To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cook-stove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page.

     Learning he’s the biological son of the wealthy rancher he’s grown up hating, Reese Cooper’s entire world comes crumbling down around him. To add salt to the wound the woman who has haunted his dreams, Avery Templeton, the rancher’s lawyer, delivers the disturbing news. Avery has returned to Wild Creek, to the Circle Starr Ranch, under difficult circumstances. Her law firm has put her on leave pending an investigation. All she wants to do is lick her wounds and wait it out. When Chuck Starr, the man who is like a second father, puts her in the middle of a family crisis, she has no choice but to get involved. Problem is, the cowboy she finds herself getting involved with is Reese Cooper, Chuck Starr’s greatest enemy . . . and only child. “Leo writes wonderful, relatable characters in small-town settings with stories that are fun and entertaining to read . . . laugh-out-loud funny moments.” —RT Book Reviews What Amazon readers say about Mary Leo's books: ★★★★★ "Heartwarming and entertaining and romantic!!" ★★★★★ "A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY. YOU CAN'T LAY IT DOWN!" ★★★★★ "Such a great read. The storyline just flowed perfectly." ★★★★★ "Mary Leo brings you wonder when you read her books." ★★★★★ "I love the way this woman writes western romance, and I'm so glad I got to read this story!" ★★★★★ "Mary Leo is a fantastic author and each book leaves you happy, yet wanting even more!" ★★★★★ "Love this author's books. I think you will too. Would read again."

    If you love small town western romances you'll love these stories of hope and second chances. COLORADO COWBOY CHRISTMAS Cynthia Welch has made a name for herself as one of Chicago’s top divorce attorneys at the expense of her personal life. Burnt out, she heads to Peaktop Guest Ranch for a couple of months of solitude over the holidays. AJ Coulter, a cowboy from Wyoming, has been a loner and a drifter ever since his divorce and his teenage daughters leaving for college. He finds a temporary job at Peaktop Ranch as the head wrangler. When their paths cross, Cynthia begins to question her life in Chicago, and AJ struggles to find a way to keep her in Colorado. Can the spirit of Christmas bring these two people from very different worlds together and help them find their way to true love? COLORADO GOLDEN SUNRISE Forty-three year old, Kelly Charm, feels her life slipping away in Prairie, Nebraska. A single mom, she longs for a better life for herself and her teenage son, Ethan. Having scoured online job ads for months, she finally finds an ad for a hardware store manager in picturesque Peakview, Colorado and decides to take a chance. Forty-six year old, Jake Midnight, is Peakview County’s most beloved EMT. He’s the best at what he does—professionally, that is. After a failed marriage, which ended over twenty years ago, he’s put his personal life on hold. He’s content to live alone. That is if you don’t count his three horses, two dogs, five cats, and two pigmy goats. When the unfamiliar high altitude of the Colorado Rockies causes Ethan to have an asthma attack, Jake is quick to jump to the conclusion that Kelly is an irresponsible parent. Kelly is furious at the arrogance of this man who know nothing about her or her son. Sparks fly, but there’s no denying the underlying attraction that sizzles between them. The warmth of the holiday season has been known to melt hearts, even one’s which have been closed for years. A PEAKVIEW CHRISTMAS Only five days until Christmas, and FAITH OWENS has had enough. Not willing to spend one more holiday with her abusive, alcoholic husband, she loads her two young daughters, Gracie and Hope, in her car and leaves her life in Scorpion, New Mexico behind. Newly divorced, ZANE WILDER, faces his first Christmas without his son, Ace. He can’t wait for the holiday to be over. To escape sitting home sulking, he travels from Montana to Colorado to spend the week training his young horse, Storm Cloud. When their paths collide at Hearts Haven Bed and Breakfast near scenic Peakview, Colorado, they find more than a place to rest. Two lonely, cautious hearts are brought together by the magic of Christmas, with a little help from Violet Crandall or maybe Santa himself. Will their budding romance continue when the holiday ends? Can two broken families find the missing pieces that lead to happiness? This Christmas, come home to Peakview, Colorado where everyone has a chance at love.

