Linda Sealy Knowles is an historical-romance-western writer that brings her love stories and characters to life. She gives God the glory for her talent that has given her much joy and happiness. Since 2012, she has written six novels. Linda is from Satsuma, Alabama but resides in Niceville, Florida, near her daughter, Kelli, and son, Pete, II. She has three lovely teenage granddaughters.
Miss Ollie has returned due to popular demand from her readers and beloved followers of the Maxwell Saga.
Hope Maxwell, who came to live on the Maxwell ranch when she was only three, pleads with Miss Ollie to tell about her childhood. Miss Ollie sits in her rocking chair on the porch, closes her eyes and tells what she remembers from the beginning. Her story comes alive from the time she is four-years-old with slave’s parents on the Waverly Plantation.
A master storyteller, Miss Ollie will grab your attention as she weaves her life stories. Her words will wrap your heart so tight that you won’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Miss Ollie recalls memories of Jesse and Will Maxwell’s youth and young adult lives. The beautiful Rae, along with her sister, Hope Summers, will warm your heart and stay with you long after you turn the last page. Doctor Tim and Hannah, with Bud and Rosie Downey are not forgotten in Miss Ollie’s wild tales. Each character in this story is unique and memorable.
This stunning novel is bittersweet and heart wrenching, but is one that you will never want to end. Sit back, relax and enjoy Miss Ollie Pritchell’s life story. AMAZON
A young, handsome cowboy, wounded and left for dead, discovers a small farm where love happens . . .
Lizzy Montgomery puts all of her efforts into raising her three siblingon the familyfarm after her mother dies and her father disappears. This wasn’t an easy job for a twenty year old who has to fight off the advances of several men. All that changes when a wounded, unconscious cowboy shows up at her water trough lying over on his horse in the front yard.
Pete Peterson should have known better than to join a card game in a town he was just passing through while traveling across Texas. After he left town with a bag of money he won, the sore losers chased and shot him, leaving him for dead. Fortunately, his horse stopped at a small farm where he was nursed back to health. AMAZON
Jocelyn Norwood wasn’t a runaway bride because she never intended to be a bride.
On Jocelyn Norwood’s father’s deathbed, she promised him she would marry the banker’s son so he could die with a clean conscience, knowing his daughter would never need anything. Unfortunately, her father didn’t know the true nature of the man he had chosen for her to wed. When the day arrives for the wedding, the maid only finds a wedding dress in the middle of the bathroom floor, and an opened window.
To escape Perryville, Texas, Jocelyn takes a stagecoach to Midland Texas and joins a bridal wagon train; destination, Amarillo, Texas. She pleads with the wagon master to let her travel with him, but not as a bride. She never intends to marry any man, much less a stranger.
Matt Colburn, a handsome rich rancher was in desperate need of a cook, so he paid passage for a woman to travel on the bridal wagon train and he doesn’t care what she looks like—he only wants a good cook for his men, not a bride.
After arriving home, he discovers his new cook was already in residence. But once he saw the young beauty, who has such a sweet nature, he changes his mind. Marriage sounds like a good idea.
Not only does his new cook not plan to marry, but she also has a detective company hot on her trail. Turns out Jocelyn Norwood is a runaway bride, and her prominent husband-to-be has posted a large reward for her return.
Be careful what you wish for. AMAZON
“I don’t believe you. My husband couldn’t have done those things.” As the man puts a knife to her throat, the voices of men returning to the wagon train meet her ears. . .
Jazz
From the time she arrived in Yellowstone as a new widow, she was doomed to a life of unending toil… until Cole James offers her a job in the town’s mercantile. Unfortunately, her troubles follow her, and Cole’s mother sends her packing, and she ends up back on the streets.
Cole
Cole James meets the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. With this lovely, hard-working girl in his store, he can devote more time to his farm. Every time he’s near his new employee, his heart races. After returning from the farm, he can’t believe that his new secret love has vanished.
Destiny
After the worst possible event occurs in Jazz’s life, she finds herself with two marriage proposals. The town doctor insists he will marry her despite her reputation. Cole has proposed, but did he just ask her out of sense of duty? AMAZON
Standing in front of Anna Moore was the biggest decision of her life. The future diverged into two forks—would she make the right choice? To be the wife of a lawman or return to the Little Sisters Convent to be a faithful servant to God for the rest of her young life?
