Western Womens Fiction

Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison—or so her ex-cellmate, Diosmary Sandoval, keeps insinuating. Dios knows the truth about Florida's crimes, understands the truth that Florence hides even from herself: that she wasn't a victim of circumstance, an unlucky bystander misled by a bad man. Dios knows that darkness lives in women too, despite the world's refusal to see it. And she is determined to open Florida's eyes and unleash her true self.

Sam Goodall knows how to hide. And in the years since his sister's death, he's done just that, burying himself in his work at the Evans brothers' Mile High Adventures as a backpacking guide. Clients don't mind his strong, silent demeanor, and he's happy to leave the rest of the world behind when he's hiking, or holed up in the off-grid cabin he calls home. But he owes his life - what there is of it - to the Evans boys, and when they ask for a favor, he can't refuse.

Ex-lawman Clint Adams makes his living as a traveling gun trader, a job which takes him all over the West. In a sleepy Missouri town, he finds a trio of beautiful women who will do anything - pay any price - to be reunited with their former "protector", Con Macklin. The Gunsmith agrees to take them to him and rides out on the dirty and dangerous trail to Mexico. He delivers the women, but faces an army of hardcases led by Macklin - who wants his women back and The Gunsmith dead.

Jace has dealt with stubborn bulls and bucking broncos - but being a dad? He is so not ready for this.... Yet the more time he spends with Carlene and little Tilly, the harder it is to imagine life without them. Now he just has to convince Carlene that he's the real deal - and hope that this time she's here to stay.

Allie Logan isn't the type to land a hot hunk of cowboy. Truth is, she's given up on dating since shedding her no-good ex. But the new owner of the most ramshackle ranch in Texas might just change her mind about that. He's six-foot-plus of tall, dark, and charming - the kind of guy who could make a girl throw caution to the wind...or the kind of guy who could break her heart.

When veiled threats become real, he agrees to hire a discreet security detail. But Devin is shocked to find that the bodyguard is a hard-bodied woman and that he's attracted to the steely-eyed stunner. Former soldier Liberty Masterson's return to civilian life is wrought with challenges until she lands a job with a prestigious security firm. But when she agrees to provide personal protection during a cross-country tour, she doesn't realize she has signed up to masquerade as the playboy star's girlfriend.

Raised by guardians in Philadelphia, the Brinkman sisters have suddenly been bequeathed more than the truth about their late, estranged father - they've also inherited the Five Sisters Ranch, the dynasty he'd built for them in Eden, Colorado. It's theirs on one condition: to claim it, they must live on it for six months - a wilderness worlds away from the comforts of the city. For Belle Brinkman, her father's last wish could fulfill a dream she never knew she had.

Colorado, 1918. World War I is raging overseas, but it’s the home front battling for survival. With the Spanish Flu rampant, Denver’s schools are converted into hospitals, churches and funeral homes are closed, and nightly horse-drawn wagons collect corpses left in the street. Sisters Helen and Lutie have moved to Denver from Ohio after their parents’ death. Helen, a nurse, and Lutie, a carefree advertising designer at Neusteter’s department store, share a small, neat house and each finds a local beau—for Helen a doctor, for Lutie a young student who soon enlists.

When her pregnant sister is restricted to bed rest, Samantha Evans leaves the traffic-choked streets of Philadelphia for the majestic mountains and wide-open plains of Wyoming to help her. And while Samantha can appreciate the natural beauty of the land, she has no plans to stay - even if she's intrigued by Jake Tanner, a wealthy rancher who's left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But when a blizzard strands them together, Samantha begins to understand how powerful the pull of the West - and Jake - can be.

It's February, 1852, and all around Chicago, Maggie sees postings soliciting "eligible women" to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter, she has nothing to lose. She joins 43 other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west. None are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek or for the strengths they didn't know they possessed. Maggie discovers she’s not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind.

