Showing results by author "Carolyne Aarsen" in All Categories

Sheryl Kyle isn't the trusting type. After all, her abusive late husband and her disapproving stepfather haven't given her much reason to feel otherwise. But when a rugged rancher named Mark seeks her out, she learns her stepfather is on his deathbed. And his dying wish is for her to return to Sweet Creek for one last chance to reconcile.

Forced to move back to her husband’s country hometown, she’ll need family, forgiveness, and faith to save their marriage. As a loving mother and wife, Leslie VandeKeere has overcome most of her own troubled childhood. But when her husband Dan loses his business and starts receiving flirtatious texts from a co-worker, their dream home fund and their marriage fall on hard times. To keep the family afloat, Leslie reluctantly agrees to move back to Dan’s childhood farmhouse in Holmes Crossing… With her lack of a religious upbringing, Leslie fears seeing her husband slip back into his ...

The winter doldrums are just settling over Acorn Hill when a movie crew comes to scout out locations for an upcoming film. The director wants Grace Chapel to be the setting for a pivotal scene, and the town itself is a perfect backdrop for the film. While some residents are thrilled about the income the shoot will bring, and some want to star in the picture, others are less certain that the disruption will be welcome, and a director with a nefarious reputation doesn't help.

As the plain older sibling to two beautiful sisters, Nadine Laidlaw is used to being overlooked. But she refuses to let her late father's employer overlook his suspicious death. She aims to use her job as editor of the town newspaper to probe into the case, but there's only one problem. Her secret high school crush Clint just took over the paper, and he wants the story buried....

If Adele Marten’s troubled childhood taught her anything, it was that family is everything. So when the time comes to keep a promise she made to her dying friend, she knew she would do whatever it takes to reunite a father and son...who have never met. Even risk her fragile heart.

A promise can change in an instant when life gets in the way. Years ago, Anara left Kittering Creek, vowing to never return. The charming small town is haunted by painful memories—a tragic accident, a love lost, and a betrayal she can’t forget. But when her aunt offers her the family bakery, Anara reluctantly comes back, hoping to piece her life together and find the independence she’s always craved. Morgan Properzi has done his best to move on, dedicating himself to his family farm and his younger sister. But Anara’s unexpected return throws his carefully built peace into turmoil. ...

Tracy's plans are simple. A house on the lake, a dog and a clothes-line. And her heart to herself. But can a handsome veterinarian, a lonely boy and an injured kitten break down the walls of Tracy’s guarded heart? Her alcoholic mother and unfaithful boyfriend taught Tracy Harris that life was easier if you kept your heart safe and secure. So her plans for her life are simple and she is close to achieving them as long as she doesn't let her handsome boss distract her. Then a young boy named Kent wanders into her vet clinic holding an injured kitten and looking like he could use some loving...

Jace Scholte is determined to rise above his poverty-stricken childhood. Years after a real estate developer took him under his wing, Jace has a mission: return to his hometown of Sweet Creek and win the residents' support for a high-rise condo. He volunteers in a local fundraiser to melt their resistance, but he never expected he'd work side-by-side with the one who got away....Tess Kruger remembers the plan she and Jace constructed all those years ago. But try as she might, she can't forget the dark secret that caused her to run away from their potential future.

When a wandering cowboy meets a small-town librarian raising her sister's children, can love heal the wounds of the past? Bailey Novak never expected to become a mother overnight. After losing her sister to cancer, she's struggling to raise two young nephews while managing the library in small-town Kittering Creek. Between hockey practices and trying to fill impossible shoes, she's barely keeping her head above water. Then Tye Kittering rides back into town. The former rodeo star is nursing an injured hand and bruised ego, reluctantly returning to his family's ranch to heal. He never ...

Struggling artist Etta Caprice learned the hard way that passion and art don’t always mix. She’s poured herself into putting together a portfolio for a position at a university, and, after a relationship gone wrong, she can’t seem to find the inspiration. Until a house fire forces her to move to a small cabin on the Sutton ranch where Finn is living. The gruff and gorgeous cowboy just might be the muse she's missing.

Former wild child Katrina Bouvet longs to be taken seriously. So when she’s commissioned to create a garden honoring her late estranged stepsister, she vows to make it serve as her redemption. But her high hopes are threatened after she’s forced to work with the grieving widower–the man who broke her heart.

