Christmas in the Wylder County Jail-Release day!

 Christmas in the Wylder County Jail releases today on all book sellers!

If you are following the Wylder West Series, then you won't want to miss this story the brings us Addie and Russ and a bit of background on their lives and their love for each other. 

Writing this was incredible work of heart as I got to write is with someone I am proud to call friend, Nicole McCaffrey. By the way if you have not read a story by Nicole you are missing out! Check out her list of books!

But this story is one readers kept asking about so here you go! We hope we have given you a story you cannot put down as you read to find out if Russ will be able to get his head out of the bottle long enough to save his heart...Miss Addie. 

Hey, better get reading and please leave us a review!

The Gingerbread Man Released today!!!

 The Gingerbread Man is released today! I am so excited to have everyone read this story that I dedicated to my sister, Wendi. 

When we were little, each afternoon while we waited for my Dad to get off work, Mom would read us stories and The Gingerbread Man is one that my sister loved. 

While my story isn't really along the same notes as the original fairy tale book, it does contain a little girl I modeled after my sister. 

This is a shorter story than my usual so if you are looking for a nice holiday romance set in the old west, this one should fit the fill. 

It is available from all book sellers but hey, if you do read, please leave a review on Amazon!

One of these days, a story for Dodge McCade.....Loving Brett.

When I first began the planning of the four McCade brothers I was excited about the world I had built for these swoon worthy men of 1880s Cheyenne. And as I keep saying what was suppose to be romance has ended up as what I call family saga with romance and suspense and cowboys and...yeah...all of it in one series. What I never expected to be the hit of this series was the meddling mother....Dodge. Trust me she isn't sitting in a rocker knitting.

She really doesn't require a last name for it to be known she rules the roost. The matriarch of the McCades is one strong willed family oriented entrepreneur. She owns part of the mercantile helping run it and keeping the tabs on expenses. She also has had an ongoing affair with Brett...which leads me to tell you all I have had no less than 150 requests for her backstory, her present story and her romantic involvement with Brett Morgan. Some of you are even telling me the older couple romances are nice...and so yep I have planning going on. That was so surprising to me that people loved her as much as her sons though. When I created her character I wanted a real spit fire woman full of the fight that living west gave her. She loves her sons and her family and I have found it fun planning some of the crazy she pulls in each story...the Dodge way. She tells Rose in Sawyer's Rose that the grandfather who raised her nicknamed her Dodge because she was always finding ways to 'dodge' chores. But I wanted a strong name everyone in town and in her family could call Eleanor McCade...and as I was browsing ideas this one kept coming back to me as strange as it might seem. Dodge is one of a kind but her love of Brett is one that somehow doesn't have to be explained. He loves her no matter her avoiding marriage with him. He realizes what is at stake is she give in and so one day we will all find out. It may be a while before this one happens but I know it will be one no one can put down. Dodge is too far interesting and fun for that to happen.

And of course as I tell each of the McCades of Cheyenne novesl, all your favorite characters will return and you'll how much the families have grown. My heart has become the McCades of Cheyenne and a story for Dodge will be amazing if I can pull off what I have planned.

A happily Ever After for Leaning Bear...

When I first included Leaning Bear in this series I believe his first scenes were bickering with Wyatt. The strong willed Cheyenne meets the short tempered brother of Dawson McCade, whom he calls friend. I find those scenes so funny...even as Dawson is rescuing Wyatt from where he was left near beaten to death he and Leaning Bear have exchanges that make me laugh.

But the magical thing is that when writers say the characters write themselves...Leaning Bear did just that. 

In Dawson's story we find the two friends protecting each other time and again but in that we find while Leaning Bear is not a McCade he is still without a doubt Dawson's brother. 

And in Dawson's Haven both Leaning Bear and Dawson are wrongly accused of murder. And as we follow them we read their fight and struggle to prove themselves innocent of all charges...

And as this story transpired when I was writing I had to be careful that Leaning Bear didn't take over as sometimes secondary characters will try to do. But he kept on until I had fallen hard for the Cheyenne medicine and yes...he is getting a story. 

