Showing results by author "Janice Bayne" in All Categories

Four novellas of love from the Tar Heel State The Tree Farmer's Heart When Alex Chambers, a hardworking Christmas tree farmer in the mountains of Ashe County, North Carolina, loads up his truck for the holiday sales trip to Winston-Salem, he’s focused on one thing: keeping his struggling farm afloat for another year. He doesn’t expect tangled lights, muddy boots, or a quick-witted nurse with a smile that lingers long after she walks away. The Pub That Changed Everything Regina Blair is weeks away from graduating law school and terrified of what comes next. Smart, driven, and navigating ...

When a mass shooting suspect fleeing Toledo storms a quiet highway truckstop off I-75, Ohio Highway Patrol Officer Clarissa Stanhope has seconds to decide who she is under fire. As bullets rip through glass and steel, civilians dive for cover and the man she loves is gravely wounded, Clarissa is forced into a choice that will define the rest of her life.

At Ole Tombstone them park, the gunfights are fake, the buildings are flimsier than the legends, and the actors are mostly just trying to make rent—until a desperate theme park owner launches a real fast-draw competition that turns pretend cowboys into very real rivals. When sharp-tongued actress Dusty Dalton accidentally proves she’s more than just a crowd-pleasing cowgirl and serious, history-obsessed actor Cody Brooks signs up out of pure spite, bullets start flying, egos start shattering, and sparks start doing extremely unprofessional things.

When the Montana Ranchers arrive for their first spring training at Talent Park, excitement and nerves fill the air—along with rumors of a haunted clubhouse. Players and staff begin to experience unexplainable events that threaten to derail their season, until the team’s general manager, Gordon Erikson, and senior director of sports medicine, Yara Zainab, uncover a decades-old tragedy. Two restless spirits, separated by a deadly fire in 1944, linger where memory and fear collide. As the Montana Ranchers confront the unknown, they must navigate fear, loyalty, and the lingering echoes of ...

Lydia Criswell leads worship with confidence, humor, and a heart shaped by second chances. As Youth Music Conductor at Perceiving Church, she thrives in a vibrant, modern congregation — one often misunderstood by more traditional believers. Hayes Platt serves as associate pastor at Jonah Community Church, a small, hymn-centered fellowship rooted in reverence and conviction. Still recovering from a painful divorce, Hayes has learned to guard his heart — and his calling. When a visiting gospel concert brings them face to face, unexpected friendship grows into something deeper. Yet their ...

Tito Melendez is the ace pitcher no one else on the Beaufort Blackbeards deserves—but everyone on the team has to deal with. Narcissistic, media-averse, and hotter than a Carolina summer, Tito dominates the mound while demolishing egos, friendships, and public relations off it. Enter Brady Applebee, a party-loving bartender with a love for baseball and a taste for trouble, who just might be the only person who can handle Tito. Between losing games, navigating jealous coaches, and surviving the relentless scrutiny of sports media, Tito and Brady stumble and fumble their way through a ...

Buck Tyler spent two decades on the mound for the Cincinnati Reds before age and diminishing returns ended his career. Now retired and isolated in his Dayton home, he lives inside the long, unstructured days of an off-season that never seems to end. When Lacy Reed, a freelance sports journalist determined to become a serious book author, asks to write his biography, Buck initially turns her away. But the project begins anyway, unfolding through a series of interviews that move steadily backward through his life while forcing him to exist fully in the present. As Lacy listens, researches, ...

When rival candy empires collide in the middle of an Easter spectacle, sparks are bound to fly. Tricia Lancaster is determined to prove she can lead her family’s beloved confectionery company into a sweeter future—without melting under pressure. Jake Armstrong, a sharp-eyed TV reporter, arrives to cover the Easter Egg Hunt and quickly senses there’s more to the story than chocolate and confetti. But when sabotage threatens to turn celebration into humiliation, Tricia must steady her team, protect her legacy, and trust her instincts—both in business and in love. In a season filled ...

When Tamika Johnson notices a handsome stranger carrying flowers on the Chicago train, she thinks nothing of it—until months later she sees him again, the same bouquet in hand and the same quiet sorrow in his eyes. Curiosity leads her to follow him, and what she finds is a man honoring the wife he lost too soon. As Tamika and Roger’s unlikely friendship blossoms into something tender and real, they must navigate grief, hope, and the fragile courage it takes to love again. Flowers for Yesterday is a heartfelt romance about second chances, healing, and the unexpected ways two lives can ...

When small-town baking star Ally Thompson is invited to the Chicago Cooking & Baking Expo, she expects long days, big crowds, and maybe a few burnt pastries—not falling for Pete Evans, a charming food-obsessed influencer with a smile as irresistible as his reviews. Between runaway collaborations, surprise chemistry, and relentless sabotage from jealous rival Becky Hall, Ally’s Expo trip becomes the adventure she never knew she needed. Now she must juggle fame, friendship, and her rapidly rising feelings… and discover whether love can grow in the messy, magical world of online food.

