Rose couldn’t wait to meet her husband, only she didn’t realize that he had never wanted a wife. Tired of playing servant to her father, Rose Johnson decides to become a bride. She had been corresponding with William Dunn for the past six months and couldn’t wait to join him in Hope Creek to become his wife and mother to his twins. When she steps off the train in the strange frontier town, Rose realizes William Dunn isn’t who he proclaimed himself to be. Arriving on William’s ranch, Rose realizes the lies have been far flung.  In a hopeless situation, the only light in Rose’s life is the twins. She soon falls in love with them, knowing that she couldn’t leave no matter what the circumstances. When she happens upon an injured man late one winter’s night, her instinct is to cry out for help. But something in the stranger’s eyes settled her and she takes to caring for him in his time of need instead. Only a week before Christmas, Rose doesn’t have the heart to turn him out in the cold. Besides, time with him warms her heart. Who is the stranger in the barn? Which way will Rose turn? Does she follow her heart? Can she leave the children she has grown to love? Will Christmas become a magical moment for Rose?

    Now she has returned, a strong, independent, and compassionate woman, and she’s brought with her a flock of unwanted and orphaned children she’s collected the way other women gather flowers by the roadside to raise as her own on her remote farm.Joe Condie is intrigued by this tough, independent woman and her boys and, after numerous rejections, finally wins Faith’s resistant heart. But with Joe's marriage proposal, Faith feels vulnerable all over again. Faith has forgiven and healed from the terrible wounds of her past, and she wants to be Joe's wife, but not until she can trust him with her darkest secret.When Faith gets up the courage to reveal what happened in her past and that the man who caused her troubles is still freely walking around Mustang, Joe must find it in himself to forgive and let go of his anger before it drives a wedge between him and the love he’s fought so hard to win.

     Chuck Nielson hung up his six shooter and retired from the Texas Rangers ten years ago, at one time the fastest draw west of the Mississippi. He loves two things, his wife and his ranch. Now the Sunset Kid is in town. He’s killed seven men—all seven died with the sun in their eyes. Chuck is number eight and the Kid has sent word for him to be in the town street at sunset. If Chuck meets the Kid, he risks everything; if he stays home he loses his self-respect, and the Kid goes on killing. This is a short story by Donald L. Robertson, the author of Logan’s Word: A Logan Family Western - Book 1.

    Having worked both as a U.S. marshal and a bounty hunter he ruthlessly pursues villains who plague the West. The son of a clergyman, Cully has strayed from the faith but not from righteousness.As committed as Cully is to law and justice, shrewd and ruthless outlaw “Smiley” James lives a life of crime. With his hardened gang of killers he has created a horrific mail-order bride scam. Young women are lured from the East to become brides for ranchers or businessmen in the West. When they arrive they are taken captive and forced to work in a profession that has nothing to do with wedding rings.James fancies himself as a rich businessman and is more than willing to kill anyone and everyone who gets in his way. Cully is hired to find a young mail-order bride from Philadelphia who has gone missing. The evidence leads to Smiley and his gang. Cully is outnumbered and out-gunned. This is not the first time he has faced long odds, and it may be the most dangerous and bloodiest hunt of his career.Note: Each book in the Cully the Bounty Hunter series is a standalone story that can be read out of order.

    That's what the locals are saying about Llandegwen, deep in the Welsh valleys. The village choir, once a source of pride for the small mining community, has been forced to disband; the elderly choirmaster heartbroken by the empty seats belonging to those who'll never return from the battlefields. The arrival of a young war widow from the East End with her little boy sets tongues wagging, not least when rumours abound that she's looking to revive the choir. Can the community set aside their grief and lift their voices, and the village's hopes, once more?

    