Paint the Sky will follow Evan's Ransom with a story that will be the first to be labeled:

A McCades of Cheyenne Novel: Paint the Sky

And I am excited for Leaning Bear who will get his happily ever after, one unique as far as the other stories have gone. 

Leaning Bear will fall hard for Alli, a school teacher sent to work with the children on the reservation. That task in itself should send the woman on the run but it intrigues Leaning Bear that she stays. But the true romance begins as Leaning Bear escapes from the reservation to a small retreat in the woods where he can be alone and he one days discovers Alli is at the small creek painting. 

We discover in Dawson's Haven at the trial that Leaning Bear can draw beautifully. So he begins meeting this woman at times to sit and watch her paint...only she scolds herself that she can never get the colors of the sky just right. Thus her Cheyenne nic name from our Medicine Man....Paint the Sky. 

I won't give up the story here but I promise this first McCade novel will make you swoon a time or two. Isn't forbidden love sometimes the best?

A visit with the McCade brothers one at at time...Evan McCade...Coming soon!

The long awaited story for the 4th McCade son is in the works!!! And I couldn't be more excited as I return to Cheyenne in 2022 to finish Evan's Ransom. You won't want to miss this one.

I was side tracked a bit with a few short stories as you all know and in taking that time, I didn't want to do anything to rush Evan's story. He deserves my undivided attention to create what happens to our youngest McCade Brother and I promise lots of unexpected surprises in this story as I wind up the four brothers.

Evan is a man driven by hard work though he is haunted by things in his past that drive him to drink...something that worries more than his mother Dodge. All the brothers have tried to keep the youngest McCade in check but as it turns out...they are all aware of a deep family secret that brings Evan to his knees.

As Evan comes face to face with his past, when he leaves Cheyenne and his family behind to search for the truth within himself...the truth he thinks he may find with liquor gambling and women. But as he spirals out of control...his past returns in the form of his first love...

Enter Charli, the long lost niece of Marcus Benton...and so opens a story of lost love renewed, redemption, ransom and ultimately Love. I already have about half of this story written in scenes

My hopes are that with Evan's story I bring the McCades of Cheyenne full circle and end the brothers on a note that will have readers sigh and want more...and ya know what. More to come with a story for:

Leaning Bear-Paint the Sky will follow Evan's Ransom

Dodge and Brett: Loving Brett 
Hudson Collier: Hudson's Hope
Zane Carver McCade: Zane's Law

And as other McCades arrive or join the clan they just might get a story one of these days so stay tuned. 

A visit with the McCade Brothers....Dawson McCade!

 

When I created Dawson McCade I wanted a brother who was more than just another cowboy. Dawson is the only brother who doesn't live on the McCade ranch. He has a cabin miles away from the family and has spent a lot of time with his lifelong friend Leaning Bear, a Cheyenne Medicine Man. 

The two met when he was young and over the years they have passed back and forth a knife and beads that signify their ongoing friendship. 

I have always been fascinated by native American history in the old west as sad as it was in true life. But in his story I have Dawson stand up for the tribes and his friend. But Dawson's brothers worry about his connection with the tribes where he finds his work as an interpreter. He sees the big picture in what the government is doing to the Indian nations and he takes a stand more than once. 

Some of his passion for what he believes comes from his deceased father who taught him to stand up for the causes he finds right. And as a McCade he does that well, while still remaining close and protective of the family.

And while Dawson doesn't reside on the ranch he is never far and always willing to help his brothers where needed. But it is Dawson's compassion for others that is unleashed when he crosses paths with Haven Oakley as she runs from Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. In that day and time, Dog Soldier would have pretty much been on reservations as I explain in my notes inside the book, but this is fiction and works for the story. 

His quick rescue of the young woman allows him time to discover the truths she is hiding in caring for her younger siblings. As a romance transpires between the two of them, they will each come to the others resuce before the story ends. 

In Haven, Dawson finds a woman worthy of his heart and love and when his life is placed on the line and he is wrongly accused of murder, he still does everything in his power to protect her and her sibings.

It's so easy to fall in love with this McCade Brother but I will tell you, the trial in this story is one of the hardest things I have ever written. The emotions tied to the trial of Dawson and Leaning Bear were intense. And the ending, something that will make youy hold your breath for justice. 

