Once Upon A Cowboy

Will this single dad cowboy get the happily-ever-after he never thought possible? When Belle Langfords moves to Pyrite Falls, Oregon, to take a job as a live-in housekeeper and nanny, she’s ready for a new start. Shutting down her grandmother’s beloved bookstore had been devastating, but she’s hopeful that the three motherless young children she’ll be taking care of will ease that pain. The only challenge? When Belle arrives at her new employer’s house, the brooding cowboy has no idea who she is or what she’s doing there. Adam Winchester knows exactly who to blame for Belle turning up on his doorstep out of the blue—his kindhearted former mother-in-law is playing fairy godmother. Adam is convinced he doesn’t need Belle in his life, but when he agrees to let her stay for a month, the transformation he sees in his children tells a different story. As does his entirely inappropriate, but impossible to ignore, physical attraction! For Adam knows that Belle couldn’t be more off-limits—all he can offer her is nights in his bed—but it’s clear that Belle deserves the whole fairy tale…

*** Formerly published in 2015 by Penguin Random House under the same title. This book has not been revised from the original. *** USA TODAY® Bestselling author Maggie McGinnis welcomes us back to Montana's Whisper Creek Ranch, where fairy tales can come true … Yoga instructor Jessalyn Alcott radiates peace, calm, and serenity—on the outside. Inside, she still feels like the broken, desperate girl from the trailer park. She’s got dark secrets she can’t share, which is why she never lets her relationships go beyond the third date. But when she travels to the Whisper Creek dude ranch for a friend’s wedding, Jess is enchanted by a cowboy whose deep blue eyes, dimpled smile, and rock-hard body make it tough to remember why she keeps running scared. Cole Driscoll has struggled to find his place on a family ranch where he’s always played second fiddle. His future might be uncertain, but he’s sure of one thing: He wants Jess by his side. But when it comes to getting close, she’s full of excuses, and he longs to fix the hurt he sees in her eyes. Now that she’s at Whisper Creek, there’s nothing he wants more than to break down the walls around her heart and heal her pain with the power of love. Reader Note: This story contains elements of historical childhood abuse and relationship violence. Reviews “The characters will capture your heart and envelope you in their fears and struggles to find that forever love. . . . Maggie McGinnis is a brilliant writer.”—Fresh Fiction “There are equal measures of heartache and joy sprinkled throughout the read, making it a story that engulfs the reader.”—Examiner.com “What a beautiful, emotionally charged story this was! Maggie McGinnis has written a book that will draw you in from the first chapter and take you on an emotional journey. She’ll make you smile and also have you grabbing a tissue, but in the end she has woven a tale that will make any doubter believe in happily ever afters.”—Em and M Books “If [you] haven’t read Maggie McGinnis’s work before, do yourself a favor and pick up Once Upon a Cowboy now.”—Okie Dreams Book Reviews “A sweet, romantic read with two people who deserve happiness in their lives.”—I Have a Book Obsession “An emotional read from the first page to the last. . . . Whisper Creek seems to be idyllic. . . . Between the homes, the scenery, the tours, the soon-to-be spa, the kids, the horses, the family and friends it’s a place I wouldn’t mind living.”—Romancing the Book “[Once Upon a Cowboy] reaches in and grabs onto the heartstrings and just won’t let go. Emotional and heartbreaking, this is a touching story about the healing power of love. . . . McGinnis handles the issues delicately and respectfully but still maintains a lighthearted tone. The location was so charming and characters so well written that this was a fun story to read.”—The Sassy Bookster “This is a fantastically written book by Maggie McGinnis and I recommend you get this added to your TBR list!”—Reflections of a Book Geek “The setting blew me away and I loved spending time in Carefree once again. I fervently hope this won’t be the last book in the series!”—Swept Away by Romance “I loved this series, and especially these characters. I would highly recommend this book, my favorite in the series.”—Home. Love. Books. “Thank you, Maggie McGinnis, for bringing these characters to life in your Whisper Creek series!”—A Season for All Things “Once Upon a Cowboy grabbed me from the very first page.”—Twin Spin

Cinderella's fairy godmother just turned hot. And male. Very, very male. My three priorities in life have always been: the horse ranch I manage with my brothers, my family, and my best friend, Sophie West. Sophie is the ranch’s horse trainer—or as we call her, our horse whisper. She’s hot as hell, but mixing business with pleasure never ends well. Been there. Done that. Had it branded on my ass. But apparently Sophie’s biological clock is ticking. She’s let it slip that she’s ready to find her soul mate or at least a nice man. The first problem? She’s socially awkward around any guy she’s interested in. The second problem? If she doesn’t find her true love in town, our ranch could lose the best damn horse trainer around. Problem number three? She wants me to be her “fairy godfather” and help her become more confident. We’re talking lessons on kissing and clothing-optional activities so that she can ask out the new vet in town. Which is problem number four—and the biggest issue of all. I want to be her Prince Charming. But I’m going to have to put my heart on the line to win hers. Once Upon a Cowboy is a standalone romance. All the books in the series can be read in any order. KEYWORDS: cowboy love, cowgirl, happily ever after, love books, love stories, romantic novels, sexually romantic books, small town romance, small-town secrets, smokin’ hot cowboy, small town romantic comedy, contemporary romance, contemporary western romance, family saga, guaranteed HEA, handicap, learning disorders, no cliffhangers, siblings, brothers, steamy romance, western romantic comedy, cowboy romantic comedy, friends-to-lovers, cinderella romance

