Who knew fate could twist a tragedy into a second chance at love?
Samantha Winters lives her life the way a good accountant should-measured, deliberate, and safe. After watching her father die in a tragic skiing accident, she decided never to allow risk into her life again. But she didn't count on falling for Nick Chastain, who embodies everything she doesn't want in her safely constructed world.
Against Samantha's warnings, Nick plans a dangerous kayaking trip over spring break. Furious that he's so careless with his life, she ends their fledgling relationship with harsh words.
Two years later, Samantha is desperately in need of a change. When she learns her grandmother has had an accident and is in need of a caretaker, Samantha quickly packs her bags and heads to Thunder Creek, Idaho. But nothing could prepare her for the surprise awaiting her in her grandmother's hospital room . . . Nick.
With the charming backdrop of small-town friends, beloved cousins, and a whole church congregation rooting for them, can they set aside the disastrous ending of their first try at love? Has Nick changed enough to meet Samantha in the middle-and can she realize that a risk in love might be worth taking?
Her mother abandoned her, her father disowned her, and her husband left her. Can Brooklyn be convinced that it is possible to forgive the greatest of betrayals?
Brooklyn Myers escaped her broken home and her embittered, unloving father by eloping to Reno at the age of 17. But when she was pregnant with their first child, her husband abandoned her as well. Not welcome back home in Thunder Creek, Brooklyn stayed in Reno and raised her daughter Alycia on her own, doing her best to make sure Alycia never knew the heartache and rejection Brooklyn herself had known.
When her estranged husband Chad Hallston dies, he leaves the family home in Thunder Creek to his daughter. Believing it is the best way to give her daughter a stable home, Brooklyn does what she thought she would never do. She goes home to the orchard and wine country of Southwest Idaho. There, she encounters Chad's best friend, Derek Johnson, a part time sheriff's deputy who also owns an organic produce farm next door. Derek was never a fan of former bad girl Brooklyn Myers, but he made a promise to his dying friend that he would be the father to Alycia that Chad had never been.
Although Derek and Brooklyn get off to a bumpy start, he and Alycia quickly form a bond. And soon, Derek realizes that he wants Brooklyn to trust him too . . . even knowing that her trust won't come easily. And then he realizes he wants even more than her trust. He wants to win her love.
While Brooklyn may be tempted to give her heart to Derek, risking her daughter's happiness is another story. Will Brooklyn hold onto her self-reliance for dear life, or will she come to understand that the greatest gift she can give her daughter is showing her how to love and trust others?
For these two broken hearts, the first step toward love will be a huge leap of faith.
Jessica Mason isn't looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter-and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband's betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows.
Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship-but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination.
When Jessica begins to read her great-grandfather's Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing. And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have wronged them, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again.
Who I Am With You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica's great-grandfather's story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has the power to transform families forever.
Following her father's death and her own attempted suicide, pampered socialite Karen Butler reluctantly seeks refuge at the home of Sophia Taylor, the grandmother she has never known. Determined to escape Sophia's broken-down ranch as soon as she can, Karen resists connecting with its inhabitants - especially Dusty Stoddard, the driven director of the Golden T's summer camp for at-risk youth. Karen is not the only one who has been wounded; Sophia, Dusty, and the boys have all suffered tremendous pain and loss. But by the time Karen discovers this, it is too late to escape; they have become a part of her healing and she a part of theirs. For through their kindness and acceptance, along with the diaries of a remarkable women who died twenty-eight years before she was born, Karen will discover hidden secrets and amazing truths that could lead her to the greatest love of all.
Winner of the 2000 Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction
Finalist for the 2000 RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance
First published by WaterBrook Press in September 1999
Following her father's death and her own attempted suicide, pampered socialite Karen Butler reluctantly seeks refuge at the home of Sophia Taylor, the grandmother she has never known. Determined to escape Sophia's broken-down ranch as soon as she can, Karen resists connecting with its inhabitants-especially Dusty Stoddard, the driven director of the Golden T's summer camp for at-risk youth. Karen is not the only one who has been wounded; Sophia, Dusty, and the boys have all suffered tremendous pain and loss. But by the time Karen discovers this, it is too late to escape; they have become a part of her healing, and she, a part of theirs. For through their kindness and acceptance, along with the diaries of a remarkable woman who died twenty-eight years before she was born, Karen discovers hidden secrets and amazing truths that could lead her to the greatest love of all.
Will writing a romance help this author find a real-life hero?
Charity Anderson turned her back on Kings Meadow years ago, with good reason, and has avoided visits to her hometown whenever possible. But with her house in Boise damaged by floodwaters and a book deadline bearing down, staying in her parents' empty home seems her only option. However, being in Kings Meadow dredges up a painful secret, and old fears threaten to overwhelm her.
