Dear Reader,

When my husband and I met for the first time we felt an instant connection. Right away, there was an ability to make each other laugh, an inability to stop looking into each other’s eyes, and an immediate, innate understanding of each other. And of course, lots and lots of chemistry… ?

Cardiologist Claire Lowell thought she had all that with her ex. Until the day he left. Now, a single mom of adorable triplets, her life revolves around work and family, and that is it.

Pediatrician Zach McCabe always thought he would have it all, an enviable career, a woman to love, and kids. Until he lost his fiancé in a tragic accident. These days, he focuses on work, and helping others. Marriage and kids are no longer in his plans.

And that is why for the first year that Claire and Zach work at the same hospital, they steer clear of each other as much as possible. It’s not that they don’t like each other. Or want to get to know each other. But because they sense that doing so would bring complications to their lives neither want.

Until a five-year-old patient with a mysterious heart malady brings them together. As they unite to diagnose the little girl’s ailment, Claire and Zach are stunned to find themselves in personal crisis as well. Suddenly the two of them are helping each other out, at home, as well as work. Claire’s kids adore Zach, and he them, and for the first time, Claire and Zach see what it would be like to be in love, and share a family they love, too. The question is, can either of them trust their relationship to last?

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Best wishes,
Cathy Gillen Thacker

Read an EXCERPT of STAND-IN TEXAS DAD and check out the other books in the MARRYING A MCCABE series.

For more information on my other books, please visit the Series Guide and Book List.

Dear Reader,

We all make deals with those we love. For instance, when my husband and I were first married, we made a pact to alternate nights cooking dinner. Whoever cooked did not have to clean up. That worked great until careers became demanding and we had kids. Then we had to come up with a new plan—one that was flexible enough to accommodate our busy lives. And more importantly…always meet the needs of our kids and honor our lasting commitment to each other.

Ellie Fitzgerald and Joe McCabe have also made a deal that has lasted well over a dozen years. After their botched elopement, at age 18, they knew certain things. They would always love each other. They still wanted to be together whenever possible, as intimately as possible. But for them, marriage was not really necessary. Especially when they could have all the benefits of a lasting relationship, without all the hassle of a legal union.

Ellie and Joe love having their freedom. She has her satisfying life in their hometown of Laramie, Texas, and is now the new owner manager of her family’s generations old Sugar Love bakery. Joe is a Special Forces soldier, who serves wherever in the world his missions take him. They see each other as frequently as they can. Doesn’t matter whether it is December or July. It feels like Christmas every time. They tell each other it is enough.

Until…a surprise happens. One that forces them to consider the fact that their current arrangement will no longer work. Neither wants to renege on their long-lasting deal. They also know their life is changing. And there are many more ‘Christmases’ ahead. Can they make a new pact with each other that will be just as satisfying? Without ruining everything? Only time will tell.

I hope you have a very merry holiday season and enjoy reading this book…the first of a brand new McCabe series.

Best wishes!
Cathy Gillen Thacker

Read an EXCERPT of A Double Christmas Surprise and check out the other books in the MARRYING A MCCABE series.

For more information on my other books, please visit the Series Guide and Book List.

Dear Reader,

During our marriage my husband and I have moved cross country four times, and locally five. What do I hate about it? Packing and unpacking. What do I love? The excitement of finding a new place to live, and the joy of making it ours.

Veterinarian Tess Gardner is moving to Laramie, Texas, the place where her family is rooted. She has an exciting new job. And she’s inherited a house that is a bit more than what she expected.

Enter CEO Noah Lockhart. He has also moved back to Laramie, in the wake of his wife’s death several years before, to be near his family. Life for him and his girls is finally settling down and getting back to normal. Or it will, he is certain, once the latest member of the ranch menagerie is born.

All Noah wants from Tess is help getting through the birth, and the first week or two of their new pet’s life. In exchange, he will give her a private guest suite and a place to live, rent free, while her house is renovated.

He doesn’t expect to get close to her. She doesn’t expect to fall for him. But you know what they say about ‘love’—it’s what happens when you are busy making other plans.

I hope you enjoy this last book in the Lockharts Lost And Found series. Join me on Facebook.

And thanks for reading! You, dear readers, are what make all the hard work, creating every fictional family and their stories, worthwhile!

Cathy Gillen Thacker

Read an EXCERPT of A Temporary Texas Arrangement and check out the other books in the LOCKHARTS LOST & FOUND series.

For more information on other books set in Laramie, Texas, please visit the Series Guide and Book List.