Riding Tall

Megan Wilder doesn't think there's a man in this world who could love her just the way she is. After meeting sexy Ryan McBride, she suspects he might just be the one to change her mind. With her family in danger of losing their restaurant and their home, a sudden illness has everything Megan thought was sure in her life crashing down around her. Finding out Ryan is the one responsible for threatening foreclosure shakes her very foundation.

Cat Hayden returning to her childhood home after 19 years, is a different person, and a tragic accident has left her insecure about her appearance. But her heart is still filled with memories of the love she left behind - Blake McBride. Blake recognizes Cat with his heart, a heart that never stopped loving her. But that heart was broken when she left so long ago. Can he trust her again and rekindle that flame that burned so strong? A champion barrel racer before the accident, Cat finds herself instructing Blake's talented yet temperamental 14-year-old daughter, Demi.

Tess Grady doesn’t do playboy cowboys, and as far as she’s concerned, that’s exactly what Gage McBride is. Tess wants steady, stable, and secure in a man, and Gage seems to be the farthest thing from that. When women come up to a man in a bar and slap him, that’s got to be a good sign that he’s not the one for her or a suitable male role model for her young daughter. After losing her husband in a car accident, Tess isn’t even sure she can love again.

Jo Burke hasn’t had it easy in life and that includes her history with men. She’s resigned herself to the fact that she really knows how to choose ’em. So when Tate McBride comes around, she doesn’t trust her instincts for a minute because those same instincts have proven faulty time and again. He can’t be nearly as great a guy as he appears to be on the surface.

Ricki Sparks knows she can make a mean red velvet cake but can’t believe she’s let herself be talked into a blind date. When she opens the door to see the man she’s been secretly sweet on since the first day he walked into her bakery, she fears her heart will be demolished. At least she knows she’s in for a wild ride. With a past like his, private investigator Garrett McBride doesn’t feel he’s worthy of a good woman’s love. Especially not Ricki, the sweet, beautiful baker. But its not just her delectable baked goods that keep him coming back and it isn’t long before he admits to himself that he wants her for his own. He never suspects that the greatest danger to her may come not from himself, but from the deceitful woman Ricki has befriended.

Clint McBride has spent seven long years running from his past, believing he was responsible for the death of his best friend. A chance layover in Phoenix leads him home to Prescott, Arizona, but he has no intention of staying. Once he takes care of unfinished business, he intends to leave the state - for good. Ella Fisher can’t believe Clint is back. As a matter of fact, she’s furious with him for leaving without a word and for not letting anyone know he was even alive.

Carilyn Thompson would never have believed a chance stop at a small town cafe would change her life. Catching the attention of the sexiest firefighter she'd ever seen wasn't too difficult when he's the one trying to save everything she owns from going up in flames when her car mysteriously catches fire. Criminals targeting women for any reason inflames Cody McBride's temper, especially when one of the women is as sweet and beautiful as Carilyn Thompson. Week after week of chasing leads on this arsonist finds yet another woman's burned home or business and now Carilyn's car.

Detective Kelley Petrova’s life has been filled with one major challenge after another. The one constant in her adult life has been her career and the ability to make a difference. Having a capable and dedicated partner like Reese McBride, who also doesn’t happen to be one bit hard on the eyes, only makes her job easier and more worthwhile. Detective Reese McBride knows his partner of two years is tough, smart, and determined.

Much like Cinderella, Hollie Simmons was waiting for her Prince Charming but wondering if her life was meant to be anything but a fairy tale. A kindergarten teacher, Hollie was raised to be a lady by her southern mother who passed away when Hollie was young. After a speedy remarriage by her father and more losses than she can count, Hollie is alone in the world with only three cold, abusive stepbrothers.

Anna Batista's life is great. Her event planning career is well established, allowing a comfy budget for shopping splurges at her favorite boutique. She has great friends and lives comfortably with her aunt, uncle, and two young cousins. Anna hasn't found love, but why rush when everything else is going so right? However, Anna has a secret. If that secret is discovered, it would mean devastation for her entire family. The last person she should have anything to do with is Sheriff Mike McBride. Having anyone in law enforcement close just isn’t an option.