Sweet Montana Series by Lisa Mondello

Dumped by a cheating husband, Katie Dobbs' life had gone off the rails and she is now back to square one, living in her parents' home in Sweet, Montana and working a job she hates. She refuses to stay in a dark and empty house as a constant reminder of her mistakes. So she did the only thing that made sense. She breaks into an old dilapidated chapel to figure out her next move, and is nearly arrested by Caleb Samuel, her brother's high school friend who is now a handsome police officer in town... moreDumped by a cheating husband, Katie Dobbs' life had gone off the rails and she is now back to square one, living in her parents' home in Sweet, Montana and working a job she hates. She refuses to stay in a dark and empty house as a constant reminder of her mistakes. So she did the only thing that made sense. She breaks into an old dilapidated chapel to figure out her next move, and is nearly arrested by Caleb Samuel, her brother's high school friend who is now a handsome police officer in town. Caleb had heard Katie was having a hard time. Sweet was a small town and everyone knew everyone else's business. Except for one thing. No one knew where his sister Julie disappeared to 10 years ago and no one had heard from her since. Katie had been good friends with Julie before they'd both left Sweet. Now Katie is back. Buying a broken down chapel to renovate as a house is nuts when you don't know the difference between each end of a hammer. And Katie didn't. But she did know Julie, and maybe she'd be able to give him some insight into where Julie had gone. Caleb offers to help Katie renovate. But one problem after another threatens the project, and leaves Katie thinking she'll never realize her dreams. Until she realizes she's falling in love with her brother's friend. Even as everything seems to be falling apart around them, can love help heal their hearts? Excerpt: Katie sat in one of the pews in the back of the chapel and thought about how her life had gone off the rails. She rubbed her fingers together as she laid them on her lap and tried to ward off the bitter Montana cold. A gust of wind swept into the building, making a sudden chill race through her body. It was probably the flimsy plywood door she’d pulled away from the wall. But then a beam of light swept through the chapel, illuminating features she couldn’t see in the dark until the beam of light landed on her. She quickly turned and saw the stark light source but did not see the person holding the flashlight as they moved through the open door and into the chapel. “Katy Dobbs? What on earth are you doing in here?" Katie shielded her eyes with her fingers. "Do I know you?" The man’s low chuckle sounded familiar, but she still couldn't place it. “I hope so. I've known you and your brother practically my entire life.” He dropped the flashlight enough so that it wasn't shining in her eyes directly. She squinted her eyes and looked at the man's silhouette. “Caleb? Caleb is that you?” ”You were the last person I expected to find in here.” less

On the eve of losing his inheritance from the only person who called him family, Cade takes leave from the Army and travels to Sweet Montana only to find out his grandfather's house is going to be put up for auction for hungry developers to bid on if he doesn't come up with enough money to pay off delinquent tax debt before the day after Christmas. The only warm childhood memories Cade has were from visiting Sweet during Christmas and helping his grandfather give sleigh rides down Main Street... moreOn the eve of losing his inheritance from the only person who called him family, Cade takes leave from the Army and travels to Sweet Montana only to find out his grandfather's house is going to be put up for auction for hungry developers to bid on if he doesn't come up with enough money to pay off delinquent tax debt before the day after Christmas. The only warm childhood memories Cade has were from visiting Sweet during Christmas and helping his grandfather give sleigh rides down Main Street. So Cade decides to fix up the old sleigh to see if he can raise enough money to keep his house. If he fails, he has no reason to come back to Sweet except for the pretty realtor who is has a knack for wearing the absolute wrong winter boots, makes the best hot chocolate, and has the warmest smile that melts his heart. Real estate broker, Sally Macomber hates the holidays as much as she hates the cold weather. She'd moved to Sweet just before he husband decided to enlist in the military. She stayed too long after his death because moving on was harder than dealing with the harsh Montana winters alone. She'd thought the old rundown property across the street from her real estate office was going to be an easy deal that would finally help her move on with her life. She never counted on the persistent soldier with blue eyes she couldn't help falling into and with a persistence that made her want to fight for a Christmas miracle she never knew she was hungry for. Grown-ups don't write Christmas lists to Santa. But as her heart falls for Cade, Sally begins to wonder if maybe her grownup Christmas wish was Cade all along. less