Western Womens Fiction

Banished by her grandfather at the age of 18, Spring Lee has survived scandal to claim her own little slice of Paradise, Wyoming. She’s proud of working her ranch alone and unwilling to share it with a stranger - especially one like Garrett McCray, who makes her second-guess her resolve to avoid men. Garrett escaped slavery years ago and is now a reporter in Washington. He’s traveled west to interview Dr. Colton Lee for an article, yet it’s Lee’s fearless sister, Spring, who captures his interest.

Her perfectly controlled life falls apart when a kitchen fire lands young widow Elle Brooks in the muscled arms of handsome rancher and veterinarian Brody Tate. The fire forces Elle to move in with her friend Bryn and her motley collection of rescue horses and other animals on the Heaven Can Wait Horse Rescue ranch, where she volunteers. Spending time with the hunky cowboy and his spunky 10-year-old daughter, Mandy, as they rehabilitate the beautiful horses, reminds Elle of all she lost in a car crash years ago. She can't deny the feelings that being close to Brody is stirring in her.

The West was not so wild for Janie Fitzhugh. Living with her rancher husband, Abe Lawson, in rural Wyoming nearly broke her spirit, so she left. But eight years later, she returns to Muddy Gap to take a job at a new resort. When an unexpected danger arises, Abe seizes the chance to protect Janie and prove he's a changed man. Janie's employer at the Split Rock Ranch and Resort, Renner Jackson, has gotten himself tangled up in a devil's bargain trying to finish the construction. His new partner's daughter, Tierney Pratt, is a spoiled daddy's girl and off-limits-no matter how drop-dead gorgeous she is.

Teddi Whitehall longed to escape her hectic life as a New York model, and a summer in the wilds of Canada with her best friend's family sounded perfect. But arrogant rancher Kingston Devereaux seemed intent on making her feel anything but welcome. Teddi knew King was convinced she was nothing but a glamorous city girl. She also knew that the truth wasn't about to change his mind. So why did she feel so alive when he was near? Giving her heart to a man who despised her was bad enough. But why did she have to go and fall in love with her best friend's brother?

Sheltered from her own desires for so long, Hayley Thompson wants to experience life. A new job at Gray Bear Construction is a start. The work she can handle. It's her boss - reclusive, sexy Jonathan Bear - who's scrambling her mind and her hormones. No matter how successful he becomes, Jonathan's reputation will always precede him. And his type of woman is usually nothing like prim, innocent Hayley. Yet he can't resist unleashing the fire beneath her pent-up facade - even if seduction means losing his heart.

Cara Donovan's summer tutoring job is turning out to be a challenge - and not just because of her troubled 12-year-old student. It's his uncle Josh who's the real problem. If problem is the word for an irresistibly cocky, muscle-bound rancher with a taste for tight Levi's and shameless flirtation…Cara is nothing like the wallflower Josh King remembers good-naturedly teasing in high school. This Cara is gorgeous, confident, fun. From the moment the fiery teacher steps foot on his family's Lazy K Ranch, the stubborn playboy is determined to corral her. So what happens when his luscious lover takes over the reins?

Maverick Austin Davis is forced to return home after a 10-year career as a rodeo star. After one too many head injuries, he's off the circuit and in the horse farming business - something he's never taken much of a shine to, but now that it's his late father's legacy, familial duty calls. How will Maverick find his way after the only dream he ever had for himself is over? Enter Leighton Elizabeth James, an ugly duckling turned beauty from Maverick's childhood - his younger sister's best friend, to be exact.

Thomas McCabe is on his way to a brilliant career as a lawyer when, in 1837, he gives everything up to take a job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sent to live with a tribe in the wilds of Missouri, McCabe soon saves the life of a young brave. Subsequently, yet grudgingly, he is accepted by the Cheyenne, until he falls hopelessly in love with the beautiful, and betrothed, Night Bird Woman. Determined to marry her, McCabe must prove himself to the tribe.

Rancher Jake Masters' adopted daughter is deeply troubled by his wife's death, so when she asks, Jake can’t deny the young girl's anguished plea to meet her birth mother. But granting her wish is damn hard—Jake never asked for this new woman in his life…or for the stunning attraction he feels toward her. Anne Baker has come a long way from the dirt-poor Texas town where she made the toughest decision of her life, but she's never forgotten her child. And nothing is going to keep them apart now, not even the suspicions of the most aggravating—and compelling—man she's ever known…

Sierra McKettrick feels like a fraud. She might be moving to her family’s ancestral ranch with her son, but being a McKettrick by blood isn’t enough to make her fit in. To make matters worse, from the moment she met the Triple M’s ranch hand, he’d gotten under Sierra’s skin. With his rugged body and tender compassion, Travis Reid was a temptation she didn’t need or want. But as Sierra begins to form a connection to one of her ancestors, Hannah McKettrick, she starts to realize there are some bonds that even time can't break.

