A vacation at her godmother's ranch near Abilene would have been the perfect place for Maggie Turner to escape her ex-husband's threats. Perfect, that is, if it hadn't been for Gabe Coleman. Tall, lithe, and lean, he was just as blunt, rude - and powerfully sensual - as he'd been 10 years ago. His cold formality gave her the goose bumps. And his icy blue eyes watched her like those of a hungry cat - daring her to look beneath his savage surface. She thought marriage had cured her of desire. Then the raging passions of a Texas cowboy gave her a new lease on love.

When social worker Jessica Larson asks deputy sheriff Sterling McCallum for help finding the mother of an abandoned baby, he can’t refuse. The brooding cop has a stone in place of a heart and a past as mysterious as the case that brings them together. Something compels Jessica to brave the emotions Sterling arouses within her. But when their secrets come to the surface, can the two handle the shocking revelations?

When Abby went home to the Big Sky country she'd always loved, she seemed more like a wounded bird than a glamorous fashion model. After what had happened in New York, she could never let any man touch her again. But Cade McLaren had never been like any other man. In his powerful arms, she began to forget the terror and enjoy the feel of his touch. If only his attentions stemmed from love instead of pity. Abby didn't want Cade's charity. She hungered for that other, all-consuming blaze of love she'd sparked in him one summer night a lifetime ago….

"Poor little Mari," her aunt fretted. "I'm worried about her state of mind-deep emotional scars." Ward's sympathy went out to Lillian's niece, and he invited Mari to the ranch. But the woman who arrived was hardly a helpless little girl. Though they knew they had been tricked, neither could fight the power of Cupid's magic arrow.

Dear Diary, It will take more than threats - and one overbearing rancher - to drive me away from my rightful property...When I inherited this isolated land near the Mexican border, I knew running it would be difficult and dangerous - very different from my privileged life in Louisiana, where I was the genteel Miss Trilby Lang. But I certainly didn't expect that my neighbor, Thorn Vance, would be challenging me at every turn.

Underneath her bubbly carefree facade, there was more—much more—to the champagne girl. Catherine Blake had high personal standards, including a sense of duty to her widowed mother, which brought her back to Comanche Flats, the family ranch. Once she'd returned, her stepbrother, Matt Kincaid, only complicated matters. Matt demanded that she stay on at the ranch, under his watchful eye. But Catherine had a job offer waiting for her in New York City. There was only one thing that could keep her on a dusty cattle ranch in Texas—the love of the rangiest cowboy in the Lone Star State!

Hot-tempered rancher Powell Long had once stolen Antonia Haye's heart. But small-town lies tore their young love apart, forcing Antonia to flee. Years later, she's returned to find Powell raising a daughter alone. Fatherhood hasn't tempered his wild side or his feelings for the one woman he's always wanted—Antonia. Not even her pride could make her ignore the eager pull of her heartstrings. And taking a chance at a future family with Powell was simply too irresistible….

Journalist Michelle Godfrey has loved Gabriel Brandon her whole life, ever since he rescued her as a girl. The handsome rancher with the dark eyes has always been her protector and guardian angel. But Michelle’s research into a scandal involving a high-level politician has her wondering about Gabriel’s mysterious disappearances, even as she’s increasingly attracted to him. Michelle is determined to clear his name. But how far will she have to go to be with her Lone Star hero?

Ever since Gabriel Brandon rescued her from a dark future, Michelle Godrey looked up to the rancher as her personal hero. Protecting her all her life, Gabriel served as Michelle's guardian angel—saving her from a broken family, supporting her and encouraging Michelle to go to college. Even as Michelle felt herself start to fall for her protector, both of them could agree the timing wasn't right. But four years later, Michelle is grown up and ready to work. An assignment takes her away from their hometown of Jacobsville, Texas, and she begins uncovering secrets from Gabriel's past.

Enjoy four classic Long, Tall Texans stories from New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer!

At 20, Coreen Tarleton had fallen hard for sexy millionaire cowboy Ted Regan. But his rejection had sent her running into the arms of another man, a decision she'd always regretted and an action Ted could never forgive. But now Ted had a second chance with the widowed Coreen. And though she was far from the naive girl she'd been, her heart still belonged to Ted.

A cowboy through and through, ranch owner Mallory Kirk knows what it means to put in a full day’s work. But does his new cowgirl? He has his doubts that Morie Brannt will be able to pull her own weight, even if the petite young woman does seem to have a lot of spirit. As they spar over events at the ranch and a past that threatens their hopes for the future, sparks begin to fly, and Mallory can’t help but notice Morie in a new light. But is this tough Wyoming man ready to love?

Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother took her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She's not like the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually dates, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she show the man of her dreams she could be the woman he's always wanted? Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years ago. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away.

Abby Shane has come home to Montana. It's a haven from the nightmares of Manhattan and a place to recover from the trauma that jeopardized her career and left her emotionally scarred. But she's also come home to the painful memories of an all-too-brief love affair with rancher Cade McLaren. Teddi Whitehall longed to escape her hectic life in New York, and a summer in Canada with her best friend's family sounded perfect. But rancher Kingston Devereaux made her feel anything but welcome. So why did she feel so alive when he was around?

Saved from an abduction and unthinkable harm, Gabrielle Bennett owed her life to her rescuer. Marc Stephano, a stranger from the sketchy shadows of town, could've asked for money. Instead, he introduced her to desire and claimed her completely - then he broke her heart. Older, wiser and now a top New York model, Gabrielle is prepared for anything - except Marc's reemergence into her life.

