Bøker av Terri Downes

When the elderly Irene passes away, Abby finds herself with the job of cleaning out her house. As she struggles with her own marriage, she comes across a box of "love notes" written by Irene over the course of her lifetime. With her curiosity getting the best of her, Abigail sits and reads every one, transporting herself into Irene's past life where she struggled with fear, faith and romance.

Matthew knows that his rambunctious cousin Thomas has a thing for Lovina. He and Lovina were once good friends and even though they have drifted apart he still cares for her...and doesn't want her to get involved with Thomas. But Lovina has other ideas. She still has feelings for Matthew but cannot forgive him for his past hurts. She seeks the will of God in her prayers and what happens is beyond both of their wildest dreams.

Things are tense around an Amish household when their young son is sick. The couple prays and prays together to no avail and the boy seems to be getting worse. Things also worsen on the homefront as their farm begins to fail. At their wits end, the couple begin to take out their frustrations on each other. Will they be able to rise above their circumstances and grow spiritually from the experience?

Widow Hannah has kept the identity of her son's father a secret to both the father and to the Amish community at large. Her son soon forms a strong bond with the man in question. He begins to suspect himself but circumstances prevented them from ever getting together. She could tell her son the truth about his biological father and let the growing feelings she has for her former boyfriend blossom again or she could ruin things once again. Which path will she choose?

Caleb Morgan explained that he was on his way back home to the Massen Valley with his daughter following a family visit. Just to fill the anxious silence, Abigail told him about how she had arranged to marry a rancher in Holmestown by mail order, and that she had brought a friend with her in the hopes of finding her someone as well...Fortunately, the man did not ask any questions about Miriam, as Abigail was still not sure how much of the story she was able to share.

The thrill of leaning forward into the half-dark and stealing a kiss when there were so many chances of getting caught felt almost as good as the kiss itself, Robert thought. Almost. As he broke away from Morgan, he wondered for a moment if she was going to react poorly - maybe he had misread her - but she didn't. She stayed still for a second, and then they both moved away from one another as they heard someone moving inside, near the porch door. No-one came through it, but the moment was effectively broken. Robert headed past Morgan, back through the house, and bade farewell to the Sullivans with an air of total innocence. The rush that had accompanied his sudden move toward Morgan, and the feeling of dizziness that came when he had felt her kiss him back, followed Robert at least half-way home. But no further. Because as his heart started to slow once more, he found himself thinking that Morgan had better not assume he was going to hang about like a lovesick schoolboy - or worse, try to pursue her. He also hoped that she did not feel the need to confess their moment to her fiancé, who would be able to make life very difficult for Robert. Though if this was the way Morgan behaved around Robert, presumably this Geoff fellow was also taking a free and easy approach to his engagement. These high society types often did, Robert knew. Morgan had made it clear she wanted nothing from him besides what he had just given to her. And why would she want anything from him? What was there to want that he could give?

Delta is on the run. When she arrives at a ranch town so far down that it isn't even on the map, she begins to worry about her next move. But then she meets Wayne...He's masculine but gentle and almost too good to be true. She fights the urges of attraction toward him. The challenges of the new frontier hit them both head on, however, and they soon discover that they are the perfect complement to one another as they move to help the people of the town. But will they both have the courage to admit they are right for one another?

Faith had her dreams. She dreamed of being on stage in the theatre, receiving accolades as a great actress. But she also dreamed of a strong handsome man who would sweep her off her feet. But when her parents die unexpectedly, both her and her brother are forced to California in the middle of the Gold Rush. Once there, Faith gets the attention of many men but one man in particular draws her eye. He is a reporter in the budding newspaper business and breaks a news story on some of the strange deaths going on in the town. Will he figure things out and keep Faith safe from the danger as their romance begins to blossom?