Baker Sofia Grasso doesn’t expect a soulful jazz pianist to change everything. As the ovens warm and the music rises, Sofia discovers hope, healing, and a love that lifts her higher than she ever imagined. With glowing reviews, neighborhood charm, and a romance that simmers into something unforgettable, Cupcakes & Crescendos is a heartwarming story about rebuilding, believing, and finding the sweetness you thought you’d lost.

The Warmth of Yuma When Robert Keiser stops in Yuma on the way to a business conference, he expects only donuts. What he finds instead are homemade tamales that change everything— and a connection with Valentina Cruz that catches him by surprise. Where the Desert Blooms Widowed rancher Clara Hayes has spent three long years keeping her Arizona ranch alive with nothing but grit and routine. The land is dry, the days are hard, and her heart —still mourning her late husband—has forgotten how to dream. The Mostly True Gunfight of Ole Tombstone At Ole Tombstone them park, the gunfights are...

Stan the Man Saves Christmas When Chicago’s winter hits peak chaos, only one man can save the season: Stan the Man—a loud, eccentric, possibly delusional homeless guy who secretly moonlights as an angel on a mission. His goal? Make sure fiery, perfectionist chef Alicia Williams and garbage-man Eduardo Smith fall in love before Christmas Day… even if it kills him. Billionaire Problems Brett Stone has everything money can buy and absolutely nothing figured out. When his ruthless, self-made billionaire father appears to be dying and drops a single, impossible condition into his will—...

Snowbound Hearts When a massive blizzard traps nine strangers inside the Willow Creek Diner in the mountains, none of them expect their lives to change. But over the next three days— wrapped in warmth, coffee, and unexpected company— love begins to bloom in the most surprising places. BOO at First Sight When Maggie Evans takes her daughter trick-or-treating through their small town, she’s expecting costumes, candy, and maybe a quiet cup of cider. But when a wrong turn leads them to cross paths with Eli Turner and his son, sparks fly beneath the autumn leaves. The Pub That Changed ...

When a massive blizzard traps nine strangers inside the Willow Creek Diner in the mountains of western Virginia, none of them expect their lives to change. But over the next three days—wrapped in warmth, coffee, and unexpected company—love begins to bloom in the most surprising places. Mary and Virgil Prescott, married for decades and drifting toward divorce, find themselves confronting the silence, distance, and heartbreak that have grown between them. With nowhere to run and nothing left to hide, they begin to rediscover the tenderness they thought was gone forever. Young waitress ...

Fresh out of jail after a wildly unfair run-in with the law (long story, involves a sidewalk and a very grumpy cop), Skyla is broke, unemployed, and desperate enough to take the one job no struggling actress dreams of: becoming the Easter Bunny at a local shopping mall. Stuffed into a bright yellow suit and seated on a blindingly pink throne, Skyla expects nothing but screaming kids, sticky jellybeans, and daily humiliation. What she doesn’t expect is Dominic Reyes—the calm, quietly kind head of mall security who takes his job seriously, believes in second chances, and looks at Skyla ...

Where the Coal Dust Settles A haunting love story set in the mountains of 1950s Kentucky In the lonely hollows of postwar Appalachia, coal miner Samuel Hensley works deep underground by day and returns each night to an empty cabin nestled against the ridge. His world is made of stone, soot, and silence—until the whispers begin. At first, it’s only the creak of a door, the faint hum of a hymn. But soon Samuel can feel her presence—a woman’s voice drifting through the dark, soft as smoke and sorrow. She is Eleanor, a ghost bound to the mountains, revealing herself piece by piece as ...

A tender winter romance set against the sparkling lights of New York City… Former figure skater Alesia Saunders thought she’d left the ice—and her dreams—behind after a devastating injury ended her career. Now she pours her heart into working in children’s services, helping foster kids find safety and hope. But on her quiet escapes to the Rockefeller Center rink, she meets someone who just might change everything. Sam Atwood, a funny, clumsy, big-hearted page with dreams of joining a sketch comedy show, keeps showing up in Alesia’s orbit… and on the ice, where he can barely ...

When a jog through Central Park turns dangerous, copy editor Lisa Walsh is rescued by mounted police officer Mark O’Reilly—and nothing in her life is ever the same. As Lisa confronts fear, workplace battles, and a rising threat from a vengeful criminal, Mark becomes both her protector and her unforeseen chance at love. Their bond deepens through danger, doubt, and the steady rhythm of Mark’s horse, Paul Revere, carrying them through the heart of the city they both call home. Hoofbeats of Fate is a romantic suspense novella filled with heart, heroism, redemption, and the thrilling ...

Romantic comedy novellas just right for the Halloween season. BOO at First Sight When Maggie Evans takes her daughter Lila trick-or-treating through their small town of Willow Creek, she’s expecting costumes, candy, and maybe a quiet cup of cider—certainly not love. But when a wrong turn leads them to cross paths with Eli Turner and his son Max, sparks fly beneath the autumn leaves. Brains Before Beauty She’s a zombie with a craving for brains… and a hopeless crush on a human. Evan is just trying to survive the apocalypse, oblivious that someone’s been following him — silently, ...