Cedar Ridge Chronicles Series by A.J. Hawke

If a cowhand can’t ride, what can he do? Joe Storm can no longer ride a horse—and that hurts a lot more than his injured hip. Swallowing his pride, he takes a job as cook’s helper on a trail drive. There he meets the daughter of the owner of the trail herd. In spite of the opposition of her father, Sara befriends Joe. When the herd is sold to a rancher in Colorado Joe wonders if there will be a place on the ranch for a man who can't ride... moreIf a cowhand can’t ride, what can he do? Joe Storm can no longer ride a horse—and that hurts a lot more than his injured hip. Swallowing his pride, he takes a job as cook’s helper on a trail drive. There he meets the daughter of the owner of the trail herd. In spite of the opposition of her father, Sara befriends Joe. When the herd is sold to a rancher in Colorado Joe wonders if there will be a place on the ranch for a man who can't ride. And he watches as Sara and her father head for California and out of his life. Facing life without the woman he has come to love, Joe must also confront his past when his father, whom he hasn't seen in twelve years, arrives at the ranch. As Joe struggles to build a place for himself on the ranch, he longs to go to Sara in search of a happy forever. Only with the help of God and friends will Joe be able to achieve his dream. less

Swift Justice in the American West. At age 16, a guilty verdict hurls Jeremiah Rebourn across a hot Arizona desert in a prison wagon on his way to Yuma Territorial Prison. The year is 1876. Left for dead after an Apache attack on the wagon, Jeremiah alone survives. He wakes to find himself blindfolded, shackled, and enslaved to a cruel, mute taskmaster. His only companion becomes the ever-present noose around his neck that forces him to do its bidding... moreSwift Justice in the American West. At age 16, a guilty verdict hurls Jeremiah Rebourn across a hot Arizona desert in a prison wagon on his way to Yuma Territorial Prison. The year is 1876. Left for dead after an Apache attack on the wagon, Jeremiah alone survives. He wakes to find himself blindfolded, shackled, and enslaved to a cruel, mute taskmaster. His only companion becomes the ever-present noose around his neck that forces him to do its bidding. He labors hard in a gold mine for days, months, years. He awakes one day to discover his irons and blindfold gone…and an unexpected message. Now equipped with uncommon strength and a deep distrust of his fellow man, he sets out to begin a life. Balm from a Gentle and Quiet Spirit. Emily Johnson, at finishing school in Boston, is summoned west to Colorado by her ailing grandmother. She arrives in Cedar Ridge and soon attracts the attention of Jeremiah. This strong, silent rancher draws Emily's interest as no other man has ever done. Will her love break the chains that enslave his heart? Will Jeremiah grasp that God is using the evil done to him and his present trials for a grander purpose? less

COLORADO EVENING SKY By A J Hawke Cedar Ridge Chronicles, Book 4 The year is 1890, and Thomas Black battles to survive another day. Convicted of cattle rustling at age 17, he has three years left on a 15-year sentence in the infamous Yuma Territorial Prison. Feeling abandoned even by his God, he must fight on occasion to stay alive... moreCOLORADO EVENING SKY By A J Hawke Cedar Ridge Chronicles, Book 4 The year is 1890, and Thomas Black battles to survive another day. Convicted of cattle rustling at age 17, he has three years left on a 15-year sentence in the infamous Yuma Territorial Prison. Feeling abandoned even by his God, he must fight on occasion to stay alive. But, most of the time, he fights to forget his mother’s tears and that he has nothing to show for his life except for a prison record, wasted years, and deep regrets. Catherine O’Malley finds herself facing loneliness of another kind. She runs a little cafe on a dusty main street eight hundred miles away in Colorado. It is a hard time and place for a pretty, unmarried woman in her twenties to run a business. She longs for a family and a loving husband to protect her. Lives that couldn’t be farther apart in social status, miles, and years are set on a collision course in book four of the Cedar Ridge Chronicles. With a prosperous suitor at her door, Catherine must make a decision that will alter the course of her life as well as the lives of others. Thomas must find a way to thwart a plot that threatens Catherine and send him back to prison. less