She's hurt. He has something to prove. Can they be the answer to each other's needs? Ten years earlier, Hannah fled home without looking back. After her father's death, she reluctantly returns to her Amish town to help her mom and sister. Painful memories haunt her, and Hannah finds herself opening up to the person she'd least expect. The feisty and quick-tempered Solomon...Solomon is trying desperately to get his family business back on track after failing to find romance. After a string of bad relationships with the uptight Amish women, he finds Hannah to be different from the rest. Or is she? Just as he begins daydreaming about romantic possibilities, he discovers Hannah's family was partly responsible for his own family farming business going south. Will he let his temper once again get the best of him?

A COLLECTION OF AMISH MYSTERY & SUSPENSEA MISSING MESSAGEEllen is at her wit's end. She has just gone through a break-up and things are only getting stressful at her job. When she inherits her aunt's Amish home, Diana takes a much-needed vacation in the cozy little town. But when she is asked unsettling questions by the residents and a break-in takes place, she begins to suspect that there is more to her aunt's death than meets the eye. And then there's Abraham the handsome furniture maker who lives next door... He appears to know a lot more about her aunt than he should, and Ellen doesn't trust him...at least not at first. But most of all, there's Aunt herself...a mysterious woman that she knew very little about-who has some secrets she shares from beyond the grave...ROSEMARY & SAWDUSTEnglischer Paul gets the wrong directions and accidentally enters the home of a young Amish woman named Emma. He is in the Amish community to collect on his uncle's inheritance, who has a series of properties in the town. His eyes are on the money but when he gets to know Emma and the people in he community he begins to realize that this could be a place he could call home.A GOLDEN DAWNCourting was always something Mary put on the back burner. While that was the primary thing her Amish sisters talked about, Mary always avoided the subject. But her parents think it is high time she find a suitable mate and have their sights set on Amos. Amos is the town dreamer, always thinking outside the box and getting in trouble when he does so. She sees this first hand when they go out on a date and they get lost out on the trail. Is Amos the right man for Mary or is there someone else out there on the horizon that she's missing out on?

Mail Order Bride Darla had to run away. Her husband enjoyed abusing her and thought of her as his property. Making her escape into the night, she finds shelter in what she thinks is an abandoned barn. Upon rising, she finds the very angry...and handsome John pointing a gun at her. But after hearing her story, he takes pity on her. He promises to keep her safe as her husband, a powerful and rich man comes looking for her. Can John protect her from the rich man who always gets his way?

Hannah did not follow.Emma supposed this was all that she could expect from her oldest sister. She felt bad for Hannah a lot of the time. The eldest sister, she had only been sixteen when their mother had died five years ago, but with her little sisters in need of parenting, she had had to grow up remarkably quickly. And her parent role had not fallen away. Their father had left her to do all of the emotional heavy lifting, preferring not to see the girls who reminded him of his wife. This was the third year he had spent most of his time at his brother's farm. He claimed that his brother needed the help, and that Hannah could handle things on her own, but none of the girls were fooled.Hannah was no doubt feeling the pressure this year. Before, their father had at least returned to prepare for the all-important apple harvest, helping to schedule the workers and transportation. This year he had left it all to his eldest daughter, and would only arrive in a few weeks when the harvest was almost over.So Emma could not feel too irritated with her sister, she decided. Even if she was the closest thing Emma had to a living parent, and she could not even respond when Emma told her she was in love...

Dean is a former criminal who has been turning his own life around and the next positive step he's taking is acquiring a mail order bride. Turning from his outlaw ways, he battles against his former bandits and wins, turning his small town into quite the peaceful haven. Until one of them extracts revenge by torching his farm. He's sure that his soon to be bride will see him as a man with nothing to offer...But Courtney isn't a gold digger...She only wants a strong man to protect both her and her daughter from the demons of her own past.

Julia has returned to her original Amish hometown and takes a new job with Martin, minding his furniture business. Martin is widowed and the two soon find themselves at everything from managing the business to the way he raises his children. But Julia can't help but be charmed by Martin's love for his family and the two soon become closer than expected...Julia wants to help with his home life as well as Martin has difficulty balancing work and family with his wife gone. But it was difficult enough dealing with Martin at work, when he was in charge. She could only imagine what it would be like trying to organize him. No doubt this was why he did not want her to help, preferring that she went away to her family. Well, there was little chance of that.

