Calder Brand

Janet Dailey's iconic Calder Saga is synonymous with everything readers have come to love in her novels: romance, adventure, and the epic mystique of the Old West. Now America's First Lady of Romance invites readers on a new journey with the first installment in a Calder series spin-off beginning in the late 1800s, as a cowboy named Joe Dollarhide joins the Calder brand on one of the first cattle drives from Texas to Montana... The Calder family patriarch is known throughout Montana as a formidable adversary--a force no one in his right mind would cross. But sometimes love can make a man do crazy things... Ambition drove Joe Dollarhide across the parched plains from Fort Sam Houston to Dodge City. One day, he was determined to have a spread every bit as vast and impressive as his employer's. But when a wild stampede separates him from the cattle drive, it is survival that keeps him going when most would have given up. Survival and a burning need to settle the score with Benteen Calder, the cattle boss he used to worship, the man who left him for dead... Hope buoyed Sarah Foxworth when she had just five dollars to her name, traveling the dusty rails where Joe first rescued her from a violent attack, then won her heart as a cowboy in need of redemption. With dreams of becoming a doctor herself one day, she uses all her wits to save her uncle's medical practice and his reputation. But it's her own reputation that suffers when she gives birth to an illegitimate baby. Years later, when Sarah walks into Joe's world once more, he's shaken to the core. Her dreams of becoming a doctor are dashed; her only hope is to find a better life for herself and her son--a child there's no denying is his own. Now a prosperous rancher, Joe yearns to finally make a home with Sarah and their boy. Only Joe's own road to riches has been strewn with obstacles, some looming even larger than the demons he still struggles against. But life has also shown Joe that nothing worth having ever comes easy. And that Sarah is a woman worth fighting for...

During the summer of 1909, a battle rages in Blue Moon, Montana, between immigrant homesteaders and cattlemen determined to keep the range free. In a fierce struggle that echoes the challenges of today, history is made. As the countryside explodes in violence, the Calder patriarch has the power to stop the destruction, though some believe Benteen Calder is only stoking the flames for his own gain. One man courageously straddles the divide... That man is Blake Dollarhide, the ambitious young owner of Blue Moon's lumber mill. When Blake's spoiled half-brother takes advantage of the innocent daughter of a homesteading family, Blake steps in as Hanna Anderson's bridegroom to restore her honor and give her unborn child his name. But Blake doesn't count on the storm of feelings he develops for sweet Hanna. When the war between the factions rages anew, everyone wonders if Blake will stand by the close-knit community he serves, or the wife he took in name only... A marriage of love is more than Hanna ever dreamed of. For her family, surviving the rugged trip west, claiming a parcel of land and planting their first crops on the vast prairie are the only things that matter. Which is why the unexpected passion she feels for her husband is all the more poignant. But even as she longs to trust the strong bond growing between her and Blake, Hanna knows it will take courage and grit to overcome the differences between them. And even greater strength of will to put down roots in this wild new country. The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope and endurance.

1919, Blue Moon, Montana. With the Great War over and the country on the brink of Prohibition, the small town is about to undergo another seismic shift. But as with any big change, there's bound to be blood. This time, the fate of Blue Moon's most powerful families hangs in the balance … Battle-scarred and emotionally ravaged by the loss of his wife and children to Spanish flu, former US Army Major Logan Hunter heads to Blue Moon to salvage whatever peace he can near the only family he has left. Not only does the Calder clan embrace him, but patriarch Webb Calder helps Logan secure a prime piece of ranching property. Yet settling into his new home is fraught with challenges, especially since Logan's land borders the rival Dollarhide spread, stoking the battle between the families anew and pitting Logan against an adversary who stirs him like no other … From her first encounter with Logan Hunter, Dr. Kristin Dollarhide feels an instant connection to the sorrow in his beautiful eyes. As a former military MD, Kristin is no stranger to the devastating effects the war has left on hearts and minds-including her own. Despite her instinct to steer clear, Kristin is powerfully drawn to the handsome widower. Until the raging conflict takes a tragic turn, threatening all hope for their future … The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope and endurance.

1929, Blue Moon, Montana. A rugged new generation is taking the helm of the cattle town's most infamous and powerful families. But even as the future burns bright, old rivalries, heartbreaks, buried secrets, and ranching feuds still loom as large as the western sky in a tale perfect for fans of Yellowstone craving western familial sagas. At 25, Joseph Dollarhide is struggling to find his place as the future head of his ranching family. His father, Blake, may have been disabled in an accident but he's as domineering as ever. Joseph's childhood friend, Chase Calder, has inherited the rival Calder operation, and for both young men, longstanding battles over water and grass continue. But there's yet another weight on Joseph's shoulders. Years ago, Joseph abandoned his teenage love, Annabeth, to court glamorous Lucy Merriweather, a seductive trickster. The affair, of course, imploded, and Annabeth went on to marry a farmer, Silas Mosby, and have two children. But now Joseph has spotted Annabeth and her family in town . . . and he has no doubt that her oldest, a boy, is his. Joseph's love for Annabeth never died-and Annabeth, too, still has feelings for him, though they're tainted by anger. Learning that Silas is involved in a bootlegging ring leaves Joseph troubled. Seeking advice, he turns to his natural father, Mason Dollarhide, a reformed bootlegger. They've long been estranged, but perhaps that can change. Meanwhile, Joseph feels pressed to start his own family. The town's sweet new schoolteacher seems a perfect match. But as the strain of longstanding feuds persist, and Lucy reappears, flush with stolen money and armed with blackmail, Joseph and some others in Blue Moon will find out just how strong they really are. The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope, and endurance.