    After a messy divorce, she devotes herself to caring for her five-year-old son and running Silverstone Ranch. She may not be happy, but she can be content—if her eccentric father will only give his passion projects a rest.The latest involves hosting Cade Cooper, a drop-dead-gorgeous movie star, for an “all-inclusive” learning experience. With the upcoming rodeo, Marguerite doesn’t have time to placate an entitled snooty celebrity who insists on getting in her way. It’s as if Cade wants to annoy her.Cade prides himself on researching every role he lands, right down to the boots. His visit to Silverstone Ranch starts out like every other research trip… until he meets Marguerite. Intelligent, beautiful, and in charge, Marguerite’s nothing like the superficial women he spends time with in L.A. And her little boy is too adorable to resist.She won’t trust any man again, let alone a method actor. He’s determined to convince her of his sincerity. Then circumstances force him to break the one promise he made her—and she may never be able to forgive him.

    Letting go of society’s idea of the perfect life, she’s purchased a five-acre property in the small rural town of Willows. She’s determined to live a solitary life and become a writer. And that means staying away from men altogether. Tom Murray owns and runs the local feed store in Willows. His marriage was a failure but his family is strong, and he can’t imagine a world that didn’t include his three young children. He’s an uncomplicated man, living an uncomplicated life—and he has every intention of keeping it that way. Both are mature … both have baggage … and both have agendas that don’t include romance. And then they meet. Author Biography: S M Spencer grew up reading the romantic suspense works of incredible authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart. Their books stirred in her a passion that would last a lifetime—to write stories that would stay with readers long after they’d finished the books. Although S M Spencer grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area she now lives in Australia and writes clean romance, mystery and fantasy books from the home that she shares with her husband, horses, cats and dogs.

    Held captive by regret, 23 year-old trauma RN, Tori Sales, has seen the reality of many nightmares. But there is one nightmare she will never wake from—her last memory of Anna. Her efforts to save the little girl were not enough; she was not enough. After a year of living alone, Tori is forced to return home—a place where heartache, loss, and broken relationships lurk around every corner. Isolation is her only solace; running is her only escape. But she cannot outrun the truth forever. When a handsome, compassionate stranger enters her world, Tori is inspired to deal with her past and focus on the future—one she never believed possible. But before her quest for closure is complete, a new revelation surfaces, tainting her world yet again. Will she accept the recovery she so desperately needs? Or will she choose the escape she knows best...

    She's just arrived in the tiny town of Daily, Texas, to arrange a surprise "reunion concert" for hometown finalist Amber Amberson. Only it turns out everyone in town seems to know the secret. And paparazzi are arriving. And word from Hollywood is that Amber has disappeared with a "bad boy" actor. Can anything go right in this tumbleweed town?Imagene Doll loves her town of Daily, Texas, but things are lonelier without her beloved husband. Life seems dull. At least until that fancy-dressed woman pulls into town, looking terrified and glamorous all at once. Soon life's not the least bit boring as Imagene--and the rest of Daily--find themselves at the center of a media maelstrom...with a young girl's future on the line.

    Conceived in a violent, drug-induced rampage, Pipa is being hunted by the man responsible. He wants her dead, and no matter how far Kelsey and Pipa run, the brewing storm is never far behind.Protection lies in Kelsey’s hometown of White Wattle Creek in the form of Ethan, the man who’d always been her safe place. The one she loved. And the one who broke her heart. But she not only has Ethan to face when she returns. The emotional abuse of her past and the truth surrounding Pipa’s existence both rain down on her from the clouds gathering overhead.When Kelsey finally opens her heart to Ethan, her nightmares tip over into reality, and with Pipa’s future hanging in the balance, Kelsey must find the strength within to fight for their right to happiness … before the storm breaks.

    It’s the perfect place to run away to after her heart was broken.The first night while she’s down at the road to lock the gate, a hunky guy on horseback steps out of the woods, but Maggie doesn’t recognize him. Turns out they were childhood playmates long ago during winter visits to her grandparents’ cottage. Justin Chastain, local vet and wild horse advocate, heard through the grapevine that Maggie had returned to Cypress Cove and wanted to see her for himself. But he didn’t know that she was hiding from a failed marriage, leaving her with a big chip on her shoulder. It remains to be seen if she can ever trust again. The chemistry Maggie senses fluctuates between lukewarm and molten, but for Justin, it’s constant and he’s falling in love, hard. Then he unintentionally commits a blunder that Maggie will struggle to forgive, and they have to start all over again. Is there another chance at love for Maggie Angel?

