Rufus should have surrendered. The woman should have kin to help her. But Rufus went down shooting, and the woman has no one. Bret figures by the time he finds a safe place to leave Hassie Petty, he'll earn the five hundred dollar reward several times over. Hassie doesn't mourn Rufus, but the loss of the ten dollars he promised her for supplies is a different matter. The bounty hunter gives her nothing, takes everything, ties the body on one horse and orders her on another. Afraid if she defies him, he'll tie her down tighter than Rufus, Hassie mounts up and follows the icy-eyed killer. Mismatched in every way, the sterling man and petty woman travel the West together, hunting thieves, deserters, and murderers. Wary traveling companions, friends and partners, lovers, Bret and Hassie must decide what they want, what they need, and the price they're willing to pay for love.

    Can they overcome these obstacles for love? Josephine Johnson is determined to get away from her gambling step-father who lost her family home - the Union Station Inn. When she sees an advertisement for a cook in Montana Territory, she recognizes the name Zebediah Harris, a wounded civil war veteran who never came back to their small town. When she decides to leave to take the job as cook, she brings something with her that may very well land her in jail. Zebediah Harris, or, Peg Leg, as everyone calls him, doesn't believe he is good enough for anyone. He claims there isn't a woman within ten miles who would want a one-legged man. When the cook they hire for the Pistol Springs Resort shows up, it turns out Joe was actually Jo, or Josephine, a woman he had saved from drowning years ago. With Josephine hiding something that doesn't belong to her and Peg Leg determined to live life without love, can the two make things right in order to find love? Or, will all hell breask loose in the town of Pistol Ridge once again? This is the first book of seven in The Pistol Ridge Series: Peg Leg's Princess Blaze's Beauty Judge's Jewel Raven's Rebel Rider's Renegade Creed's Confidant Preacher's Pearl

    Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love. Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the South Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs . .till now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. No expectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farm life. Will fate and chance play a trick on Julia and Jake?

    He must, however, work a deal with her. She needs money to save her ranch and he needs access to the spring on her property. Seems simple, right? But nothing’s ever easy with Pearl. The woman is steely and stubborn, but she’s lovely too, with a carefully concealed, vulnerable side. As much as he tries not to notice, thoughts of Pearl distract him plenty. She stirs all sorts of protective notions. He yearns to shield her from the dangerous outlaws that lurk in the nearby canyons. When whispered rumors turn into deadly threats, Levi vows to do whatever it takes to keep Pearl safe.

    The last thing he needs is a strong hankering for a woman who thinks it’s her duty to turn a man’s life upside-down.Eliza Jane Carter is a woman on a mission. She’s going to improve the lives of the women in Gardiner, Texas before moving on to the next town. But when her finances take a turn for the worse and her chaperone heads for the hills, Eliza Jane is stranded in a town full of riled up menfolk, a gun-happy sheriff and one handsome doctor who makes her question everything she ever believed about the love between a man and a woman.Taming Eliza Jane is approximately 48,000 words and was previously published under the same title. No changes have been made to the story.

    Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them. The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses, and also for troubled youths: the perfect place for Betsy to grow and recover. Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo eagerly welcomes the duo. But Rick Bailey--the ranch foreman and DeAngelo's right hand man--hasn't decided to let his guard down . . . yet. Promises made long ago soon force Rick and Allie to work together to escape danger. Will they discover love along the way?

    “It’s our dance, Rose.” Seated in the old maid row at the country dance, Rose Laura Corey freezes at the sound of that familiar male voice … the voice of the man she once loved, the voice of the man she sent to prison.Now orphaned and alone, Rose raises the finest horses in Presidio County, Texas. Someone is stealing those horses, and Thorn Maxwell’s return arouses her suspicions … and her long-simmering passions. Rose might be able to stop Thorn from stealing her horses, but can she keep him from stealing her heart?WILD TEXAS ROSEA Western historical novella of approximately 120 pages/33,000 words.

