After sneaking out of town on a train, she goes to Iowa and marries. She quickly falls for the wonderful man she marries, but does he feel the same? And will she be able to escape her past?

    During the War Between the States, her family’s plantation was burned to the ground, killing both her parents and leaving her scarred, both physically and emotionally. Despite facing extreme hardship, she’s grown into a compassionate woman with a heart for helping people. She lives in a small cabin with an old ex-slave and a young boy, who was the lone survivor of a wagon train attack. The three of them have formed a make-shift family that includes a one-eyed cat and a baby fox. Their world changes the day a gunfighter full of bullet holes collapses on their land.

    Little does he know that, many years later, he will once again cross paths with Princess Sierra when she journeys to America in search of the truth behind her missing, and presumed dead, husband. Although distrustful, their attraction to each other is undeniable - and Princess Sierra is torn. All her life, she has been convinced that affairs of state take precedence over matters of the heart.But as she and High Wolf enter dangerous Crow territory, Princess Sierra finds herself willing to risk all for the chance to regain High Wolf′s love and trust.

    She grows up quickly when she witnesses the murder of her family by a gang of outlaws, and vows to make them pay for their crime. When the law won't help her, she takes matters into her own hands. Jess McLowry left his war-torn Southern home to head West, where he hired out his gun. When he learns what happened to Gabriella's family, and what she plans, he knows a young woman like her will have no chance against the outlaws, and vows to save her the way he couldn't save his own family. But the price of vengeance is high and Gabriella's willingness to sacrifice everything ultimately leads to the book's deadly and startling conclusion.This is a harsh and gritty tale of the old West, somewhat reminiscent of Charles Portis' True Grit or Nancy Turner's These is My Words. [This novel was previously published under the pseudonym JoMarie Lodge.]

    That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be.Town Marshal Morgan Avery wants nothing more than to wash away the trail-dust and sleep for a week, preferably with a soft, willing woman by his side. Instead, he gets Abigail Thornton – all one hundred pounds of her thrust at him seconds before a fist connects with his face. Breaking up the fight takes more effort than he wants to admit and when the last man falls he finds Abigail still standing and not looking the least bit contrite.Throwing her into the town jail for the night would salve his wounded pride and then he will let her go. Or that was the plan. When morning comes he finds himself oddly reluctant to do so. Miss Thornton is hiding something and he aims to find out what, even if he has to bed her to do so. But will one night in her bed be enough?

    Aware of the dangers in nursing a potential scoundrel back to health, she nevertheless takes a chance on the handsome stranger—especially when he awakens with no memory.When Jackson Montgomery comes to, he is greeted by a vision of beauty that instantly sparks the fire of passion within him. But as his memory returns, the shattering secrets hidden in his past threaten to destroy any chance he has of winning Amanda’s love. Only through feigned amnesia can Jackson capture Amanda’s heart, but can he do so before she learns the truth of his brazen charade and his dark past?

    Imagine her surprise when she found she quite liked being captured by the handsome Arapaho renegade, Standing Bear.

    But she needs a guide to lead her safely through this dangerous, unfamiliar country, someone as wild and unpredictable as the land itself. And that man is the gunslinger they call Chandos.Courtney fears this enigmatic loner whose dark secrets torture his soul, yet whose eyes, bluer than the frontier sky, enflame the innocent, determined lady with wanton desires. But on the treacherous path they have chosen they have no one to trust but each other--as shared perils to their lives and hearts unleash turbulent, unbridled, passions that only love can tame.

    But when her father dies, she discovers that she must marry if she wants to keep the land. Unwilling to wed herself to a man with dark secrets, she shuns Leo, her longtime suitor, and places an ad in the newspaper for a mail order husband. However, is a mail order husband the solution she is looking for or everything will fall apart?Jeremy Mayhew is a man looking to put his past behind him. Recently released from prison, he's content to rebuild his life from the ground up. But when the past won't leave him alone, he has no choice but to face it head on. Traveling to Texas to see the man who'd helped him once before, he's stunned to learn that Douglas Ittner is dead. Needing to buy some time, he weds Georgie under the identity of her mail order husband, but he never counted on falling in love or finding a family. Will he be able to escape his past although it is coming after him?His past is catching up, and his new identity isn't as secret as Jeremy would like. When the truth comes to light, Georgie will have to decide whether to trust her head or her heart as she gambles everything to protect the ones she loves. Will Jeremy and Georgie be able to overcome the difficulties and stay together? Are their feelings strong enough to rebuild their relationship and trust?"A Secret Buried in the Ranch" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    But when he dies at the hands of an angry mob, she flees to a monastery to escape the world and her sins.QUINNHe is betrayed by his brother and sentenced to a life in prison. Only the thirst for revenge keeps him alive. He will do anything to escape . . .TOGETHER . . .They must run for their lives to survive their pasts. And in the journey, they find truth . . . and an unlikely love in their hearts.

