Since then, guilt and regret have made him impervious to love. But when he rescues a family of would-be homesteaders attacked by the notorious Deckom gang, one of the sisters shines a light on his cold, locked-down heart.The last thing Brady deserves is happiness, and he fights his unwelcome feelings for Belle. Which is fine with her, since she'll never let herself care for another lawman—even one as wonderful as Brady.Heat level 3/5: contains some violence, minor cursing, and not-so-minor kissing.

    Now she must spend every waking moment planning an escape. She didn’t count on the powerful draw of desire interfering with her scheme in the camp of the brutal Cheyenne dog soldiers.Ethan Gray is a curator at a national museum...most of the time, but when he travels through time to help his beloved People he becomes Meko, leader of the most revered and feared tribe of the plains. Although their worlds are decades apart Meko can’t resist the dark beauty he kidnapped during a raid. He has many battles to fight but none he wants to win more than the one that will capture Cesca’s heart forever.From the windswept plains of Colorado and the harsh life of a Dog Soldier to the placid life of a curator their love was fueled by passion and kindled by destiny.

    When the opportunity arises via a newspaper ad, she and her best friend slip away from their oppressive fathers and head for Richmond. Neither can relax until they’re far away from their tiny hometown. With wealthy young widow Lydia Harrison’s help, Josephine and six other young women have a new life waiting in Tarnation, Texas. Michael Buchanan is fairly content running his mercantile and being mayor of Tarnation. The town is dusty and tiny, but it’s growing. He believes it holds all he needs to be happy—except a wife. There are no available women in town, but he hopes Lydia Harrison’s Bride Brigade will offer a woman he can wed. He is immediately attracted to Josephine. But Josephine has every reason to mistrust men in general and politicians in particular. Will her misgivings ruin her chance at happiness?

    After being unjustly court-martialed for the murder of four Yankee soldiers and narrowly escaping the hangman's noose, he sheds his identity and heads west to live among the Apache. As Shatto, he finds solace among his adopted brethren. But the new influx of settlers and soldiers into the Arizona Territory spells danger for the Apache people.Independence Taylor blames herself for bringing the small pox into her home that led to her mother and brother's deaths. Abandoned by her grief-stricken father, she undertakes a dangerous journey to join him at his military outpost to beg forgiveness. En route, her military escort is attacked by Apaches. She has been advised to take her own life rather than be captured, but Shatto intervenes before she can pull the trigger.Indy's initial fear of the mysterious Shatto is tempered by the bargain he strikes with her father to subdue the warriors by training a select group of troopers in Apache warfare. Imbued with the power of the wind spirit, Shatto attempts to bring peace to the troubled land.As tensions mount between the settlers and Apache, so does the undeniable attraction between Shatto and Indy. Can the would-be lovers broker peace...or will chaos rule and destroy their burgeoning passion?

    When three mail-order brides are delivered to Luke a month later, he’s in an uncomfortable predicament. How will he ever choose his mate? Rachel Hamilton’s long-time love for Luke is reignited with his return to town. So when three mail-order brides appear, she panics. Will she find the courage to tell Luke that she loves him? Or take an anonymous part in the contest for his hand?

    He’s an outlaw, was forced into his father’s gang at the age of thirteen, and is wanted Dead or Alive in more than one territory. But now his father is dead, he hates the life, the blood, and his brother’s rages. When a stagecoach robbery goes awry, Ed ends up with a satchel full of charming letters from an enticing young miss. Unfortunately for Miss Lizzie Cobb, her betrothed is now dead, and Ed Talbot sees a way out. Impersonating a fine, upstanding young man shouldn’t be too difficult. Despite the risks, falling in love with her proves to be all too easy. Isolated on her mother’s ranch just outside of Tombstone, Miss Lizzie Cobb doesn’t have the time or the means to find a respectable husband. As a half Apache woman in the Arizona Territory, being a mail order bride seems like the only solution to her problem until she realizes that San Francisco is too far away, and she’ll have to leave her vulnerable mother and baby brother behind. Her solution? Call off the wedding. When her groom shows up on her doorstep, she’s shocked. He’s handsome, strong, and has traveled hundreds of miles to claim her. His kisses inflame her body and his presence soothes her soul. Falling for the rugged man is beyond her control. But the past has a way of catching up to outlaws, and facing the truth is going to be hard…for both of them.

    In all the world there was no one who cared for her. Still, there were worse things than independence -- and Lark had grown quite capable of providing for herself. Nevertheless, as winter loomed, she suddenly found herself with no means by which to afford food and shelter -- destitute.Yet Tom Evans was a kind and compassionate man. When Lark Lawrence appeared on his porch, without pause he hired her to keep house and cook for himself and his cantankerous elder brother, Slater. And although Tom had befriended Lark first, it would be Slater Evans -- handsome, brooding and twelve years Lark's senior -- who would unknowingly abduct her heart.Still, Lark's true age (which she concealed at first meeting the Evans brothers) was not the only truth she had kept from Slater and Tom Evans. Darker secrets lay imprisoned deep within her heart -- and her past. However, it is that secrets are made to be found out -- and Lark's secrets revealed would soon couple with the arrival of a woman from Slater's past to forever shatter her dreams of winning his love -- or so it seemed. Would truth and passion mingle to capture Lark the love she'd never dared to hope for?