She had only met her new husband's family the day before, as they had had to start immediately on the wagon train. The group was the last to arrive. Abigail had barely had time to meet the boys, who had spent most of the day napping on top of their father's book boxes after a sleepless night before on the train up from their hometown. She had spoken mostly to Laura, who had joined her inside the second wagon. By the end of the day, Laura had been ready to pronounce them friends, which had almost made Abigail cry with happiness...The others would remain to be seen, but Abigail was hopeful...Mrs North had seemed impressed with Abigail's packing skills, at least, which was a comfort. She had taken great care when packing the items Mrs North had sent ahead. Abigail knew she would not be able to demonstrate her housekeeping skills until they had reached their destination, and she was determined to do as good a job as possible "keeping house" for their wagons...Exiting the tent, Abigail stopped dead when she saw John...He was handsome but had a grim facial expression. Would their arranged marriage work

An anthology of both Western and Amish Romances...Lily has something she has been keeping to herself. She can't open herself up to anyone about her past because she will surely be judged...But Edward is filled with desire for her. He's willing to travel to the ends of the earth for a bride but found himself spurned....Now with Lily as his mail-order bride, he finds himself going down the same path. While beautiful, she has a penchant for telling tall tales about herself. Still, the couple cannot help but fall for each other. Will Edward commit to a woman that maybe he shouldn't trust? And what exactly is it about her past that she's keeping from him?

An anthology of Amish Mystery and Romance stories...Sarah planned to leave her Amish community for good. After crossing paths with the Amish mafia, she leaves her place of birth to make it in the Englisch world. She finds out, however, that she cannot escape her past so easily as she meets Jake, another Amish exile and her ex-boyfriend. Fulfilling his lifelong dream to become a police detective, Jake vows to return to their Amish community and solve the murder of his father once and for all. But will it put both him and Sarah at risk?

In a small, close-knit community where faith and tradition guide every decision, Michael and Sarah find themselves at a crossroads of belief and conviction. Michael, steadfast and eager, is ready to embrace his faith fully, including baptism, while Sarah, thoughtful and introspective, grapples with the weight of expectation versus personal revelation. Their chance encounter leads to unexpected conversations and challenges the very foundation of their beliefs, forcing them to confront their doubts and desires. As their paths intertwine, they must navigate the complexities of faith, community, and personal conviction, questioning what it truly means to follow their hearts and find their place in the world.

A young Amish man tries to convince his best friend to ask a young woman out because he knows he has been in love with her for the longest time. What he doesn't realize however, is that his friend has more than shyness standing in the way. He doesn't want to become like his father, an abusive man whom he fears he's becoming more similar to everyday. Will he be able to overcome his shyness and psychological DNA to court the woman he wants?

Emma is a teacher that has felt the need for a fresh start. Her ne'er do-well husband to be left her for another woman so she decides to become a mail order bride...A rash decision made out of spite and rejection, she heads out west to meet Jake...and finds him to be a most handsome and kind man...But he has an extended family that are not to happy that Jake has decided to marry someone without their consent. Can Emma win over both Jake and his family or will she be rejected again?

Delilah had spent the morning asleep, recovering from her long journey, waking in the late. She had washed and dressed, and should have headed downstairs already. But instead she had been sitting by the bedroom window for almost an hour, watching everyone who passed...She looked at each man she saw and tried to imagine how she would feel, if this were Jacob...Some looked a little frightening. Some were old, or a little too young, but many seemed as though they could be a twenty-eight year old deputy...Don't get your hopes up, Delilah told herself sternly, as an unreasonably good-looking man walked up the road toward the Moss's place...It's not him...She looked at him again. No, far too handsome...But what if it was him?