Barrel racer Celia Lawson knows better than to tangle with bull rider Kyle Gilchrist. The sexy cowboy's love 'em and leave 'em ways have earned him a reputation on the rodeo circuit, and he's always seen her as his best friend's kid sister. But one wild tequila-fueled night later, and Celia wakes up to find out she's gotten herself hitched - to the one man she never should have married! When Celia insists on an annulment, Kyle has no good reason to say no - except he isn't ready to let go of his new bride. Especially not after their incredible wedding night.

Case Lawton comes from a family of criminals. So as the sheriff of Loveless, Texas, he's determined to do everything by the book - until he's called to Aspen Barlow's office after a so-called break-in. The last thing he wants to do is help the woman who cost him custody of his son. But Aspen isn't the heartless lawyer Case remembers, and he starts to question his long-held grudge....

After spending years traveling the world with the military, Rose O'Malley is ready for a change. Heading back to Texas to hold down the fort at her aunt's bed-and-breakfast will give Rose just the break she needs. But while she may speak seven languages, she can't repair a leaky sink to save her life. When Hudson Baker strides in like a hero and effortlessly figures out the fix, Rose can't help wondering if the boy she once crushed on as a kid could now be her saving grace. Hud has always been rock-solid and dependable - a quintessential cowboy to his core.

This city girl's about to get a dose of cowboy charm. Emily Baker doesn't rough it - anymore. Born and raised on a farm, she's worked hard to distance herself from that life, thank you very much. But when the seniors at the nursing home where she works beg for a ranch retreat, she caves and heads up to the Longhorn Canyon spread. With one glance at the sexy cowboy who opens the door, she's suddenly thinking a week with him might not be so bad after all.

Patience was never one of her virtues. After her SUV runs off the road in the middle of a Texas blizzard and her cell stops working, Claire Mason is about to snap. Getting back home to Oklahoma with her four-year-old niece is top priority. And lucky for her, help comes in the form of a true Texas cowboy....

Twenty-six-year-old Katie Macauley has placed all her hope in Hope Springs, a small town in the 1870 Wyoming Territory. But if she wants to return home to Ireland to make amends with her estranged family, she’ll need to convince the influential Joseph Archer to hold true to his word and keep her on his payroll as his housekeeper - despite her Irish roots. When Joseph agrees to keep Katie on ash is housekeeper, the feud erupts anew, and Katie becomes the reluctant figurehead for the Irish townsfolk.

For Patience Sinclair, leaving the ivy-covered halls of Boston for the wide, open spaces of Texas means a chance to stop looking over her shoulder at every turn. Traveling incognito with the Triple C Rodeo is just what she needs to free her from a past that continues to haunt her. But she can't avoid the undeniable presence of Dallas Kingman. The champion rider has a way of letting her know he's watching her every move that makes her feel wild and reckless.

When veiled threats become real, he agrees to hire a discreet security detail. But Devin is shocked to find that the bodyguard is a hard-bodied woman and that he's attracted to the steely-eyed stunner. Former soldier Liberty Masterson's return to civilian life is wrought with challenges until she lands a job with a prestigious security firm. But when she agrees to provide personal protection during a cross-country tour, she doesn't realize she has signed up to masquerade as the playboy star's girlfriend.

With her ex-husband, Ted, working nearby in an adjoining county, Kate Fox is eager to prove she’s the better sheriff. But when the less-than-popular ex-foreman of a local ranch is found dead, Kate gets the opportunity she’s been looking for. As it turns out, the case hits a little too close to home. The dead man’s body is discovered in a truck that belongs to Kate’s brother Jeremy - and he's missing. Evidence left at the crime scene leads Ted to suspect the ranch’s new foreman, but Kate isn’t convinced he’s responsible for the crime.

In this first collection of short pieces, including two novella-length works, since his western anthology Tonto Woman, Leonard demonstrates the superb characterization, dead-on dialogue, vivid atmosphere, and driving plotting that have made him a household name.