The Two of Us
Lori Foster and Maisey Yates
Kensington Pub
March 25th, 2025
The Two of Us is a novella anthology by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates. The plot has a focus on rescue dogs and how they brought together two “meant to be” couples.
Elise Cooper: Idea for this story The Two of Us?
Lori Foster: The idea originated with the first book in a series of guys connected by close friendships that have fostered a sort of brotherhood. There will be four books total, the first being Marcus, then Bray. (Already published.)
At that point, I moved publishing houses so titling changed from being just the name of the male lead, to a more traditional title. Readers met Ford in each of the first two books, and it was during that time of writing those books that I “got to know” Ford. That’s often the way for me: I write a book, and a secondary character grows on me to the point that he/she needs a book, too.
EC: Did you and Maisey Yates both write each story on your own or work together?
LF: On our own. I never, ever collaborate. I’m terribly territorial over my writing process. Through the many years that I’ve been writing, I’ve learned my own unique process of creating, writing, and completing a book. I don’t want any hiccups.
EC: What do you want to say about your co-author?
LF: I ADORE Maisey Yates and think she’s a genius in many ways. She certainly doesn’t want (or need) my input on her stories either. Honestly, I’ve met few people who have her energy level and creative spirit. She’s fun, happy, and always a font of information when I’m curious about what’s happening in the industry.
Maisey Yates: I have known Lori Foster for years. She is great. Lori and I just had themes. I did communicate with Lori, so we did not overlap. One of my first cowboy books was in an anthology where Lori invited me to write with her. She has been a big part of my getting published. She is always kind, and I am happy/proud to do something with her.
EC: What would you describe as the theme and who came up with the theme?
LF: The theme being rescue dogs. Well, we knew that my story would benefit a local no-kill animal shelter. For years now, I’ve written a short book each year with all advance and all royalties going to the Animal Adoption Foundation. To make this book work, a shelter pet was needed. The only requirements were the length of the story, including a shelter pet, and of course, because we write romance, a happy ending.
EC: How would you describe the female lead?
LF: To others, Skye seemed very nice, confident, obviously motivated. But as a twin with a far more vivacious sister, she’s always had a touch of insecurity. It took her wonderful neighbor, Ford, to really understand her, to see what was in her heart. And of course, it helped to have her own shelter dog and all the unconditional love that comes with being a pet owner.
MY: Lydia is compassionate, caring, soft, patient, and loves all wounded creatures. She is patient. My heroines’ personality depends on the type of hero in the book as well as their life. I have the cute and sweet heroine, which is what Lydia is. Then there is the tougher girl and more outspoken like Lindy Parker from Good Time Cowboy. And finally, there is the tomboy heroine like the Cassidy in the other book coming out this month, Rustler Mountain.
EC: How would you describe the male lead?
LF: I really wanted Ford to surprise people. In the first books he came off as happy-go-lucky, a guy who easily succeeded and was satisfied with his bachelor life. Ford is also competitive without meaning to be. It’s not a deliberate thing for him; it’s just his drive to always be the best.
Then in this book readers find out that he absolutely loves a huge, awkward dog who’s been overlooked at the shelter many times. He wants to adopt her, but he’s not sure how that would work. Because of his background, he really thinks she deserves more than him. Someone better. It takes a nice neighbor and an unconventional agreement to show Ford that he’s enough.
MY: Remington is very closed off and hard. He really loves Lydia’s family, because they took him in and considers him one of their own. He is outwardly tough and compassionate. At his core he will never leave the dog but will complain about it. He realizes that the dog and he are kindred spirits since they both had to deal with the abuse.
EC: Both heroes in each novella had a hard childhood?
LF: Ford is a man with a painful backstory, but few could be more motivated. Once he left his past behind, he never hesitated to go the extra mile, and now with his best friends, he’s as loyal as a man could be. To him, they’re his brothers, the family he never had, and he’ll always be there for them. Luckily, that sentiment is returned.
MY: Remington had a hard childhood with a drunken dad. The father was cruel to Remington, and the animals he owned both horses and dogs.
EC: How would you describe the relationship?
LF: The minute the pretense began, each of them knew they felt more, but they had an agreement, so they fought it. For Skye, she realized that Ford was so much more than most people ever saw. Far more compassionate (to a shelter dog) and far more considerate to her and her sister. He saw things others didn’t, which also made him intuitive and astute.
Ford recognized right off that Skye had some insecurities. Her sister tried to run roughshod over her, yet they were still very close and supportive of each other. That said a lot about Skye’s loving nature. The more Skye and Ford talked and visited, the more Ford cared about her.
It didn’t take long for each of them to realize that they’d fallen in love, yet they were both under the misguided notion that the boundaries of their original bargain still mattered.
MY: She considers Remington one of her wounded creatures. He wants a relationship but is afraid of ruining it for her. They have known each other for a long time where she was the kid sister of his best friend. She is obsessed with him, while he tries to avoid any commitment.
EC: What role did the dogs play in the story?
LF: The quick answer is that adopting the dogs extended the friendship and growing romance between Ford and Skye. It gave them an easy excuse to intertwine their lives and see each other at the best of times, and the most chaotic. The more nuanced answer is that loving the dogs helped to showcase each character’s better qualities, like patience, understanding, and unconditional love. The pets assisted in refocusing the humans on the more important things in life, and they helped to show that a house isn’t a home until it’s filled with those you love.
MY: Hank the dog is the catalyst that changes the relationship between Lydia and Remington. He changes the way they interact toward each other. Both Hank and Remington felt powerless around the dad.
EC: Lori, in your book Skye had a twin sister, Laylee, why?
LF: As twins, they look a lot alike: almost identical. Personality-wise, Skye is far more somber and seemingly circumspect, and Laylee is super-outgoing and often outrageous. What outsiders don’t understand is that they’re loyal to each other, both are smart and hardworking, and they love each other.
The big differences are their approaches to life, largely influenced by silly labels given to them by well-meaning family. It’s the truth that no parents are perfect, and love doesn’t insulate you from making mistakes.
There are also noticeable differences in how each sister reacts to Maybelline, the big, not-very-pretty shelter dog whose murmur sounds like a growl. She’s a sweetheart, but many prospective adoptees have avoided her.
EC: Next books?
LF: The next book is already written and turned in, but my editor hasn’t yet given me a title or date. It should be spring 2026. It’s about Knox, one of the 4 friends you meet in my story of The Two of Us, and Laylee, Skye’s sister. That book will also include a rescue animal, a few mishaps, some surprises, and several revelations.
Anyone interested in the series can check out my website to see the previous books, along with The Two of Us, plus information on Knox’s story once I have a title and date. https://lorifoster.com/connected/#best-friends-series
MY: The end of this month one of my cowboy books, Rustler Mountain, will be released. There is the modern western and it also takes readers back to the Wild West days. A feud between the hero and heroine stems back to the Wild West days where his family is considered the outlaws, and her family is considered the good people.
Out in April is The Outsider and in July the Rogue, both part of my “Four Corner Series.” There will be a woman’s fiction coming out in June. There is another anthology with Linda Lael Miller, a cowboy novella, titled Small Town Hero, out in July. Outlaw Lake, the sequel to this book, is out in September.
Readers can go onto my website to view what is coming out and when: http://www.maiseyyates.com
THANK YOU!!
