Showing results by author "Tess Thompson" in All Categories

Blythe Heywood denied her destiny when she left Finn Lanigan behind 13 years ago to return to her fiancé, a wedding, and the life of safety and security that she'd yearned for since she was a child. But in the wake of her husband's betrayal, Blythe is forced to begin again. And it's her memories of Finn, the only man who ever weakened her knees, that call her across the Pacific Northwest in search of the next chapter in her life.

I didn’t mean to kill my husband. All I wanted was to escape his abuse and start a new life with my daughter as far away from him as possible. But in one life-altering second, I had to decide—run or stay and face his family and a possible murder conviction. I ran. What else could I do? I’m all my daughter has in this world. I’ll do anything to make sure she’s safe.

Breck Stokes is back where he belongs. After years at university, he’s returned to Emerson Pass and taken over his mother’s veterinarian practice. He loves the small ski community, spending time with his buddies and healing big and small animals. The moment he meets lovely but reserved Tiffany Birt, he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. Can he break through her walls to win her heart?

I arrived in Emerson Pass Colorado with my entire life in one small suitcase. Compared to Boston, life wouldn’t be easy in this tiny frontier town. Everyone was counting on me. My family…to provide for them back home. The mayor…to teach all the children living here. I was determined to make it work and succeed in the unruly West. But things didn’t start off well. A stray gunshot spooked the horses, and I ended up face-first in the snow. Until rescue came in the strong, capable hands of a handsome stranger…

Jackson Waller thought fulfilling his dream would set him free. Despite his excitement to be taking over his father’s practice, the thoughtful young doctor never moved on from the demise of his high school sweetheart. So he’s shocked when he visits her grave a decade later, only to find his first love has returned to town very much alive. Maggie Keene will never forgive her dad. Unable to prove the despicable man killed her mom, she fled her hometown at age 18 to pursue singing and dancing in New York.

When war threatened Europe, my parents sent me from our vineyard in France to safety in America, where I found a new life, with friends who become family. But even in a land untouched by the bombs, the shadows of war loomed over my heart. As secrets from my past emerge and the world around me is torn apart, I must confront the grief of loss, the weight of duty, and the delicate balance between love and loyalty.

Brody Mullen is the best quarterback in the AFL, and his Super Bowl win only confirms what he's suspected his entire career: romantic entanglements are bad for his game. No women. No sex. No problems. But after hiring a beautiful nurse to care for his mother, his resolve begins to weaken.

Colorado, 1910. Quinn Cooper can’t help feeling uneasy. But securing a job as a schoolmarm in a tiny frontier town was the only way to save her family from starvation back in Boston. And her nerves aren’t eased by a stray gunshot that spooks the sleigh horses, casting her into the snow...until she’s rescued by a handsome stranger.

Josephine Barnes wrote every day to her beloved fiancé battling in the trenches of the Great War. Devastated when he’s killed in action, she vows never to marry and buries her grief in the construction of the town’s first library. But she’s left breathless when she receives a request from a gracious gentleman to visit and return the letters containing her declarations of desire. Philip Baker survived the war, but returned home burdened with a secret. Though he knows it’s wrong, he can’t stop reading the beautiful sentiments left among his slain comrade’s possessions.

After a decade of playing hockey, a single injury ended Trapper Barnes’ career. But when he discovers that the woman who owns the local bakery is the girl who once shattered his dreams, the painful secret she’s been harboring all these years threatens to turn Trapper’s idyllic small-town future into a disaster. Will it take a forest fire threatening the mountain village to force Trapper and Brandi to confront their history?

I’m a mother above all else. My boys are my life and my heart. When I’m suddenly raising them alone, I must face the possibility of selling the ranch that’s been in my family for generations. The last thing on my mind is finding a second chance at love. Yet, when a buttoned-up banker offers his assistance, I can’t help but say yes. Will the man in a suit and leather loafers be the key to my next chapter?

The year 1904. Twelve-year-old Luci Quick never forgot the boy who saved her life that fateful Christmas Eve. But when he disappeared without a word after bringing her food, she was forced to focus on raising her baby sister when her mother suddenly died. Now six years later and struggling to make ends meet with an alcoholic and gambling-addicted father, the poverty-stricken woman can’t believe her hero has returned...and he’s all grown up.

Costume designer Teagan Lanigan only has time to love her work and the young son she’s raising by herself. But when she decides to give up the glitz and glam of the film industry for a quiet life near her family, she’ll face two unique challenges: reconciling with her estranged mother and trying to forget her fling with a very famous country music star.

Genevieve Banks is one of Hollywood’s most successful actresses. While on set in the small Oregon town of River Valley, she forms a deep friendship with her handsome male co-star. He wants more, but trauma deep in Genevieve’s past holds her back. When her closely guarded secret is revealed, Genevieve must make a painful choice: stay silent and let others suffer at the hand of the man who victimized her or confront the violence in her past and hold her abuser accountable.

Sparks fly when opposites attract, and so it goes with Ciaran Lanigan and Bliss Heywood. He's the handsome playboy. She's the studious executive. And their chemistry? It's off the charts. But beneath his charming facade, Ciaran is a haunted man. And the more he opens up to Bliss, the less she's sure she can trust him. Is he really in danger, or is he just a danger to Bliss? Can two people who love with all their hearts face the ever-lurking threats of secrets, lies, and family together?

Fiona Barnes has a secret—one so big she's afraid it will destroy everything she holds dear. Not even her beloved music can save her. Li Wu has fought prejudice his entire life. But he's always felt safe and protected within the fierce love of the Barnes family. If only the object of his desire were free to be his, all would be well. Will he risk everything to be with the one he loves, or will societal pressures keep them apart?

Colorado, 1924. Louisa Lind is a dutiful daughter to her adoptive parents. After the boy she loves marries someone else, she vows to assist her father and mother with church work and forget all about marriage. But when tragedy strikes, the suddenly penniless young woman reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal…from her dream man’s twin brother. Having completed his medical school studies, Theo Barnes has returned to Emerson Pass to apprentice under the town’s doctor. Smitten since childhood with the pastor’s adopted daughter, he gallantly offers to wed Louisa.

After the trauma of my family’s abandonment and the forced adoption of my baby, I find solace in New York City, living in a fine apartment, thanks to my benefactor, Percival Bancroft. He asks for nothing in return except for one thing—dinner once a week. All would be well if it weren’t for my growing feelings for the kind man who rescued me from a life on the streets. He is not mine to love, as he belongs to another.

1921. Cast out and alone, I lost everything weeks before my wedding—my betrothed, my family, my future. With nowhere to turn, I accept the help of a compassionate stranger, not knowing it may lead me towards a path I swore never to tread.

In the spring of 1910, an advertisement I spotted in the Boston newspaper called out to me: “Wealthy family in need of secretary on Whale Island. Must have an affinity for books.” When I’m offered the position, I do not hesitate to pack my meagre belongings and travel to Washington state. After all, I have nothing to lose. I’ve been dismissed from my current position. I have no family. It’s all a dream come true. The only problem? My employer, Benedict Tutheridge, makes my heart flutter and my knees wobble.