At the young age of ten, her uncle dropped her off at the Little Sisters Convent with the promise that as soon as he got settled, he would send for her. After ten years, he finally kept his promise, sending her money to travel to Livingston, Texas, to live with him. Once Anna arrived, dressed in Nun’s clothing, she was greeted by the handsome, Matt Jenkins, sheriff of the town.
Matt Jenkins, a young handsome man had been the lawman of Livingston for several years after an unhappy retreat from his parents’ farm in Portland, Texas. After greeting the lovely nun from Whitmire, Texas, he had the unfortunate duty of telling her that her missing uncle was a wanted man, but he would be glad to take her to her uncle’s little house at the edge of town.
When Anna removed her wimple, slowly shaking her head back and forth to let her long raven hair fall below her waist, Sheriff Jenkins was spellbound by the nun’s beauty. He always thought that nuns were bald under their headpieces. His knees went weak, and his heart nearly beat out of his chest. In a moment, he fell head over heels for this lovely little lady.
Would more bad news about her Uncle Claude Moore keep this young couple apart? Sheriff Jenkins was determined not to let that happen. AMAZON
Who am I? Where am I? What’s happened here?” These were questions going through the lovely, red-haired beauty stretched out on the sandy, dirt trail.
With bright sunlight in her eyes, she tried to focus on her surroundings. She had to get up, but everything in sight was fuzzy. She felt her head and discovered a bloody gash on the back of her skull. Crawling to an overturned covered wagon, she managed to stand. On the ground lay two corpses. Who were those people?”
Lightning flashed and loud thunder meant a storm was brewing. “Oh, Lord, please protect me.” She had to find someplace to ride out the bad weather. A trail often led somewhere, so she stumbled along until she came upon an opening in the thick forest. There in front of her, stood a quaint log cabin. Thank you Lord, for leading me to my safe haven.
***
After riding with the sheriff’s posse for two weeks, Jack Mills was looking forward to his big cozy four-poster bed. He rode into his barn, fed, and bedded down his horse. Hurrying to the cabin door, he discovered it was locked. He banged and shoved until he woke up a beautiful, curly redhead that was as round as his washtub. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you in my cabin?’
The girl responded. “I don’t know. I have lost my memory.” AMAZON
Sarah Sullivan is forced to live all winter in an isolated mountain cabin with a total stranger.
Sarah Sullivan leaves home to marry her fiancé in Fort Laramie, Wyoming, although she has not seen him in a year. In route, the stagecoach is robbed and one of the passengers is killed, leaving a small child, Penny, who becomes Sarah’s responsibility.
Seth Jenkins, a trapper living on a mountain, witnesses the robbery and scares the bandits away. He carries the woman and child to his mountain cabin and takes care of them until they’re able to travel. As he prepares to take them down the mountain to Fort Laramie, an explosion blocks the main pathway, trapping them for months.
Sarah works beside the mountain man and Penny to survive the cruel winter months, and the attraction for each other grows. Her fiancé is waiting on her arrival, but can she marry one man when her heart is trapped by another? AMAZON
“Mail-order Brides Wanted in Sunflower, Texas” read the notice on the telegram office wall in Leesville, Texas.
Because of the fire in Leesville, Eleanor Eddy finds her substitute teaching job over, her rooming house burned to the ground, and her money stolen. Under no circumstances will Miss Eddy consider traveling to Sunflower, Texas as a mail-order bride. Instead the wagon-train owners hire her to assist with the brides-to-be.
Tate Maynard, the son of the owner, soon learns that his new employee is a city gal who can’t do anything right. Everything she touches results in accidents that always seem to involve him.
Will he be able to convince this reluctant gal to be a Sunflower bride, although she swore she would never marry? Maybe she’ll even marry him, if she doesn’t accidentally kill him first. AMAZON
This is a story filled with passion and mistrust. A lovely spinster and a tall, dark stranger ignite a spark of true love that could unite two lonely hearts.
Kathleen
Kathleen Parker was the picture of primness and propriety. She was a thirty-year-old beauty with big green eyes that could look straight through a person’s soul. In town, they called her the old spinster lady. Kathleen wasn’t a stranger to their ridicule, because she knew that men only wanted her five hundred–acre cattle ranch—not her. At eighteen, she was heartbroken by her first love. Thereafter, she vowed to never trust a man again. When a stranger, a rugged cowboy, settles in next door, Kathleen’s heart began to feel more than friendship toward him. Could she learn to love and trust this cowboy?