Rancher Elijah receives a prize on his doorstep...A mail order bride courtesy of the mystery matchmaker in town. Unmoved, Elijah takes the woman's arrival in stride, realizing that a wife may be just what he needs. But Shelby has arrived out of convenience. She is on the run from her dark past. Can Shelby and Elijah make their marriage work in the new frontier?

Fiona's life has fallen apart and she wants nothing more than a fresh start. She has an unearned reputation around her community and wants to leave the gossiping town. In order to do so, she decides to become a mail order bride. She's sent to a cranky rancher named Frank. The two clash immediately as Frank has a different idea of what married life should be like while the precocious Fiona wants nothing more than redemption in her life. As time goes on, the two realize that they have more in common than they realize and a true love begins to grow. But will a secret from Fiona's past return to tear their marriage apart?

Farrah's has finally caught up to her and she wants to leave her toxic town. She decides to become a mail order bride but finds herself in a marriage with a man she doesn't love. She traded one small town for an even smaller one, and soon the residents begin disappearing one by one. Are they leaving or is something more sinister at work?Carl is a local rancher fighting off his personal demon of alcoholism. He feels attraction to Farrah but doesn't feel worthy. Farrah feels the romantic pull toward Carl herself but after a life of breaking rules she doesn't want to add to her troubles...or his...Farrah turns to God for guidance - a faith she once rejected - but Carl soon becomes a suspect in the disappearances. Is she in love with a killer? Or worse, is her own husband the killer?

Mary asks her grandfather about her the history of her family and he tells a tale that touches her in a way that is both surprising and hurtful for them both as he remembers the past. The more research Mary does, the better she understands both her Amish culture and what it takes to sustain a marriage for as many decades as her grandparents did.

Hannah had not said a word about her marriage to John, but Matthew had been able to read between the lines. She had obviously not been happy. She had married John when she was sixteen - to Matthew's dismay, at the time - and had spent her life on their remote farm, rarely coming out into the wider community to make friends...Hannah had been so excited over finally being able to join in with quilting or canning parties, all the simple pleasures that she had not been permitted to pursue before...Matthew had married himself, and was now also a widower, but he and his wife had married as friends. Their love had grown over several years, slowly and with space. With Hannah, Matthew never had to look far for his feelings...He just hoped that she would realise she could enjoy her life while also leaving room for a relationship - but that might take time. Matthew would just have to be patient...This was a difficult decision to make, but he believed that it was the right one. If the love was real, and it was meant to be returned, then it would be...But was it in Gott's plan?

Amity is an Amish woman faces tragedy as her older sister dies shortly after giving birth to a daughter. She helps around the house and with raising the baby until she feels affection toward her sister's husband. Feeling as if she'd be betraying her sister, she distances herself from the man...But is their budding romantic feelings toward one another real and in Gott's plan?

Englischer Paul gets the wrong directions and accidentally enters the home of a young Amish woman named Emma. He is in the Amish community to collect on his uncle's inheritance, who has a series of properties in the town. His eyes are on the money but when he gets to know Emma and the people in he community he begins to realize that this could be a place he could call home.

A faded letter found in an attic forces reporter Hannah Foster to delve deeper into an investigation...a pursuit that finds her hot on the trail of a killer. The search leads her to a peaceful Amish town where all may not be as it appears. She finds herself attracted to a handsome farmer named Peter but clashes with his traditional values. Still, after one serendipitous event after the other, Hannah finds her meticulously built emotional walls slowly broken down by a loving God as she delves deeper into the mystery.

Ellen is on the run. She is out of her job as a lounge singer and takes to the road with no money. So she takes the path of least resistance...She becomes a mail order bride to Finn, a rancher in dire need of female company. But with her sights set on becoming a famous opera singer, Ellen's heart is not even half into the marriage...Until Finn's former fiancee arrives. She's willing to do anything to keep the marriage from happening, even when Ellen begins to see Finn for the catch he really is. But will the God-fearing Finn see Ellen as the right choice for him?