Western Womens Fiction

Brooklyn Myers escaped her broken home and her embittered, unloving father by eloping to Reno at the age of 17. But when she was pregnant with their first child, her husband abandoned her as well. Not welcome back home in Thunder Creek, Brooklyn stayed in Reno and raised her daughter, Alycia, on her own, doing her best to make sure Alycia never knew the heartache and rejection Brooklyn herself had known.

A sassy redhead with an axe to grind…After catching her husband kissing another woman in the barn, Loretta Sullivan Bailey left Lonesome Canyon Ranch and swore she’d never come back. But when her daughter threatens to drop out of college to become a rancher’s wife, Loretta refuses to let her baby make the same mistake she did. She returns to the ranch, determined to get her daughter back in school by the summer’s end…and resolute on ignoring her feelings for her ex-husband.

Mitchell Tucker has come back to the small Texas town of Gila Rock looking for something Julianne Boyce has no intention of giving him: forgiveness. It's been eight years since Mitch went to jail for starting a fire that claimed her husband's life...and longer still since Juli and Mitch fell into a forbidden first love that their feuding families brought to an end. She's lost too much because of his thoughtlessness to let herself fall under that familiar spell again.

Dawn Vasquez never takes life too seriously. But when she rescues a golden retriever named Gigi, Dawn begins to imagine what it'd be like to settle down and let someone rely on her for a change. Unfortunately, Adam Dearborn - a handsome, hopelessly buttoned-up cattle rancher in need of a guide dog - has also fallen in love with the little ball of fluff and stubbornly insists that no other animal will do.

Margaret "Peggy" Thomas and her husband, James, lead a simple and peaceful life; she tends to the farm while he works as sheriff in the nearby town of Bleak Knob. Their evenings are spent doing the thing they love most - being together. One afternoon, after picking up fabric at the general store, Margaret watches helplessly as James is gunned down on the sidewalk in front of her. Days of mourning turn into weeks and then years, filled with little more than grief and alcohol.

One minute, Rhett Lockhart is a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em bull rider with a slow, sexy smile, a swagger, and not a care in the world. The next, he learns his freewheeling days are over: A baby has been abandoned in the hospital, and there’s no question: He’s the father. But from the first moment he gazes into his daughter’s eyes, he knows the moment has come to say "no" to no strings. It’s time to grow up. Standing in his way is the baby’s foster mother, Tara Alzate, who doesn’t quite believe Rhett is ready to change his ways.

Jeri Bell lost everything when her former construction manager betrayed her—her company, her crew, and her contractor's license. She's been hired to build dog enclosures at Last Chance Ranch, and she needs the job and loves the atmosphere. But the ranch's grant funding might dry up if she can't provide her license. The cowboy living in the cabin next door, Sawyer Smith, doesn't want to go visit his family, but it's hard to find a date when he spends all his time with ranch animals. So he walks next door, a proposition in his back pocket for the beautiful brunette.

Producer Thalia Thorne's career is on the line. She's promised to lure James Robert Bradley back to the limelight, no matter what it takes. But once in Montana, she sees that J.R. has built a new life for himself - as a real-life cowboy - and Thalia finds it hard to resist the man he's become. Then a blizzard strikes. Suddenly they're alone, with only body heat to keep them warm. When the snow melts, she'll have to choose: Go back to the big city - or sacrifice everything for the man she can't let go.

When some pretty little thing shows up at my doorstep with a suitcase, claiming she rented my house for the summer, I waste no time informing her that my house isn't for rent. Some Internet jack*ss scammed her out of all her money, but that's not my problem. Only when I find her sleeping in her car a couple days later, I can't turn my back. I make her an offer: room and board in exchange for working on my ranch. She agrees, and I open my doors to a girl who sings too loud, sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, and distracts me with her tight jeans and those full lips.