Matt
A cowboy from Abilene, Matt Moore moved into the ranch next door. He is single, forty, ruggedly handsome, and had been betrayed by his fiancée. Matt has an accident, and Kathleen’s foreman finds him on the road and brings him home. While being in the care of Kathleen, Matt discovers that his heart had softened, and he desires more than friendship with the hard-headed beauty. It was hard to deny the attraction they both felt for each other. Matt’s desire is strong enough to put trust in the lovely Kathleen, but will Kathleen’s past hurt always be a barrier between them? AMAZON
After two years away from Limason, Texas, Jess Maxwell is eager to get home. Unfortunately, he knows two mean men—who won’t be happy until he’s dead—are trailing him. Mary Beth is home for the summer from nursing school and has known Jess her whole life. Imagine his surprise that, at the age of nineteen, she’s grown into a real beauty.
Jess and Mary Beth are reunited, and this time, sparks fly. Within days of Jess’s return to Limason, the bad men show up and terrorize anyone who gets in their way—including Mary Beth. Jess had planned to court and eventually marry the smart young woman, but the attack leaves her paralyzed with fear, unwilling to trust a man ever again.
Is seeking revenge against those who hurt her Jess’s only way to prove his dedication? Is it possible a wise old woman could help Mary Beth trust her feelings of love? With honesty and compassion on his side, Jess might be able to convince Mary Beth of the gentle affection he has had for her—always. AMAZON
The luck of a gambling hand had changed his fate and now the young cowboy was ready to start a new life.
Bud
After serving time in the Louisiana State Prison, Bud Downey spent many months winning a small fortune as a gambler. Feeling confident that he had won enough money, he packed up his stake to begin his journey to Limason, Texas—Home. After his last winning hand at the gambling table, a couple of disgruntled cowboys were angry that they had lost all their money to the smooth-talking young man. As Bud traveled near the border of Lafayette, Louisiana, he was ambushed, shot and left for dead in the swampy waters of the bayou.
Rosie
Rosie Jourdian never dreamed at the young age of eighteen she would have the sole responsible for caring for her two young siblings. With one friend in the world, an old black Creole Voodoo woman, she was abandoned by her mama and left to raise a six week old baby boy and an eleven year old brother.
While fishing in the bayou river, she discovered a bloody cowboy in the swampy waters. With Justice’s special herbs and potions, they nursed him back to health.
Once well enough to travel, Bud Downey’s luck had ran out. The men who were looking for him discovered his whereabouts and burned down Rosie’s shack leaving her family homeless. With their situation changed could Bud ride away and leave Rosie alone in the Bayou—now homeless?
Would this independent young girl go with him and leave the only home she has ever known? AMAZON
The Secret
News spread like wildfire throughout the whole county that the most eligible bachelor was getting engaged to his young beautiful, spirited sister. How could a brother and sister get married? Everyone knew that they weren’t blood relatives but they had grown up together since Hope was only a small child of three. They had shared adventures and took part in each other’s struggles as they tried to follow their dreams.
Will
A young, rugged rancher with coal black hair and crystal blue eyes, he had always been bossy, over-protective, and affectionate at times when it came to Hope, his young shadow and later the one to whom he confided his secrets. Will was ready to settle down, fall in love and start a family. But who would have thought that he would have chosen the spirited young beauty with big brown eyes sparkling with mischief? It was rumored that he had waited for years for his young side-kick, Hope, to grow up.
Hope
A young beauty with golden hair and big brown eyes, Hope had loved Will all of her life—as a big brother. He was her best friend, protector, enemy, and hero. She had loved him and looked up to him all her life. Will challenged her ever inappropriate behavior for a young lady while she fought him with all the stubbornness that she could command. Why would this feisty, exquisite young woman want to settle down with Will, who was more like a real brother to her than a lover? AMAZON
Hannah Hopkins is on the journey of a lifetime. As part of a small wagon train heading to California in 1897, she and her father know that their new life will be filled with adventure, new horizons, and hardship. When Hannah is the victim of unwanted advances, she is callously shunned by their traveling companions. Worse, her beloved father, a respected physician, dies along the trail after a brief illness.
