered, looking at something. Halfway afraid of what she would find, Emma eased her way toward them.
Grinning broadly, Beth moved aside so Emma could see they were standing in front of a small, temporary corral that contained a real, live . . .
Reindeer.
Complete with tall, velvety antlers and a bell-covered harness. Noah was down on one knee next to the animal, running a soothing hand over the reindeer’s neck while it munched on a flake of hay.
Emma belatedly realized her mouth was hanging open and snapped it shut.
Noah looked up at her. And smiled. Not his cheeky, devil-may-care smile, but a soft, tentative smile that hit her smack in the center of her heart.
Beth poked her in the side. “Isn’t it great?”
Emma stupidly said, “It’s a reindeer.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Yes, Emma. A reindeer Noah got for you.”
Emma jerked her gaze to Noah. “That’s my reindeer?!”
Impossibly, Noah’s smile softened more. “For a couple of days. She’s leased from the reindeer ranch up by Fort Worth.”
Pointing at the impressive antlers, Alec said, “You sure it’s a girl?”
Noah nodded. “Apparently, the males shed their antlers this time of year, so . . .”
Laura grinned widely. “So Santa relies on the chicks to get his sleigh business done. Nice!” She turned to Beth for a high-five.
Drawn in by the animal’s big brown eyes, Emma inched forward. “Why?”
He reached for the reindeer’s velvet-covered antler, gently running his fingertips along the fuzz. “You were so tickled by the horses they’d tried to make look like reindeer . . .” He shrugged. “I thought the real thing would make your day.”
The prickle of tears—happy tears, tears from a heart touched by an unexpected kindness—had Emma blinking rapidly. “What’s her name?”
Noah’s smirk returned. “Blitzed.”
Emma reached to run a knuckle down the reindeer’s nose. So, so soft. “You mean Blitzen.”
Noah shook his head. “Nope. She’s named Blitzed. See, it’s right here on her halter.” Noah pointed at a small, gold nameplate. Sure enough, BLITZED was clearly etched on the small rectangle. “I was instructed to keep the beer away from her.”

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