    But there is no romance in being pursued by a man who wants her dead for educating the children of former slaves. Unlike the heroines she reads about she doesn't have a trusty companion to rescue her...until she literally runs into A.J. Adams, a former Confederate cavalry officer. Now, she just has to convince A.J. he really is the honorable man and hero depicted in the dime novel she is reading.Branded a "traitor" for more than ten years, scarred by harsh treatment in an inhumane prisoner of war camp, A.J. Adams wants revenge. Allison Webster's arrival into his life provides the bait to destroy the men who murdered his wife and daughters and kidnapped his little brother. The men pursuing Allison are the very same men he has sworn to kill. Falling in love and admitting he might actually be a hero means surrendering his need for vengeance. Surrender is not part of A.J.'s battle strategy.

    She's a widow who needs protection. A marriage of convenience is the means of keeping her safe in a town populated by gold miners, dance hall girls, and scurrilous men, until her gold mine is producing and she can return east. But soon after Jenny MacDonald marries Jason Colby, she finds herself falling in love with a man whose dark past is quickly catching up with him, the very man who might have killed her husband.

    She heads West to work at her stepbrother’s mercantile and maybe find love one day. But, her mule train is attacked before she even gets there. Mountain Man Cal Ayers agrees to lead Amanda safely across the mountains. It’s not long, though, before they realize the attack was aimed at Amanda – and that living with her stepbrother might not be the safest plan. Amanda can’t establish a new life when someone is trying to kill her. And she can’t imagine a new life without Cal, who she’s falling for. But Cal is fighting his feelings as he is already engaged. Can Cal save Amanda’s life, and their burgeoning love, in time?

    A one-time deal, that’s all was meant to be. He only needed enough to see him through until he got the pay owed him. Someone was counting on him, and he couldn’t let her down.Josie Pearson’s heart went out to Sissy Edwards, the orphan girl she’d found hungry on the streets. When Josie decided to adopt her, she was turned down because she was unmarried, and Sissy was sent to an orphanage.When they both feel like giving up, will a controversial new program become an unconventional solution?This is the first novelette (approximately 45 pages) of the new Texas Wildflowers series by bestselling authors Leah Atwood and Susette Williams.The Texas Wildflowers Series:Free to LoveFree to HealFree to ProtectFree to ServeFree to RoamFree to Forgive

    E. AYERS - A CHRISTMAS FAR FROM HOMEFar from home and with love in their hearts, a young Wyoming rancher and the daughter of a Montana railroad businessman learn the true joy of Christmas is in giving.LINDA CARROLL-BRADD - WISHES ON A STARWill a wish on a star foretell the future of a young suffragette and a visiting rancher?MJ FREDRICK - ABIGAIL'S CHRISTMAS ANGELA lonely widow and a lonelier marshal make peace with their past.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE GIFT OF MUSICCan two reserved people overcome their limitations and find love?DEBRA HOLLAND - A FAMILY FOR IKEAn orphaned boy finds an unexpected family.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE JOY OF CHRISTMASThe town banker learns that perhaps some things are more important than money.PATY JAGER - A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBERIda doesn't remember the last two years, but her husband is determined to find her and reignite their love.JILL MARIE LANDIS - UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEARA spinster discovers it's never too late to embrace love and the surprises life has in store.TRISH MILBURN - A NEW HOME FOR CHRISTMASA woman scarred in face and heart finds love with a cowboy.LINDA MCLAUGHLIN - THE BEST PRESENTA grieving ten-year-old girl anticipating a sad Christmas receives some surprises.BEV PETTERSEN - THE CHRISTMAS CROSSINGWith a little Christmas magic, two searching hearts discover they can bridge much more than a raging river.TORI SCOTT - A PROMISE FOR CHRISTMASFaced with her first Montana winter without her husband, Rachel Tanner and her young son need a miracle.CYNTHIA WOOLF - SUGARPLUM DREAMSJulia Bosworth travels west to fulfill a special dream and finds her heart's desire.

    After her father sentences two members of The Briscoe Boys gang to death, Judge Tremaine feels he has no choice but to send Lynne to Denver City along the Oregon Trail to live with her Uncle George…against her will. For Lynne, the only thing worse than being sent away to the wild west is making the journey with the handsome, arrogant, wicked man her uncle has hired to escort her. Especially when the anger she feels toward him begins to turn to something hotter.Cade Lawson is determined to prove himself to his employer, George Tremaine, after letting him down months earlier. But what he thought would be his second chance may, in fact, be a harsh punishment for his past mistakes. Lynne is headstrong, fiery, and determined to show him she is fearless. She is also beautiful and tempting, and when Cade sees just how afraid she really is underneath her brave act, he may be in danger of losing his heart to her forever. When her would-be killer attacks, it’s all he can do to keep Lynne safe.He swore to protect her, but who will protect him from her?WARNING - Steam level: Hot

    An outlaw's daughter posing as a schoolmarm, Rebecca Rawlings sets up a steely facade that prevents anyone from getting close, but Sheriff Wolf Bodine, the one-time nemesis of her father, now pledged to protect her, breaks through her reserve.

    A devastating tornado destroys Abigail Chadwick's homestead and kills her beloved father, leaving her with grief, five orphans, and the challenge of rebuilding her farm alone. She wasn't prepared for the miracle that showed up on her doorstep in the handsome form of Sam Kelly, a stranger who was just passing through. When he decides to stay and help her, Abby discovers that Sam's gentle kindness might mend more than just tattered buildings. But what about the mystery that surrounds his past? Can she really believe he'll stay?Homespun Hearts is a story about faith, family, and believing in miracles, set in America's heartland by award-winning author, Cynthia Thomason. Homespun Hearts was awarded the National Readers' Choice Award for best long historical romance.