Linda Lael Miller's McKettrick Series A Timeline HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE (November 2002) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Winter 1884 One ranch. Three sons. Only one will inherit . . . and on one condition. Tired of waiting for his sons to settle down, Arizona-territory rancher Angus McKettrick announces a competition: the first son to marry and produce a grandchild will inherit the Triple M Ranch. Now, three distinctly different, equally determined cowboys are searching high and low for brides. If Emmeline Harding knows one thing, it's that she can't hold her liquor. And though she's not sure how she came to wake up next to a stack of gold coins in a brothel, she fears the worst. Fleeing town as a mail-order bride, she wonders how she will ever confess her past to her handsome new husband. Freedom-loving Rafe McKettrick is a man of strong beliefs and stronger passions and he'll do anything to win the Triple M-even marry a stranger. To his surprise, Emmeline's charms beguile him even as the secrets he senses she's hiding ignite jealousy and suspicion. But when a visitor from the past enters the high country, the newlyweds have no choice but to give up on a marriage in name only and seek a union that satisfies them body and soul. SHOTGUN BRIDE (November 2003) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Spring 1885 One special lady will help this cowboy lawman win his father's ranch-and steal his heart in the bargain . . . Kade McKettrick's got five mail-order brides-to-be camped out at the local hotel, all more than eager to provide him with the heir that will win him the Triple M Ranch. But Kade, the newly appointed marshal, has his hands full with a troublesome outlaw gang. Why, then, is he so easily distracted by pretty "Sister Mandy"-who most assuredly is not the nun she claims to be? On the run from her outlaw stepfather, Mandy Sperrin hides beneath her solemn disguise and vows to keep her wild, passionate nature from the respectable citizens of Indian Rock. Yet when the handsome marshal makes it clear that he wants her, Mandy gives in to her heated desires . . . Despite the secrets that may lure them both perilously close to danger, Kade knows that proposing marriage may be the only way to keep this spirited woman by his side. But are her ties to a shadowed past more threatening-and closer-than Kade knows? His strong, sensual embrace may charm Mandy's wild heart, but will she surrender to a lifetime of his deep and powerful love? SECONDHAND BRIDE (December 2004) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Fall 1885 To win his father's ranch, a hard-living cowboy settles down and takes a wife-another man's wife! The youngest McKettrick brother, Jeb, is the wild one who never could stay out of trouble. And trouble is what he gets when he proposes to Chloe Wakefield. No sooner do he and the pretty schoolteacher tie the knot than Jeb discovers she's already married! After a major dustup with Chloe in a Tombstone barroom, an irate Jeb hightails it back to the Triple M Ranch, certain that his chances of winning the spread in a marriage race with his brothers are dashed. Now Chloe has come to Indian Rock, hoping to find her beloved uncle John and a much-needed teaching post. But when she crosses paths with Jeb, her rage-and passion-flare even stronger than back in Tombstone. Chloe never intended to mislead Jeb about her previous marriage to a scoundrel of a man. But when she finds out Jeb needs a bride and a baby in order to inherit the Triple M, she is livid. Learning to trust will be the hardest part of this mixed-up marriage-until a stagecoach robbery and the return of a dangerous stranger prove to Jeb and Chloe that they need each other to love and honor as long as they both shall live. MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE (June 2005) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Summer 1888 When news came that there was trouble back in Texas . . . Holt McKettrick left a mail-order bride and his family on the spot! And he never looked back. He just prayed he'd be in time to save the man who had raised him as a son and keep his best friend from the gallows. He knew he'd encounter rustlers, scoundrels and thieves. But he'd never expected to find a woman like Lorelei Fellows. Setting fire to her wedding dress in the town square probably wasn't the best way to stand her ground. But Lorelei had had enough. She was sick of men and their schemes. All she wanted was to stake her claim on her own little piece of Texas. And with Holt McKettrick as a neighbor, things were beginning to look up. The man was a straight shooter with a strong will, a steady aim and a hungry heart. SIERRA'S HOMECOMING (December 2006) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Present Day When she moved to her family's ancestral ranch, single mom Sierra McKettrick was disconcerted by the Triple M's handsome caretaker, Travis Reid. But when her son claimed to see a mysterious boy in the house, and an heirloom teapot started popping up in unexpected places, Sierra wondered if the attraction between herself and Travis might be the least of her worries. In 1919, widowed Hannah McKettrick lived at the ranch with her son and her brother-in-law, Doss. Her confused feelings for Doss and her son's health problems occupied all her thoughts-until the family teapot started disappearing. Could Sierra and her ancestor, Hannah, be living parallel lives? MCKETTRICK'S LUCK (February 2007) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Present Day A new generation of McKettrick men stake their claim to their land-and the women they love. Like his celebrated ancestors who tamed the wilds of Arizona, Jesse McKettrick's Indian Rock ties run deep. The triple M Ranch is in his blood, along with the thrill of risk. But with his land at stake, Jesse won't get involved in Cheyenne Bridge's scheme-despite the temptation she brings. Cheyenne grew up in Indian Rock and left its painful memories behind to become a self-made woman. Now her job is to convince Jesse to sell his property. Jesse's not the kind of man Cheyenne could ever forget, but he's too wild and dangerous for a woman committed to playing it safe. Yet sparks of attraction fly, tempting Cheyenne to lay it all on the line for the passion she sees in Jesse's eyes. MCKETTRICK'S PRIDE (March 2007) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Present Day A new generation of McKettrick men stake their claim to their land-and the women they love. The only wide-open space Rance McKettrick wants to see in his future is his hometown in his rearview mirror. The down-to-earth ex-rancher is determined to make a fresh start with his two young daughters-and leave his heartbreaking loss and family's successful corporation far behind. He sure doesn't need Indian Rock's free-spirited new bookstore owner Echo Wells confusing his choices . . . and raising memories he'd rather forget. But her straightforward honesty and reluctance to trust is challenging everything Rance thought he knew about himself. And when their irresistible attraction puts their hearts on the line, Rance and Echo must come to grips with who they really are to find a once-in-a-lifetime happiness. MCKETTRICK'S HEART (April 2007) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Present Day A new generation of McKettrick men stake their claim to their land-and the women they love. Keegan McKettrick has learned the hard way that women can't be trusted. The only female in his life these days is the young daughter he sees all too rarely, and his sole passion is for his job overseeing his family's corporation. Until beautiful but mysterious Molly Shields comes to Indian Rock on a mission, and keeping a suspicious eye on her becomes Keegan's full-time hobby. Molly doesn't know why she's attracted to a man who's determined to dig up dirt on her, even if he is gorgeous. But cynical Keegan might be the one person who can truly understand her shadowy past-and if the two can risk opening their hearts, they just might forge a brighter future. MCKETTRICK'S WAY (December 2007) Triple M Ranch, Arizona Territory - Present Day She wanted his baby...and he wanter her! Meg McKettrick longs for a baby—husband optional. Perfect father material is gorgeous Brad O’Ballivan, old flame and new owner of his family’s ranch in Stone Creek. But Meg—as strong, proud and stubborn as her ancestors on Indian Rock’s Triple M ranch—wants to do things her way . . . the McKettrick way. And Brad feels just as strongly about the O’Ballivan way... Love, marriage, babies and a lifetime to share—that’s what Brad wants. Not a single night of passion, an unexpected pregnancy and a woman who won’t budge. For a rugged rodeo cowboy who never gives up, it’s a battle of wills he intends to win... and nothing matters more than claiming Meg’s wild McKettrick heart.