    Whether you have just a few minutes to enjoy a novelette, or the time to really get immersed in the dust and grit of a western town, there's something here for everyone.Step into a day when outlaws ran free, the land was wild, and guns blazed at the drop of a hat! After the Rain    Rand McCade made a promise to his dying wife to one day remarry. He doesn't want to remarry, but a promise is a promise.   Pressured to marry a violent man, widowed and pregnant Lettie Morgan seeks out an agency which finds brides for men in the west.   Can two hearts, broken and grieving, put their pasts aside and blend their lives into one? A Lady in Defiance    Charles McIntyre owns everything in the lawless mining town of Defiance. When three sisters show up stranded, alone, and offering to open a "nice" hotel, he is intrigued enough to let them stay...especially since he sees feisty middle sister Naomi as a possible conquest.   Naomi wants no part of Defiance or the saloon-owning, prostitute-keeping Mr. McIntyre. It would seem however, that God has gone to elaborate lengths to bring them together. The question is, "Why?" Does God really have a plan for each and every life? Rocky Mountain Oasis    When Sky Jordan hears that his nefarious cousin has sent for a mail-order bride, he knows he has to prevent the marriage. No woman deserves to be left to that fate. Still, he's as surprised as anyone to find himself standing next to her before the minister.   Brooke's new husband turns out to be kinder than any man has ever been. But then the unthinkable happens and she holds the key that might save innocent lives but destroy Sky all in one fell swoop. It's a choice too unbearable to contemplate...but a choice that must be made. Bounty    Luke Jordan's mother's dying words rang in his head. "Take these to your brothers." His brothers? The Jordan gang of outlaws. Why did he have to waste time tracking them down?   Cat Cahill's morning rides are a pleasant diversion from her mother's lectures on marrying a civilized man from the east. Despite her prayers, Cat hasn't found the man she would want to spend the rest of her life with until she runs into Luke.   One town trying to avoid a buyout, one gang worth their weight in gold, bounty hunters intent on taking the Jordan gang in more dead than alive = two in love and a bunch in trouble. Charity's Gold Rush    After Charity saves handsome Gabriel Williams' daughter from being trampled he asks her to marry him. And Charity believes he's the answer to her prayers.   Gabe and Charity agree to a marriage in name only, although Charity is upset that now that she has found a man she could see herself making a life with, he isn't interested in anything more than someone to watch his children, and he's a gambler to boot - just like Pa who got her into this mess.   By the beginning of the following spring, if both parties are in agreement, they'll annul the marriage and part ways.   Neither expects love to interfere with their plans or for God to intervene with a plan of His own.

    Finally a fully qualified vet, she'd opened her own veterinary practice in the town she'd grown up in. She worked long hours, she had too, and she wasn't looking for anything else in her life. Or anyone. People had a habit of letting her down. So while she might be attracted to Tanner Jamieson there was no way in hell she'd fall in love with him. Particularly since he had this nasty habit of spanking her when she did something he disagreed with. Except she couldn't get him out of her mind. Couldn't push him out of her life. In fact, at every turn she seemed to pull him closer.Tanner Jamieson knew that Callie needed a keeper. She was her own worst enemy. She was a worrier and didn’t take good care of herself. All he wanted was to protect her, cherish her and ensure her safety and if he sometimes had to do that with a spanking. Then so be it.

    A family to save. A love that can’t be.When Emma Daniels’ well-to-do family finds itself destitute, she answers an ad for the Gilbert Company seeking young women to be waitresses at hotel restaurants along remote railroad lines out west. The rules for a Gilbert Girl are strict: work hard, act respectably at all times, and no courting allowed. None of them present a problem for Emma, at least until she meets the hotel’s builder, Monroe Hartley. His smile and teasing manner were the last things Emma expected to find on the Colorado frontier. But as intriguing as he is, Emma would be risking her job – and her family’s lives – if she allowed his attentions.Building this hotel for the Gilbert Company is the perfect opportunity for Monroe. Not only will it advance his career, it barely gives him a moment to drown in guilt over his wife’s death. When Emma arrives, he finds himself drawn to her. But he can’t promise her anything, not unless he wants her to end up with the same fate his wife suffered.Giving in to their feelings would mean losing everything, yet they find themselves growing closer as the summer stretches on. When a man who covets Monroe’s job discovers their secret and threatens to reveal it, they must each decide whether their love is worth uprooting everything they’ve worked so hard for.Building Forever is the first book in the new Gilbert Girls series. Like all of Cat's books, this sweet and clean historical romance will warm your heart and fill you with hope.

    She'd married young, hoping to put down roots in a safe haven, but her husband had shattered her naiveté, and made her fear for her beloved daughter's safety until the day he died.When she first met her new neighbor, Zachariah McGovern, all she saw was danger. But Zach saw much more. He saw beauty, he saw tenderness. He knew he could rescue Kate Blakely from her past - if only she would let him. What Zach couldn't know, however, was the price that had to be paid to save the woman he loved.

