Introduction

Country Ways: Secrets for Finding and Keeping a Country Man
by Joyce Marlow

Do you dream of finding a man who'll light a fire in the fireplace (and your heart) on a chilly night? A man who's romantic, both your best friend and your lover? A man not just willing, but wanting to make a commitment? A man who dreams of finding a woman to love and cherish for the rest of his life; someone who wants what you want-to be together and to stay together?

Maybe you've been looking in all the wrong places.

Maybe it's time to consider embracing life in the “past” lane.

Country Ways is about real relationships based on honesty, trust, and understanding. Relationships aren't games where one person wins and the other loses. And they aren't based on being mysterious and playing hard to get. A charade may catch a man's interest, but how long can you pretend? Get real, and get a man! And while you're at it, get one worth keeping.

Country men are some of the last good men around. Caring, hardworking men with strong opinions and hearts of gold. Men who know it's tough to find a good woman and who're willing to go the distance to keep one. Intelligent, capable men who are strong enough to value an independent woman. Men who actually like women and if you already have kids will like them, too.

Does the idea of leaving the city for a slower, gentler life sound appealing? Do you yearn for the beauty of a long summer's day, walking along a dusty country lane surrounded by fields of burnished wheat? How about wide-open pastures ringed with towering pines and leafy oaks? Is your idea of heaven exchanging city for small-town life and sharing a cozy country home with the man you love?

Good, because that's what happened to me, and that's what this book is all about. Although I'd thought about turning in my high heels for a pair of boots often enough, I didn't know how to go about it. I hadn't expected to meet and fall in love with a country man or to have my life turned around-all within a few months' time. I did have a few qualms about exchanging my fast-paced city career for life on a hundred-acre farm, but that was seven years and a lifetime ago. Since then I've learned a lot about country men, country women, and Country Ways.

Are you in a place in your life where you consider having a loving relationship a priority? Do you dream of long walks at sunset with the man you love? Would you consider changing your life to follow such a dream? Then turn the page and get ready to embark on a journey that will lead you to the life you've been dreaming of-get ready for Country Ways.

A Word to the Wary

Before you jump into Country Ways, you may be wondering if there really are country men interested in a committed relationship and, if there are, why they aren't already taken. Well, they're here, and they are available. Here are just a few reasons why:

Single country men tend to stay in the country because there's a long tradition of handing down farms and ranches to the men who work the land. Some families have lived on the same ranch for generations and intend to continue into the next. But while single guys are content to stay in the country, single women often leave. If they don't meet a sweetheart growing up (or if they get divorced), they may feel restless. These women gravitate toward cities for what seem like good reasons-more jobs, convenience, entertainment, shopping, and seemingly plenty of places to meet men. But you and I know meeting them isn't enough-you want to meet men who are interested in having a committed relationship or getting married. Although they may be hard to find in the city, believe me, the country offers a great selection of these men!

Of course, some of the available men in the country have been married before-divorce does exist even here in the country. But when country men get divorced, they really want to get remarried. They're looking for a helpmate-a woman who's just a little bit country or one who's interested in making Country Ways part of her future. And while country men want to meet the woman of their dreams, they just don't have time to search the city for a woman who might consider moving to the country. They'd like to find that special woman within a twenty-mile radius of home, so it makes good sense for you to be right in their backyard if you're interested in the kind of man I'm talking about.

I hope I've changed what may have been an initial hesitation to an attitude of full speed ahead. I want to help you find the right man, one who'll be a good husband, partner, and father-a country man!

© 1998 by Joyce Marlow

About the Author

Joyce Marlow is an ex-city dweller who met her country man at a conference, fell in love, and joined him in the country. Now she raises sheep and is the author of three romance novels. Joyce and the man of her dreams live on a farm in rural Washington State.