TWILIGHT THURSDAY

Last months interviews were so fun, they decided to let me come back in March! Call me Aine this time around…

Before we begin, I must remind everyone of the Moonlight Mistresses boring rule to please try and keep your responses to a PG13 atmosphere – *eye roll*. However, they haven’t seemed to care about double entendres, so let them fly!

My guests today are Trey Brenner and Crystal Winters – please, have a seat on our lovely couch! – from Sandy Valley, Nevada. Their tale can be found in CRYSTAL’S COWBOYS, a novel creation by J. Rose Allister.

*Settling comfortably onto the sofa, *

You two make one fine pair! I did a wonderful job pairing you two up if I do say so myself! Then, I just love all of my matches!

Aine: Please, Trey, tell our readers how you two first met. Was it by your design, or hers?

Trey: It was fate’s design. I shouldn’t have even been out ridin’ in the desert that day—I was supposed to be checkin’ the fence line at the ranch. Instead, me and Raf got to foolin’ around and took off on our horses. Before we knew it, we were out of bounds and ridin’ like the wind…and that’s when I saw her, lyin’ in the dirt under the blazin’ sun. Thought she was a dead animal at first.

Crystal *curling her lip*: A dead animal? Thanks a lot!

Trey: What? It’s not often you ride the Mojave and find an unconscious, gorgeous woman lyin’ in the dust.

Aine: What about you, Crystal? Would you say it was love at first sight, or did you find him repulsive?

Crystal: It was definitely lust at first sight, though to be honest I was out of my mind at the time. I didn’t even think he was real. I thought he was an angel with a Stetson and a cowboy twang. *Turning to Trey with a raised brow* A lot better than thinking you were a dead animal—and I was hallucinating!

Aine: *Ahem,* well, yes, but it’s obvious by the way he devours you with that smoldering blue gaze now that his eyesight has definitely improved! Since chaotic happenstances tends to put characters like yourselves in situations where they must work together or live together for one reason or another, tell us what chaotic happenstance “forced” the two of you to work or live together. How did you both feel about this?

*A newcomer struts over to Aine’s couch with a hot swagger*

Newcomer: Chaotic happenstance? Oh, that little lady there defines chaotic happenstance.

Crystal: Rafael! What are you doing here?

Rafael: Wonderin’ how I got left high on the range durin’ an interview about you and your true love, seein’ as how you and I were married and all.

Trey: Pretend married for one day, and only by your convenient design.

Aine: So, how exactly are you related to these two, then?

*Tipping his hat to the lady*

Rafael: I’m Rafael Monroe, the chaos that happenstanced these two’s plans for a happily-ever-one-on-one.

Trey: There weren’t any plans of the sort. I just got there first—by accident.

Crystal: As you can see, Aine, our lives are definitely chaotic. These two rescued me from a danger I can’t even remember. I just know that it’s real, and there’s no one else I can trust. They’ve hidden me away on the ranch where they live and work, and I’ve been forced to stay there in seclusion and rely on them both.

Trey: Don’t forget the part where we’ll lose our jobs if you get discovered there.

Rafael: And despite that, I had to smuggle you off the ranch when you got too sick for us to care for.*waggling brows* Not that I didn’t enjoy some of your more imaginative fevered delusions. Quite the fierce temptation.

Trey: Raf and I both wanted her so bad that we could taste it. *lowering voice* To top it off, Crystal isn’t the only one of us who has secrets. If all that isn’t chaos, I don’t know what is.

Aine: Sounds like you were all definitely thrust together by some rather fateful happenstance. Trey, would you say that your relationship developed easily or would you say there was some reluctance?

Trey: I wasn’t exactly dragged into it kickin’ and screamin’—

*Cut off by a laugh*

Rafael: Oh, there was some screamin’, partner.