    Meet five of them in five great, full-length brand new novels from five of erotic writing's best authors: "Owning O" by Maren Smith: She's the most highly-coveted submissive the Castle has ever known. She never says no, cries her safeword, or plays with the same Dom twice. For years Alan has watched her, looking but never touching until the night of the auction. Seizing his chance, Alan bids, but defeating the other Doms in the audience is only the first and easiest step in his bid to own the infamous O. Freeing her from herself quickly proves to be much, much harder.... "Punishing Portia" by Darling Adams: When chef David Marone recognizes the food critic who just lambasted him in a review on the auction block, he bids to keep her as his slave for three nights. He remembers her from culinary school seventeen years earlier, and relishes the idea of getting even with her. Portia Sands hopes the gorgeous Chicago chef who won her at the auction doesn’t know her real identity. Then, she discovers he knows who she is and means to exact revenge. She considers calling a safeword to end their time together, but some part of her won’t allow it. Somehow she must survive three nights as his slave and keep her heart in the process. "Rosie's Resolutions" by Maggie Ryan: "Don't Chicken Out" - those three words are at the top of Rosa's list of resolutions. Sure, she'd never before kept any of her past resolutions for week, but this year it will be different. The moment Master Marshall announced the Auction, Rosa knew it was fate. As an employee, this is her chance to remove her Nanny uniform. She can stand on the stage and pray that someone would want to be her "daddy." The moment the hammer falls, Rosa becomes Rosie - the Little that will learn what it is like to be taken care of, to be cuddled and loved. Will she discover that being Little isn't all fun and games? "Buying Brianny" by Abbie Adams: Kian's ex hadn't thought of it as loving when he'd busted her butt for drinking and driving. No, she'd ended the relationship in a hurry. Of course he'd never repeat the mistake with another women. Not even Brianny, who as it turns out, has craved discipline among other things. Some people go to strange lengths to prove their love. All Brianny wants as proof is for Kian to buy her at The Castle's New Year's Eve charity auction, then tie her up and take away her control. Will Kian pay the asking price? "Sharing Silver" by Tabitha Black: Six months since her marriage ended in divorce, and Sylvia is craving some excitement - not to mention kink. So when Rosa tells her about a slave auction being held at the Castle, Sylvia throws caution to the wind and flies to America to be sold off to the highest bidder under the nickname Silver. Gorgeous twin Castle Masters, Travis and Trevor, can have any girl they choose - and frequently do. The only downside professionally, however, is there's never enough time to build trust. So when Trevor hears about the auction, he and his brother set about looking for a plaything they can do whatever they want with - a girl with as few limits as possible. But the brothers are smitten by the mysterious girl from Australia, but whenever they try to get close, she clams up. Can the twins make her see what she means to them before it's too late? Five great new novels (with bonus novella "Fulfilling Her Fantasy" by Tabitha Black), this collection has it all at an amazing value price.

    But the virtuous Sheriff Hale has never told anyone about his shocking desires. Will he give in to the surprising temptation of the young widow?Meet bestselling erotica author Holly Summers in Victoria Dahl's contemporary romances, TALK ME DOWN (January 2009) and START ME UP (July 2009).

    After the death of her mother, she follows her younger brother out west, hoping for a fresh start with her last living relative. Instead she finds a ruthless bounty hunter looking for the brother she knows she must protect at all costs. She doesn't expect the price to be losing her heart to a man who promises her nothing but shared passion.Christopher Braddock wants information more than the bounty of a bumbling kid who got mixed up with the outlaw Braddock has been searching for since the war. But when his prey's sister tries to throw him off her brother's trail, Braddock isn't noble enough to not let her try. What he doesn't expect is the spark that brings his body, and worse, his numbed emotions back to life. His unexpected feelings for Lorelei has Braddock crossing the line from bounty hunter to outlaw. He'll do whatever it takes to keep Lorelei safe, including breaking her heart.

    When roguish Jack Adams, an adventurer with a secret, rides into town one sleepy afternoon, Katie’s life is changed forever. FIREBLOSSOM (A Matthews/Hampshire Novel)Fox Matthews, a recent survivor of Little Bighorn, is in no mood for love, but when he meets proper Madeleine Avery in rollicking 1876 Deadwood, South Dakota, passion kindles in spite of the obstacles between them. As cultures collide between new settlers and the Lakota people, Fox and Maddie discover the secrets of their own hearts. WILDBLOSSOM (A Matthews/Sandhurst Novel)“An English Duke and a woman from the Wild West – that’s a combination you just can’t beat!” says author Catherine Coulter. Join impetuous Shelby Matthews, daughter of Fox and Maddie, as she manages the family ranch in Cody, Wyoming and promptly loses half of it in a poker game to dashing Geoffrey Weston, an English nobleman who has come to the West in search of adventure. "Cynthia Wright magically entwines passion and history!" ~ Kathe Robin, ROMANTIC TIMES