Love on the Santa Fe Trail

Judith Russell is still grieving the death of her fiancé and has learned the painful cost of trusting her heart. Determined never to leave herself vulnerable to another man, she intends to keep her feelings firmly guarded. Gil Trapper has made plans of his own. As the wagon train scout and owner of several freight wagons, he is building a freighting business he hopes will give him the future he once believed he had lost. After the woman he intended to marry broke his heart, Gil has no desire to risk loving again. Neither Judith nor Gil expects their lives to become entangled. But when they are forced to spend a night together searching for and protecting a lost child, circumstances leave them with little choice but to marry. Their marriage of convenience may satisfy expectations, but it does nothing to change the walls they have built around their hearts. Judith refuses to trust Gil, and Gil is determined never to open himself to love again.

Mary Mae Clark has learned the hard way that a man's promises cannot always be trusted. After being hurt by words that meant far less than she believed, she has no intention of risking her heart again. All she wants is to return to Santa Fe and help her friend Sophia care for her young son. Warren Russell has spent the last four years freighting along the trail, and the solitary life suits him. No ties. No family. No love. Haunted by the belief that his neglect led to the deaths of his wife and young son, Warren is convinced he does not deserve another chance at happiness. Then tragedy changes everything. When Warren's best friend is killed in an accident on the trail, Warren unexpectedly becomes guardian to the man's ten-year-old niece, Polly. Completely unprepared to care for a child, he gratefully accepts Mary Mae's help-but only for the remainder of the journey. Once they reach their destination, Warren intends to take Polly and move on. Polly, however, has plans of her own. Certain that Warren and Mary Mae belong together, the determined little girl sets out to turn their temporary arrangement into something far more permanent. As Mary Mae and Warren work together to care for Polly and face the challenges of the trail, the carefully guarded distance between them begins to fade. But Mary Mae cannot forget the broken promises of her past, and Warren cannot forgive himself for the family he lost. With Christmas drawing closer, will Polly's matchmaking help two wounded hearts discover the family they never expected to find-or will guilt and distrust keep Mary Mae and Warren apart forever?

Sophia Lorenzo is a young widow with everything to lose. Hiding at Bent's Fort with her one-year-old son, Sophia has carefully concealed her true identity. Her late husband's powerful parents are determined to take her child from her, and Sophia knows that being discovered could cost her the one person she loves most. To keep her son safe, she must remain hidden-and trust no one with the truth. Buck Williams has spent years guarding his own wounded heart. As wagon master, he is accustomed to responsibility, danger, and making difficult decisions. But since losing his wife on a wagon train bound for Oregon, Buck has chosen a solitary life, convinced that caring too deeply will only bring more pain. When Buck recognizes Sophia, he also realizes she is lying about who she is. He does not know why. Then Sophia finally reveals the danger threatening her and asks for his help. For Buck, protecting Sophia and her young son becomes more than an obligation. Haunted by his failure to save his wife, he begins to believe that keeping this woman and child safe might offer him a chance to make peace with the past. But trouble is already following Sophia. As danger closes in and the Christmas season approaches, Buck finds himself risking more than his life. Somewhere along the way, Sophia and her son have become the family he never expected to love. Can Buck protect them from the powerful people determined to tear them apart, or will his greatest fear become reality all over again?