    Johnstone, Best-selling western author, John Spiars has created a timeless hero of the old west. The first novel in the Heck Carson Series, Riders of the Lone Star brings the wild and lawless Texas frontier to life. When the Law ain’t enough… He brings Justice. The year is 1852. Settlers on the Texas frontier are at the mercy of hostile Comanche and vicious outlaws, and the only ones holding the line between life and death are a few brave men, known as Texas Rangers. Outnumbered and outgunned, they bring law and order to the untamed land. They face impossible odds with nothing more than grit, determination, and a fast gun. It is this adventure and excitement that lures sixteen-year-old Jesse “Heck” Carson to leave his families ranch to join the fight. Heck quickly learns that this life comes at a price, the cost of which is hardship, danger, and possibly his own life. The bonds of friendship, loyalty, and duty lead him into epic battles that test his courage and resolve, and along the way he learns what it means to wear the star of the Texas Rangers. Excerpts: As fast as he could, he pulled the hammer back and fired, the first Comanche jerked once and hit the ground. The other warrior was no more than two feet away now. Heck wondered if he had another bullet left. Had he fired five or six shots? He couldn’t remember. Saying a silent prayer, Heck pulled the hammer back and looked at his approaching enemy. The point of the warrior’s lance was inches away from his chest when heck pulled the trigger. The barrel of the Walker was almost touching the chest of the charging Indian. Heck heard no sound, but saw the smoke pour out of the barrel and the big warrior dropped to his knees, and fell on top of the young Ranger. Lieutenant Sutter and Corporal Anderson approached the men on horseback, ready to do what had to be done. Looking at the group of riders, however, Sutter immediately recognized he had made a terrible mistake. These men were not military, not even by Southern standards. They were unkempt, filthy, and armed to the teeth. His heart sank as he noticed that most of the detachment were Mexican and their guns were not in their holsters. “What is going on here?” he said, unable to believe what he was seeing. The lead rider smiled and said, “This was even easier than Senor Cortina said it would be. Thank you.” Without saying another word, the man raised his pistol and fired two quick shots, hitting both Lieutenant Sutter and Corporal Anderson between the eyes. The man wheeled around with his rifle as Heck landed on his back, but it was a fruitless gesture. There was a look of pained surprise on the man’s face as Heck covered his mouth and pulled him to the floor. Heck plunged his knife into the man’s chest several times, as he kept his hand over the man’s mouth. After several seconds his muffled cries were silent. John Spiars is the author of the Heck Carson Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". His hope is to keep alive the western genre for this generation and all of those to come, while both entertaining and educating readers of all ages. He is a native Texan and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels, he maintains a blog and Facebook page about Texas history and travel entitled Under the Lone Star.

    Recent unexpected gunplay has whittled his detective agency down to a single operative: a man named John Henry Cole. Cole is the only man left when a new assignment comes in from a former lover of Kelly’s, a woman operating an escort service in the new mining camp of Deadwood in Dakota Territory. Three of the young women working for her have been murdered, and someone is trying to cover up their deaths.It’s a dangerous job, and Cole is advised that he must take every precaution—as if he needed such advice. The legendary Wild Bill Hickok was recently murdered at Deadwood, and Calamity Jane Canary and Doc Holliday are among Cole’s potential suspects. Add that to a corrupt constable and a bounty hunter who just happens to be an old enemy of Cole’s, and it’s clear there are many who will not welcome his arrival in Deadwood. Cole is a lonely man in a lonely profession, and finding a murderer in the wild mining camp could be less of a challenge than simply staying alive.Using real-life characters and settings from one of the most notorious times in the history of the Wild West, veteran author Bill Brooks spins another edge-of-your-seat thriller.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns—books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians—are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

    Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian), Clarence E. Mulford (creator of Hopalong Cassidy), and many more.The western tales are:“A Texan Rides the Trouble Trail,” by Johnston McCulley “Sixguns to Bowie,” by Robert J. Hogan “The Drive,” by Clarence E. Mulford “Thieves of Black Rock Desert,” by Bill Anson “Long Sam Jumps the Devil,” by Lee Bond “Gun-Whipped!,” by Carmony Gove “Easy Money,” by Ben Frank “The Trail Trap,” by T. W. Ford "Ride Proud, Rebel!" by Andre Norton “Long Sam Collects,” by Lee Bond “Mitigating Circumstances,” by Lon Williams “Night of the Thirteenth,” by J. Allan Dunn “A Lonely Ride,” by Bret Harte “Trumpets West!” by Luke Short “Pay Out West," by Thomas Thursday The Virginian, by Owen Wister “The Spirit of the Range,” by B. M. Bower “Mountain Man,” by Robert E. Howard “Guns of the Mountains,” by Robert E. Howard “Don’t Frame a Red Head,” by Clarence E. Mulford “Ranger Out of Bounds,” by Johnston McCulley “Ranger Style,” by J. Allan Dunn “Plumb Amusing,” by Jackson Cole “Long Sam’s Singing Six-Guns,” by Lee BondAnd don't forget to search this ebook store for "Megapack" to see other volumes in this series, from westerns to science fiction to ghost stories to mysteries...and many more!

