laurie kingery

Man on a mission...

Nate Bohannan won't let anything stand in the way of his grand plans in California. Even if it means traveling there with unreliable huckster Robert Salali. But after a destructive bender in Simpson Creek, Texas, the unscrupulous Salali runs out, leaving Nate to carry the blame–and the debt. He can fix broken furniture…but can anything fix the despair in café owner Ella Justiss's eyes?

When her café was destroyed, Ella felt sure she'd lost her dreams along with it. Yet somehow Nate's cheerful care and optimism fill her with hope again. Painful secrets from her childhood make Ella wary of men. When danger threatens, will Nate be the hero Ella can finally trust–and love?

Maude Harkey is resigned to a loveless life until a baby is born–and orphaned–at her boarding house home. She'll never be a wife…but she can still be a mother. Yet a boarding house is no place for a newborn. Enter Jonas MacLaren–a handsome, exasperating rancher with an offer too good to refuse.

Jonas can handle running a ranch–but handling his cantankerous mother is another matter. Maude matches his mother's stubbornness so she'll be a perfect live–in companion. But she's there for his mother, not for him. He'll just have to keep his wounded heart closed to her beauty, her humor, her warmth and strength–and her irresistibly adorable baby.

Brides of Simpson Creek: Small–town Texas spinsters find love with mail–order grooms!

The Lawman's Secret 

When her son discovers an injured outlaw in their barn, the mysterious stranger instantly turns widow Daisy Henderson's world upside down. But Daisy senses Thorn Dawson's a good man…and there's more to his story than he can tell her. So she can't turn him away before he heals, even if she's falling for him–something she swore she'd never do again after her husband died. 

An undercover lawman, Thorn never lets himself get too close to anyone. But that's before he meets single mother Daisy and her spirited son. Now Thorn has to protect them from the Griggs gang–a gang that's come to accept him as one of their own. And if he can't keep up the charade, the woman of his dreams might just pay the price.

Claiming their future

For the Thornton brothers, the Oklahoma Land Rush is the perfect opportunity to finally put down some roots. A new start, a new community–what more could preacher Elijah Thornton need? Not a wife–not after the pain of losing his fiancée. But something draws him to the pretty nurse whose eyes are clouded by trouble.

Only by claiming her own homestead can Alice Hawthorne avoid an unwanted marriage. Even Oklahoma may not be far enough away from New York to escape her past. Yet with courage–and the handsome reverend's support–can she forge a loving future?

Bridegroom Brothers: True love awaits three siblings in the Oklahoma Land Rush

Though Caroline Wallace can't have a family, she can still have a purpose. Becoming Simpson Creek's new schoolmarm helps heal the heartache of losing Pete, her fiance, to influenza. Then Pete's brother arrives, trailing a herd of cattle and twin six–year–old girls. Jack Collier expected Pete and his bride to care for his daughters until he was settled in Montana. But bad weather and worse news strand Jack in Texas until spring. It's little wonder Caroline grows fond of Abby and Amelia. But could such a refined, warmhearted woman fall for a gruff rancher...before the time comes for him to leave again?

And Simpson Creek, Texas, is the perfect place to do it. On the run from his dangerous past, Sam Bishop is happy to find a town seeking "marriage–minded bachelors." A wealthy wife is just what he needs to make his gambling problems disappear. But when Prissy Gilmore catches Sam's eye, she proves to be much more than a rich match. Sam wants to deserve her, wants to become sheriff and protect her hometown–wants to be the man she believes him to be. Yet the true test is waiting, when his past returns to challenge his future.