Showing results by author "C.A. Harms" in All Categories

Nothing comes easy. Nothing is given but must always be earned. The problem is I'm too tainted and broken to have anything good. That was a lesson I was taught early. A lesson I carried throughout my life, and into every relationship I had.

I've never been the kind of girl to take the easy way out. Happy endings never came to people like me. The tarnished ones. I'm surrounded by a group that knows sadness too well. We know what it's like to lose and be tossed away like last night's trash. We are easy to blame for all the wrongs, because when others look at us, they see our scars. Most of our stories are told in the ink we bear, but we wear those tales proudly.

Life doesn't always go according to plan, a lesson I learned the hard way during my divorce. My first love returns home just in time to watch me pick up the pieces, and the moment I lay eyes on him every memory rushes back. Jayson Lincoln, the man who still makes my heart beat fast, after all these years. But he's Doctor Lincoln now and I'm a far cry from the carefree girl he left behind. I'm learning to navigate life as a single mother of twin girls and he's reluctantly home to take over the family practice. We may be back in the same small town, but we're still worlds apart.

Eyes so blue I swear it's like looking at the turquoise waters of the Greek Isles. Those are the first memories I have of Kyra. For years I stood on the sidelines, watching and waiting for my perfect chance. Wanting her so badly, consumes my every thought. There are so many things I thought I knew. But the truth is . . . I don't know the real Kyra. But what I do know is that I will stop at nothing to know her. I am mesmerized by her beauty, captured by her smile, and warmed by the love she has for her Gran.

I stopped believing in the good a long time ago. My childhood was stripped from me one dark night and I was forever changed. Everywhere I looked I saw evil. Everyone I met, I looked at them as the enemy. It took a long time for me to open up and when I did I found my family. The only people I could count on. I never imagined I'd have a family. Because having a family gave me something to lose and I never wanted to feel that pain again. I never wanted to feel weak.

I was running from my husband, a man I thought I’d known. Running from the hell he had put me through. But there was one problem. I hadn’t planned for Ashton Montgomery. He was a distraction I couldn’t allow. Not if I wanted to stay safe. I had to remain distant, but he was relentless and had other ideas.

Have you ever looked at someone and just knew, knew that they were put in your life for a reason? The one person that would be not only your best friend, but would be your absolute everything? That’s how I felt the first time I saw him. That one day when a few little words changed our entire lives forever...don’t be afraid, he said. Life can change so quickly. One moment you can be smiling and feeling as if you're walking on clouds and the next, everything you love, everything you treasure crumbles at your feet. I told him to fight, I told him I needed him. We needed him.

After the sudden death of his wife two years ago, Darren Griffin has finally found peace. He has a good life, good job, two daughters he’d do anything for, and a beautiful home on the beach. Greer Monroe is grieving the loss of her father. It’s the final rung on the broken ladder that’s become her life - crappy job, no friends, and a cheating ex-boyfriend. At the insistence of her aunt, Greer decides to spend some time at her family’s beach house. When the glee-filled sound of children’s laughter dances through the breeze, Greer finds herself smiling again.

I wanted to forget him so many times. Erase the memories we shared and pretend he didn’t exist. It would have made his absence easier to accept. Lucas Rivers broke my heart more than once. In my world he was my guy, the one I’d grow old with and laugh with. But things aren’t that simple, and time changes everything. That naive girl with dreams of happily-ever-afters was gone. I didn’t need a man to complete me. I was enough - no, I was more than enough. I was strong and determined. I was Madelyn Emery and never again would a boy break my heart.

Tyler Collins has always been the object of my affection. I've spent years admiring him, fantasizing about him, but never once making a move. That is until I see him across the room, already a few beers in and drunkenly decide to press my lips to his. Now I'm trapped at a beautiful resort with the man I so desperately want to avoid, to celebrate the nuptials of our dear friends. The fear of rejection is too strong for me to mention the kiss. That night is on constant replay in my mind. I often wonder how he would react if I could confess that to me, our kiss was not a drunken mistake.

All the plans are in motion, the decorating has commenced, and the crazy is in full stride. After all it wouldn't be a Brooklet Dreams celebration without every single person adding in their contributions. This crowd doesn't do small. There is no event to minor, no accomplishment goes unnoticed, and a wedding . . .

Never did I think a girl like Gretchen Hawthorne would be the woman of my dreams. She is stubborn, irritating, and can piss me off at the drop of a hat. But she is also sweet and has a vulnerability about her that she doesn't allow many to see. She let me in for a split second, and what I found was even more than I had bargained for. Her façade is nothing more than a mask to hide her fears. One wild night in the barn at my cousin's house, and I'm hooked.

On the outside, I was nothing more than the fun-loving guy that made everyone laugh. But on the inside, there was more hate than I knew how to control. No one knew the life I'd led; I hid my demons well. But even in all the anger and pain, there was one spark of sweetness. She was younger than me, so innocent, and worst of all, my best friend's little sister. Grace was off limits. Wanting her led to the possibility of losing the only true family I'd had left.

I was the ultimate bachelor. I enjoyed my wild life, the late nights, and the fact that I had no commitments. My job and my freedom were all I needed. Or so I thought. Chloe was sweet and kind, and the way she got so flustered in my presence was adorable. That smile of hers did things to a man. And her laugh? It was infectious. She had this gravitating pull that was irresistible.

Daxton Ford tried to warn me. He never made promises. He swore a girl like me would only get hurt by a guy like him. Did I listen? He portrays dangerous, dark, and brooding. Or so he thinks. Daxton is trouble; anyone can see that. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and keeps his circle of friends small.

But I'm the girl who believes in the good. I'm the girl that even when every fiber in my body is telling me to not go there. I head straight for it, even if I know I'll fall.

Maddison used to be one of the guys, but that was definitely not the case anymore . . She had changed and damn if it didn't make my heart race. With each passing second, she began to consume me. Her smile made my knees weak and the way she looked at me took my breath away. She captivated me, but she was forbidden. She was the one girl I had no right to crave.

Mason Creek, Montana, is my home. It always has been and truth is, there is no place like it. I can hide away in a big city, pretend as if I'm not drowning. I can ignore the sadness inside my heart that is begging for a change. But if I'm being honest, my sense of belonging has disappeared. I thought I wanted the big city life, the fast track, and all the glamorous things. Turns out, there's nowhere I'd rather be than home. Coming back to help run my mom's business gave me the perfect escape.

By the age of twelve, we had become best friends, and by the time we turned sixteen, we were more. I had eyes for only one girl. My girl. But then life changed, and different paths led to broken promises. When she left town, I was forced to let go of our dreams. I spent my days existing. Baseball, classes, and working at the family farm became my life. I didn't care about anything else. Until I met Allison Jo. AJ was the quiet girl I never expected. She brought me to my knees with that beautiful smile. She made me laugh and slowly brought the old me back to life.