Showing results by author "Cindy M. Amos" in All Categories

~Where staying above sea level requires careful alignment~ Indigo Ownley hesitates to aid a motorist in distress along the Great Dismal Swamp, and then cringes when she sees the NBA Tidewater Titans’ star center, Shae Swain. Reprimanded for his ejection from a game, Shae receives a penalty of two hundred community service hours and frantically needs to get started before another December day passes—so he selects Indigo’s nonprofit that mentors promising athletes. A chance encounter with a poster in the mop closet reveals that Indigo is really IOU, a lithe player he shared the court ...

On the verge of abandoning the fur trade in Montana Territory circa 1886, Frenchman Rene Dubois rescues lovely trespasser Brynelle Merriman from a line of traps set to catch a pesky beaver. Uncommitted to staying in Mustang Pass despite appeals from friends Chance and Argus, Rene becomes drawn to the fleet-footed daughter of the new mercantile’s owner, but cannot persuade her to run in his direction. Building shelves for the store sets him in better position for feminine attention, but he scarcely gains ground when trouble threatens Granite Mine. As the women retaliate, Brynelle ...

Denton Stephens plies his trade as a hauler until he drops through a rain-slicked bridge and falls into the Marias Des Cygnes River, where he’s rescued by pretty Haven Christiansen from the nearby ranch. Even with her father in a wheelchair, Haven manages to keep the Kansas ranch running, but when the construction crew lines up equipment to build the replacement bridge, realignment of the pasture’s fence puts her on overload. Needing a new hauling base, Denton trades off ranch work for room and board. When a troublesome project boss makes unwanted appearances, Denton infuses his ...

~ A little artistic persuasion thaws even the most rough-hewn heart~ Set on collecting rocks to stack her next waterfall, artsy entrepreneur Bibi Harrison doesn’t see the bobcat lurking in the meadow until too late. Young rancher Lodge Reddeck fires a shot in the nick of time, and soon ends up with a beautiful woman in his arms. Reclusive due to an unresolved brush with the law, Lodge hesitates to offer her a load of fieldstones to make amends. As they work side by side on the planning committee for a business expo in Council Grove, Kansas, an unlikely attraction begins to kindle. Driven ...

Amid the record heat of August 1955, artist Kathleen Litton comes to Mesa Verde to restore the pictographs left in cliff dwellings by the ancient Anasazi people. Plagued by a contaminated seep at beloved Balcony House, geologist Miles McShane has to match wits with an unknown threat to protect the nation’s antiquities. Kat’s colorful charm softens his heart, yet her commitment to excellence leaves her vulnerable to the danger of deception. The unyielding heat of late summer places the entire park on a crumbling edge as recurring trouble strikes Miles’ last nerve. Ropes and ladders ...

On break from her vendor booth selling bittersweet swags at a craft fair, Lolo Henley accidentally witnesses illegal activity down along Atchison’s waterfront and runs for her life. Ever short of his dream for ordination at St. Benedicts Abbey, gardener Karch Riley rescues Lolo from an unholy search party. As trouble mounts, Karch discovers veiled threats on the adjoining college campus and teams with law enforcement to protect the innocent. Evidence of illegal gun purchases becomes linked with the abbey’s Vicar Copley, Karch’s harsh boss. Trouble deepens when human trafficking ...

Marine researcher Jaima Delarie’s world tilts out of predictable routine when Perry Manning shipwrecks off Cape Hatteras, forcing her into rescue mode. Attracted to the handsome fisherman, more than a hull repair ensues while an upstart boat towing company scours the shore looking for undisclosed salvage. Unexplainable complications follow, putting the tranquil coastal community on edge. Sabotage at her aquarium facility wraps Jaima too deep in involvement, lending Perry the perfect reason to come around more often. When the wrecked hull produces a hidden surprise, Perry’s reluctant ...

~ Where taking the higher road can sanctify the journey~ Paisley St. James discovers Brace Cordan, the charismatic leader of the Re-Occupy movement, has been left behind to fend for himself at the wildlife park where she works in Pawnee Rock, Kansas. Sympathetic to include him in the community, she gives him a job tending the lorikeets, where he devises a gymnastics act that covers him with avian attention. When Brace lends his marketing expertise to increase daily attendance and passes romantic glances her way, small town living starts looking up. Betrayal strikes the park, leaving a tag-...

SALVAGING DOCTOR JUNK ~Where love salvages two hearts on the ledge of loneliness~ Delayne Davidson has a knack for flushing secretive birds from their cover, but when she goes into the Ozark backwoods to buy a puppy, she flushes out a handsome young veterinarian as a bonus. Try as he might, Kemp Junkowski just can’t seem to gain business at his fledgling animal clinic in Harrison, Arkansas, park headquarters for the picturesque Buffalo National River. As they bond over a mutual love of animals and time spent on the river, Delayne suggests inventive ways to strengthen his business ties. ...

~His quest for innovation…Her conquest for endearment~ Materials engineer Mason Porter rescues HR director Glori Dawes when a platform collapses under her at the kickoff presentation for Coleman Company’s “America Goes Camping” campaign. To return the favor, Glori selects Mason as her camping husband, which launches a filming adventure through three national parks. When admiration kindles a deeper spark, Mason will have to force the issue regarding the ring on her finger that represents her vow with the devious Marketing director in charge of the campaign. Is it phony—or matrimony...