A princess on-the-run finds sanctuary where she least expects it... After nearly dying in an assassination attempt, Princess Alessandra of Glorvaird escapes to a place no one would ever think to look for her: small town Oklahoma and a ranch staffed by a herd of wooly, uncouth cowboys. One cowboy in particular gets under her skin, until she sees his softer side. She knows this interlude can't last forever, but that doesn't stop her from wishing it might... Former Navy SEAL Gideon Hale might've rescued the princess from freezing to death, but the soldier doesn't trust easily-or at all-especially when his gut tells him Alessandra is keeping secrets. But as Alessandra begins to fit into his life, he discovers another side to the princess-one that he can't help but like. When Alessandra's enemies close in, Gideon must fight to save the woman who has become so much more than a princess... Once Upon a Cowboy is a contemporary western retelling of the Snow White fairytale and Book 1 in the Cowboy Fairytales series. Other books include: Cowboy Charming The Toad Prince

Head back to Big Verde, Texas, where a homecoming queen and the bad-boy-turned-sheriff get a second chance at first love! Once Jessica Acosta left Big Verde, Texas, she didn't look back . . . until now, when a temporary homecoming brings her face-to-face with her high school sweetheart. Still devastatingly sexy, Casey Long sets off the same sparks that drew them together years ago. But Jess can't forget how he broke her heart . . . or the secret that came between them. Casey may have traded in his bad boy rep and big rodeo dreams for a sheriff's badge, but he's never gotten over Jess leaving. Having her back in town feels like a second chance, especially when it's clear that their chemistry is as strong as ever. But can Casey and Jess move beyond the pain of the past . . . to have the future they both deserve?

Billionaires, cowboys, and romance collide during the holidays in this next book in the River Ranch series! It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Ford family ranch. Will one cowboy’s homecoming be the greatest gift of all? He left town and never looked back. Cody Ford is a Wall Street honcho with humble Texas roots. This holiday season, he’d be content to just stay in New York and not face his family—and dodge their questions about when and with whom he plans to settle down. . .and if he will do so back at home. But his father isn’t getting any younger, and Cody doesn’t want to miss any last chances to see him and the rest of the folks back on the ranch. The last person Cody was expecting to see? His one-time girlfriend, Lexi Murphy, who’s been working as his dad’s new live-in nurse. She never forgot him. Can she ever forgive him? Lexi still holds a grudge against Cody. Back then, the college-bound heartthrob believed he was too good for a small-town girl like Lexi. But now Cody can’t help but see her in a whole new light. Could it be that this beautiful single mother with an unbeatable can-do spirit is the one he’s been waiting for all along? That depends on whether Cody can prove to Lexi that, this time, he means business—and if a sudden snowstorm can lend just the right amount of Christmas magic to help move things along. . . “Lane warms hearts of readers across the globe.” —RT Book Reviews

“Intense and filled with heartbreak, warmth, overcoming the past, and finding a meant-to-be love. Yates has a special way of drawing readers into her complicated families.”—Jennifer Ryan, New York Times bestselling author Welcome to Four Corners Ranch, where the West is still wild…and when a cowboy needs a wife, he decides to find her the old-fashioned way. Cowboy Sawyer Garrett has no intention of settling down. But when he becomes a single dad to tiny baby June, stepping up to the responsibility is nonnegotiable. And so is finding a woman to be a mother to his infant daughter. So he decides to do it the way the pioneers did: by putting out an ad for a mail-order bride. Evelyn Moore can’t believe she’s agreed to uproot her city life to marry a stranger in Oregon. But having escaped one near-disastrous marriage, she’s desperate for change. Her love for baby June is instant. Her feelings for Sawyer are…more complicated. Her gruff cowboy husband ignites thrilling desire in her, but Sawyer is determined to keep their marriage all about the baby. But what happens if Evelyn wants it all? In bonus novella Once Upon a Cowboy, can single dad Adam give Belle the fairy tale she's always dreamed of? Don't miss Maisey Yates' next holiday novel, Merry Christmas Cowboy!

In this romantic, humorous and harrowing novel, the acclaimed author of Make Believe Love returns to the epic skies and straight roads of Broken Head, Saskatchewan, and takes us into a very modern Western. Sam McMahon can’t understand why his banker colleagues in Toronto keep calling him “cowboy,” when he prefers opera to C&W and fine wine to beer. Sam’s wife is in love with his brother Vern, who has followed the family tradition and works their parents’ farm, a mixed cattle and crop operation inherited from his grandfather, Old Sam. When his wife leaves him stranded by the side of a Saskatchewan highway, Sam is rescued by a woman, Ai Lee, in a rented Toyota. Ai is a film location scout who’s searching for the perfect cliff for legendary director James Aspen’s new film, The Last Cowboy. Thirty years previously, Old Sam dreams of better days in an older West, mending fences, riding horses, raising cattle. To save young Sam, then 10 years old, from what he considers the malaise of the late-20th century, Old Sam drags him off into a blizzard on horseback. His goal is to save a lost cow and her new calf, which may or may not exist. Sam’s parents fear he’ll only manage to kill his grandson. When, only days later, the old cowboy wanders out of doors without his parka in the freezing cold, muttering about a lost boy, he’s rescued by a Native couple out in a “borrowed” car, who run afoul of the police and end up driving into their final sunset. When Ai hears their story from Sam, she thinks she’s found her perfect location. The Last Cowboy does much more than update the Western; it weaves together stories and generations and unveils, with beauty and compassion, the leap or fall that awaits us all. So I stretch back in permanent recline and do my best to travel off to a better day, a summer day back fifty years past, a few days after a big rain, so that everything was green except for the cuts in the draws where the runoff had chewed right through the grass. There was a glow to the world back then that has long since been lost. It is painfully elusive, that particular luminescence, but I sit here stubbornly trying to restore the shine of it. I begin with a sky that was as blue as the better skies now, and work my way down to the green, only a breath of a line of white dividing the earth from the heavens. -- from The Last Cowboy