Westen

Emma Lewis has a lot on her plate. The single mother of two precocious twin boys, the last thing Emma needs is a man in her life, especially a doctor. So when the town's doctor goes on vacation and his handsome nephew takes over, Emma is shocked to not only find him standing in her bedroom, but accusing her of being a neglectful parent. Clint Preston came to Westen for the year to fill in as the town doc while his uncle took a long-needed vacation. Clint also needed a sense of peace and calm to try to find his passion for medicine burned out by long shifts in an urban hospital's ER. Angered to find two boys in his clinic with broken wrists and no accompanying parent, he is determined to confront their mother. The feisty redhead he meets quickly dispels his belief that she's a neglectful mother, but he can see her situation is more critical than she wishes to face and finds himself volunteering to help care for her sons and the remodeling of her home. As Emma and Clint forge a relationship, a menace from Emma's past threatens her and her sons. Clint and Emma join forces to prevent the loss of either boy and the love they've discovered in each other's arms. Contains mature themes.

After facing death as an undercover narcotics cop, Gage Justice has come home to heal. His recuperation is cut short by his father's unexpected diagnosis of cancer and subsequent death. Now he's honoring one of his father's last wishes by taking over as the sheriff of his boyhood home, Westen, Ohio. Biding time until his father's term is finished, he fights boredom more than crime in the sleepy little town-that is until one sexy little teacher-turned-Private-Investigator literally falls into his arms. Bobby Roberts is looking for adventure. After giving up her own dreams to raise her two sisters after the death of their parents, she's been trapped in a schoolroom for nearly two decades. The suffocating claustrophobia of the classroom has set her on a new career path. She arrives in Westen, complete with brand-spanking-new PI license, a handgun and a simple case-investigate a lien on property of a dead man. Little does she realize her "simple little case" will lead her into the world of one sexy sheriff and the path of a murderer intent on keeping them both from discovering his secrets or stopping his plans that could destroy Westen. Contains mature themes.

They once were lovers: After ten years of keeping his distance to the one woman he's always loved, Fire Chief Deke Reynolds is finally ready to set aside his grief and confess his guilt to Elizabeth "Libby" Wilson about his part in her brother's death. Libby's own guilty secret has kept her from sharing her life with the man who stole her heart as a teen and awakened her body as a young woman. Danger has forced them together again: A fire and their odd connection to a new teenager at the local half-way house have this couple finally sharing their secrets with each other. With an arsonist on the loose, threatening the town of Westen and its citizens, have Libby and Deke waited too long to find their love again? Contains mature themes.

Danger stalks her: For weeks, attorney Chloe Roberts senses someone following her. Always in her periphery, she's been unable to catch them. Then the phone calls and hang-ups start. The only reprieve was when she was in Westen for her sister's wedding. Now, whoever it was, they've progressed to text messages . . . more and more threatening ones. Danger trails him: Six years ago, Wes Strong wandered into the small town of Westen. A lone wolf, he's looking to find a place to put an end to the guilt he carried in his soul over the loss of most of his dark ops team during an extraction of a hostage in the jungle. While Wes hunts the predator stalking Chloe, his own past has him in its cross-hairs. Danger blows in: A winter storm turns into a blizzard, covering the entire state of Ohio. Power outages and arctic temperatures endanger the small town of Westen, traps Chloe and Wes in a cabin on the outskirts of town and forces Chloe's stalker to escalate his threat. Contains mature themes.

During a state-wide blizzard, Westen sheriff's deputy Daniel Löwe finds a little girl named Lexie abandoned, freezing and terrified. He takes her to the only available place in the small town, the Westen House for at-risk teens. Daniel enjoys spending more and more time at Westen House with Lexie and the four teen boys who live there. But it's the new housemother, Melissa Davis that drives his heart faster. After surviving an abusive ex-husband, a wiser, less-trusting Melissa is forging a new life for herself. The moment Lexie arrives bundled in a quilt and asleep in the handsome deputy's arms, Melissa's fierce maternal impulses rouse. As Daniel helps track Lexie's mom and still finds time to teach the little girl how to play baseball, Melissa realizes that Daniel's a good man who keeps his promises and the walls around Melissa's heart start to crumble. Their newly forged hope shatters when multiple bodies are discovered in abandoned drug dens and Daniel realizes Lexie's in real danger from her mother's dealer. Fearing for the little girl's safety, Daniel and Melissa must lean on each other if they want to prevent the monster from stealing Lexie's life. Contains mature themes.

Dylan Roberts was orphaned as a child . . . Her parents died on a rural highway in a drunk-driving accident. If only she'd been able to do something. Dylan grew up with one all-consuming goal-to save others. Training hard to become a trauma surgeon, only to have her dearest friend die in a jungle, far from medical aid, once again Dylan is left feeling as useless as she did after her parents' death. Grieving and at loose ends, she visits her two pregnant sisters in their new home of Westen, intent on making sure both safely deliver their babies. The town is about to open its first hospital, complete with a trauma unit, which her sisters and the town council believe Dylan should head. At a crossroads . . . Being in Westen has its risks. She finds herself struggling against the attraction she's long had for her friend, newspaper owner Sean Callahan. Trouble is, Sean wants more than just a casual fling, but he doesn't want to pressure Dylan into staying in Westen. Will tragedy force her hand? When danger from a beloved town member's past comes to light, lives hang in the balance, will Dylan's skills make a difference this time? And will she finally understand the true meaning of family?