She’s ready to put on the performance of a lifetime. Cody Tomlinson and Mallory Moore have struck sparks off each other since high school theater, where she was sunny and talented while he was injured and angry. A decade later, Mallory is working to save Last Stand’s movie theater and convert it into a performance space for live theater and music. Thanks to his family’s lottery win, Cody has plenty of money to help. But Mallory’s the only woman in town who doesn’t want Cody’s charity. It’s bad enough that Cody is sexy as sin with his tough, scarred cowboy looks. Now he’s rich and Mallory refuses to be another woman fighting for his attention. She won’t accept a financial gift for her business, but she’s not above a fair trade. Mallory offers a deal: Cody can invest in the theater if he volunteers on the renovation. Meanwhile, she’ll play the part of his fiancée to ward off fortune hunters. But Mallory immediately realizes her mistake. Cody’s always driven her crazy, and now they’re spending all their days—and nights—together.

For the first time, his cowboy charms seem to backfire… With his Texas ranching family’s lottery win, TC Tomlinson is finally able to build a ranch with alternative livestock. TC has a lot to prove, starting with his new ostrich herd, so when he catches a beauty scooping up an escaped baby bird, TC chases her down, assuming she wants to meet him for his money. When Hallie Armstrong sees the injured baby ostrich, she jumps into professional mode. A former vet tech, she’s moved to Last Stand to work at her aunt's wildlife rescue and heal from an attack. She’s skittish of the handsome cowboy, but when he starts to flirt, she decides two can play at this game—the rescue needs fundraising, and TC is an eligible bachelor. As they brainstorm ideas for a bachelor auction and work to solve the mystery of local sheep attacks, TC finds himself falling for the feisty cowgirl. But when he learns she’s still in danger, his protective instincts threaten to drive Hallie away. Can TC convince Hallie she can have her independence and him too?

This runaway bride needs a fresh start. After falling unexpectedly pregnant, Daisy Taylor barely had a moment to think. The baby’s father proposed, her parents rushed the wedding, and Daisy fled the altar. She runs away to Last Stand, Texas, to stay with her aunt and arrives in time for a fundraising ball—where her wedding dress blends in—and dances with a handsome stranger. He seems sweet and kind, and when Daisy later secures employment as an assistant at a nearby ranch, she’s pleased to see the man again. But she’s humiliated that he doesn’t recognize her. The youngest of his siblings, Xander Tomlinson is still uncomfortable with his family’s unexpected lottery win. He prefers a quiet and peaceful life on the ranch caring for creatures in need. When his mother hires an office assistant, Xander is immediately protective of Daisy and her ever-growing belly. Daisy won’t take charity and Xander struggles to fight his attraction to Daisy who, as an employee, is off-limits. As their friendship teeters on the edge of becoming more and the baby’s father starts making demands, will Xander learn that some things are worth fighting for?

Playing the lottery was just for fun, but with the one-billion-dollar win, life gets complicated. It’s been nearly a year since widowed Texas Rancher Ava Tomlinson won the lottery. And while her four adult sons have found love, Ava feels unsettled this Christmas. She’s giving her sons more privacy, but she’s especially lonely due to a rift in her once tight circle of friends. Ava’s not anticipating a romance when a handsome, younger survey geologist arrives at the ranch to work through the holidays. He’s sexy and fun, but only offering temporary. North Rabe’s career keeps him on the road. His plans of working through the holidays are derailed when Ava includes him in family dinners and festive plans in Last Stand. He’s quickly smitten and finally has a glimpse of a family life he lost long ago. Does he dare attempt to lay down roots? And if so, how can he convince Ava and her protective sons he’s after her heart, not her money?

"The Cowboy's pride: Even a year of separation hasn't slaked rancher Clayton Worth's desire for his soon-to-be ex-wife. Trish's mysterious reluctance to have kids is what drove them apart. Now she's back in Red Ridge--and mother to a baby girl! Clayton thought it was all over between them...but it seems their hearts have other ideas"--Page 4 of cover.

Book 1 of Cowboys & Brides From New York Times and USA Today-bestselling author Carolyn Brown comes a contemporary Western romance filled to the brim with sexy cowboys, gutsy heroines, and genuine down-home Texas twang. Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he's desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn't be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only. Laura Baker's got mixed feelings about this-she's on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn't half-bad. What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love... Fans of Linda Lael Miller and Diana Palmer will thrill to this moving story of a marriage of convenience between a cowboy who has it all...and the woman he could never have enough of. Cowboys & Brides Series Order: Billion Dollar Cowboy (Book 1, Cowboys & Brides) The Cowboy's Christmas Baby (Book 2, Cowboys & Brides) The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride (Book 3, Cowboys & Brides) How to Marry a Cowboy (Book 4, Cowboys & Brides) Praise for Bestselling Contemporary Western Romances by Carolyn Brown: "An old-fashioned love story told well... A delight."-RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars "Sizzling hot and absolutely delectable."-Romance Junkies "Funny, frank, and full of heart... One more welcome example of Brown's Texas-size talent for storytelling."-USA Today Happy Ever After "Alive with humor... Another page-turning joy of a book by an engaging author."-Fresh Fiction

Kate Tessler and her crew of misfits set out to blow the whistle on two feuding crime families . . . Former war correspondent Kate Tessler has solved multiple murders since returning to her Arizona hometown, to the grudging appreciation of the local police. Now Detective Padilla and the FBI approach Kate with a proposal. Two Russian crime families have rented a private historic train to the Grand Canyon for their children’s wedding. The route is scenic and remote. No cell phones. The FBI needs to surveil, but anyone infiltrating the train must be above suspicion. Kate poses as herself, sent by the newspaper to cover the society wedding, while her sister Jen is the photographer. Their multi-generational and eccentric crew pose as train staff. The goal is to observe, but that quickly derails when the groom disappears, and a search for him turns up a dead body. Everyone’s a suspect and trapped on the train. The mob families won’t contact the police, so it’s up to Kate and friends to uncover the truth before their whole mission goes off the tracks.