Western Womens Fiction

Loreli Winters never imagined she'd end up a "mail-order bride" in middle-of-nowhere Kansas - until the two adorable orphan nieces of a dusky dream named Jake Reed beg her to be their new "mama". And one look at the dark, devastatingly handsome man is enough to entice her to abandon her California plans and stay put for a while in this one-horse frontier town.

Meg McKettrick longs for a baby - husband optional. Perfect father material is gorgeous Brad O’Ballivan, old flame and new owner of his family’s ranch in Stone Creek. But Meg - as strong, proud, and stubborn as her ancestors on Indian Rock’s Triple M ranch - wants to do things her way...the McKettrick way. And Brad feels just as strongly about the O’Ballivan way....

Lily: To escape my uncle - one of New York's most dangerous mob bosses - I had to create a whole new life. I became an expert forger, fled to Texas, and never let anyone get close to me again. I didn't figure on having my life saved by a huge, muscled cowboy. He's arrogant, he's stubborn, and he's the local stud, so why is he interested in a curvy girl like me? And if he annoys me so much, why can't I stop fantasizing about him?

Flower child, vegetarian, and humanitarian Harlow Pratt and gruff cattle ranch foreman Hugh Pritchett have been taunting each other for years. Hugh thinks she's nothing but a spoiled rich girl, and he's had enough of that life with his ex-wife. Harlow thinks Hugh is an ill-mannered troublemaker who wouldn't know fun if it bit him on his tight, denim-clad butt. When Harlow and Hugh are forced together at the Split Rock Ranch and Resort, everything changes.

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.

Cattleman Bran Turner is left shorthanded during busy calving season when a bull tramples his hired hand. Rural Wyoming isn't exactly a hotbed of qualified candidates, and the only applicant for the position is the pampered town beauty, Harper Masterson. The curvy cowgirl gets under Bran's skin at every turn, but with no other options, he reluctantly hires her.

After spending years traveling the world with the military, Rose O'Malley is ready for a change. Heading back to Texas to hold down the fort at her aunt's bed-and-breakfast will give Rose just the break she needs. But while she may speak seven languages, she can't repair a leaky sink to save her life. When Hudson Baker strides in like a hero and effortlessly figures out the fix, Rose can't help wondering if the boy she once crushed on as a kid could now be her saving grace. Hud has always been rock-solid and dependable - a quintessential cowboy to his core.

Jennifer Jane (JJ) Watson spent 10 years in a maximum-security prison. The last thing she expected was to get an early release along with a job on a remote Canadian cattle ranch caring for three of the sexiest cowboys she's ever met! Rafe, Brady, and Dan thought they were getting a couple of male ex-cons to help out around their secluded ranch, but instead they get an attractive and very appealing female.

Mari Tucker is a wildlife biologist who scoops bunnies and endangered tortoises out of harm's way on construction sites. Still haunted by her past, she takes the most remote jobs in the Mojave Desert to avoid people and hide from her ex. It's a simple, quiet life filled with sweet animals and solar-powered baking until she ends up assigned to Jack Wyatt's crew.

If gossip is the lifeblood of a small town, then Lizzy Logan has been its beating heart. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, she could have decided to crawl under a rock. But no, she'd rather really set tongues wagging by "moving on" with one of the hottest cowboys in Texas, who happens to live next door at the Lucky Penny Ranch. Those busybodies don't have to know it's actually all pretend. And just because Lizzy has no aim to tame her wild, blue-eyed neighbor doesn't mean she can't enjoy the ride of her life.

Colt Stafford's winner-take-all personality clashed with his father's similar temperament and led Colt to pursue his own success far from the Double S ranch. The opportunity came in private equities once he earned his way to a desk on Wall Street. But timing is everything and Colt's financial demise coincided with his father's illness. God's perfect timing doesn't always seem all that perfect, but Colt needed a job, the Double S needed Colt, and Sam sent his prodigal son a ticket, and Colt came home.

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.

With her ex-husband, Ted, working nearby in an adjoining county, Kate Fox is eager to prove she’s the better sheriff. But when the less-than-popular ex-foreman of a local ranch is found dead, Kate gets the opportunity she’s been looking for. As it turns out, the case hits a little too close to home. The dead man’s body is discovered in a truck that belongs to Kate’s brother Jeremy - and he's missing. Evidence left at the crime scene leads Ted to suspect the ranch’s new foreman, but Kate isn’t convinced he’s responsible for the crime.

Now that his best friend, Josh, has happily settled down with his true love on a Montana ranch, small-town lawyer Ty Sullivan starts thinking that maybe single life isn't all it's cracked up to be. And when Lauren Cunningham's no-good ex-husband comes after her for an unexpected trust fund, Ty steps in to protect her. But soon he can't help but think of her as more than a client.

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.

Scarlett Parish is a recovery agent, and she and her partner, Walter Hillam, travel all along California’s vast, unpredictable landscape as they search for, capture, and bring to justice wrongdoers. This story begins with just such an occurrence: Scarlett and Walter, after tracking a thief all the way from Sacramento to San Diego, are eventually able to apprehend the man and bring him to the local sheriff to retrieve their reward.

Not so long ago, Reese Lockhart was commanding a company of marines. Now his life is spiraling out of control. The Bar C ranch outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming, may be his last chance to save himself. Shaylene Crawford, an Afghanistan veteran herself, knows all too well the demons of PTSD - that's why she's determined to turn her family's cattle ranch into a place where wounded warriors can work, find a home, and rebuild their souls.

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.

In the desolate and dangerous expanse of the American frontier, Silver Canyon stands as a beacon of civilization, albeit a fragile one. Here, the rules are different: women hold the power, men are forced into subservient roles, and survival is a daily battle. Justine, a skilled and enigmatic gunslinger, arrives in town just as it is plunged into chaos by the merciless Wildfire gang. Led by the ruthless Lena, the gang leaves devastation in their wake, threatening to tear apart the fragile peace of the valley.