~Where honest advocacy justifies an investment of the heart~ Marin Evans finagles her way into a rowboat with a temperamental sound-side resident who’s about to have his salty heritage crumble beneath him on the Outer Banks. Tyde Fearing lowers his guard to give the insistent land use planner her interview, but doesn’t expect to enjoy her company as the threat of condemnation for the historic Fearing cottage makes his future seem bleak. Marin goes into advocacy mode when the historical society and recreation department clash for use of the Fearing land donation. An outbuilding with a ...

~His quest for quality…Her conquest for a trusting heart~ Quality control manager Weston Durand searches out flaws and defects to keep airplanes in top shape, but when a test flight’s propeller makes a collision course with the hangar door, he dashes to save upholsterer Myla Templeton from harm. Upping the group’s aesthetics, blue-eyed Myla attends his Quality Circle meetings for continuous improvement in the workplace, where her brainstorming efforts contribute the first major improvement—a high-grade line of western-style upholstery. Admiration leads to romance when they celebrate...

Paraeducator Bella Sylvanio has grand plans for the kick-off to the Christmas programs at her elementary school, but the fire alarm sounds before her cookies are baked, and then the cocky new resource officer Maguire Raines upends her orderly world. An unwilling ringmaster for the Christmas Circus, Mag attempts to keep the wayward fifth graders in alignment and works with a troubled second-grader to ease Bella’s concerns. A search for a new business niche lands Mag a bevy of clearance items which become her treasure trove of costumes for the performance. An unseasonal snow turns matters ...

~Where the heart’s freedom to take wing starts in a cozy roost~ When event coordinator Season Aldridge takes a position in Red Cloud to promote writing at the famed Willa Cather Foundation, her quest to discover the best of Nebraska brings her into a collision course with handsome wildlife outfitter Rance Foreman as their observation blind collapses on the banks of the Platte River. A disruption in the courtship of the flocking sandhill cranes marks the beginning of another kind of allure, but when his group of rowdy hunters crashes her all-ladies writing retreat weeks later, the lodge ...

Attending opening day at Riverfront Stadium with her player-hunting girlfriends, Amelena Hart shifts from spectator to staffer with a spot on the Promo team when Gage Landers, a sports management intern, rescues her from an awkward situation. As the Wind Splurge baseball team strings together a series of wins in their inaugural season, Gage tackles problems that arise using his resolution first mantra, but he doesn’t factor in attraction to Lena among those nightly complications. After all, he’s headed for a dream career in professional football once the baseball season ends. When a ...

Colorado rancher Rait Danner hires a restoration expert right out of college and figures he can step back and let her take the lead—until Serena Thornton turns out to be the far side of pretty. Dividing his time between the ranch and Silverdale’s Old Town, Rait finds himself drawn to the perky blonde, though her Bohemian fashion sense rubs him the wrong way. After two sisters traipse down the matrimonial aisle, he can’t seem to recover from the family’s double loss. Trapped on the dance floor with Serena at the bride’s request, she tries to help him work through his dilemma. ...

Quick-thinking deputy Nate Rayburn saves the probate judge’s pretty daughter when their arrival to Montana Territory in autumn 1886 goes awry. Smitten with her rescuer, Imperia Bell takes every opportunity to thank the handsome public servant for his heroism, though her father doubts his qualifications for holding the office of sheriff come Election Day. Imperia infuses the hardscrabble mining town with her fanciful snippets and confections, while Nate puts odd jobs aside to assist friends Chance, Argus and Rene in building the much-anticipated church. With three weddings planned for the ...

When Happy Lehman rolls her VW bug over right in front of Kirk Anders’ house, she lands on a novel way to get the building pro’s attention. Quick on her feet to recover, she pitches a partnership plan to match up a construction fundraising idea for her nonprofit clothes closet, The Prosper Portal, with some masculine hammer power. Kirk has a few hesitations of his own—including being scorched by his last goodwill partnership. And those fancy she sheds Happy has in mind for her Flirty Half Dozen aren’t exactly his specialty. Happy’s quest for the ultimate chandelier-topped pink ...

Jace Anders harbors a clutter of racing trophies at his marina. But when he hires stylish Sunny Del Reo with Kitsch Kick-Out for a business makeover, he can’t seem to stay out of her redesign plans on a more personal basis. Claiming to be colorblind to the messes he leaves in his wake, her improvements are hard to accept. Upbeat Sunny gains his confidence, but when the racing circuit members arrive for the opening night mixer, everything starts to falter. While Jace tries to protect his kid sister from recurring harm, his romantic ties with the designer founder on the rocks. Can he ...

~Embracing progress becomes a matter of the heart~ The Lure of Modernization Busy with her downtown beautification work, Elina Marshall witnesses near calamity as Lathe Dailey, Flora’s new town manager, rescues a widow and her children from a downburst when the old railroad water tower fails. The Marshall family soon attends the world-famous 1904 St. Louis Exposition, and Lathe is invited along to contract the new waterworks that will modernize their town with running water. Romance leads the way through exotic gardens and a gondola ride, until drama unfolds down The Pike’s rowdy midway...