Love inspired historical

Her Deepest Secret Giving up her out-of-wedlock son was the only right choice. Still, Kate Woodward aches that she isn't part of his life. She can't heal herself, but she can help former Confederate soldier Robert Markham rebuild his war-shattered life. But helping Robert is drawing them irresistibly close -- even as Kate fears she can never be the one he deserves.… Battlefield loss and guilt rekindled Robert's faith and brought him home to Atlanta. And Kate's past only makes him more determined to show this steadfast, caring woman that she deserves happiness. Now, with her secrets revealed and her child in danger, Robert has only one chance to win her trust -- and embark on the sweetest of new beginnings.…

"With no teaching positions open, Georgia Marshall agrees to become the temporary nanny for the two little girls next door. But she soon becomes enamored of the precocious children and their dashing but distant widowed father. Though she's falling for him, she can't help but think that the nobleman is out of her reach. After the tragic loss of his wife, Tyler Walker swore he'd never again give his heart away. Until his neighbor brightens his home and brings some much-needed stability to his motherless family. But he refuses to allow this arrangement with the pretty teacher to become permanent...no matter how much he wants Georgia by his side--forever." -- Page cover.

Mistletoe reunion. When Marlys Boyd moves West hoping to find acceptance for her doctoring skills, she's surprised to find her former fiance, Sam Mason, running the local newspaper. And with the ladies in town determined to make a match of the doctor and the single father, she's not sure she can resist building the family they once dreamed of. Mistletoe bride. Pregnant by a man who betrayed her trust, a mail-order marriage is Beatrix Haas's only hope. But when she arrives in Cowboy Creek and learns her intended groom has died, she needs a new daddy for the baby that's coming right away. Blacksmith Colton Werner offers the mother and child the protection of his name, but can their marriage of convenience ever lead to true love?

"If Chase Dearborn, the powerful Earl of Allyndale, found Meredee Price's family in Scarborough, surely he'd continue his quest to challenge Meredee's stepbrother to a duel. Meredee is determined to avoid the earl at all costs. But saving a drowning young lady thwarts Meredee's plans when her act of heroism nets her the attention of the lady's brother and guardian--none other than Chase himself. Meredee's gentle ways and tranquil beauty touch Chase's guarded heart from the moment he meets her. He's waited a lifetime for a worthy companion--someone he can trust with his deepest secrets. But then he discovers that Meredee has harbored a secret of her own, one that love may not overcome."--P. of cover.

Proposing a marriage of convenience to a rugged logger is the boldest move of Nora Underhill's sheltered life. In return for Simon Wallin's protection from her overbearing family, the unassuming seamstress offers prime frontier farmland. But their paper marriage changes when Nora's greedy brother tries to draw her back into a life of drudgery. Her only option: move to Simon's farm, and into the center of his loving, unruly family. Years of shouldering responsibility have left Simon cynical and reserved. But little by little, Nora's warmth opens his shuttered heart to joy. With their marriage claim under threat, can this practical arrangement blossom over the holidays…and become a love for all seasons?

Christmas hearts: "Thirteen-year-old Amelia longs for a new ma. Little George needs a father's guidance. For their children's sake, Cole Matheson and Mercy Jacobs agree on a businesslike marriage. But though Cole tries to keep his distance, Mercy offers the very thing he's stopped believing in--the chance to forge a real family"--Publisher. Mistletoe kiss in Dry Creek: ""Passable cook wanted as wife. Marriage in name only." Noah Miller doesn't expect any replies to his plainspoken ad, though it's the only kind of offer the guarded rancher's prepared to make. Until widowed Maeve Flanagan and her sweet daughter arrive, turning his home and his heart upside down"--Publisher.

It's A Time For Giving And Receiving...LoveAs if working and raising her family of five--four kids and one demanding cat--isn't enough, Samantha Williams has been volunteered to oversee a Thanksgiving pageant at her kids' school. So a relationship is the last thing on this stretched-too-thin single mother's mind.Until she meets the new interim principal--sexy, single Harry Remington. Her childhood friend.Harry is welcomed into Samantha's home as if he belonged. Being part of her sprawling family--even if it's only temporary--makes him realize how much he misses having a real home. Best of all, he and Samantha are starting to trust each other. How can he say goodbye to all that? How can he leave when he's just found the best reason of all to stay?