Dawson's love for Haven is a beautiful story and as you all know if you have been reading, these two will show up again and you'll get to see just how the family grows. 

Excerpt:

She leaned against his shoulder studying the stone. 
“What just happened between us?” 
How was he to answer a question like that? Hell, 
he was more unnerved by what hadn’t happened, and 
the tightness of his buckskin trousers had relented little. 
He glanced across the meadow, his mind racing but his 
heart sure. “What would you want it to be?” 
The pink blush across her face hadn’t abated. “The 
beginning of something very beautiful.” 
He gave a slight chuckle. “If you knew my 
thoughts, you’d run faster than you did from those Dog 
Soldiers.” 
She took his hand again. “I have no fear of you, 
Dawson McCade.” 
He stood with a smile, tugging her up beside him. 
“You should.” 

Blub:

When Dawson McCade rescues a woman from the hands of Dog Soldiers, he doesn't expect to nearly lose his life and his heart. Translating for the Cheyenne is risky, but protecting Haven Oakley may be the most dangerous thing he's ever done. When he is wrongly accused of murder, he finds himself injured and on the run. Clearing his name will be the biggest hurdle of his life, but nothing will keep him from the woman who has captured his heart.
Haven Oakley is fighting to keep her homestead, working the claim her father died to protect and raising her two younger brothers. Soft-Spoken, Buckskin-clad Dawson McCade is the first man she has ever loved. But all too soon, her dreams are crushed when Dawson is arrested. Racing against time and risking all she has, Haven fights to free him of the charges and save the love she'd thought lost.

A visit with the McCade brothers one at a time...Wyatt McCade.

Sometimes as authors develop their heros they picture just what this hero looks like and who they act like and so on. It has been no different for me. When I first started letting Wyatt's personality show itself in Sawyer's Rose, all I could think of was Nick Barkley from The Big Valley. One of my favorite cowboys out there in TV land. And of course Wyatt McCade being the second of John McCade's sons fits that first temperament well.

Wyatt quickly became my favorite of these brothers but then I say that for every new hero I write. But Wyatt found a place as the bounty hunting brother who admires the sheriff in his eldest brother, Sawyer, and often times becomes the peacemaker between Sawyer and youngest brother Evan. While Wyatt is quick to anger, he is also fast to find the things that matter. Wyatt prides himself on a clean shirt of all things and keeping his hair and beard trimmed. They say give your characters a little bit of some quirk and in the old west that wasn't what too many cowboys worried about. Sawyer's teases him he prunes like a girl but Wuyatt's response is "Yep but I look good." But Wyatt is the most like his deceased father with a quick temper and strong as heck. He is a fighter and will stand up against the worst outlaws and is a dead eye shot with any weapon. He puts money in his pocket bringing in outlaws for the Bounty and is the best there is at tracking down those who do wrong.

But every man has his weakness and for Wyatt that is the lady doctor, Teas Sullivan. The widow physician has a past she cannot forgive herself about enough to let go and love Wyatt McCade and so she turns down his proposal which all but crushes our hero and her. But as the story transpires...Wyatt is beaten and left for dead by the same man who killed his father. As he regains his strength he will stop at nothing when the same man holds Tess hostage in a bad game of hide and seek. Wyatt is now faced with the biggest bounty of his life and will stop at nothing to rescue the only woman he has ever loved. ANd it's Wyatt who finally brings down the evil that has been stalking the McCades for years. Swoon...at least for me. Wyatt is every woman's hero, overcoming big obstacle to hold the doctor in his arms again.

BLURB:

         Bounty hunter Wyatt McCade is recklessly taking down one outlaw at a time. Hard work is one way to forget Tess Sullivan’s womanly curves. But when he learns that she never left Cheyenne, he rides home and right into a trap. Left for dead, he recovers in the capable hands of the lady doctor and even if she can’t forgive herself, loving her is the easy part. But when McCade lands are threatened and he uncovers the truth, it is Tess who is caught in the balance. Finding himself on the bounty hunt of his life, he’ll risk it all to rescue the woman he loves.              