    So Sassy is devastated when her father marries wealthy widow Elizabeth Bonner. Social climber Elizabeth despairs of a step-daughter who is more at ease with servants than those above stairs, and is jealous of Sassy's growing beauty which threatens to outshine her own daughter. Unwelcome and out of place in this unfamiliar world, Sassy often escapes to her old home on Tuttle Hill and the company of her childhood friends, brothers Thomas and Jack Mallabone. But the trio's bond is threatened by the consequences of her blind adoration for wayward Thomas, much to the dismay of Jack, who has long worshipped Sassy in secret...

    Four fiercely independent cowboys must learn to trust if they hope to find love. FIRE AND RAIN Luke MacKenzie was haunted by the Rocking M’s legacy of grinding women into dust. He has vowed never to marry—the bitter legacy of the Rocking M will end with him--until Carla arrives. His best friend's little sister has grown up. Now Luke must choose between Carla and the ranch that is part of his soul. OUTLAW Tennessee Blackthorn is ramrod for the Rocking M, a remote western ranch where Anasazi ruins have recently been discovered. His new job is to protect the ruins and the delectable blond archaeologist who wants nothing to do with him. GRANITE MAN Cash McQueen had learned the hard way not to trust a woman. When he met Mariah MacKenzie, he thought she was like nearly all the women he had known, looking for a man to take care of every little thing for her. Mariah had come to the Rocking M looking for the brother she adored. Instead, she found Cash. Together they look for Mad Jack's lost gold mine and find instead a blazing passion. But will passion be enough to convince a hard-rock miner like Cash to trust her, to return her love? WARRIOR Nevada Blackthorn has spent too many years in too many war zones. He no longer believes in anything except his family. Then he meets Eden. He fights their mutual attraction as savagely as a wolf in a trap. She knows there is no guarantee that her love will be returned, yet still she loves.

    She was not supposed to slide down drainpipes, play baseball in Central Park, or, worst of all, want to teach. Teaching was for impoverished young relatives, not for the heiress of the Brightingham fortune. When her father suddenly dies, leaving her wicked Uncle Edward as her trustee, she must resist his attempt to force her into a marriage that would bring her misery, no matter what the cost. She decides to leave the world behind. Julietta trades her fashionable dresses and dainty dancing shoes for serviceable travel clothes and sturdy boots. Dying her blond hair brown and donning her glasses, she travels incognito across the country to Grey Eagle, Montana, as Julie Bright, planning to take the position of school teacher, to begin a new life. But the handsome and dedicated young Sheriff, Jack White, takes one look at her and wants to send her packing. She is not what he expected as a teacher for his fledgling town. He knows trouble when he sees it. But for some reason, no matter what his instincts, he cannot make her leave. When the past finally catches up with her, he knows he'd move heaven and earth to keep her safe, and make her stay.

    These stories are meant to be read after the rest of the Quartet. Christmas Wishes: Molly struggles with her toddler's feelings towards his new baby brother and her sister's decision to leave for St. Louis. Meanwhile, she's determined to create the perfect Christmas for all of them... but can Mothers really do everything?[Note: this story has appeared in publication in the Christmas Caring Anthology of 2015]Spring Fever: Wendy aches to become a mother, but their efforts have ended in heartbreak so far. Is there anything Nate can say to convince her that it isn't either of their faults, so that he can enjoy the spring with his wife?Summer Lovin': Tess knows she still has a month to go in this pregnancy, so when the contractions start, she doesn't want to alarm her precious family. But with Cam's love and support, she'll learn that to appreciate God's blessings she needs to first go through Hell. ***************************Heat Level: 0 out of 5 References to infertility and childbirth

    Deciding to learn more about her patriarchal roots and to see what was bequeathed to her, she and her fiancé journey to Sagebrush, Texas.Sheriff Cord Randolph's quest is catch the Martin gang who killed his best friend. He feels euphoric when he arrests a gang member Grace Thomas, as he feels he is finally on his way to achieving his life ambition. However, his gorgeous prisoner insists her name is Autumn not Grace. Cord and Autumn soon conclude that not only did she not know her father was alive all these years, but that she has a twin sister. As Cord and Autumn fall in love, she does everything she knows to keep her sibling out of jail while he attempts to ignore his heart so he can lock the outlaw sibling up.

    How can she fulfill this desire for a husband except to ask for the new matchmaker’s help? When her life is threatened, she learns the depth of the baker’s feelings for her.William Sandoval is a successful baker who could provide well for a wife, but protocol prevents him from fraternizing with the only females he encounters, his customers. Learning that Marianne Gordon is willing to help the local business owners with matchmaking gives him hope for finding a wife. To his surprise, the match Marianne identifies for him has been the very customer who had stirred his heart all along.Will these two find a way to get what they both want? Can love overpower doubts and confusion?