Trey: —but there was definite reluctance. How could I trust this woman? We found her under suspicious circumstances. She didn’t want to go to a hospital, wouldn’t let us call the police, and I wasn’t sure whether her story about not rememberin’ what happened was on the level. I had no idea whether I was rescuin’ a victim or a bad guy. Plus I had other reasons for not startin’ any relationship. The timin’ couldn’t be worse, because I… *Trailing off with a weighted glance at Rafael, he falls silent*

Rafael: Somethin’ you aren’t tellin’ me, isn’t there?

Trey: And I suppose you’ve told me everythin’? Like what’s inside that twisted mind when you think I don’t see you starin’?”

Aine: Movin’, I mean, moving right along…How long did it take you to know your true feelings for the other? At what point did you know, “this is the one”?

Crystal: I knew, I think, before I’d even come back to lucidity after my nap in the desert. I just didn’t know what to do about it. There was so much else going on in my life that a romance was the last thing I needed. Then suddenly, I wanted not one, but two of the most incredible men I’d ever met. Heroes, both of them. How was I supposed to choose?

Rafael: I knew about three seconds after we found her lyin’ in the Mojave. I’d never seen anythin’ more beautiful, and unlike my issues-with-women partner over there, the timin’ couldn’t have been more perfect for me to fall for her.

Aine: Rafael, sounds like it was a fast and easy choice. What would you say was your biggest obstacle to overcome before you could settle into a relationship with Crystal?

Rafael: That’s easy. Trey.

Trey: He thought Crystal and I were cheatin’ behind his back.

Rafael: Which was true, sort of, but that wasn’t it. I knew there was chemistry between Trey and Crystal, but I was damned certain she and I had it, too. But there was some other chemistry in the air that I wasn’t sure what to do with. That needed resolvin’ before I could really devote myself to her completely.

Aine: This is for any of you. Would you like to thank anyone – other than me, of course – for getting you two—well, perhaps I should say you three—together?

Rafael: Yes, definitely us three. I’d like to thank Trey, because if he hadn’t forced me to neglect my ranch hand duties to take our little unscheduled ride, we never would have found Crystal.

Trey: Forced you? Like you haven’t been the instigator in at least a half-dozen of my least advisable adventures. Need I remind you of the Vegas stripper?

Crystal: I can’t honestly say I can thank the situation that ended with me unconscious in the desert, whatever it is, but I’m definitely glad there’s still such a thing as western heroes.

Aine: I know our readers have enjoyed learning about you three so far, but I’m getting a little bored, so I’m going to heat things up. Crystal, how would you end this sentence, "I wish Trey would _____?" *leans forward to eagerly hear your response*

*Rafael jumps up*

Rafael: There’s this unbelievably hot thing she likes, where I have her bend down and—

Crystal: Rafael! May I remind you that this is a PG-13 forum? Besides, Aine was asking me about Trey.

Rafael: Naturally. Always in a hurry to get to Trey. *An amused look passes between them*

Crystal: Sorry, Aine. Hm, I guess my answer would be, I wish Trey would learn what I found out about Rafael, and then act on it.

Aine: Mm, sounds like some of your secrets are starting to come out. Don’t suppose you’d like to elaborate? *Rafael elbows Crystal, who shrugs innocently* Rafael, would you prefer to give Crystal a bubble bath or a back massage? Why?

Rafael: Funny you should ask that question, because it just so happens that I am quite adept at both. Just ask Trey.

Trey: Excuse me? I’ll have y’all know I have never let Rafael give me a bubble bath.

Rafael: But who’s got the magic fingers you said could massage life back into a corpse? Anyway, Aine, I have had the honor of offering Crystal a candlelit bath. Let me say it was the hottest, wettest experience I have ever had. Gonna have to go with that.

Aine: My, isn’t it getting warm in here? Now, how many of you remember that old show, The Newlywed Game? Well, these next questions are going to help us play a similar game. Let’s see how well you know each other. Crystal, what would Trey say is your aphrodisiac? *waggles eyebrows*

Crystal: *smiles suggestively* Definitely his award-winning chili. It was like a spiritual experience.

Aine: Trey, did she correctly guess your answer? How would you have answered that question?