"To keep the Texas ranch she loves, Hannah Parrish will wed a man she doesn't. Cowpokes won't take orders from a young, single female. But while her exasperating neighbor Matt Walker jokes about her being a mere debutante, Hannah is a rancher to the core. Just like Matt. 'Will you marry me?' It's a question widowed Matt never intended to ask again. Now spirited Hannah is asking him for a marriage of convenience! Yet whether she's birthing a calf or caring for a young orphan, the tomboy next door is becoming the partner Matt always hoped for. Now he must convince her the greatest strength comes in trusting your heart to another--and your future to God"--Publisher.

There was nothing remotely romantic about widowed father Samuel Hart's marriage proposal. Yet Josie Randolph said yes. The Lord had finally blessed the lonely widow with the family she'd always dreamed of. And she was deeply in love with the handsome preacher, whose high ideals inspired everyone. Surely during their long journey across the western plains to his new post her husband would grow to love her. Each mile brought them closer to home, yet drove them further apart. Samuel didn't seem ready to open his heart again. But Josie was determined to be not just the preacher's wife, but Samuel's wife.

His very presence put her on her guard Rowan had no choice but to go to work for the overbearing arrogant Fraser Delaney--she needed the job, and besides, if she refused, it could jeopardize her best friend Tanya's job on Fraser's plantation. But that didn't mean she had to like it, and Fraser seemed almost to be looking for an excuse to fire her. To add to her troubles, his girl friend, Erica, seemed to think Rowan was her servant, too!

"Too pretty by half--that's Miss Virnie White's problem. Conor Russell has seen what prairie living can do to a delicate female. That's why he's raising his daughter, Rachael, to be as tough as any boy. The new schoolteacher may have good intentions, but harsh reality will make her hightail it out of here soon enough. Delicate--pah! Virnie's not budging. Little Rachael needs nurturing and guidance, in and out of school. And Rachael's dady...well, the headstrong cowboy needs to learn that strength comes in many forms. Yet Virnie isn't expecting the lesson God has planned for her--that with faith, two wounded souls can build a real family together."--P. of cover.

A prairie family Christmas: "A thriving homestead in South Dakota Territory is Julianne Cooper's dearest wish. Can the war-weary chaplain she rescues from a snowstorm help her reach it? Nathan Cook insists he's only passing through, but the lovely widow and her children have him dreaming of a lifetime of Christmases together."--P. of cover. A cowboy's Christmas: "Just until Christmas--that's how long rancher Derek Adams needs a nanny for his young sister. Winnie Lockwood knows it's a mistake to get too attached. Yet little Kathy's sweet smiles undo her best intentions. And Winnie can't help but pray she's found a home for the holidays ... and forever."--P. of cover.

Bounty hunting was just a job for Gabe Taggart;one he needed to fund his sister's education. But now Irene has finished school, and Gabe is ready to settle down, find a husband for Irene and - best of all - set aside his past. His adventuring days are over - until his intervention in a train robbery leaves him injured, under Elizabeth Hart's care. Despite his plans for a quiet life, antagonizing his feisty caretaker is the most fun Gabe's ever had. Elizabeth provokes him, too, with her strong mind, kind heart and high principles. Gabe hopes to win her love, but will his dark history bar him from marriage to the preacher's daughter?

He was her father's poor bank clerk. She was a wealthy young lady. Though they were worlds apart, their innocent friendship bloomed into a mutual admiration. Then suddenly Nicholas Tennant was wrenched from Alice Shepard's life. Now, years later, he has returned to London society wealthy and influential, determined to seek revenge on Alice's father--and Alice herself. But she is no longer the spoiled schoolgirl Nicholas remembers. She is a beautiful young widow of conviction and faith, raising a son on her own. Now Nicholas must look deep into his heart. For only in abandoning his thirst for revenge can he finally become the man most worthy of her love.

When heiress Victoria Templeton learns her fortune is gone, she has to move to the Colorado frontier to live with her uncle. But with no money to pay for the trip, she must accept a position as a traveling nanny for a widowed rancher. And, much to the chagrin of the man entrusting his children to her care, she soon finds herself in over her head. Mitch MacLeod lives for two things: his ranch and his children. And pampered Victoria isn't qualified to help with either. But the former socialite has more grit--and determination--than he first thinks. If her uncle has his way, though, Mitch will soon lose his ranch--and any hope of a future with Victoria.

