Showing results by author "Freya Barker" in All Categories

For Mia, a crowded subway ride changes her entire life. Retreating to the wilderness helps her cope with a world that is suddenly too loud, too turbulent. Her existence safely contained to the small cottage on the lake, she is unprepared for the neighbor that moves across the bay.

Brotherhood and beer meets single mom and apple pie. We make an odd couple—our differences obvious—but when hatred and danger threaten to destroy everything of value in our lives, we only get stronger.

When the rug is pulled from under Detective Sloane Eckhart, she leaves the Billings PD and returns to Libby, Montana. Eight years ago, she left with her pride and the promise of a future, but her heart was broken. On her return, there is no pride left, no prospects to speak of, but at least her heart is safely secured in the back seat. High Meadow will always be home to Dan Blakely. Working with horses, being part of the HMT search and rescue team, and now building his own home right next door checks all his boxes. Only one thing is missing, but that dream walked out the door a long time ago.

Ink and sawdust meets brisket and moxie. I’m a tattooed casualty. A charmer, a fraud, a skeptic, and a carpenter. My name is Tse. I’m cocky enough to believe my own lies, but too oblivious to see the truth is already out there. I’m a cautious perfectionist. A sister, a scrapper, a dreamer, and a workhorse. My name is Sophia.

Her single night of indulgence with the silver-eyed stranger is only the beginning. He sees right to the heart of her and she is unable to ward off emotions that have been deeply buried. With the sting of betrayal still fresh in her soul, she's surprised to find herself opening up to the honest integrity of the sharp-eyed, rough-looking biker.

Road rash and Jack meets handcuffs and street smarts.

Growing up a military brat and spending eight years overseas with the Army Medical Corps, clinical social worker, Willa Smith, has had enough of rules and regulations. She is much happier working with veterans at the new, far more relaxed South Avenue Shelter, until one of its residents is implicated in a murder. Former military turned security operative, Dimas Mazur, has worked for PASS security since he returned stateside after a disabling injury. The job keeps him busy, but when a homeless veteran he knows runs into trouble with the law, he doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Returning home to Grand Junction would not have been Rosie Perkins’ first choice, but with her mother no longer able to take care of herself, it’s the only one she has. As is working the night shift at a local hotel to bring in a much-needed income. Rosie juggles to keep all the pieces of her life together and has no room to add anything more. One morning, after a long shift, when she witnesses a hotel guest crash into a dumpster, her careful control starts to unravel.

More often than not, Clint Mason has his foot firmly wedged in his mouth, which tends to get him in plenty of hot water with the ladies. Although his laid back good ole' Southern charm does not fly far with the female population of Cedar Tree, the big burly contractor hides his dark side well.

Even at 37, with a challenging but rewarding career as a paramedic, Bella Gomez is treated as the baby of the family. It's made her allergic to anyone meddling, so she chooses to keep mostly to herself. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop her family from inserting themselves in her life. Nor does it deter the one man she knows she shouldn't get close to from showing up on her doorstep.

When her surly teenage son moves back to live with ER physician Naomi Waters unexpectedly, her motherly instincts go on high alert. Nothing could've prepared her for the wave of trouble that follows him back into her life. Sheriff Joe Morris blew his chance with Naomi a few years back when he'd moved faster than his own past allowed. At the first opportunity to get his foot back in the door, he takes it and risks everything to keep her and her son safe.

I’m a grease-stained enigma. A watcher, a protector, an ex-con, and a mechanic. My name is Brick. I’m old enough to know good things come to those who wait, and hungry enough to go after what I want. I am a proud independent. A nurturer, a cook, a casualty, and a grandparent. My name is Lisa.

Investigator Gus Flemming is hot on the trail of a bail skip with organized crime connections that bring him to Cedar Tree. Once there, the focus of his investigation lands squarely on the gently rounded shoulders of a vivacious red haired Emma, whose physical limitations have done nothing to dampen her zest for life.

Patience has always been Caleb Whitetail's strength. Quiet and unassuming is what you see with the GFI investigator, but the blood boils hot right under the surface. He kept his distance for years only to see the woman who has held his attention almost lose her life not just once, but twice. He is done standing in the shadows.

Nowadays Kendra Schmitt puts most of her time into the new clinic in Cedar Tree. Always the responsible one in her family, she has avoided any kind of entanglement. In particular with a persistent young investigator. With her schedule a bit more predictable, she is ready to explore a personal life and concedes to what turns out to be a disastrous blind date. Junior member of the GFI team, Neil James, has seen and experienced more than most at his age.

An assignment has just turned interesting for GFI investigator Malachi Whitetail. When a shy, mousy woman walks into his local diner, it takes him a minute to recognize her as an employee of the real estate office he's been monitoring. Not a believer in coincidence, Mal decides a closer look at the short brunette might be warranted. It will be the first, but certainly not the last time, he finds himself coming to her rescue.

As a 41-year-old mother of three boys, working two jobs, Marya Berger doesn’t have the time or energy to consider a relationship. Especially after a lifetime of poor choices in the romance department. But when the disappearance of a young boy strikes a little too close to home, and a younger man she’s tried to ignore offers his help, she doesn’t stand in the way. Single father, Dylan Barnes, the junior member of the La Plata County FBI team at 33, has his focus firmly on his job and his son, Max.

Seb Griffin showed up in Cedar Tree eight months ago and was hired on at Arlene's Diner as a cook. An ex-con with secrets of his own, Seb walks a fine line. Since he began working at the diner, he's developed feelings for his fierce, stubborn boss, and the need to keep his distance from her, to protect her, is a daily struggle.

In the dark alley of a pub, the words "Please don't" take hold of her heart and break the silence she seeks. Thinking herself beyond redemption, she tentatively grabs on to the slim thread of hope that unfolds inside of her. Holding her secrets close, she can't resist the comforting draw coming from The Skipper. The unconditional friendships it offers, the protective roof it provides, and the spark that its owner ignites in her - melting the frost off her heart, and slowly stripping away her resistance.

Violence corroded her.... Obedience defiled her.... Fear kept her chained.... Freedom is hard to embrace when she's never learned to trust. Yet in the span of a second, she grabs a single opportunity and runs toward it. Straight into the sanctuary of a pub at the end of a wharf. She doesn't understand the concept of friendship. She's never felt the connection of a relationship. She's as innocent as the driven snow and yet tainted with corruption.