Sometimes it's tough to be Lucy O'Rourke. Disasters of all sorts seem to seek out this globe-trotting photographer. Whether it's on a raft in Cataract Canyon, a crocodile attack on the Amazon, a hurricane in the Gulf Stream or even the two-legged kind (men), Lucy just can't seem to help making the wrong choice at precisely the wrong moment. This collection of eleven linked stories features the unique blending of romance and adventure that is the trademark of Pam Houston.

Suburban housewife Rebecca Long has lived the American dream for several years. When her world suddenly comes crashing down around her after the sudden death of her husband and she is left to fend for herself and her two young children, she makes a drastic change and moves her family across the country. Settling on the Texas ranch of her aunt and uncle, she accepts a job keeping the books for neighboring rancher Seth Winters, leaving behind the life she's grown accustomed to.

The Strange Husband is the story of a newly married couple from the state of New York, who decided to make their home in the Oregon Territory in 1848. Shortly after beginning their journey on the Oregon Trail, sickness causes Callie, the wife of John Wideman, to be delirious at times. After being separated from the rest of the wagon train, they meet a stranger. After a while Callie feels that the man who claims to be her husband is indeed not her husband, but the stranger. Is her mind playing games with her or is it really happening?

Kari Riley has more problems than she can shake a stick at: Her ex-boyfriend Anthony is a crazed mobster. He really wants to murder her for snitching to the police. She's been put into witness protection - on a farm in the middle of nowhere. And Flynn, the cowboy who runs said farm? He is annoying, gruff, and grumpy...and also the sexiest man she's ever laid eyes on. When her past finally catches up with her, Kari will have only one form of protection: Flynn. Will her cowboy be the solution to her problems...or only add more to her life?

Annabelle Hart thought owning the family ranch would be everything she ever dreamed of and more. The Montana wilderness has always flowed like blood through her veins, but she can’t understand why her heart feels so empty inside. Three years after leaving Montana to become a wild land firefighter, Colton Brooks still dreams about the girl he left behind at Hart Ranch. He prays for her happiness, believing she deserves someone better than him, but doubts he will ever love again.

Ryan Havens appears to be a cowboy who's down on his luck. He's angry, frustrated and looking for a fight when he meets Erica Smyth. She's a barmaid with limited skills who has two drunken brothers harassing her. Ryan comes to her rescue, but the ensuing brawl leaves him injured and her jobless. They reluctantly agree to work together and share expenses for the next few weeks. What neither of them wants the other to know is their true identity. Each plays the part of a chameleon, constantly changing as the situation demands.

The story is about a big city girl who takes a job on an Oklahoma ranch. She meets and gets temporarily stranded with loner Curt Hayden, the foreman, and a man with a past that has made him wary of love.

With its breathtaking terrain and welcoming people, the Western town of Caribou Crossing is the perfect place for a heart to heal and for love to blossom once more.... Since the death of her husband three years ago, young widow Sally Ryland has kept to herself and focused on her struggling business, Ryland Riding. Folks assume she's still grieving, because Sally has never shared the truth about her abusive marriage or the trust issues that remain.

Welcome to the Lazy Windmill, where guests find that life is what you make it, love is priceless, and family is determined by far more than DNA. Casie Carmichael's accidental dude ranch is well on its way, but the residents of her Hope Springs haven are running wild. With an unwed mother-to-be, a turbulent teen romance, and a bronc-riding grandmother to contend with, the last thing Casie has time for is a romantic relationship. But convincing the recently returned Colt Dickenson that she's not interested in him - or the confusion he causes her - is easier said than done.

Dave Cousins, owner of the Wild Rose Inn, is known throughout Caribou Crossing as the nicest--and loneliest--guy in town. He's had his heart broken more than once, and he's determined not to let it happen again. So it's no wonder he's wary when a free-spirited drifter leaves him longing for more than just a steamy fling...

Rainbow Valley, Texas, has always been a refuge for animals, and Shannon North, director of the local shelter, intends to keep it that way. But with donations drying up and more pets in need of a loving home than ever before, Shannon's beginning to fear she's not the savior the shelter needs. When a tall, dark, and handsome cowboy from her past comes to the rescue, she knows that accepting his help may come with a high price: her heart.