Judy Duarte Books in Order

After fleeing a broken California engagement, Lauren Taylor meets Texas rancher Cole McAdams, who is raising his daughter while struggling to keep his ranch afloat. Their attraction faces the secrets and disappointments each has brought along.

Recovering from a public divorce, surgeon Michael Harper falls for cocktail waitress Kara Westin, who hopes to adopt two children. His offer of a marriage backed by wealth leaves her wondering whether he can also offer love.

Cowboy Jake Meredith unexpectedly becomes guardian to his orphaned niece and nephew and turns to childhood friend Maggie Templeton for help. The pediatrician's temporary visit creates an attraction that threatens their friendship and complicates his new family.

Pilot Jeff Forsythe returns to Rumor, Montana, after five years and finds his childhood friend Jilly Davis pregnant. Their renewed connection raises difficult questions about commitment for a man accustomed to freedom and a woman unwilling to tether him.

Midwife Milla Johnson discovers she is pregnant after a night with medical resident Kyle Bingham. As their attraction takes on new consequences, Kyle's unsettled life and doubts about family commitment complicate the prospect of raising a child together.

Louanne Brown rescues an amnesiac stranger who begins recovering his memories and falling for her. Hoping to protect herself and her baby son from further heartbreak, she must decide whether Rowan can offer the peaceful future she needs.

Cindy Tucker can outshine cowboys in the saddle, but she wants help with the feminine skills she believes will attract a husband. Asking Blake Gray Feather for lessons complicates matters because he is already her secret crush.

Detective Nick Granger disrupts Hailey Conway's predictable life when he saves her from a mugger. After a snowbound night together leads to pregnancy, she must consider whether her unconventional hero is ready for a lasting relationship.

After wrongful imprisonment, Zack Henderson wants a fresh start and time with his daughter. Her matchmaking efforts draw him toward neighbor Diana Lynch, but his doubts about his own worth threaten the possibility of a new family.

Firefighter Joe Davenport encounters former sweetheart Kristin Reynolds and her seven-year-old son, whose resemblance raises questions about their past. Old attraction returns, but family interference and uncertainty about fatherhood complicate any chance of starting over together.

Pregnant waitress Juliet Rivera takes time off on medical advice while reporter Mark Anderson stays close. Their growing attraction confronts his reluctance to remain in Thunder Canyon, where returning home means facing a troubled past.

Single mother Caitlin Rogers prepares to fight a threat to her custody of daughter Emily. Her guarded military neighbor Brett Tanner becomes drawn to them both, though his own painful history complicates their chance at family life.

Private investigator T. J. Whittaker agrees to escort sheltered New Yorker Priscilla Richards to Texas to meet the mother she never knew. Her search for family answers becomes complicated by an attraction neither had planned to pursue.

Private investigator Rico Garcia visits his newly engaged mother and receives an assignment to find wedding planner Molly Townsend's missing sister. Working together brings the romantic Molly into conflict with Rico's cynical views of love.

Texas rancher Clay Callaghan takes responsibility for a baby girl despite knowing little about childcare. Attorney Daniella de la Cruz offers practical and legal help, but attraction complicates the boundaries of their arrangement and her own family responsibilities.

Newly divorced Carly Alderson finds herself attracted to carpenter Bo Conway, whose life differs sharply from her wealthy social world. Bo's past experience with a society woman makes him wary of the relationship Carly hopes to pursue.

Doctor Luke Wynter has rebuilt his life by serving the community he once hurt. The return of Leilani Stephens revives an old attraction, but her unexplained rejection twelve years earlier leaves him questioning what she still conceals.

Businessman Jake Braddock must share custody of his young half sister with dancer Chloe Haskell. Their opposing ideas about parenting spark conflict, while an unexpected attraction challenges his assumptions about the woman helping raise the child.

A storm strands country singer Greg Clayton with pregnant Connie Montoya, and he delivers her baby. Their growing attachment clashes with his touring career and the circumstances that prevent Connie from simply joining him on the road.

Former nurse Tori takes work at the Rocking C ranch and tries to help injured bronc rider Matt Clayton recover. His stubborn resistance complicates her efforts, while a secret she carries threatens their developing attraction.

Grieving Claire Harper discovers a child's letter to God hidden in a tree at Mulberry Park. Her decision to answer draws her toward seven-year-old Analisa and other lonely park regulars, testing her own lost faith.

