With gossip running wild, only a marriage of convenience can protect little Gracie and their reputations until her real family is found. Heather O'Connor is content to be the spinster schoolmarm of Valentine, Montana…until Gracie's arrival stirs her heart. She can't keep the adorable child without Sterling's help, though she promises not to interfere with his life. But staying aloof from her handsome husband isn't easy with a tiny matchmaker in tow. A mistake brought them together, but love might just make them a family by Christmas…

    Ten years later as a housemaid in London, she encounters Samuel Blackstone. The kind youth she adored has turned bitter with success. Feeling out of place in Sam's high-society world, Rose fears what he may do when he learns of their son....A wealthy stockbroker, Sam is used to getting what he wants. And when he learns that Rose bore him a son, he wants to claim his family. But he'll have to convince Rose to trust him again if he's to have any hope of meeting the boy... or recapturing her heart.

    But she's "going" to make that house into a true home--a home where she and her baby will be safe and happy...and where women in need can find refuge. And if that means trusting stranger Jacob Smith to help with the repairs, then so be it.Jacob came to town with a handful of old postcards and one goal in mind--to find the mother who'd abandoned him years before. He never planned to stay...and he certainly never planned to care for Callie. Yet as they rebuild the house together, Jacob and Callie also build the "family" they've always wanted.

    But when she arrives in Sweetgum, Texas, she gets the shock of her life. Her husband is dead, and his brother proposes she marry him, for the sake of his orphaned nephew and nieces. Jack Tyler warns her not to hope for a love match--theirs is strictly a convenient marriage. But Callie yearns for a true partnership with the man who has unexpectedly captured her heart. Now she must convince him what he truly needs is a lifetime of love, faith and family--with Callie by his side.

    If only she could out run the lingering nightmares.Charles Bailey, camp foreman and Stony Creek's itinerant pastor, develops a reputation to match his new nickname — Preach. However, an inner battle ensues when the details of his rough history threaten to overcome the beliefs of his young faith.Amid the hazards of camp life, the unlikely friendship growing between the two surprises Isabelle. She's drawn to Preach's brute strength and gentle nature as he leads the ragtag crew toiling for Pollitt's Lumber. But when the ghosts from her past return to haunt her, the choices she will make change the course of her life forever—and that of the man she's come to love.

    Now Joshua Blue is a guilt-stricken man scouring the West to find the sister he drove away with his pride. When the trail leads him to Denver, a beautiful boardinghouse owner might be the key to unlocking past secrets....By sheer determination, Adelaide Clark has raised her young son alone. When Joshua arrives at her door, Adie fears he'll tear her family apart. As she gets to know the charming preacher, however, she sees he's come to make amends for past wrongs. Soon his strong faith sparks Adie's long-buried hope for a future with a God-sent partner at her side....

    And when Edward Stone—her landlord and the town blacksmith—bursts into her private rooms to rescue her, Lily's reputation is tarnished. So Edward proposes a solution that could save her good name—even as it puts her independence at risk. With an orphaned niece who needs a mother, Edward believes a marriage of convenience is the answer to his and Lily's problems. But he didn't plan on developing feelings for his new wife. And now he can't quell his urge to protect impulsive, kindhearted Lily. Perhaps it's time for the wary blacksmith to try forging something truly precious—a real family…

    The king sees it as a way to keep Ediva, her lands and her tenants subdued. But Ediva's embittered heart, still healing from the abuse of her first husband, will not yield so easily.Marriage never held any appeal for Adrien de Ries. Yet it is his king's will, and perhaps his Lord's, too—though he finds his faith tested daily by Ediva's staunch refusal to trust him. As a knight, Adrien survived many battles, but the fight to win Ediva's heart may be his most challenging—and rewarding.

    Her only piece of good fortune is a job offer from wounded major Edmond Grenville, whose mother requires a companion. The Dowager Lady Drayton is controlling and unwelcoming, but Anna can enjoy Edmond's company, even if she knows the aristocratic war hero could never return her love. Even amid the glittering ballrooms of London, nothing glows brighter for Edmond than Anna's gentle courage. Loving her means going against his family's rigid command. Yet how can he walk away, when his heart may have found its true companion?

    When their pursuit leads them to Mira's village, only her father's bond servant, Ari, a man shrouded in secrets, can keep Mira safe.Abandoning his life as a temple guard and becoming an indentured servant was the only way Ari could protect young Joash, the true King of Judah, from Queen Athaliah. But his sacred duty prevents him from confessing his feelings for his master's daughter. With the future of their nation on the line, Ari and Mira will risk everything to save their people.

    So when his fiancée's sister, Audrey Prescott, steps off the train in Whisper Creek offering to be his bride, he's in no position to refuse. But it's hardly the marriage he had in mind. Audrey knows she shouldn't have answered Blake's letters in her sister's name…but she couldn't bring herself to tell him of his fiancée's betrayal. Now the only way to fix things is through a temporary marriage. But as she comes to love her new life in the West, Audrey dreads the day Blake finds another solution to their situation. Because what started as a marriage of convenience has become so much more for her…

    She begins piecing a sunshine and shadows quilt because it mirrors her life. She has a secret that lurks in the shadows and hopes it doesn’t come out into the light. Dark places in her past are best forgotten, but her new life is full of sunshine. Will her secrets cast shadows on her bright future? Widower Edric Hammond and his father are doing their best to raise his two young daughters. He meets Lily and her son when they arrive in town and helps her find a job and a place to live. Lily resists Edric’s charms at first, but finds herself falling in love with this kind, gentle man and his two darling daughters. Lily has stolen his heart with her first warm smile, but he’s cautious about bringing another woman into his girls’ lives due to the harshness of their own mother. Can Edric forgive Lily her past to take hold of a promising chance at love?

    But Gracelyn Riley knowsthat this is her opportunity to become a real reporter. If shecan make her name through an interview with the elusive heroknown as Striker, then she’ll never have to depend on anyoneever again.Rancher Trevor Cruz can’t believe his secret identity is beingendangered by an overly chatty city girl. But if there’s one thinghe knows, it’s that Gracie’s pretty little snooping nose is boundto get her in trouble. So he’ll use her determination to find“Striker” to keep an eye on her…and stick close by her side.

    But on a perilous journey through the Smoky Mountains, he becomes her unlikely protector. And when he pledges to return her home safely, she somehow finds herself believing him.Evan Harrison has risked everything to find the men who killed his brother. Saving spirited, strong-willed Juliana could blow his cover with a deadly gang. Yet her courage and unwavering faith make him dream of the home and family he thought he could never have. And suddenly, that future is incomplete—without Juliana in it.

    Only by selling political information can she pay for her sister's care. And the letter she found in Julian DeChambelle's coat could be valuable—if the ex-sea captain himself had not just walked in.As a navy officer, Julian knew his purpose. As a new earl, he's plagued by trivialities and marriage-obsessed females. Miss Vance's independence is intriguing—and useful. In return for relaying false information, he will pay her handsomely. But trusting her, even caring for her? That would be pure folly. Yet when he sees the danger that surrounds her, it may be too late to stop himself….