            Doctor Tess Sullivan shattered her own heart by turning down Wyatt McCade’s proposal. Worse than the hurt in his eyes was watching him ride out of Cheyenne, knowing she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. Pining for his return, she blames herself when he is brought to Cheyenne beaten and near death. Forgiveness comes quickly in the arms of the bounty hunter she has always loved, but she soon finds herself the pawn in a deadly game of revenge, praying Wyatt will find her before it’s too late.

EXCERPT>>>

“Wyatt?” “Huh?” 

 “I loved you…long before Israel died.” The confession rocked her thoughts. She had loved Israel, but she had longed for Wyatt years before Israel had died. It had been wrong, and there were times it made her feel like she hadn’t done right by her deceased husband. She weaved her fingers into Wyatt’s, touching with tenderness where the fracture had been. “I did, right or wrong. I mean…I loved Israel, we had so much in common with his study of science and plants and my study of medicine, but I was guilty of dreaming for you long before…he died.” 

     His smile was tender as he lifted her chin. “I’ve known that for a long time, Doc. And I can’t count how many nights I lay awake, wishing I were holding you.” She held tighter to him. “And when you left Cheyenne, it was all my fault. I knew I had made a mistake. I wasn’t even myself without you. It was as if I kept falling and falling, never hitting the ground to land anywhere.” 

 With that he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I’ll always be here to catch you, Doc, always.” 

A visit with the McCades one brother at a time...Sawyer's Rose

Fall in love with the McCades one brother at a time...

What happens when a sheriff set on revenge falls for a mail-order bride with secrets of her own?

When I first envisioned Sawyer I of course wanted the tough alpha male that would make us all swoon. And since I write from the male point of view in my stories I had a unique challenge. How much was too much alpha cowboy and how to fit in the romance for a sheriff set on avenging his father's death from years before. Sawyer is a hard man. Driven to the point he doesn't want or need a wife. 

Let's face it, as the eldest son of John McCade...he has a lot on his plate. He is sheriff and the duties there never seem to end. He has to keep his brothers out of trouble and there are three of those. Wyatt has a temper he can't control and it is all Sawyer can do to keep his bounty hunting brother from a fight. But the two brothers as sheriff and deputy are the best a taking out outlaws and keeping order. Their bond is close. Many an outlaw knows the McCade name. But then Sawyer has to keep an eye on things where Dawson is concerned. Dawson is a loner of sorts and follows a lot of the Cheyenne ways often hanging with an Indian Medicine man called Leaning Bear. As the only McCade Brother not on the ranch Sawyer fears for the prejudices his brother encounters along the way. Dawson is loyal no matter the happenings to his brothers. But then there is Evan, the youngest McCade Brother who is loud mouthed, wild as a buck and drinks too much. Sawyer will pay hell keeping this youngest sibling on the up and up. 

And while three brothers is enough to run any sheriff crazy let's not forget the meddling mother Dodge who in her own rights runs them all. Dodge is a strong woman for that day and time has some interesting views on how things should work. She looks out for the well-being of the family and her sons. But when she places an ordered bride before Sawyer...he is none too happy. And so the story begins. 

How is Sawyer suppose to do what he does when he can't keep Rose out of his head. Worse is she can be defiant and not listen to him when he says he is returning her back East on the first train. But as he begins to figure some of her story he knows there is more and he isn't gonna stop until he figures everything there is to know about Miss Rose Parker...because he like a good challenge of a fiesty educated woman now doesn't he?

Blurb: As if he doesn't have enough to handle between running outlaws out of Cheyenne, keeping his brother's out of trouble and avenging his father's death, sheriff Sawyer McCade's meddling mother just dumped a mysterious mail-order-bride on his doorstep. One woman can be more trouble than a band of renegades and while this one has him all stirred up, he'd rather get to the bottom of the story she isn't telling.

Rose Parker had it all. Until she discovers a web of danger and deceit that sends her running to Cheyenne, posing as a mail-order-bride. Escaping the evils of New York seems sensible until she meets the unsuspecting sheriff who didn't ask for her, has no intention of marrying her and won't rest until he uncovers her secret and sends her back home. 

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyers-Rose-Kim-Turner/dp/1509206299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467759369&sr=8-1&keywords=Sawyer%27s+Rose

    “I’m a lawman, remember, and I read people very well. I know when I'm only hearing part of a story.”