Nurse Simone Garner's pregnancy sparks gossip at Walnut River General, where her relationship with paramedic Mike O'Rourke has become difficult to hide. Facing impending parenthood, she wonders whether his interest extends beyond responsibility for their baby.

Sabrina Gonzalez finds welcome work at the Rocking C Ranch while caring for her nephew. When Jared Clayton returns to investigate money disappearing from his adoptive mother's accounts, the new bookkeeper becomes both his suspect and temptation.

Artisan Isabella Mendoza doubts that businessman J. R. Fortune's enthusiasm for ranching will last. Designing his Texas ranch house brings them closer, but an enemy targeting their families adds danger to a relationship already shadowed by uncertainty.

This collection gathers four novellas about people returning to the place they once called home. From Cathy Lamb's Whale Island inn to Judy Duarte's high school reunion in Queen of Hearts, each story follows characters facing old loves and long avoided truths as they rediscover what home really means.

Single mother Kristy Smith works to support her son and ailing grandmother while regretting the college plans pregnancy interrupted. Encounters in Fairbrook challenge her diminished expectations and draw her into the lives of neighbors facing their own struggles.

Recovering from a racing accident, driver Chase Mayfield falls for cautious nurse Molly Edwards. A night together leaves her pregnant, forcing them to confront whether a relationship can bridge her careful nature and his taste for risk.

Widowed Samantha Keating is expecting triplets with help from a fertility institute and intends to raise them herself. Attraction to neighbor Hector Garza complicates that plan, especially when the bachelor begins imagining a future with her.

Pregnant with twins, biologist Eva Galindo offers to help rancher Dan Walker care for his orphaned twin niece and nephew. Their temporary childcare arrangement raises the possibility of joining two families, along with unexpected romantic feelings.

Amy Masterson rents a Victorian house to begin again with her young daughter. Discovering that it belonged to her great-grandmother draws her into the family history her recently deceased mother had spent years trying to uncover.

Doctor Betsy Nielson treats an unconscious stranger who wakes without his identity or memories of his past. Their attraction grows during his recovery, but he cannot promise a shared future until he learns who he is.

A night with cowboy Shane Hollister leaves Jillian Wilkes pregnant and changes both their plans. At his Brighton Valley ranch, the former Houston policeman hopes to know her better, while past hurts complicate their unexpected chance at family.

Single mother Carly Westbrook worries about affording Christmas for her boys, while struggling neighbors face their own disappointments. A local women's poker group plans good deeds and matchmaking, drawing Carly toward formerly wealthy businessman Grant Barrows.

Surgeon Jeremy Fortune travels to Texas looking for his missing father and becomes involved with accountant Kirsten Allen, who cares for her brother's baby. Their attraction raises questions about whether his stay can become something lasting.

Nurse Leah Roberts helps Javier Mendoza recover after a tornado leaves him hospitalized in Red Rock. His flirtation makes maintaining professional distance increasingly difficult, and she wonders whether her patient's interest reflects feelings as deep as her own.

Rancher Alex Connor consults obstetrician Selena Ramirez while planning to become a single father through surrogacy. Attraction upsets his practical arrangements, but Selena's inability to have children complicates a relationship with a man determined to raise them.

Rancher and mayor Ray Mendez hires actress Catherine Loza to pose as his fiancée and discourage local matchmakers. Their staged engagement becomes harder to manage when the feelings behind their performances begin to seem real.

Entrepreneur Sullivan Grayson helps Lissa Cartwright save her family's struggling vineyard. As attraction encourages her to reconsider her self-image, a stranger arrives with news from her past that threatens the stability of her newly changing life.

Bounty hunter Tom McCain plans to take an orphaned girl to her wealthy great-grandfather in Texas. Schoolteacher Katie O'Malley wants to adopt her instead, but danger from the child's past forces the two adults to cooperate.

Businesswoman Nicole Castleton urgently needs a husband and proposes a practical marriage to former sweetheart Miguel Mendoza. Ten years after she broke his heart, renewed desire and his temptation to seek payback complicate the proposed arrangement.

Cowgirl Tammy Byrd arrives in Buckshot Hills to meet her extended family and encounters both a longstanding feud and doctor Mike Sanchez. Her efforts to attract the reluctant physician unfold amid family secrets and divided loyalties.

Rancher Toby Fortune Jones balances work, family, and three foster children when Angie Edwards catches his attention. Still uncertain about her own direction, Angie must consider whether romance with Toby could mean embracing a ready-made household.

