Western Womens Fiction

Dawn Vasquez never takes life too seriously. But when she rescues a golden retriever named Gigi, Dawn begins to imagine what it'd be like to settle down and let someone rely on her for a change. Unfortunately, Adam Dearborn - a handsome, hopelessly buttoned-up cattle rancher in need of a guide dog - has also fallen in love with the little ball of fluff and stubbornly insists that no other animal will do.

Margaret "Peggy" Thomas and her husband, James, lead a simple and peaceful life; she tends to the farm while he works as sheriff in the nearby town of Bleak Knob. Their evenings are spent doing the thing they love most - being together. One afternoon, after picking up fabric at the general store, Margaret watches helplessly as James is gunned down on the sidewalk in front of her. Days of mourning turn into weeks and then years, filled with little more than grief and alcohol.

One minute, Rhett Lockhart is a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em bull rider with a slow, sexy smile, a swagger, and not a care in the world. The next, he learns his freewheeling days are over: A baby has been abandoned in the hospital, and there’s no question: He’s the father. But from the first moment he gazes into his daughter’s eyes, he knows the moment has come to say "no" to no strings. It’s time to grow up. Standing in his way is the baby’s foster mother, Tara Alzate, who doesn’t quite believe Rhett is ready to change his ways.

Jeri Bell lost everything when her former construction manager betrayed her—her company, her crew, and her contractor's license. She's been hired to build dog enclosures at Last Chance Ranch, and she needs the job and loves the atmosphere. But the ranch's grant funding might dry up if she can't provide her license. The cowboy living in the cabin next door, Sawyer Smith, doesn't want to go visit his family, but it's hard to find a date when he spends all his time with ranch animals. So he walks next door, a proposition in his back pocket for the beautiful brunette.

"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?

Producer Thalia Thorne's career is on the line. She's promised to lure James Robert Bradley back to the limelight, no matter what it takes. But once in Montana, she sees that J.R. has built a new life for himself - as a real-life cowboy - and Thalia finds it hard to resist the man he's become. Then a blizzard strikes. Suddenly they're alone, with only body heat to keep them warm. When the snow melts, she'll have to choose: Go back to the big city - or sacrifice everything for the man she can't let go.

When some pretty little thing shows up at my doorstep with a suitcase, claiming she rented my house for the summer, I waste no time informing her that my house isn't for rent. Some Internet jack*ss scammed her out of all her money, but that's not my problem. Only when I find her sleeping in her car a couple days later, I can't turn my back. I make her an offer: room and board in exchange for working on my ranch. She agrees, and I open my doors to a girl who sings too loud, sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, and distracts me with her tight jeans and those full lips.

Sometimes it's tough to be Lucy O'Rourke. Disasters of all sorts seem to seek out this globe-trotting photographer. Whether it's on a raft in Cataract Canyon, a crocodile attack on the Amazon, a hurricane in the Gulf Stream or even the two-legged kind (men), Lucy just can't seem to help making the wrong choice at precisely the wrong moment. This collection of eleven linked stories features the unique blending of romance and adventure that is the trademark of Pam Houston.

Suburban housewife Rebecca Long has lived the American dream for several years. When her world suddenly comes crashing down around her after the sudden death of her husband and she is left to fend for herself and her two young children, she makes a drastic change and moves her family across the country. Settling on the Texas ranch of her aunt and uncle, she accepts a job keeping the books for neighboring rancher Seth Winters, leaving behind the life she's grown accustomed to.

The present: His daughter, fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, finds herself on the trail of that same cargo when skeletal remains are found near an excavation site in the Texas desert. She’s also dealing with the aftermath of a massacre that claimed the lives of all the workers at a intelligence company on her watch. These two cases are connected by a long buried secret, one that men have killed and died to protect. Caitlin and her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters must prove themselves to be as strong as steel to overcome a bloody tide that has been rising for centuries.

Annabelle Hart thought owning the family ranch would be everything she ever dreamed of and more. The Montana wilderness has always flowed like blood through her veins, but she can’t understand why her heart feels so empty inside. Three years after leaving Montana to become a wild land firefighter, Colton Brooks still dreams about the girl he left behind at Hart Ranch. He prays for her happiness, believing she deserves someone better than him, but doubts he will ever love again.

Ryan Havens appears to be a cowboy who's down on his luck. He's angry, frustrated and looking for a fight when he meets Erica Smyth. She's a barmaid with limited skills who has two drunken brothers harassing her. Ryan comes to her rescue, but the ensuing brawl leaves him injured and her jobless. They reluctantly agree to work together and share expenses for the next few weeks. What neither of them wants the other to know is their true identity. Each plays the part of a chameleon, constantly changing as the situation demands.

The story is about a big city girl who takes a job on an Oklahoma ranch. She meets and gets temporarily stranded with loner Curt Hayden, the foreman, and a man with a past that has made him wary of love.

Sometimes even good girls need to be a little bad.... Marla Jean Bandy might be down, but she's not out. Even though her no-good ex-husband left her for another woman - a Bookmobile -driving librarian 20 years her senior - Marla Jean won't settle for another lonely night. She's not ready for Mr. Right, but why not have a little fun with Mr. Right Now? The only wrench in her plan is her childhood crush, Jake - and the memory of the one toe-curling kiss they shared on a hot summer night years ago....

Mira Walker is hoping that competing on a "living history" reality show will give her what's missing from her real life. Maybe she'll get closer to her boyfriend, who hasn't been all that nice to her lately. Get fired up about her job again. Who knows, she might even win a million dollars. Gabe Kincaid and his brother, Alec, are after that million, too, though. Mira and Scott are no threat at all, not when everybody involved is going to want to kill Scott after the first day. And there's no bond stronger than a twin's. What could possibly go wrong?

With its breathtaking terrain and welcoming people, the Western town of Caribou Crossing is the perfect place for a heart to heal and for love to blossom once more.... Since the death of her husband three years ago, young widow Sally Ryland has kept to herself and focused on her struggling business, Ryland Riding. Folks assume she's still grieving, because Sally has never shared the truth about her abusive marriage or the trust issues that remain.

In Bramble, Texas, Dusty is the law. That means no leniency for the gorgeous rebel whose highway antics almost got them both killed. The divorced lawman doesn't need another rich, pampered princess, even if Brianne has the lushest body and sweetest smile in the whole darn state. But even as Brianne proves that she lives to walk on the wild side, Dusty begins to wonder if maybe he has what it takes to tame her.

Welcome to the Lazy Windmill, where guests find that life is what you make it, love is priceless, and family is determined by far more than DNA. Casie Carmichael's accidental dude ranch is well on its way, but the residents of her Hope Springs haven are running wild. With an unwed mother-to-be, a turbulent teen romance, and a bronc-riding grandmother to contend with, the last thing Casie has time for is a romantic relationship. But convincing the recently returned Colt Dickenson that she's not interested in him - or the confusion he causes her - is easier said than done.

Recovering from a difficult divorce and having problems with her daughter, Shelby accepts a summer job cooking at a family-run dude ranch. She hopes the animals will be just what her daughter, Lizzie, needs. Little does she know that ranch life will work some healing magic on her, too.

Andie Marks, known as "Party Girl" in her college days, is now a whip-smart lawyer on the fast track to success. Determined to move on from a bad break-up, she joins her girlfriends for a wild bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas, promising to let her hair down just this once. Vegas is a blur of cocktails and blackjack, and in the middle of it all she meets Mack, a real-life cowboy with a winning hand and an irresistible body.