Rural Town Fiction

Never ever date a client. That’s what I keep telling myself. Until Terence Daniels walks into my office. Biggest mistake of my life. Next thing I know, I’m fleeing Louisiana, hunkering down with my best friend in Dallas. Things just cannot get any worse. Until Kate’s car breaks down outside this bar that looks like their patrons kill women with sticks. We have no choice but to go inside. What I find in there is nothing that I would expect. What unfolds in the coming weeks are more mistakes. Better ones. And then one that I’ll forever call my favorite mistake.

When helicopter pilot Stirling Hawley travels to Grassmoor in Victoria's lush Western District to claim an inheritance, he doesn't expect to face a town that hates him. Nor does he anticipate being saved from near-death by glamorous vintage clothing designer Darcy Sloane. Or that she'll take a personal interest in his recovery. But Grassmoor and Westwind, the historic mansion Stirling inherited from the father he never knew, prove full of surprises. The more Stirling digs into his father's life, the more uneasy he becomes.

It began with a quarrel over which newborn should be the baby Jesus in the town's Christmas pageant. Decades later, two scientists arrive to study small-town genetic patterns, only to run up against the invisible walls that split the leading citizens into two congregations that can only be joined by love and forgiveness - and maybe a little deception, because there might be some things people just don't need to know.

Tess “Mac” McPhail is one of country music's brightest lights, a millionaire many times over, accustomed to public adoration and a life lived on her own terms. Now, eighteen years after she left her hometown, Mac's sisters insist she return to help care for their widowed mother. There Mac faces several rude awakenings—an insulting older sister, an intractable parent, and worst of all, the apparent total indifference of Kenny, the neighbor she taunted through high school and who is now a handsome divorcee.

Erik Nilsen is ready to leave the last decade behind him. Ten years of touring with his rock band has made him wealthy and famous, but the experience has also taught him that money can't buy true riches. He's determined to take a year off to reunite with his family and old friends. The trouble is, the person from his past that he wants to be with the most is pushing him away. When he learns of her secret, he realizes how much he has to lose by staying silent. Can he convince Carly Strand to rekindle the love they once shared?

Before Rose Gordon came home to Barrington in Book One—Charlie’s Will—there was Debbie Webb and Jamie Tait. Despite being high school sweethearts, Debbie left Barrington for university in Sydney, then further study and work in London.

Ever since Britt was a small child, she played to an audience. She had always dreamt of being a famous actress. Her resume was short, but she convinced herself that is was strong enough to break into Hollywood. With her bags packed and the GPS set to Los Angeles, she never expected to meet the man of her dreams stranded in the middle of nowhere on a dark rainy night.

Tori Helpern always wanted to be a music star, just like her hometown hero Tracy Slater. But Tori never quite found her big break, and now she works as a music teacher at the same high school she couldn't wait to get away from. Feeling washed up, Tori believes her only taste of fame will come from the solo in the holiday choir. Isaac Powell never needed much to make him happy. Nervous about performing in front of a full audience, Isaac asks Tori to help him prepare, and she needs to decide whether she should help him succeed or steal the solo away from him.