    This sweet, Southern romance doesn’t disappoint.” – Liz Talley Robin Lancaster, a twenty-six-year-old former kindergarten teacher, has her summer and her life all figured out. She’s ready to be on her own, writing and illustrating her children’s stories at her family’s beloved lake house. Once there, she intends to rekindle a romance with Caleb Jackson, the area’s top hunting and fishing guide, and bag him for herself.Complications arise from the start when Robin finds out her mother has rented the lake house to a man they know nothing about. Matthew McLaughlin, forty-year-old widowed university professor and author from California, shows up at Pine Lake in crisis. A sabbatical might be his only hope to save much more than his career. He needs a place of refuge. Sharing the lake house with a lighthearted young woman and her dog is the last thing on his mind. Caleb Jackson has his own plans. He’s used to things going his way, but a man staying in Robin’s house presents unforeseen challenges. When paths unavoidably entangle for these three, hearts are on the line.

    Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor--until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play?

    Big secrets. Welcome to Sweet Ridge, TexasWhen the Cooper brothers hear what their father left them in his will, they’re surprised to find that the things closest to their hearts were given to three random women. Gavin Cooper had his heart set on owning the house the family had grown up in, and when his old high school rival inherits it, he’s devastated. But she can’t sell the house for one year, and that’s plenty of time for him to find a way to get it back.When Macy Young said goodbye to Sweet Ridge and left to pursue fame and fortune, she never thought she’d return. After losing her best friend, Macy went on a downward spiral of pain and shame. Living in the inherited house where she’d spent many happy hours might just soothe her weary soul.Macy and Gavin will have to find a way to forgive themselves and each other if they’re ever going to be happy. Can this country star and veterinarian forget their pasts and start a life together?

    Two dead deep-water divers. One single clue.Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey, Alaska, again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a town that doesn't forget. She's returned only to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash, but then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.Cole McKenna can face dangerous rescue dives. He can face the fear a murderer may be threatening his town. But facing the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart...but doesn't seem to be the same girl who left Yancey ten years ago. And he's not the same guy she left behind. Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Bailey and Cole must move beyond the hurts of their pasts to work together until the truth of what is hidden in the depths finally surfaces.

    Magnolia Parker loves botany, but became a professor mostly to make her parents happy. When she’s passed up for tenure, Maggie decides it’s time to make a change. Escaping the city, she finds herself in the idyllic town of Plumb Creek staring at a For Sale sign in a flower shop that shares her name. It must be destiny. Maggie goes all in. Being a florist should be easy for a professor of botany. Right? Boy, is she wrong. Before she even opens shop, she’s angered half the town. After her first customer leaves in a huff, she realizes a botany degree isn’t going to cut it. Enter Grant Sommers, hot local entrepreneur who has the town in his back pocket. He’s willing to help turn the shop around, if Maggie will listen. As much as she wants this to work, she fears she’ll never be able to loosen the town’s tight-knit roots enough to be accepted.It’s time for Maggie to pick her own path, even if it means disappointing everyone else.

    After starting a new business with her two friends, she is determined to make it a success.That is until…she gets a client with parents who threaten to ruin everything with their constant bickering. And then there is the brother of the bride. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, and completely smitten with Brooklyn. Except, he’s determined not to marry. Ever.Jarrett Jeffries is a multi-million-dollar software developer who will do anything for his baby sister, including paying for her wedding. When he meets her wedding planner, he knows he has to keep her at arm’s distance, but that seems almost impossible when sparks fly and he can’t get her off his mind.After a lifetime of dealing with contentious parents, Jarrett believes it’s better to play it safe and stay away from the institution of marriage.But sometimes, life throws a curveball and one has to reevaluate everything they ever believed about love.*This is a contemporary Christian story with strong Biblical themes and Bible references.