Asher Chastain figured five years was long enough to get over his break-up with Brielle Kittering. To get over the fact that she ghosted him, then married his brother. So when his dad asks him to come home for Christmas, he figures why not. He was only staying two nights. Long enough to have some turkey, give his nephew his present. Crack a few jokes to show that Brielle marrying his brother didn’t matter to him - even though he would be lying. Re-connect with his father, even though they hadn’t gotten along for years. But Asher didn’t count on a snow-storm stranding him and Brielle ...

Once they were engaged and deeply in love, making plans for a future together on her family’s ranch. Then, an unexpected tragedy and shocking mistakes tore them apart. Derek made the biggest sacrifice of his life, and it cost him everything, leaving Carly behind to cancel her dream wedding. She left Millars Crossing, ashamed and humiliated.

She has sass. She has spunk. She has a devastating secret. Terra Froese likes to keep people at arm's length and change her address regularly. It keeps life simple and uncomplicated. But when an abusive boyfriend forces her to make wrenching choices she flees the city and across the country. Terra takes her emotional baggage on her trip to her sister, Leslie, hoping to discard it along the way. But when forced to stay in Holmes Crossing, Terra has to face her past and decisions that still haunt her. She also has to figure out what to do about Jack DeWindt, a cop who would like to convince ...

She was his greatest love and deepest heartbreak After a drawn-out custody battle, Caleb Kittering is finally free to leave the city and return to his family ranch to build the life he’s always wanted for his son. The move is supposed to be a fresh start and a sanctuary for Silas. But Caleb’s old love, Iris is working on the Kittering Creek ranch too. Iris has spent the past couple of years cleaning up her father’s financial mess, leaving Iris and her sister to pick up the pieces. Now, she’s determined to rebuild her life on her own terms, chasing her dream of becoming a horse ...

From a USA Today Bestselling author comes an uplifting story about love and loss Danielle needs to get away from the ‘guys’ in her life, and fast. Growing up, her world was full of them. Between her brothers, her father, her boss, and the guy that broke her heart, she’s had enough. It’s time to get out of Holmes Crossing, and hopefully, build a new life with new people in the city, but that’s easier said than done. Mistaken matchmaking brothers Terrified that her grand adventure will send her into the arms of a suit-wearing, no nonsense, too-smart-for-his-own-good man, her ...

They could use a Christmas miracle. But neither feel they deserve it. Not after all this time. Once they cared for each other. Once they had made promises. Now they’re estranged but forced to work together to help their orphaned niece get through Christmas. Neither feels capable but both have hearts full of love for her. Miriam has never completely gotten over Duncan. They met at their respective siblings wedding. They both thought something magical was growing between them. They parted ways, promising, needing to keep in touch. Then Miriam’s life imploded and shame kept her away. Now, ...

The heart remembers what the mind tries to forget. Single mother Ember Kuiper never planned to raise her daughter alone, and she certainly never planned to return to Kittering Creek. But death doesn't ask for convenient timing. Faced with settling her mother's estate and a mysterious journal filled with warnings about the Kittering family, Ember must confront both her past and the one man she's never stopped loving. Shane Kittering has built a good life on his family's ranch, but there's always been an Ember-shaped hole in his heart. When she returns with a baby and walls higher than ever, ...

She came home to stand by her friend's side, not to face the man she left behind or the truth that shattered them. Leah Hudson swore she'd never return to Kittering Creek. The small town held too many memories, too much pain, and one man she's never stopped loving. But her best friend's wedding leaves her no choice. As Maid of Honor, she must face Galen Kittering, the man she walked away from without a word. Galen built his life around family, faith, and responsibility. When Leah vanished without explanation, it broke something in him. Now she's back. She's conflicted, guarded, and as ...

She’s happily planted roots. He has a serious case of wanderlust. Will joining forces prove opposites attract? Former novelist Becky Ellison adores her close-knit community. So as the dedicated editor of the local magazine, she’s apprehensive about her next boss being an out-of-towner. And when he turns out to be the same cynical reviewer who destroyed her author career, she’s terrified history is about to repeat itself. Rick Ethier isn’t interested in settling down. But to keep his cushy travel-writing gig, he’s under orders to tough out a year-long contract making a two-bit ...