When Clara became a midwife, she vowed to preserve life above all. She'll keep that vow, even if it means defying a Norman baron by hiding a Saxon slave and her child. Yet when the ruthless lord threatens Clara's village--and her life--she's forced to rely on another Norman to keep her safe. Kenneth D'Entremont is a soldier, one who takes lives instead of healing them. Clara despairs of finding any common ground with him. But when he begins guarding her, she learns to see him in a new light. His care and compassion make her feel safe even loved. Can she bring herself to put her secrets, and her heart, under the protection of the warrior.

"Bart Kingsley had followed her to New Mexico, ready to lay his love--and his life--on the line. But spirited Laura Rose had made a fresh start for herself. She hadn't left her controlling father in Kansas to let some gun-slinging outlaw ruin her hopes--no matter what scandalous past they shared six years ago. Or how his green eyes beckoned! Rosie was his light in the darkness--Bart would do anything to win back her trust. But he was a wanted man. Would the past, with its dangerous demands and debts, conspire to destroy their new beginning? Or would his faith in God--and in Rosie--be rewarded?"--P. of cover.

Heartbroken when her childhood love never returned, Rose Smith soon learned she had even greater worries--she carried his child. Ten years later as a housemaid in London, she encounters Samuel Blackstone. The kind youth she adored has turned bitter with success. Feeling out of place in Sam's high-society world, Rose fears what he may do when he learns of their son ... A wealthy stockbroker, Sam is used to getting what he wants. And when he learns that Rose bore him a son, he wants to claim his family. But he'll have to convince Rose to trust him again if he's to have any hope of meeting the boy ... or recapturing her heart.

Clare Walsh isn't too keen on marrying, but it's the only way for her to keep her family home ... and custody of her two younger brothers. So when rancher Noah Livingstone offers a union in name only, Clare reluctantly agrees. Accepting Noah's strictly practical proposal has an unexpected catch, though--she's actually falling for him. Though Noah is drawn to vibrant, independent Clare, he knows romantic feelings will only complicate their marriage of convenience. But when secrets from his past threaten Noah's fragile new family, he must make a difficult choice. Will Noah risk all his dreams to secure a real future with Clare?

"It's been six years since Luke Travis has seen his native England...and his son, Sam. But his hopes for a joyful reunion are shattered when he learns that Sam wants nothing to do with him. There's one ray of hope--Luke's former sister-in-law, Bobbie Gardner. The kindhearted woman has been a mother to Sam for all these years, and she promises to help mend the breach between father and son. But can Luke trust another Gardner? His wife betrayed and abandoned him, and his father-in-law took his son away. Bobbie must prove to him that she is not his sister, or her father, but a woman who is all that Luke could wish for in a wife."--P. of cover.

"Widowed Saxon Lady Ediva Dunmow will do anything to protect her people--even marry one of the invading Norman knights. The king sees it as a way to keep Ediva, her lands and her tenants subdued. But Ediva's embittered heart, still healing from the abuse of her first husband, will not yield so easily. Marriage never held any appeal for Adrien de Ries. Yet it is his king's will, and perhaps his Lord's, too--though he finds his faith tested daily by Ediva's staunch refusal to trust him. As a knight, Adrien survived many battles, but the fight to win Ediva's heart may be his most challenging--and rewarding."--Publisher.

"The "orphan train" seemed like small-town spinster Adelaide Crum's last chance to know the simple joys of family life. So many lost children, every one of them dreaming only of a caring home--the home she longed to offer. And yet the narrow-minded town elders refused to entrust even the most desperate child to a woman alone. Newspaperman Charles Graves believed his heart was closed forever, but he swore to stand by this lovely, lonely woman who was fighting for the right to take some motherless child into her heart. And her gentle soul and unwavering faith made him wonder if even he could overcome the bitter lessons of the past, and somehow find the courage to love"--P. of cover.

"Sensible, settled, steady... And not Sadie Lassiter. Eli Reynolds knows what he wants in a wife, and the flighty Texas girls couldn't be further from the mark. Eli has his nine-year-old sister's welfare to consider--Penny deserves a mother who will give her proper care. But when bad weather strands Eli and Sadie together, he sees a new side to her character. She's rash--but also resourceful. Instead of discipline, she has diligent faith. Her housekeeping skills are lacking, but she's filled with humor and sweetness. She may not be a 'proper' wife, but to save her reputation--and to take a chance on happiness he'd never expected to find--Eli will take her as his bride."--P. of cover.