Heartbroken and afraid, the grieving daughter is forced off the wagon train and abandoned to a nightmare. She finds herself the prisoner of an old couple who rob and abuse her. But one day when her captors tie her to the back of the wagon and leave her unattended in town while running errands, a guardian angel in the form of a five-year-old boy comes to her rescue.
In this small town, Hannah meets Dr. Tim O’Riley, who treats her injuries— only to be forced into a marriage of convenience by uncontrollable circumstances. A defiant Hannah vows that she will never allow any man to dominate her again. Her new husband, a good man, only wants to love her and care for her. Tim respects her hesitations and keeps his distance until his new bride is ready.
To the eyes of the world, theirs is a marriage made in heaven, but to Hannah it still seems that she has lost her freedom. Can she lower her guard to ever trust again, or will the scars of her past keep her alone and never allow her to have her way? AMAZON
To escape the unthinkable, twenty-year old Rae Rodgers does the impossible; she disappears into the night with only a few meager belongings, even fewer dollars, and her three-year old sister, Hope. Leaving the only home she’d ever known was the hardest thing she had ever done in her twenty years, but she had no choice. She has to get her sister and herself out of the home of her stepfather before it is too late.
With only her strong will and determination, she and Hope travel on a stagecoach as far as her last dollar will take her—Limason, Texas. With the last of her coins depleted and without means to purchase food, she faints at the feet of another passenger, the striking cattle rancher Jesse Maxwell.
Jesse takes an immediate liking to the young woman and offers her a job at his ranch. Rae, instantly attracted to Jesse, leads him to believe she is a young widow traveling with her child. But her new life is threatened when she sees posters in town that offer a reward for Hope’s return. Grimly determined, she devises a plan to keep Hope safely concealed, even at the risk of losing her own life. AMAZON
Joy Carlstrom had just received an answer to her prayer, a miracle in the form of a young cowboy.
The western sun beat down on Joy Carlstrom’s young body as she lay sprawled across a pile of dirt that would be her pa’s resting place. With no one to help, she cried out to God. With only a rusty shovel, she needed help to bury her pa. She prayed for a miracle.
When the uneven clip-clop of a horse’s hooves sounded behind her, Joy sprang to her feet. A young man stood nearby staring at her. With a tear-streaked face, she waved the rusty shovel like a weapon while demanding, “Who are you? What do you want?”
The tall man removed his hat to show copper-hued hair and kind eyes. “Ma’am, don’t be afraid. We just need a little water, and I’d be grateful if you could lend me a tool to remove the stone from my horse’s hoof.”
Joy’s eyes widened as realization struck her. Was this man God’s miracle? AMAZON
“You want me to be a mail-order bride to a total stranger?”
Abby Mills knew she had to leave her home, but to go and live with a total stranger—for life?
Sheltered for eighteen years, Abby makes a promise to her dying mother, the madam of The Red Dog Saloon, to leave the only home she had ever known. The saloon wasn’t a safe place for a beautiful young girl to live without the protection of her mother. With the help of an old friend of her mama’s, Abby finds herself having to make a crucial decision about her future.
The offer of a new home with wide-open spaces, fresh air and freedom were too much to resist, but to marry a stranger might be asking the unthinkable.
After Mason Waters and his uncle struck it rich in 1851, Mason’s uncle opened a bank in San Francisco, but that wasn’t the ideal life Mason had in mind. Feeling smothered and unhappy in San Francisco, Mason bought a ranch in northern California. After several years of hard work, Mason had everything he needed and wanted on his ranch—but a wife. After requesting that his uncle choose him a mail-order bride—one who was of good character, hardworking and easy on the eyes, he patiently waited for her arrival.
Before his bride-to-be showed up, several men spread indecent rumors about his new bride’s past. Uncertain of the truth, upon meeting Abby, Mason made several offensive remarks to her. How and why he would believe those remarks about her, she wasn’t sure. But one thing was clear to Abby. Her new husband didn’t trust her to be of good character, having believed the lies that she worked upstairs in the Red Dog Saloon.
Abby knew the truth, but she wasn’t about to force it on him, so she accepted her fate. For better or worse, she was here to stay as his mail-order bride, but would Mason ever fully accept her as his wife? AMAZON