Book Blurb:
These heartwarming, light romances have all the feels of first meets, first kisses, and a love that will last forever. Whether there’s a mail order bride, opposites attract, second chance at love, marriage of convenience, or a friendship that turns to love, you’re sure to find a romance to savor.
There are two new stories exclusive to this collection. All the stories are sweet and clean, and some are inspirational. If you make any of the recipes included in the anthologies, we’d love to see how they turned out.
Dazzled by the Dancer
Evan is immediately drawn to Fiona, that is if she doesn’t steal his horse or shoot him first. Neither of them knew the power that love would bring to their lives, and in the end, they’re going to need it.
Lucky in Love
She’s a preacher’s daughter looking to make her own way out west. He’s a saloon owner gambling everything on his dreams. Can people from opposite worlds find their happily ever after?
Hidden in His Heart
Helen didn’t know she’d fall in love. She also didn’t know Lewis wouldn’t. Lewis can only hope for a second chance to make things right with Helen and turn their marriage of convenience into a love match.
Excerpt from Dazzled by the Dancer:
Evan shook his head at the insanity of what he was doing—what sort of fever made him decide he didn’t have enough work to do as a wainwright? He ran his forearm across his brow, wiping the sweat away. No, he had to decide to become a cattle rancher. Now he worked all night as well as all day.
Evan stretched the wire toward the next fencepost and tacked it with a nail. What was that? He froze, his ears listening keenly. He ducked down slowly while Blackjack came to his feet. The dog growled deep in his throat. In the distance, Evan heard horse hooves coming closer. It was best to avoid trouble if he could. He’d just wait to tack the rest of the wire until whoever it was passed by. His eyes narrowed, looking for any movement in the darkness.
The horse came into view. It was still dark, but it looked like Sage, Evan’s horse, with a pile of dress wrapped around the rider. Why would a woman steal his horse? And where would she even have come from?
Blackjack bounded out of the bushes, barking at Sage and on a dead run toward the horse. Evan followed behind as fast as he could. The woman raised a gun toward him—his gun, too—and pulled the trigger.
“That’s my horse,” Evan called out. He was glad he hadn’t kept the rifle loaded.
Surprisingly, the thief pulled Sage to a stop. It seemed a moment of decision for the woman, swinging her head toward the road to town and back to him. Then she kicked the horse to continue down the road.
Blackjack barked and chased the horse. Not for long. Not once Evan inserted two fingers into his mouth and blew out a high-pitched whistle that brought Sage to a stop. The horse halted so suddenly, the woman flew over its neck and landed in the dirt. Evan winced at the sound of her body landing in a heap, but his sympathy only extended so far to a horse thief.
He whistled again and Sage came about, walking slowly back to him. “Are you in one piece?” he called to the woman who was pushing herself up.
“Seems like.” She brushed the dirt from her skirts. “Close to it, anyway.” The woman stood. When she stepped back onto the road and turned toward him, the weak moonlight lit her face. A woman—small and slim. Her black hair hung around her shoulders.
“What are you about? You believed it your right to sneak onto my land and steal my horse? Then you aimed a rifle at me. You intended to kill me?”
She lifted her head, glaring up at him. “I was going to shoot the wolf.” She pointed at Blackjack.
Evan looked at the dog. He was hardly big enough to be mistaken for a wolf. A smile broke across his face and laughter filled his voice. “I guess that’s an honest mistake.”
The woman’s eye fixed on the dog, then she laughed. “I guess it’s not. I think my imagination got the best of me.”
“I’ll accept that for my dog, but what’s your excuse for shooting at me?” He couldn’t help but admire the spirit etched into the sharp line of her jaw, in the downward tilt of her mouth. “Well?” he prompted when she remained silent.
“You startled me. I wouldn’t have fired if you hadn’t startled me.” Her voice sobered. “I’m sorry—I didn’t see you behind the dog. I might have shot you. I heard your steps running toward me and assumed there was a whole pack.”
Evan looked up the road still, wondering where she’d come from and then back to the woman. What brought her to be outside of town all alone in the middle of the night? “Why did you need a horse? Where are you coming from?”
“Our wagon had an accident a mile or two into the canyon. We need help with our wagons. I’m supposed to find Creede and bring someone back. There are ten of us.”
“The town is only another mile ahead.” Evan mounted his horse, then slipped his boot out of the stirrup and reached for her. Her eyes tipped up toward him, and his heart tightened. She was gorgeous. He cleared his throat to be able to speak. “Are you all right sitting pillion-style?”
“Of course, and thank you.”
Evan felt the tug against his arm as she jumped and then stood in the stirrup. He twisted around and slid his arm around her waist to help her to settle between the back of the saddle and the horse’s rump. He was loath to let go, but when he faced forward, her arms slid around his waist. He could hardly breathe as a powerful desire to protect her coursed through him.
“We’ll go to my business in Creede first and get a wagon and some of my tools.” Blackjack trotted beside them. The trip was quick, and Evan readied the wagon as fast as he could, throwing in extra lanterns and blankets. She settled onto the bench beside him. They were headed back out of town in less than an hour.
“I suppose if we’re going to drive out together, I should introduce myself. My name is Evan Quinney. As you’ve noticed, I’m a wainwright. It’s lucky you happened on me fixing my fence.”
“It’s lucky for me, though it is quite unusual, that you fix your fence at night.” The woman’s laugh chimed beside him. It was as sweet a sound as birds returning in the spring.
“Please call me Evan.”
“Thanks for stopping me, Evan.”
He reveled in the sound of his name from her lips. He knew he was being ridiculous to be affected by someone so quickly. He could blame it on the dark night or the moon or having a beautiful woman beside him. The sun would rise soon enough and the dream would pass. He’d enjoy it for a few hours, though. “What do you mean?”
“My first day in town, and I might have been a horse thief and a cold-blooded killer.”
He laughed in surprise. “That’s a hanging offense, you know, stealing a man’s horse. So’s murder, come to think of it. I guess I can have you hanged twice.” He turned his face toward her. “That is, if I knew your name to tell the marshal.”
“Fiona Dalton.” She held her hand to him and shook his properly. “But since I neither succeeded in stealing your horse nor shooting you, sir, I fail to see any reason to hang me at all.”
She had spirit. He liked that.
Author Bio:
This mother/daughter writing team writes “Sweet, Swoony Ever-Afters.”
Sweet Historical Western under the name Gemma Stuart
Sweet Victorian & Regency Time Travel under the pen name Jo Noelle, who a USA TODAY bestselling author
Sweet Contemporary under the name Evee Tuttle.
They write stories about the places they’ve lived, the places they’ve visited around the world, and the places still on their bucket lists.
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