Washington's rowdy lumber camps were no place for an innocent young beauty. And when lovely Rachel McKinnon caught the eye of Jonas Wilkes, she was truly in dire straits. Wilkes owned the lumber empire, the town, the people -- and now he wanted Rachel. Her only hope was the town's darkly handsome doctor, Griffin Fletcher. In a promise to her dying mother, Fletcher had reluctantIly promised to protect Rachel from harm. But the smoldering enmity he felt for Wilkes would erupt in passionate conflicts...for the young doctor, who had forsworn any chance of loving again, was now desperately in love with his ward, and she with him.

They are the women of Primrose Creek, and their strength and passion is a match for the Nevada frontier they call home. Linda Lael Miller masterfully captures the hardships and dangers of a country swept by the winds of war — and the daring and determination, the hopes and dreams of four unforgettable women — in a thrilling new series.Skye McQuarry's heart belongs to one man — Primrose Creek's lumber baron, Jake Vigil. After a shattering heartbreak in his past, Jake vowed to never again take a chance on love — until he came to know beautiful Skye. But their delicate bond faces the ultimate test when a business deal threatens to tear them apart — and battle lines are drawn between two passionate hearts.Skye is determined to stand her ground. Then a surprise from Jake's past unexpectedly comes to her — a discovery that may be just the key to unlocking the true, deep, and trusting love that she knows lives deep within Jake Vigil.B...

A time-traveling teapot links two generations of McKettrick women, and brings the author's popular Western saga into the present day, when single mom Sierra reluctantly moves into the Triple M ranch. Soon her son claims to see a mysterious boy in the house, and an heirloom teapot starts popping up in unexpected places. P>In 1919, widowed Hannah McKettrick lived at the ranch with her son and her brother-in-law, Doss. Her confused feelings for Doss and her son's health problems occupied all her thought. . .until the family teapot started disappearing.Could Sierra and her ancestor, Hannah, be living parallel lives?

After years of wandering, Logan Creed, a cowboy with a dusty law degree, has returned home. To put down roots, to restore his family's neglected ranch...to have kids of his own proudly bearing the Creed name. Divorced mum Briana Grant has heard the stories about her gorgeous neighbour. So Logan's kindness with her young boys is a welcome surprise, especially when her ex reappears. And when an unknown enemy vandalises her home, Logan shows Briana – and the folks of Big Sky country – just what he's made of.

