Cactus Creek

Abby Carter was horrified with herself when she blurted out a marriage proposal to Preston King. A proper lady would never do such a thing, but her cousin had just jilted Preston, and she wanted to ease his hurt. She had cared for him much too long. Preston is confused, but knows he needs a wife to help him ranch in New Mexico Territory, so he asks Abby to marry him. But will he ever purge Magnolia from his heart, and will they even survive the long journey west?

Needing to leave Sterling Orphan House at 18, Rose Sterling is to take toddler, Katie Hudson, to her father who works on the King Ranch in New Mexico Territory. She thought her biggest adventure would be getting there on the wagon train, but she was wrong. Will Hudson can’t believe he has a daughter. His wife had left him for a gambler, and he’d been trying to cope ever since. He doesn’t make the best impression on Rose Hudson at first, but he sees how much his little daughter loves and depends on her.

Dan Proffit mistakenly thinks the niece of the town’s busybody will be a young girl. Instead, Hannah York turns out to be a beautiful young lady with remarkable musical abilities. However, she is also shy, overworked, and under her two aunts’ thumbs. As his attraction grows, so do the problems.

Laura Holt goes home to Cactus Creek to care for her ailing father whose health is failing after years of drinking. She’s longed for her desert home for 14 years. To her surprise, her childhood infatuation with Logan King has not faded as much as she thought. But Logan is struggling with problems of his own after losing his first wife in a fire, and her father wants her to marry the saloon owner, although Laura doesn’t. As the situation worsen, Laura finds herself going to her favorite fishing spot by the creek to find peace, but it’s still Logan’s favorite place, too.

Joanna Dobson comes to stay at the King Ranch because Magnolia, her mother, was Abby King’s cousin. Joanna is immediately interested in Grayson Fox, but the recent death of his parents has him questioning if he ever wants to marry. In the meantime, Adele Mead is caught in a rough situation in Maryland. When she rescues a hurt man, she falls hard for him, but she has a difficult time convincing him he’s the right man for her. When she does, they must flee. Can they all find the happiness they so desperately long for in the aftermath of the Civil War?