Trey: She nailed it. I’ve won cookoffs with that con carne. When I watched her take a mouthful, it was like I’d sent her to heaven—in an entirely different sort of way, if you catch my meanin’. About the sexiest thing I’d ever seen, watchin’ her eat it.

Rafael: That’s because you missed seein’ her get spanked up in the hotel room at Caesar’s.

Aine: Now there’s an intriguing tale I’m sure wouldn’t fit our PG-13 criteria! *sits back in his chair* Rafael, what would Crystal say is a spot guaranteed to drive you crazy with passion? Is she correct in that assumption?

Rafael: Where Crystal’s concerned, I have this one special, particular spot. It starts right here, *points to the top of his head*, and ends right there. *Holds up a well-worn cowboy boot and grins*

Crystal: You earn big points for flattery, cowboy, but you missed the answer. *Voice falls to a conspiring whisper as she leans toward Aine* Raf’s nipples are hypersensitive—maybe even more so than my own. *giggles*

Aine: As many of us might have guessed from that tight black tank top he’s wearing. *readjusts his position in the chair* It’s time to cool things off just a tad. Crystal, as far as you know, what is Trey’s idea of a perfect date?

Crystal: As far as I know? Trey’s perfect date involves a dark, abandoned bunkhouse, an air mattress, and French fries with mayonnaise.

Rafael: Actually, I’m the one who brought the fries that night.

Aine: Trey, is she correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Trey: Sadly, no. I’m afraid we haven’t been able to offer Crystal much in the way of creature comforts since we’ve had her holed up. But with the right opportunity, my ideal date would involve a picnic by a flowin’ stream, a basket of red wine and cheese, and very little clothin’.

Aine: Rafael, your turn in the hot seat. What is Crystal’s idea of a perfect date?

Rafael: She doesn’t strike me as the fussy type, so I’d say we’re talkin’ a moonlit stroll, cricket song for background music, and skinny dippin’.

Aine: Crystal, is he correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Crystal: *staring at both men with wide eyes* I don’t know, but I just changed it. Moonlit stroll, wine and cheese, skinny dipping. Oh, yeah.


Aine: I’m right there with you. *Questioning eyes shift Aine’s way* Well, you know, not literally with you, but…anyway. I want to switch gears just a bit. March has close connections to Ireland, and as many of us acknowledge, Ireland is steeped in myths and mysticism, as are many Native American tribal beliefs. Do any of the three of you believe in this type of mysticism? Have you had any experiences that helped you develop these beliefs?

Crystal: Oh, yes. I’m of Irish descent, and I remember Grams always talking about Celtic magic. She used to warn me not to step in a fairy ring, or else they would steal me away and never let me come back. To this day I watch out for mushroom rings and steer around.

Rafael: Not many fairy rings to worry about in the desert, darlin’. I went to an Indian pow-wow in college once, though. Some damned intriguing experiences happened there—and that was before they passed around any funny stuff in a pipe. So yeah, I believe there are things goin’ on that you want to respect.

Trey: Where was I when you were havin’ all these college adventures? I might have liked to have gone to a pow-wow too, you know.

Rafael: *snorting* You? You were too busy bein’ a math genius. You had no mind for the fact you were headed for cowboy life, let alone for native mysticism.

Aine: True believers come from all walks of life. Where do you three see yourselves in 5 years?

Crystal: I honestly don’t know. This whole situation hit me so hard, so fast—and I don’t even understand what the situation is. I might be stuck on the run forever, or I might remember tomorrow that I can go back to my life. Until I know more, it’s difficult for me to see a week in front of me, let alone years.

Rafael: In 5 years, I’d like to be lookin’ at gettin’ a ranch of my own. Nothin’ fancy, mind you. Not like the Laughing L where we work, with beef herd for market. I’d just like a small setup to take care of me and my own. *Turns to the other cowboy* How ‘bout you, Trey?

Trey: Me? Well, I, uh, I’m gonna have to take the fifth on that one. My situation’s a bit complicated right now.