Devastated on her wedding day by a shattering revelation, Melissa Corbin turned to a stranger with a brazen bargain: she would take his name in exchange for the power of the Corbin empire. Quinn Rafferty was shockingly handsome and used to command. His bold, generous heart was quickly roused to laughter, to anger...and to white-hot desire for the head strong, sable-maned beauty. Quinn's caresses kindled blazing starlight in Melissa's pounding blood...and soon there was no turning back. But above their happiness loomed a bitter man's vengeance that could destroy all that Quinn most cherished. Now Melissa and Quinn would risk their very lives for the glorious heights of ecstasy....About the AuthorThe daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is the author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels. Now living in Spokane, Washington, the “First Lady of the West” hit a career high when all three of her 2011 Creed Cowboy books debuted at #1 on the New York Times list. In 2007, the Romance Writers of America presented her their Lifetime Achievement Award. She personally funds her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women. Visit her at www.lindalaelmiller.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter OnePort Hastings, Washington March 7, 1891She appeared out of a driving rain, a spirit of the storm, clutching the skirts of her billowing white wedding dress in her hands and running for all she was worth. A circlet of bedraggled flowers graced her dark hair, which hung in sodden ropes to her waist. Her gown was most definitely ruined, and her dainty slippers were muddy and wet. Quinn Rafferty stood fascinated on the platform of his private railroad car, heedless of the rain and the keening of the train whistle that signaled imminent departure. The nymph had gained the tracks now and was charging toward him.Quite a lot of her trim but womanly bosom was visible from Quinn's vantage point, and he was charmed. When the train lurched into motion and began to clatter and clank he saw the bride set her beautiful jaw and burst into even greater speed."Damn you, h-help me!" she gasped, holding up one hand.Quinn was stunned to realize that she'd actually caught up to the train. Like a man moving in a dream he reached down, gained a hold on her, and hauled her aboard.Her small, nubile body slammed against Quinn's, and although the impact was slight, for a moment he was as breathless as though he'd been buried alive in a high-country snowslide.The sprite was spitting mad and panting from her flight and her fury. Her azure eyes snapped. Quinn recovered himself enough to grin and tip the brim of his hat with insolent good manners. He allowed his gaze to slide down over her, and again he had that sensation of being crushed beneath some invisible, elemental substance."This is so sudden," he quipped, to hide his distress at being so violently affected by this little snippet of a girl in a muddy wedding dress and a crown of drooping petunias.She was looking back on the town of Port Hastings now, a certain dismay in her round eyes. A flock of disgruntled wedding guests had gathered at the tracks, peering after her through the drizzle, shouting and waving their arms."Forgive me," she whispered. And then she lifted delicate, gloved fingers to her lips and blew a kiss to the throng.Three men towered in the forefront of the crowd. The one wearing a clerical collar lifted his hand in farewell and smiled sadly, but the other two looked as though they could uproot railroad spikes with their teeth and chew them like peppermint sticks.Quinn wondered which one was the spurned groom. While he'd never been afraid of any man -- save his own father -- he was glad he didn't have to give an accounting of this episode to either of those two. And that very relief nettled his pride."Shall we?" he asked with biting politeness, extending an arm.The lady took the offered arm, full of disdainful dignity, and allowed Quinn to escort her into the car.She looked around her, clearly unimpressed with the luxury Quinn had worked all his life to acquire, and plopped her sodden bustle down on a velvet-upholstered bench. She was peeling off her spoiled slippers while Quinn went to the liquor cabinet and poured healthy doses of brandy for himself and the runaway bride."What's your name?" he demanded, fairly shoving a crystal snifter into her hand.She accepted it without the maidenly reluctance Quinn had anticipated, her incredible azure eyes fixed for the fraction of a moment on something above and beyond his right shoulder. "Pullman," she said, after that brief and patently disturbing hesitation. "Melissa Pullman."He took a long draught of his own brandy before sitting down in a nearby chair and ran one hand through his light brown hair. "Well?" he prompted when, after several long sips from her glass, Miss Pullman had not volunteered her story."Well, what?" she countered testily.Quinn sighed, turning his snifter between his palms. "I'd like an explanation," he responded tautly. "I think you owe me that."She sighed, and her straight little shoulders stooped just a bit as she pondered the amber depths of her brandy. "I suppose I do," she conceded, and Quinn found himself feeling sorry for her.The sentiment was of short duration."I'm not sure I'm going to tell you anything, though," she added. She eyed him in an appraising fashion. "You are a man, after all.""Thank you very much.""Not at all," came the immediate retort. "It wasn't a compliment. And your name, sir?""Rafferty," her host allowed, annoyed. "Quinn Rafferty." Even though he was indisputably the best poker player in four counties, Quinn found that he couldn't keep a straight face. What he was feeling was more than mere idle curiosity; it was a driving, vital need to know. "Which one of those three giants was supposed to be your husband?"A smile curved her lips, and Quinn was struck with a piercing awareness of her loveliness. God in heaven, even in that dirty, water-spotted wedding dress, with her hair dripping and her face wet with rain and, Quinn suspected, tears, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "None. They were my brothers."Quinn searched his memory for a trio of Pullman brothers based in Port Hastings and came up dry. "And the groom?""I doubt that Ajax would stoop to running after me." She made the admission with a small sigh. "He's practically royalty, you know. His family goes back to the time of William the Conqueror."Quinn shrugged, irritated by that kind of pretension. "We all go back to Adam and Eve, don't we?"To his surprise, she smiled. "You're right, Mr. Rafferty. You're absolutely right." She shoved the snifter at him. "Might I have more brandy, please?"Quinn was about to refuse -- it was powerful stuff, that brew -- when he knew a certain stab of sympathy. The poor little sprite had run out of a church, through a pounding rainstorm, and been wrenched aboard a railroad car by a complete stranger. Despite the cocky act she was putting on, Quinn was convinced that Melissa Pullman was nervous and afraid.He rose and refilled her snifter, and when he handed it back she took a great gulp. After a few more such swallows she seemed more receptive to sensible conversation."Why did you leave Ajax at the altar?" Quinn asked kindly.Melissa smoothed her skirts, ignoring their hopeless condition, and avoided Quinn's eyes. She bit down hard on her lower lip for a moment, then tossed back the last of her brandy. "I didn't love him," she stated shakily, and in a hoarse voice, after a very long time.Quinn had his doubts as to her sincerity. "Wouldn't it have been simpler to say so?" he prompted in a gentle tone."I couldn't have faced him," she said."Then why didn't you just tell your brothers how you felt? Surely they would have understood."Melissa hiccuped and set her snifter aside on a table that, like all the other furniture in the car, was bolted to the floor.She shook her head. "As far as they're concerned, I'm a spinster," she confided. "I'm sure they thought Ajax was my last chance."Moments before Quinn had been glad not to have to deal with the Pullman brothers. Now he longed to confront them. "Bull-balderdash!" he muttered. "How could you be an old maid? You're on the sunny side of twenty or I'm a donkey's first cousin!"She gave a pealing, slightly drunken giggle and gingerly removed her halo of flowers. "I'm twenty-two, and your family heritage would explain your stubbornness, wouldn't it?"Quinn knew that he s...

The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…...and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won't give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can't fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there's a new marshal in town, and she's living under his roof. With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn't interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but he is interested in giving her protection, friendship—and passion. And when they say "I do" to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman's Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife…...

