The Kingsleys of Cottonwood Ridge
Beau Kingsley
Santa Cowboy (Book 1) — Grumpy farrier. Former rodeo star. Reluctant "Santa Cowboy."
At a glance
- Age 33
- From Cottonwood Ridge, Montana
- Family Colt Kingsley's second-oldest (of seven)
- Works as Farrier & horse trainer (former rodeo competitor)
- Lives A small cabin near Boone's ranch, slowly building a place of his own
- Status Single (at the start of his story)
Meet Beau
Beau is quiet, but his silence has weight, not emptiness. Reserved, grounded, and loyal — fiercely protective of his family even while he keeps them at arm's length — with a restlessness he buries under all that calm. He can settle a skittish horse with a glance. What he can't settle is who he's supposed to be now that he can't ride.
The look: 6'2", lean and work-hardened. Dark hair kept short, blue-gray eyes that miss nothing, and a faint limp when he's tired. His hands are scarred and strong — a farrier's hands.
What's a farrier?
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care — trimming, balancing, and shoeing horses. It takes strength, patience, and a deep knowledge of horse anatomy, and it's as much art as it is labor: the work shapes a horse's posture, gait, and long-term health. Fittingly, Beau's whole job is helping horses stay grounded — right when he's trying to find his own footing again.
The heart of his story
Two years ago, a bad fall ended Beau's rodeo career, and with it the version of himself that felt most alive. He tells himself he's fine just working the horses. He isn't. Santa Cowboy is the story of a man learning that who he was and who he could be aren't the same person — and that letting people back in might matter more than any ride.