Gilbert Girls

When Emma Daniels's well-to-do family finds itself destitute, she answers an ad for the Gilbert Company seeking young women to be waitresses at hotel restaurants along remote railroad lines out west. The rules for a Gilbert Girl are strict: work hard, act respectably at all times, and no courting allowed. None of them present a problem for Emma, at least until she meets the hotel's builder, Monroe Hartley. His smile and teasing manner were the last things Emma expected to find on the Colorado frontier. But as intriguing as he is, Emma would be risking her job-and her family's lives-if she allowed his attentions. Building this hotel for the Gilbert Company is the perfect opportunity for Monroe. Not only will it advance his career, it barely gives him a moment to drown in guilt over his wife's death. When Emma arrives, he finds himself drawn to her. But he can't promise her anything, not unless he wants her to end up with the same fate his wife suffered. Giving in to their feelings would mean losing everything, yet they find themselves growing closer as the summer stretches on. When a man who covets Monroe's job discovers their secret and threatens to reveal it, they must each decide whether their love is worth uprooting everything they've worked so hard for.

A wanted man. A heart in hiding. A love to free them both. The Crest Stone Hotel is the perfect place for a man like Thomas Drexel to hide. Wanted for crimes he didn't commit, Thomas hopes he can blend in as a handyman at the newly-opened hotel. But his past threatens his future when one of the hotel restaurant's waitresses discovers his identity. Caroline Beauchamp ran from Boston to escape an arranged marriage to a despicable man. She's safe in the hotel, hidden from those who want her to return home. Yet she finds herself drawn to Thomas and compelled to help him prove his innocence, even if she risks her position as a Gilbert Girl to do so. Experience has taught Thomas not to trust women who come from money, but it's not long before he sees there's more to Caroline than he thought. With new guests arriving at the hotel each day, it's only a matter of time before the law finds Thomas and Caroline's family finds her. With their futures on the line, Caroline and Thomas must trust their newfound love and face their pasts before they are pulled apart-forever.

A missing girl. A damaged heart. A love that risks it all. Penny May would do anything to forget her past, even traveling all the way to the Colorado Territory to become a Gilbert Girl. Learning to be a good waitress wasn't easy, but Penny is happy with her new life and friends at the Crest Stone Hotel. At least until the handsome and infuriating county sheriff arrives in search of his kidnapped sister. Sheriff Ben Young never thought his work could endanger those he loved until a disgruntled outlaw proves him wrong. The last thing he needs now is another impetuous woman in his life, particularly one who goes traipsing about the mountains with little regard to her own safety. But there's something about Penny that draws him to her, and she turns into an unlikely ally. While Penny knows she'll lose the reputation she's fought so hard to regain if she's caught spending time with Ben, she's compelled to help him find his sister-even if she'll lose her heart in the process. After a chance encounter with the outlaw and the kidnapped girl, Penny finds her own life threatened, and Ben must put his feelings for her aside or risk losing both his sister and Penny, forever.

Dora Reynolds is just another Gilbert Girl at the Crest Stone Hotel, and she needs it to remain that way. If anyone found out who she truly is, she'd lose her friends and her position. But when money begins to disappear from the hotel's safe and a handsome new desk clerk arrives, she finds her security-and her heart-under threat. Jacob Gilbert has finally found the opportunity he needs to prove to his father that he's more than the spoiled, carousing youngest son. Someone is stealing from his family's newest hotel, and, under a strict deadline from his father, Jacob promises to find the thief. Presenting himself as Jake James, he takes a job as a desk clerk at the hotel and begins his investigation. He quickly finds an ally in the beautiful but reticent Dora-even though spending time with her means he's breaking the rules at his own family's hotel. But finding the thief turns out to be harder than Jacob thought it would be. As he and Dora begin to run out of time and the hotel grows dangerously close to shutting down, Jacob must choose between his feelings for Dora and his desire to win his father's acceptance. And Dora must decide whether trusting Jake with her heart-and her true identity-is worth risking his rejection and her family's only means of survival.

A lonely cowboy. A young widow. A Christmas to remember. Elizabeth Hartley Campbell arrives at the Crest Stone Hotel, widowed and searching for the brother she hasn't seen in seven years. Distraught to learn he's left, she takes a job as a Gilbert Girl at the hotel's restaurant. She quickly befriends the other girls and finds comfort in helping the hotel prepare for Christmas-until a wayward cowboy wanders in from the snow and sits at her lunch counter. Landon Cooper didn't mean to stop at the hotel, and he certainly didn't intend to stay longer than one night. After all, a job that will pay him more money than he could ever make as a ranch hand awaits him in Canon City-if he can stomach the thought of turning outlaw. But it's hard to think straight when Elizabeth is nearby, and he finds himself hanging pine boughs and lugging a tree through the snow for her instead of riding away. Even though Elizabeth fears falling for another cowboy and Landon knows she won't forgive him if she knew what he had planned, they find themselves growing closer. With a blizzard threatening on Christmas Eve, both Elizabeth and Landon will need to learn to trust in love or be driven apart forever.

Edie Dutton left Kansas with nothing but a few pieces of clothing, a handful of stolen bills, and a forged letter of reference. Since then, she's found a home as a Gilbert Girl at the Crest Stone Hotel. Even despite her transgression at the hotel last fall, she has a second chance to live the life she wants. But Edie Dutton is not her real name, and arriving along with all the newcomers to town comes word that her past may be on its way to put her future in jeopardy. Fremont County Deputy James Wright has landed the perfect opportunity-keep peace in the growing town of Crest Stone. If he succeeds, he'll set himself up nicely to be elected town marshal. More than anything, he wants to do his uncle's memory justice. But unlike his uncle, he'll never let himself be distracted by a woman. That proves to be difficult when he meets Edie Dutton. It isn't long before trouble moves closer to the valley. The rumor is that opposing gangs of outlaws from Kansas are behind it, stoking Edie's worst fear. She knows her new life is in danger. But when the outlaws escalate their crimes, James's life hangs in the balance. Edie must choose whether to forfeit everything she has, including James himself, in order to save his life. And when James discovers her true identity, he'll have to decide if love is worth giving up everything he's worked for.