            Her blue eyes narrowed and that too-enticing flush lit her cheeks to a bright pink. She darted past him to look out across the ranch and then spoke. “I came here looking for a new life. Accepting a husband is a means to survival for any woman in the West. But getting here and finding out you didn’t send for me--” She swung around. “Well that’s certainly a relief. I thought I was going to step off the train in Cheyenne, be whisked to the judge and right into your bed. Frankly, that idea was rather frightening.”

            Was she trying to be funny? It wasn’t that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. Bedding her would be more than interesting, but he didn't need a wife. Not right now.                “Then why are you here?”

            “I wanted to see the West and find adventure like I told you. So why not start here? Did you read the papers I sent?” She shook her head realizing he hadn't. “I suppose your mother got those.”

            He supposed so, too.

            “I filled in my application." She took a deep breath, “and I realized I had led an incredibly normal life. An only child, raised by my father, schooled in the proper etiquette, sent to university and spoiled to the point I hadn't lived for myself. I am here to create a new life—my life. If you do not wish to marry, I will find my own way, which is probably best anyway.” She stared out across the horizon, blinking back tears.

            “You can’t stay here alone, not in Cheyenne. I’ll get your fare paid and send you home.”

            She snapped around and glared at him. “I will not be returning home, regardless of a marriage. You have no idea what I am capable of and I think that makes me somewhat of a--thorn in your side?" 

            Sawyer wasn't sure which was more annoying, her presence and will to stay or the thoughts she made him think. She wasn’t a thorn, but damned if he'd be able to sleep with her in the same house for any length of time.

            When all he did was nod, a knowing smile spread across her face. “Good.”

            As furious as he was, he couldn't take his eyes off the sway of her hips as she spun around and went inside. She couldn’t possibly think she would be staying in Cheyenne as an unescorted woman. Well, he had no intention of marrying her either and one way or the other he’d see her on a train back to New York if it was the last thing he did. 

My Thoughts on Sawyer's Rose: 2021

Sawyer's Rose was released in 2016, five years ago as I am writing this. This story was my first publication and was a Golden Heart and Maggie Finalist which at the time was a shock. In looking back at these last few years and the McCades, Sawyer holds a special place in my heart. It took this first story to build the family and the happenings and characters around Cheyenne Wyoming. And while the story was contracted as a romance, I still like to say that I write family saga with romance and suspense. As I have built a readership it's funny that I have those that read for the romance and those that read because it's a western. The romance readers do not care so much for all the cowboy stuff while the western readers care little for the sexy parts--at least that is what I have heard from readers over the years. I have women reading of course but I also have men that read my stories and I think that is totally cool!

I think what I have learned about my own stories is that while I panster, I do come up with good story and characters that readers don't want to let go when the story is over. I catch myself listening to Sawyer's Rose now and again as I drive up and down the road or I will pull out the book and  thumb through it, reminding myself about things that happened along the way as Sawyer falls for Rose. 

Deuce Wyld coming in 2022

Deuces Wyld

Putting the past behind him, Dalton Payne has returned home to Wylder. When a wash-woman accidentally dumps dirty water across his boots, he's intrigued by the amber-eyes beauty dressed in baggy clothing and a floppy hat. Before long, he can't keep the loud-mouth tomboy out of his head. falling for Leona is easy, but teaching her to be a lady may be the biggest gamble of his life. 

Leona Fabray spends her days at the boiling pots in Wylder doing the town's wash. But when a famous gambler takes an interest in teaching her to act like a lady, she's sure she is being played a fool--until a single kiss by the handsome Dalton Payne sparks the possibility of forever. 

Excerpt:

He raised himself over her and took her mouth, teasing his way inside her and doing so until she began to kiss him back. Damn, he did want her...so much so if she'd been a knowing woman, he'd take her now. But she was special and deserved a bit of what he was doing to teach her first. 

He eased his pam under her breast and moved his mouth to her cheeks and then her neck. She sighed, bringing him a smile of satisfaction. 

"My heart is beating so fast." She touched his beard, tentative at first. "So soft. Gambler?"