    Passing herself off as an innocent mail-order bride, she arrives in Wisconsin to meet her future husband--never anticipating the flames of passion that will sear her soul, and send her into the arms of another man. TEMPTED BY DESIRE Strong, steadfast John Aldman is pleased with his pretty bride-to-be, but it is his brother, Daniel, whose every glance, every gesture touches Hannah's heart with fire. Just when desire threatens to burn out of control, Hannah's deception is discovered, sparking off bitterness that may cost her Daniel's love. Now, while raging brushfires blaze through the land-as red hot and unstoppable as the passion of two lovers-Hannah knows she must confront her past...before she can claim a love destined to burn brightly forever.

    Instead, he stays and delivers a beautiful baby girl. Unable to leave the pretty young widow and her little son and newborn unprotected in the Montana wilderness, he brings them along on his family’s cattle drive, to the absolute delight of the other friendly cowboys. Luke, third son of Montana’s wealthy McCutcheon family, is different from his brothers. As the offspring of a Cheyenne warrior, he carries a chip on his shoulder for all to see. His flashing eyes and handsome face make Faith feel she’s stepped into some long-ago tale where men cherish their women--and keep them safe. If only she could trust him! Faith is on the run, and although she’s pampered and protected by Luke and his family, she just can’t risk the consequences of sharing the details of her past--one that’s hunting to take her back to the nightmare she’s just escaped. Happy-ever-afters are for fairytales, she reminds herself sternly as her heart feels the warm pull of his. Still, she can’t help but dream of a loving family, a home to call her own, a beautiful and bright…Montana Dawn

    Then a wounded convict escapes from a passing prison ship and swims ashore. He threatens her and collapses at her feet. When Lieutenant Gabriel Hampton opens his eyes, he beholds an angel. An angel, moreover, who not only nurses him back to health, but senses the nobility beneath his rugged, feral appearance. Having escaped a life sentence, the result of an unjust court martial, he finds new life, and new love, in the hands of the lightkeeper’s beautiful granddaughter. Springtime on the remote island is nearly idyllic for Livvy and Gabe until circumstances tear them apart. Although Livvy is determined to help Gabe escape his hopeless future, secrets from her childhood threaten to destroy what she and Gabe have built —secrets that tragically link her to Gabe in a way neither would ever have dreamed. Will they be able to find their way back to each other? Or will the Civil War claim another two victims?

     Overhearing a conversation between the couple who has kindly taken her in during this horrible time in her life, she realizes that if she cannot deal with her grief and start to move on, she just may find herself married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather. Understanding that fact is exactly what she needs in order to start living her life. That’s when she agrees to become a mail order bride. Simon Callaghan is a rancher in Idaho Springs, Colorado and in need of a wife to help him run it. He has taken out a classified ad to find the right woman to travel west and become his wife. Handsome, damaged, and holding painful secrets, he did not want to risk finding a woman to love. Yet, when he meets Emma, he knows that losing his heart might be something he has no control over. Could a woman like this ever grow to love a man like him? MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR MEGAN WEST: Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out my first ever published story :) I hope you enjoy the story and it fills your hearts with love and happiness! Please stay tuned for many more stories! Megan West

    Melora tried to keep her distance, but his touch was fire in her blood.  And when they became the targets of a violent ambush, Cal's first reaction was to protect her.  Then she knew she would do anything to save them both...Cal had planned his revenge with meticulous care.  First, take the girl.  Then lure Wyatt Holden to his death.  But he hadn't counted on Melora.  She was a distraction of the most dangerous kind, his enemy's woman, a woman he'd vowed to hate--a captive, who disarmed him with her beauty, igniting a flash-fire passion and a reckless disregard for fate...