British heir Jensen Fortune Chesterfield attracts unwanted attention when paparazzi photograph him kissing rodeo rider Amber Rogers. Their different backgrounds complicate an attraction that leads Amber to wonder whether the reserved aristocrat could find happiness in Horseback Hollow.

Billionaire Clay Jenkins returns to Brighton Valley under an assumed name to investigate trouble at his store. His growing attachment to employee Megan Adams and her children threatens both his undercover assignment and their chance at an honest relationship.

Mallory returns home with the son she once placed for adoption and reunites with Rick Martinez, the boy's unsuspecting father. Now a respected veterinarian, Rick hopes for a second chance while struggling to reveal his identity to their child.

Sergeant Joe Wilcox returns to his Texas hometown with missing memories and a letter addressed to Chloe Dawson. As she helps him recover, their attraction grows alongside questions about his past and the ranch that feels unexpectedly familiar.

Country singer Carly Rayburn ends her relationship with cowboy Ian McAllister to concentrate on her career. Discovering that she is pregnant brings her back toward him and forces a reconsideration of how love and professional ambitions might coexist.

Jason Rayburn hires Juliana Bailey to help prepare his grandmother's ranch for sale. The pregnant waitress needs somewhere to hide from family questions, but attraction to her emotionally guarded boss complicates a job meant to offer temporary refuge.

Attorney Blake Darnell returns to Texas believing his uncle is being exploited romantically. Nurse Shannon Cramer disagrees, and their argument at a home for retired rodeo cowboys becomes more difficult to sustain as mutual attraction develops.

Braden Rayburn inherits a ranch and responsibility for orphaned young half-siblings who speak no English. Bilingual Elena Ramirez steps in as a temporary nanny, but attraction to their guardian challenges her plans for a career beyond Brighton Valley.

Graham Fortune Robinson has always regarded Sasha as a younger sister, but seeing her as an adult changes his feelings. Her daughter, former marriage, and pregnancy complicate a romance neither expected to find within their familiar relationship.

An advice columnist arrives at the Rocking Chair Ranch and finds herself drawn to promoter Drew Madison. While he works to publicize its retired cowboys, their growing attraction challenges her uncertainty about ever becoming someone's lasting love.

Kieran Fortune becomes guardian to his late friend's toddler despite knowing little about parenting. Graduate student Dana Trevino helps him care for Rosie, and their different personalities complicate an attraction developing around an unexpected family arrangement.

Former rodeo champion Nate Gallagher takes responsibility for a newborn who may be his daughter. Social worker Anna Reynolds helps them bond, but her growing attraction to Nate makes judging his readiness for fatherhood increasingly personal.

Detective Adam Santiago and music therapist Julie Chapman pretend to marry to help keep two orphaned siblings together. Their practical arrangement tests Adam's resistance to commitment as Julie begins to hope their family could become real.

Army pilot Clay Masters believes his encounter with enlisted woman Erica Campbell must remain in the past. When she leaves the service and reveals she is expecting twins, both must reconsider their ambitions and the possibility of raising a family together.

Miranda Contreras returns to her hometown after a broken engagement, bringing a daughter whose existence Matt Grimes never knew about. Seeking a safe place to begin again puts her carefully guarded family secret at risk.

Pregnant mayor Ellie Hernandez receives an unexpected proposal from wealthy contractor Steven Fortune, a man she recently considered an adversary. Their proposed marriage of convenience offers protection, but his reluctance to promise permanence complicates her growing feelings.

Pregnant waitress Callie Jamison starts over in a Montana town, dividing her time between a ranch, a diner, and councilman Ramon Cruz. Their attraction sparks local gossip while both carry secrets that may complicate their relationship.

Marissa Garcia moves to small-town Montana to escape a troubled past and unexpectedly grows close to Sheriff Brandon Dodd and his twins. His commitment to the rules makes the truth she is concealing a threat to their developing romance.

After one night with Clay Hastings, ranch owner Alana Perez anticipates motherhood. When he returns suffering from amnesia, caring for him draws them together, but the forgotten reason he sought her out threatens the life she is building.

Sofia De Leon distrusts the wealthy Fortune family and regards Beau Fortune as an unsuitable partner. Competing against him for a business award intensifies their rivalry, even as an unexpected attraction challenges her assumptions and ambitions.