When her pregnant sister is restricted to bed rest, Samantha Evans leaves the traffic-choked streets of Philadelphia for the majestic mountains and wide-open plains of Wyoming to help her. And while Samantha can appreciate the natural beauty of the land, she has no plans to stay - even if she's intrigued by Jake Tanner, a wealthy rancher who's left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But when a blizzard strands them together, Samantha begins to understand how powerful the pull of the West - and Jake - can be.

Entrepreneur Vance Banning took a residence in rural Maryland to escape business pressures—and relationships with women pursuing his bank account. To the community, he’s a moody, out-of-work carpenter with a chip on his shoulder. To next door neighbor Shane Abbott, he’s just a man who needs a little kindness in his life. Vance’s suspicions of the stunning beauty’s intense interest in him start to fade when he realizes Shane’s compassion is honest and joyful—giving his heart permission to experience true love.

They were friends, neighbors, and occasional confidants. Certainly nothing more. Now Kingston Roper needs a favor from Elissa Dean, he needs her to get caught in his bed.

Amy Ryan strictly defined herself in three ways: successful businesswoman, devoted mother, and grieving widow. Wild certainly never entered into the description. That is, until she met powerful Australian businessman Harry Griffith. Suddenly, Amy was doing all kinds of wild things - enjoying romantic dinners, taking spontaneous luxury vacations, falling in love. And yet, a part of her was still devoted to her husband, still wanted to touch him, hold him, talk to him. But Harry demanded nothing less than all of Amy.

Holly Garrett was in trouble. The stranger who'd saved her from a storm was not asking for her help. And he was inviting her to live with him. She could cook for him, and bathe him, but nothing had prepared he for the glances he threw her way.

Mark Holbrook was a legend. A tall, rugged, imposing legend. He'd won a Pulitzer, interviewed kings and queens, presidents, and movie stars. Carly Barnett, on the other hand, was a former-beauty-queen-turned-advice-columnist. Not exactly on the same level. Still, Carly was determined to prove that she was more than a pretty face. Mark wasn't sure the beautiful and spirited Carly had what it took to be a reporter, but he was sure that he wanted her. And Mark never denied himself what he wanted.

After Caroline Myers gets her heart broken, her beloved great-aunts send her on a spur-of-the-moment northern adventure, equipped with little more than a batch of their special spiked tea. But soon after hopping a plane to Gold River, Alaska, a still loopy Caroline takes part in an odd ceremony that ends with a kiss from her personal tour guide. The next thing she knows, she wakes up with a ring on her finger.

After her marriage ends in bitter divorce, all Lorren Jacobs wants is to leave California behind. Returning to her roots in Texas seems to be just what the doctor ordered...until she meets real-life physician Justin Madaris. Lorren has vowed never to give her heart to another man, but she can't stop herself from responding to the handsome widower's sensuous whispers of love. Justin thought no woman could ever move him as deeply as his wife had. Until Lorren.

The recipient of the National Readers Choice Award and the Booksellers Best Award, Charlene Sands has delighted her readership with more than 30 romance novels. In Carrying the Rancher’s Heir, Tagg Worth rues his lack of restraint when he beds Callie Sullivan, the daughter of a wealthy rancher who means to put Tagg out of business. As if that isn’t enough of a predicament, Tagg learns there’s a baby on the way—and realizes that doing the right thing may prove the most difficult path he’s ever traveled.

Logan Phillips didn't expect to like his nurse, let alone find himself attracted to her. But Melissa VanFleet's gentle humor and sweet spirit soothes the architect's frustration at his temporary blindness. He finds she's tempting him down a road he's sworn never again to travel. But a little TLC can go a long way.

Samantha Reed is willing to settle into marriage as a trophy wife to a wealthy older man--if it will help her aging father pay off his debts. But not before having her first, last and only fling - cramming a lifetime's worth of lust into one weekend with the first available guy she finds. And when her car breaks down near a roadside tavern, she sets her sights on the sexy bartender - Mac Mackenzie...the perfect man for her love-him-and-leave-him fantasy.

For artist and free spirit Naomi Logan, sexy radio call-in host Rufus Meade is the wrong man at the wrong time. His conservative views drive her crazy—especially his theories about working women. But after telling him what she thinks—on the air—the last thing she expects is to see him standing on her doorstep…handsome, outspoken and sexier than any man has a right to be.

Isabel Buchanan is fiery, funny, and never at a loss for words. But she is struck speechless when her mother returns from a trip to Scotland with a six-foot-tall, very handsome souvenir. Izzy’s mother is so infatuated by the fellow that Izzy has to plan their annual Highland Games all by herself. Well, not completely by herself. The Highlander’s strapping young nephew has come looking for his uncle.

Roanna Davenport grew up a wealthy orphan on her grandmother’s magnificent estate, Davencourt. There, she wanted for nothing - except to be loved by her cousin Webb. When he marries another, Roanna is devastated, but life at Davencourt takes an even darker turn when Webb’s new wife is found bludgeoned to death. After the shocking murder, Webb leaves for Arizona, abandoning the privileged life that he had once believed was all he wanted. Years later, a grown-up Roanna walks back into his life to bring him home.

With her ranch on the line and three younger sisters to care for, Sunny Thornton is in no position to take on any more responsibility. But when she learns that the man who was paralyzed saving her life in a bank robbery isn't being cared for, she feels it's her duty to help him. She isn't moved by his attempts to push her away, nor does she care that he is an ex-con. As far as she's concerned, Ash has paid for his crimes. Plus, she can't deny the stirrings inside of her whenever he's near.