"Huh?" He kissed her neck again, tasting the salt of her smooth skin, nipping and teasing with his tongue. 

"I think I feel that desire of yours against my leg right now." She place a hand to her mouth and giggled. 

             

   

        

 

Christmas in the Wylder County Jail-Release Date December 13, 2021

 Christmas in the Wylder County Jail

Adelaide Willowby is having a bad day. It’s a week before Christmas and she has just kicked out the love of her life. Her sister and her daughter are barely speaking to her, one of her best girls is getting married, and ownership of the Wylder County Social Club is in jeopardy. Now she has landed in jail—for murder.

Russ Holt has relied on alcohol to quiet the ghosts from his past for far too long. His latest bender has caused him to let down both Addie and his son, and he knows something has to change. When a stranger in town is found dead and Miss Adelaide is arrested for murder, Russ smells a rat. 

Can he battle his demons, hunt down the real killer, and win back the woman he loved?

Excerpt:

Addie frown, narrowing her gaze as she sought to recall. "It's...not clear...I was arguing with Clancy...and as I turned to go he grabbed my arm and I dropped my bag and bent to pick up my things...then nothing. Try as I may, I can't remember anything more." She returned to the bars, wrapping her hands around them. "Russell, why can't I remember?"

Russ rocked back on his heels head. “Who’s the other man? This Charles?”

“I don't know him. Seems Clancy called him a business partner. A lawyer from Cheyenne.” She squeezed the bars, her knuckles turning white from the force. “Much as I’d have liked to, I know I didn't kill Clancy. I couldn’t.”

“Adelaide, we know you wouldn't do such a thing.” Eef said from across the room. “I’ve burned the letter, no one will know anything of it.”

Russ frowned, stroking his moustache. “Charles. He got dark hair, wearing a suit with a top hat in gray?” 

“Yes I...think so.” Addie nodded.

“He's out at the train derailment hunting bankers from New York or somewhere.” He added, wishing there were no bars so he could take her in his arms. Wishing a lot of damn things. “Don't know what he might've found or not, but I’ll head out that way and see about some answers.” It would be a start.

“I assume he’s Clancy's lawyer....I don't know. The letter called him a business partner and investor. But now with Clancy dead...” Addie met his gaze and for a moment he thought she might weep, but nope, not Addie. “What are you gonna do?”

Russ put one of his hands over hers, surprised she didn’t draw hers away. “Don't you worry, keep things quiet.”

“What’re you going to do?” She pulled in a sharp breath, and he was pretty sure he heard her voice crack.

He gave her a wink. “Gonna hunt out the fox in the hen house for starters.”

The Gingerbread Man-Release Date December 8th!!!

 The Gingerbread Man

            Hannah Tate is raising her children alone after her husband's death. Keeping her homestead running isn't easy but when chores get done that she didn't do, she wonders who her mysterious helper is. Her daughter insists it’s The Gingerbread Man who comes late at night. But Hannah has no time for such nonsense. Or does she?

            John Sullivan lives alone outside Harper Falls, trapping for a living. When circumstance bring him to meet the woman he’s been helping in secret, he doesn’t expect to find love once again. But he’ll risk his life more than once to finally hold her forever.

Excerpt:

    Hannah turned to look at him, an easy smile crossing her lips. His breath held tight and without asking, he bent. 

    He expected her to pull away though she didn’t, and the impact of his lips to hers was tender. He rested his fingers along the curve of her neck, touching her hair. He eased her closer to him and her mouth parted, accepting more. He stopped the kiss and took his hand away. “I’m sorry, I was caught up in us talking and you’re so easy to speak with and…I…” 

    He hadn’t any words, nothing save the apology and what had he done? She’d taken the kiss, but maybe he should have waited. 

    “Please, don’t apologize…Sully.” The silence accompanied them longer than a breath of moments. “I’m not sorry in the least.” She leaned against his knee with a giggle. 

     “My kissing you is humorous?” he asked, holding his own smile with his question.

     “No, our kiss was very nice…” She lifted her brows and the silence encompassed them once more, but this time the profound comfort of loving again settled inside him.

Wylder Hearts is a 2021 Maggie Finalist!

 

Winner announced in October at the Moonlight & Magnolias conference with GRW!