Linda Lael Miller's national bestselling novels of frontier life overflow with the passion and warmth of Springwater, a tiny stagecoach stop that blossoms into a bustling Montana town. Rachel Springwater's first schoolteacher, she crosses paths with rough-hewn barkeep Trey Hargreaves -- who puts a slow burn on her proper Eastern ways. Savannah Behind her rouge and bangles, the dance-hall girl has a sure and steady heart. Can her kind, gentle love help Dr. Prescott Parrish heal his wounded spirit? Miranda An unwed mother in search of a place to call home, she finds her heart's desire in Springwater -- and in the arms of rancher Landry Kildare. Jessica The sparks fly when she comes to take charge of her late brother's bankrupt newspaper -- and finds herself in a heated love match with town mayor Gage Calloway.FOUR SPLENDID SPRINGWATER NOVELS -- TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME!

The "First Lady of the West," #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, welcomes you home to Parable, Montana - where love awaits. With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two teenage consequences! Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it - as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets - like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way - unravel, with unforeseen results?

Previously published in SUN, SAND, SEX Stranded together Once passionately in love, college sweethearts Teague and Joanna Darby never imagined they'd end up on the brink of divorce. But the success they've found in their careers has taken them on different paths, and maybe it's time to go their separate ways. But before they do, a friend advises them to spend one last weekend together, at the very least so they can agree on who gets the dog. When a ferry strike leaves Teague and Joanna stranded together at their beloved beach cottage, it promises to be the most awkward weekend ever. Or the perfect chance to fall for each other all over again . . .

It's a Christmas affair to remember as a Hollywood mogul discovers his inner cowboy—and the woman of his dreams—amid the rugged beauty of Wyoming. Raine McCall would take snow-covered mountains over a star-studded premiere any day. But when hotshot movie executive Mick Branson arranges dinner on Christmas Eve to discuss a work opportunity, she's intrigued—by the offer and the man. She's a no-makeup, no-frills single mom, who's happy with her quiet life. Sharing chili cheeseburgers and sizzling kisses with Mick is sure heating up her holiday, but country girl and power player don't mix... It's not just work that's brought Mick back to Mustang Creek. Since he first visited to oversee a documentary, free-spirited graphic designer Raine has been in his head. Her approach to life is as unconventional as her quirky holiday ornaments. Their attraction is undeniable—and so are their differences. Putting down roots in the Wild West wasn't in...

With his wild heart, Sawyer McKettrick isn't ready to settle down on the Triple M family ranch in Arizona. So he heads to Blue River, Texas, to seek a job as marshal. But in a blinding snowstorm he's injured--and collapses into the arms of a prim and proper lady in calico. The shirtless, bandaged stranger recuperating in teacher Piper St. James's room behind the schoolhouse says he's a McKettrick, but he looks like an outlaw. As they wait out the storm, the handsome loner has Piper remembering long-ago dreams of marriage and motherhood. But for how long is Sawyer willing to call Blue River home? As the gray skies clear, Piper's one holiday wish just might bring two lonely hearts together forever.

For the youngest Carson brother, finding—and fixing—trouble seems to be all in a day's work Mace Carson doesn't consider himself a hero. Back in college, he came upon a woman in trouble and intervened—but he was just one irate Wyoming cowboy with his boots planted firmly on the side of right. Now a successful vintner, Mace is shocked to be reunited with the woman he saved. But it turns out she's in Wyoming on business...a corporate executive representing the company that wants to buy his winery. Only, he's not selling. Kelly Wright has never forgotten that horrible night ten years ago when Mace came to her rescue, has never forgotten him. The surprising success of a winery in the middle of ranch country has brought her to Mustang Creek, and she's secretly thrilled to discover Mace at the helm. Reluctant to mix business with pleasure, Kelly vows to keep things professional, until her attacker is released from prison and comes...

From Publishers WeeklyVeteran romance author Miller braids together numerous storylines in the second entry in her late-19th-century McKettrick Cowboystrilogy (after High Country Bride), yet all of them lack depth. Angus,patriarch of the McKettrick clan, sets his three sons against oneanother with his proclamation that the first to marry and father achild will inherit his Arizona ranch. Kade McKettrick, not to beoutdone by his recently married brother, Rafe, has sent for amail-order bride. Improbably, he gets six, none he would marry, whileMandy Sperrin, who's on the run and masquerading as a nun, tweaks hislibido. Mandy's disguise fools everyone but Kade, even though shetakes a job in a hotel and doesn't know a syllable of Latin when askedto offer a prayer. Though Mandy's plight will inspire sympathy-she'sfrom a broken home and yearns to belong somewhere-the hot-bloodedMcKettrick men, who are always spoiling for a fight, are merestereotypes. Miller compensates with an overstuffed plot involvingrange wars, stolen gold and murder, but these subplots often feelsketchily drawn and unresolved (a threatened range war fizzles; aposse decides to return home mid-chase). A mile wide and an inch deep,this western romp, while charming at times, lacks the richcharacterizations that established Miller as a bestselling author.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. Review“You’ll adore the McKettricks. . . . Get set to enjoy this series.”—_Romantic Times_