Aine: I’m sorry folks, but that’s all the time we have for today. Thanks to Trey, Crystal, and Rafael for joining us today and giving us some great answers. We hope you’ll check out their story, CRYSTAL’S COWBOYS.

To learn more about their author, J. Rose Allister, visit: http://jroseallister.com

BUY LINK: http://bookstrand.com/crystals-cowboys

Blurb:

Crystal finds herself lying in the blazing Nevada desert with no memory of how she got there--and two cowboys riding to the rescue. Ranch hands Trey and Rafael are hot as hell, and both of them want her desperately. Rather than choose between them, she shares them both in the old abandoned bunkhouse where they keep her as their sexy little secret.

Riding double sends them soaring to sexual heights, and Crystal is especially intrigued at the thought that her two cowboys might want to tame each other as well. But their own secrets and her forgotten danger could cost her both of her western heroes. Will their wild ride end in a hard fall?

Excerpt:
Prying her eyes open took some effort—sleep had apparently tried to glue them shut permanently. When her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was a head tucked against her left side, down near her waist. A man’s head. She blinked and looked again. A sandy-haired man was seated in a chair that had been pulled alongside her bed. He leaned way forward to rest his head on the forearms he had folded on her mattress. Hair fell across part of his face, obscuring his features, but she could see the square angles of a clean-shaven jaw and an eye that was firmly closed. She had no idea who this man was, but he felt familiar and safe.

A swell of tenderness and curiosity rose, and she reached out to push aside the loose sweep of bangs to get a better look. Crystal’s fingertips had barely brushed against his hair when she spotted the anomaly on the back of her hand. She sucked in a breath, then gasped louder when his hand shot out to grab hers.

He shook back his bangs, and she recognized his sapphire eyes. That sexy, breath-stealing gaze had been making cameo appearances in her most recent dreams—bizarre dreams at that. There had been one where two cowboys had ridden to her rescue, just like an old western. Then later, all of them stripped naked and got in a hot tub, very not like an old western.

The man sat up in his seat and offered a lopsided smile that could no doubt become the ruin of many a woman. “Hello,” he said.

“Um, hi.” She reached a hand up to her hair, wondering just how terrifying she must look—and where the hell she was. Although, the tubing and tape stuck to the back of her hand gave her some ideas about both.

“Nice to see you awake.”

“Thanks.” She’d say it was nice to be awake, but she hadn’t quite decided yet.

With some difficulty, she pulled her eyes away from the gorgeous stranger and looked around the room. Everything was done in pale, whitewashed shades and looked somewhat modern and homey—until her eyes found what she’d been looking for. The buzzing sound she’d heard came from a computerized vital signs monitor, and beside that stood in IV pole with a couple bags of clear fluid hanging from it.

“I’m in a hospital?”

The man nodded. “Sorry about that.”

She glanced back at him with a frown. “Why? Did you do something to hurt me?”

His expression clouded from pleasant to concern. “You don’t remember anythin’? The desert?”

“I remember vultures.”

He shook his head. “I don’t recall any vultures.”

She thought harder, then her eyes widened when some of her memories reassembled themselves. “It wasn’t a dream, was it? I remember you—and another man with big brown eyes.”

“That was Rafael. I’m Trey.”

“You found me on the ground and carried me out.” Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face. “Am I crazy, or are you a cowboy who rode up on a white horse?”

His deep laugh brought heat to her cheeks, and not only because she felt silly admitting her fantasy out loud. “You’re not crazy. I rode you out on a roan paint, but I imagine in the bright sun he might have looked white at the time.”

“Oh.”

She hadn’t been dreaming. So why couldn’t she remember much of what had happened after that?

A jab of panic shot through her. If that part hadn’t been a dream, what about the other part?

She couldn’t quite look at him while she asked. “We weren’t in a hot tub together at some point, were we?”

“A hot tub?” The laugh came again. “I’m afraid the accommodations we offered you at the ranch weren’t that high quality.”

BUY LINK: http://bookstrand.com/crystals-cowboys