Passion and ambition collide when a woman embroiled in a bitter war between a powerful railroad and rioting settlers hires a bodyguard to protect her from a killer. Brought together by Fate, the wealthy businesswoman and penniless drifter find unexpected love in the midst of danger. But the secrets he hides will tear them apart—if they survive. Her Bodyguard is part of the series Steam! Romance and Rails, featuring stories from America's golden age of steam railroads. Back Cover Blurb: For America “Amy” Langford, investing in the Border Tier Railroad isn’t about chasing riches. The savvy businesswoman is after bigger stakes: influence, respect, success her father didn’t live to see. Rioting settlers and underhanded competitors can’t stop her, but a killer might. When a stranger comes to her rescue, she trusts her instincts and hires him as her bodyguard. Buck O'Connor has put his violent past behind him, but being a wanted man dictates a life of deceit. So what’s one more lie? He becomes Amy’s protector so he can secretly thwart her railroad’s progress to help his cousin avoid financial ruin. A great scheme—until he falls in love. While Buck hides his true purpose, Amy lies to herself about her growing feelings for her bodyguard. But the price for deceit is steep, and secrets from the past could destroy their future...if they survive.

Kate's Outlaw is part of the historical Western series Steam! Romance and Rails, featuring stories set during the era when America expanded its boundaries as fast as men could lay track. A time when passions and ambition were destined to collide. Kate's Outlaw is also included in the first book of the series, Passion's Prize, which features three interwoven novellas by award-winning authors. In Kate's Outlaw, a railroad heiress determined to run her father's railroad is abducted by a Cherokee outlaw bent on stopping the "smoking dragon." She soon discovers the heart is the most vulnerable captive. As bankruptcy looms, the Katy Railroad rushes to complete construction through unfriendly Indian Territory, but work comes to a screeching halt when a battle over land rights heats up. To save her father's railroad, heiress Kate Parsons takes negotiations into her own hands. However, her plans go awry when she’s abducted by outlaws. Jake Colson, known as Wa-ya, “the Wolf,” among his people, didn’t intend to kidnap anyone, but he's stuck with a white woman whose personality is as bold as her fiery curls. When his partner threatens to kill her before she can expose their scheme to save their land, Jake takes off with his beautiful captive. Now, he must protect the woman he’s named Redbird, and at the same time prevent her father's railroad from steaming ahead.

Can a hero lurk inside the heart of a villain? Life in a small New England village is too quiet, too ordinary for a free spirit like Lucy Forbes. When her father lands a job out West, she packs her books and her dreams and eagerly sets off to pursue the kind of grand adventures she longs to experience and write about. Yet the moment she steps off a train in Kansas, she's thrust into the gritty reality of an untamed frontier—and into the arms of a scoundrel. Henry Stevens, the ruthless railroad executive her father has been sent to investigate, is as passionate as he is ambitious. Brave and charming, as well as clever, and possessed of a sharp wit. He is, in fact, the most fascinating man Lucy has ever met. However, his opponents are vanishing and strangers are shooting at him. Fearing for her father's life, Lucy resolves to unmask the secretive Mr. Stevens and expose a villain. What she doesn’t expect to find is a hero.

A wanted woman with dangerous secrets. A lawman torn between duty and desire... “Sheriff…I just shot my husband.” Hotel owner Claire Daines is a respected member of the community. Until she shocks the entire town by rushing into a saloon wearing only her nightclothes and confessing to very inebriated lawman. Is she a killer? Is she crazy? Or is she covering up something worse? For years, Claire hushed up her husband’s dangerous condition to guard his reputation. When tragedy strikes, she puts her own life at risk when she vows to keep another terrible secret. Sheriff Frank Garrity must get to the truth, although the tough, hard-drinking lawman hides his own secrets and would rather walk a lonely path than face his demons. But as Frank unravels Claire’s subterfuge and unlocks her heart, he’s torn between his desire to save her and his duty to bring her to justice. Part of the series Steam! Romance and Rails Recommended for fans of the hit TV series "Hell On Wheels"