Showing results by author "Jessie Gussman" in All Categories

Ezra Clyborne, a man of principles and routine, never expected Alaska, a woman embroiled in a world of trouble, and her children to turn his world upside down. His offer of marriage was meant to be a safe haven, a simple solution to her troubles, but it becomes the foundation of a bond that deepens with each challenge they face. Yet, as they confront the threats lurking around them, Ezra and Alaska discover that love often thrives in the most unexpected places.

Single mom Peyton Sinclair came to the town of Sweet Water to raise her son away from the influence of her ex-husband’s mother. She’s happy with her bookstore and bake shop and is not interested in doing anything but making a living and raising her son. Bryce Shaker had been baseball’s highest paid athlete at one point in his career.

Sally Curtis is all about numbers, details, and the crisp pages of accounting ledgers at the inn. She isn’t interested in messy human interactions or anything that doesn’t compute in a spreadsheet. But when Peter Slessing, the farmer with a contagious laugh, requires her skills, she's thrust into a world where calculations meet chaos.

With her family and life spiraling out of control, Pam Corrigan needs an escape from the stress of her day job and decides to purchase the old inn just south of Strawberry Sands. Her mother will give her half of her inheritance when she remarries, but Pam isn’t the slightest bit interested in another failed relationship. So, she asks her best friend and neighbor, Mark Shields, to fake a relationship with her in the hopes that she can convince her mother to help fund the repairs of the inn she just purchased.

At the annual Christmas barn dance, Eleanor and her best friend Sally devise a mischievous plan to steal Sally's longtime cowboy crush, Peter. They enlist the help of their cousin, who mistakenly kidnaps Peter's brother, Franklin, instead. Determined to keep her intentions secret, Norma Jean convinces Eleanor to embark on a rescue mission. Little does she know that a fierce snowstorm is on its way, trapping her with Peter, a quirky cat, and her adorable litter of four kittens.

Tadgh O’Reilly followed the racehorse he fell in love with across the ocean and to the barren fields of North Dakota. Content to live with his young daughter in his small, caretaker’s cottage as long as he gets to see his beloved Thoroughbred every day, he never dreams that his life is missing something very important.

Katie Dettinger didn’t expect to be a single mom. Didn’t expect to have her husband cheat and leave. Didn’t think she’d be alone raising her kids. But she is. And it’s harder than she thought. There’s never enough time, never enough money, and now she’s lost her job and might be losing her house.

Brawley Powers made a mistake he's regretted for almost 11 years. But he didn't realize he had a daughter from that night until a stranger comes to town and puts the pieces together. Brawley sees the truth, but he's not sure if the mother of his daughter even knows who the father is and, whether she does or not, if she'll let him be a part of her life.

Famous pro baseball player Dwight Eckenrode never thought he’d need the services of a group of small-town matchmakers. But nothing he does seems to catch the eye of Orchid Baldwin, and he’s just desperate enough to go along with his best friend’s suggestion–hire the Piece Makers. Except the Piece Makers don’t want him. So now what?

Sadie Powers has crushed on her brother’s best friend for years, but when the Piece Makers, Sweet Water’s own quilting and matchmaking group, ask her to help them match him up with the new single mom in town, she just wants the man she’s loved for years to be happy, even if that’s with someone else. When rancher and livestock auction owner Colman Baldwin is asked to give riding lessons to the son of the new single mom in town, he doesn’t hesitate to make time in his schedule to help out. That’s what small towns are for. He doesn’t realize he’s being set up.

He’d been deformed in a farming accident years ago. He’d managed to build a successful business on his North Dakota ranch, but clients didn’t need to see him. His sister handled the face of his company.

When she develops pneumonia, Shasta Bingley can’t believe how the town of Sweet Water comes together to take care of her. Especially Nolt Powers, who not only pays her rent, but sits up with her through the worst of her sickness so she’s not alone. Although she loves the town of Sweet Water, Shasta has to leave, since her job as a painter can’t support her in such a small town. Then an unthinkable accident happens, and Nolt needs help.

Serious and quiet, Silas hardly seems like the kind of man who would be out drag racing in the wee hours of the night. Unwilling heir of her family’s multimillion-dollar ranching operation, Gladys Lefrak is a daredevil who vows to never settle down. And she loves drag racing–with Silas beside her. But her 25th birthday is fast approaching, and the conditions of her inheritance state that she must be married by that date.

Bellamy Levine is the highest paid actress in Hollywood, but she just inked her name on her fifth divorce settlement and her personal life is in shambles. Again. She vows it’s for the last time. That’s why she’s rented the entire vacation spot in rural North Dakota and intends to spend the holidays alone, figuring out what she’s going to do with her life.

A place of comfort. A place of rest and peace. A place where divorcee and single mom, Kim Tinsley, can go to try to make a new life for herself, raising her baby while praying for her older child who has left the faith of her childhood and is questioning everything she’d ever taught her.

I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.) Guess who’s now the assistant b-ball coach? Logic would say me–especially since I coached my entire first year holding the playbook upside down (it turned out to be an old football playbook from the ‘80s, so it’s not like it mattered which way I held it) but the accurate answer is Trey Haywood, my all-star neighbor.

Palmer wouldn't trade his family's land for the world. But the only way to save the ranch from financial disaster and claim his billion-dollar inheritance is to find himself a wife. His happily-ever-after would be complete if he could just hitch his wagon to the woman who sees him only as her best friend.

Sunday Landry suffers the most painful loss possible - the loss of her son. She closes her candy shop and moves back in with her mother, barely able to get out of bed. What's the point in living? Noah Emery had a crush on Sunday in high school, but she didn't notice him, choosing someone else and eventually having his baby. Now that Noah is back in Strawberry Sands, Sunday again has too much on her mind to notice him, and he can't blame her. He can't imagine losing a child. He wants to help her overcome her grief, so he starts to write to her.

Chi came to Strawberry Sands to escape her past. There were a lot of things to be ashamed of there. Maybe that's why she's so eager to catch the eye of the big-name lawyer who hangs out at her diner. It will prove she's not as worthless as she feels. At a big gala she wasn't supposed to attend, she discovers the lawyer is not only cheating on her but married as well. She might have done more to embarrass herself, but Griff, her coworker, showed up on his bike and whisked her away. She is almost like a heroine in a fairy tale.

Luke Landry will avoid the matchmaking Miss Heather at all costs. Miss Heather will do anything to get her granddaughter hitched, and Luke seems to be her favorite target. If Kristen were such a catch, she wouldn't need her gram to find a husband for her. Every time Luke runs into her, sparks fly, and one or both of them leave angry. Why can't Miss Heather see Kristen and he would never be any good together?