Historical characters reach across time to tell poignant stories about their lives in the play Three Strong Western Women. A Mormon handcart pioneer, a Lutheran missionary, and an Apache warrior woman each describe a life of struggle through tragedy. Emma Lee was the 17th plural wife of John D. Lee, who was executed for his role in the massacre of settlers in a wagon train at Mountain Meadows in Utah. She did many heroic things during her turbulent life, including saving lives in a tragically ill-timed caravan and running the famous Lee’s Ferry.

Sheltered from her own desires for so long, Hayley Thompson wants to experience life. A new job at Gray Bear Construction is a start. The work she can handle. It's her boss - reclusive, sexy Jonathan Bear - who's scrambling her mind and her hormones. No matter how successful he becomes, Jonathan's reputation will always precede him. And his type of woman is usually nothing like prim, innocent Hayley. Yet he can't resist unleashing the fire beneath her pent-up facade - even if seduction means losing his heart.

Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises...Growing up, Rose fled her family home—and a dangerous father—vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two goals: to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can’t wait to finally meet the groom-to-be.

Ten years ago, Jack Everett left his family's ranch without a backward glance. Now, what was supposed to be a quick trip home for his father's funeral has suddenly become more complicated. The ranch Jack can handle - he might be a lawyer, but he still remembers how to work with his hands. But turning around the failing vineyard he's also inherited? That requires working with the one woman he never expected to see again.

High school math teacher Chelsea Gardner has the perfect plan. She's tired of dating all the wrong men, and after years of frustration, she's developed a foolproof list of requirements for finding "the one". Bar owner Sebastian "Bash" Palmer finds Chelsea beautiful, smart, and fun, but he thinks her list is ridiculous. Intent on proving that Chelsea is looking for love in all the wrong ways, he offers to help her find the "perfect" man. Chelsea knows that Bash isn't the right guy for her - he barely meets one of her criteria - but there's something about him that has her yearning.

1916. The two-street town of Wallace is not exactly what Ellen Webster had in mind when she accepted a teaching position in Wyoming, but within a year’s time she’s fallen in love—both with the High Plains and with a handsome cowboy named Charlie Bacon. Life is not easy in the flat, brown corner of the state where winter blizzards are unforgiving and the summer heat relentless. But Ellen and Charlie face it all together, their relationship growing stronger with each shared success, and each deeply felt tragedy.

"Retired" soldier of fortune Ebenezer Scott was a bad boy to the core. Schoolteacher Sally Johnson was the fresh scrubbed beauty from across the street. When Sally's life was put in danger, Ebenezer fought to protect her. But this sweet-natured beauty yearned for so much more. She dreamed of a lifetime of love in Ebenezer Scott's big, strong arms. Could she slip through his ironclad defenses and become this beloved mercenary's bride?

Strong-willed, successful and determined, Callan Matthews lives the facade of a happy, wonderful life. Unfortunately, unbridled chaos runs amuck in the deep, dark places of her heart as she struggles to keep herself together. Her once beloved husband, Clay, tugs relentlessly at the last few threads keeping her from completely unraveling. His laid-back attitude only serves to drive her further away instead of drawing her back into his arms.

When Faith married her husband Roger Nolan he seemed to be an upstanding businessman, owner of a remote mercantile outside the town of Bountiful, Oregon. But Faith quickly learned the truth - that her husband is dishonest in his business practices and likes his liquor, turning mean when he indulges. When Faith discovers that Roger has yet again failed to deliver critical winter supplies to Nathan Bartlett, owner of the nearby logging camp, she takes the order up the mountain herself. Furious, Roger confronts Faith when she returns, and she is knocked unconscious.

When Bridget McQuarry comes to settle in Primrose Creek, she has nothing to lose; her husband, Mitch, was killed in the Civil War, and she has lost her family farm to ruinous Reconstruction taxes. With her baby son and a sister to care for, Bridget vows to make a new start out West. But when Mitch's best friend reappears in her life, he sparks a forbidden passion she thought was forever buried.