Margaret Daley

The Cowboy's Unexpected Family 

Awakening from a months–long coma, Ben Stillwater is met with a big surprise: the footloose bachelor cowboy is a father! Ben tries to adjust to life with baby Cody and decides what the child really needs is a mom. Sheriff Lucy Benson does not seem a likely candidate–she already has her hands full closing in on the thieves who have been targeting the ranches of Little Horn, Texas. But the closer Ben gets to Lucy–and the closer they get to solving the mystery–the more it seems the free–spirited rancher and the determined officer could be the perfect match.

A frozen turkey dinner is just fine for former soldier and widower Evan Paterson. But his five–year–old daughter deserves better. So when she invites her best friend and her single mother to the Double P ranch for the holiday meal, Evan agrees. But not to a fix–up. Social worker Julia Saunders knows as much about heartache as he does, but Evan isn't ready to love again. Until a duo of pint–sized matchmakers show two stubborn grown–ups what being thankful truly means.

Teaming up with an old flame is not what bodyguard Chloe Howard would call a smart move. Nine years ago Chloe and T. J. Davenport worked on a case together, fell in love, then went their separate ways. Now she's reunited with the fearless bodyguard to protect a controversial couple on a book tour through Texas. And the reunion reminds Chloe of dreams best forgotten. She knows she has to keep her emotions in check so their clients' protection remains their top priority. Protection that is the only thing keeping them from falling prey to a stalker's deadly schemes.

Two years ago, Hannah Williams left the Witness Protection Program––and she's been running ever since. To stay ahead of the mob, she changes her name and location constantly. So when she takes a job caring for a Montana rancher's sick daughter, she expects to leave soon. But little Misty Taylor tugs at Hannah's heartstrings––and so does her handsome father. Hannah knows Austin Taylor suspects she's keeping secrets. But how can she tell him the truth without endangering the pair she's come to love?

Who, what, where, when and why. Those were the questions journalism professor Jameson King lived by. But the murder of his prot&232;g&232;, a young newspaper reporter, remained a mystery. One that Jameson––and the reporter's grief–stricken sister––vowed to solve. But working with Cassie Winters wasn't easy. A former student ten years his junior, the stunning redhead was too young, too full of life, for a man like him. A man with a secret concerning her brother...a secret that might tear them apart forever.

Women, Dr. Jacob Hartman knew, were a mystery. Take the first time he met social worker Hannah Smith at the Stone Refuge home for foster children. The woman stared him down as if he'd come at her with castor oil.

Why? His past was full of heavy-duty heartache, but he was positive they'd never met. And as a former foster child himself, Jacob was deeply touched by how much she cared about the kids at the home, how loving she was--to everyone but him. Which was where, he figured, the mistletoe came in!

He's thrilled his uncle Max is out of the hospital and can attend the wedding. If only Baltasar Escalante weren't still out there--Alessandro believes he's plotting against the Vance and Montgomery families.

My cousin Quinn has been busy restoring detective Becca Hilliard's house, but he's also on alert following the explosion at the hospital. I'd be thrilled if Quinn and Becca became a couple but I wonder how safe it is to fall in love when there's a madman on the loose....

The Soldier's Gift 

The holidays are right around the corner, but Captain Jake Tanner is struggling to find Christmas cheer. Having survived a devastating attack overseas, he has emotional scars that run deep. When Jake meets beautiful widow Emma Langford, his heart is unprepared for the feelings she inspires. 

Training service dogs has taught Emma to recognize those in need. She wants to show Jake that a four–legged companion is the best therapy, but she's afraid that the closer she gets, the more her own wounds are revealed. 

Together, Jake and Emma will discover it takes a different kind of bravery to open themselves to love–and to healing. 

Caring Canines: Loving and loyal, these dogs mend hearts.

Bodyguarding is Kyra Morgan's business–but this was supposed to be a vacation! Still, she can't refuse the request from childhood friend and neighbor Michael Hunt. Michael's sister Amy ran away after witnessing a murder. Michael needs Kyra's help to find her and keep her safe. Yet as Kyra and Michael follow the trail along the Florida coast, their search grows more dangerous by the day. Terrorists are at work, and the stakes are perilously high. It will take everything they have–including trust they're both reluctant to give–to escape the Everglades alive…