Charity's former high school classmate Buck Malone never left town, instead sacrificing his dreams to take care of his family. Now he enjoys an uncomplicated life as a wilderness guide and confirmed bachelor. The last thing on his mind is settling down.
When Charity's dog causes an accident that leaves Buck with a broken ankle and wrist at the start of prime tourist season, Charity has little choice but to render aid while he recuperates. Soon Buck becomes the inspiration for Charity's hero, both on the page and off. Can he also help her face and overcome her fears so they might find their own happily ever after?
Will writing a romance help this author find a real-life hero?
Charity Anderson turned her back on Kings Meadow years ago, with good reason, and has avoided visits to her hometown whenever possible. But with her house in Boise damaged by floodwaters and a book deadline bearing down, staying in her parents' empty home seems her only option. However, being back in Kings Meadow dredges up a painful secret, and old fears threaten to overwhelm her.
Charity's former high school classmate Buck Malone never left town, instead sacrificing his dreams to take care of his family. Now he enjoys an uncomplicated life as a wilderness guide and confirmed bachelor. The last thing on his mind is settling down.
When Charity's dog causes an accident that leaves Buck with a broken ankle and wrist at the start of prime tourist season, Charity has little choice but to render aid while he recuperates. Soon Buck becomes the inspiration for Charity's hero, both on the page and off. Can he also help her face and overcome her fears so they might find their own happily ever after?
From the moment Gavin Blake set eyes on Emily Harris he knew she would never make it in the rugged high country where backbreaking work and constant hardship were commonplace. She would wilt there like a rose without water. He'd be sending her back to Boise before the first snows. He'd be willing to bet on it.
She could say what she wanted. Emily Harris didn't belong in the hard life of the Blakes. Beautiful and refined, she was accustomed to the best life had to offer. Heaven only knew why she wanted to leave Boise to teach two young girls on a ranch miles from nowhere. He'd wager it had to do with a man. It always did when a beautiful woman was involved.
Emily wanted to make some sort of mark on the world before marriage. She wanted to be more than just a society wife. Though she had plenty of opportunities back East, she had come to the Idaho high country looking to make a difference. Gavin's resistance to her presence made her even more determined to prove herself. Perhaps changing the heart of one man might make the greatest difference of all.
From the moment Gavin Blake set eyes on Emily Harris, he knew she would never make it in the rugged high country where backbreaking work and constant hardship were commonplace. Beautiful and refined, she was accustomed to the best life had to offer. Heaven only knew why she wanted to leave Boise to teach two young girls on a ranch miles from nowhere. He'd wager it had to do with a man. It always did when a beautiful woman was involved. Emily wanted to make some sort of mark on the world before marriage. She wanted to be more than just a society wife. Though she had plenty of opportunities back East, she had come to the Idaho high country looking to make a difference. Gavin's resistance to her presence made her even more determined to prove herself. Perhaps changing the heart of just one man would make the greatest difference of all.
When Bethany Silverton left the genteel life of Miss Henderson's School for Young Ladies back in Philadelphia for the raw frontier town of Sweetwater, Montana, she had no idea how much she would enjoy the freedom and danger of this wild country.
A conservative preacher's daughter, Bethany can't resist the challenge of charming the most attractive cowboy in town into attending her father's new church. She never dreamed that the cowboy would charm the lady.
But Hawk Chandler isn't the only man vying for Bethany's affections. Ruthlessly ambitious Vince Richards thinks Bethany is perfect for him: attractive, gracious, just the woman to help him become governor. And he is determined to get what he wants at any cost.
Drawn to one man, an obsession of another, Bethany's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. She wagered her heart on love. Now she has gotten more than she bargained for---and the stakes are about to become life and death.
After a lifetime of putting herself last, Shayla Vincent is finally on the right track. The rustic, secluded cabin her aunt left her is the answer to prayer, the perfect spot to start her writing career. Now nothing will stop her from spreading His word. Nat O'Connell is her new next-door neighbor-a rugged rancher caring for his two adorable nieces. Yet Shayla has already helped bring up her younger siblings. Raising another family when her goal is just within her grasp is the last thing she wants-even as the brown-eyed cowboy has quickly become the first...
Despite the dishonorable circumstances of his own birth, Adam Faulkner has never begrudged his half-brother Sebastian's legitimate position as the Viscount Willowthorpe. Having a title and everything that goes with it never mattered to Adam—until “everything” became the hand of Miss Eliza Southwick. Adam knows, as the stable manager at Hooke Manor, he shouldn’t hope to wed a well-born miss. After all, enchanting such a lady’s heart would take a true gentleman…something he is not.
