Melissa Naatz – författare

Stay or go… nine stories set in historic DeadwoodA Chord of Destiny by A. L. LongWhen country music sensation Sage Grayson's bus breaks down an hour our of Deadwood, he finds more than just a place to stretch his legs. That unfortunate stop turns out to be the best thing to happen to him.The House Always Wins by Ann SchreiberSet against a town built on risk and reinvention, traveling nurse Brooke must decide whether opening her heart to a powerful businessman is worth the gamble—especially when a jealous physician begins to interfere—because in Deadwood, the house always wins.Return to Deadwood by Charles Lemar BrownTwo days out of Deadwood, Jack only wants to find a place to ranch and the beautiful woman with whom is traveling. But when Violet is seriously wounded, all that changes. He's not welcome in Deadwood, but that's where the closest doctor resides. Will Violet survive?A Real Trooper by Jessa AaronsEven though I'm no longer an FBI agent, I jump on my bike and head to Deadwood when my mentor calls in a favor—keep an eye on a woman in Witness Protection. Being an outlaw biker has really honed in my radar for when something isn't right , so it doesn't take long to see that this "e;favor"e; won't be easy. When bullets start flying, I realize I need to reevaluate my next steps to get us both of this alive.Drawn  into  Danger by Lynn DonovanWhen a mail order promise collapses the moment she steps off the coach in Deadwood, penniless sketch artist Brynn finds refuge in a church. Burdened by a scandalous past, printer's apprentice Gideon spends his days pressing wanted posters. When he uses her art depicting outlaws, one of her portraits helps hang a man, and vengeance comes looking for the unknown artist. Now both must choose whether faith and forgiveness can outlast fear.How It Began by Melissa NaatzBefore Las Vegas. There was Deadwood. Sixteen-year-old Wyatt Halliday believes she's found her escape in Bodie Vega—a boy with big dreams and promises to match. But first love doesn't always last. One reckless summer changes everything, forcing Wyatt to face a choice that will shape who she becomes. This is where it began.Deadwood's Killer Brew by Nory WoodsStarr and her spirited corgi, Bean, embark on their first true vacation adventure. As a computer analyst she has always stayed close to home, but now she wants to see all the Americas have to offer. First stop: Deadwood. Everything seems to be running smoothly until Bean finds that pesky dead body. Will her innate curiosity and Bean's corgi charm be the keys to solving the case? Or will they end up stepping on everyone's toes?Finding Hope In Deadwood by V. J. LeeIt was love at first sight between Nico and I. He gave me all his attention and time—until his best friend died in his arms. With his promise to take care of Dorian's sister, he turned his regard entirely to her. When she showed up at my wedding in a wedding dress, I was done. I ran to the one place he'd never coming looking for me: Deadwood. Ferocious Protector by Via MariWhen I join my elite bodyguard team for a double wedding in Deadwood, I'm expecting a quiet weekend. But the Chicago boys, a mafia family who doesn't listen to the word no, uses the opportunity to make their claim. When they mess with Patti Ann, they cross a line—they messed with the wrong women. I protect what's mine, this town, her and anyone in it. Because the blue-eyed blonde with a special little smile she saves just for me is going to be mine.

At thirty-eight, Elise White doesn't believe in happy endings—just endings. After nineteen years in a marriage that left her small and invisible, Elise is finally ready to rediscover who she is without her husband's shadow. She never expected that journey to begin at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival… or with a twenty-seven-year-old knight who sees her in a way she hasn't been seen in years.What starts as a playful moment—an unexpected connection, a kindness she didn't know how much she needed—quickly becomes something deeper.Rhys isn't just a pretty face. There's a steadiness in him she hasn't felt in years—a gentleness that doesn't ask her to be anything she isn't. He makes her feel seen rather than managed, noticing the woman she used to be… and the one she's almost brave enough to become.Their summer fling was supposed to end when the festival gates closed. But goodbyes don't come easily when someone reminds you what joy feels like.Faced with returning to a life that no longer fits, Elise must decide if one magical August—and the man who made her believe in more—was only meant to be a moment… or the beginning of everything.One Summer Knight is an emotional, character-driven age-gap romance about second chances, finding yourself at thirty-eight, and choosing the kind of love that makes you feel alive again.

It is said that we are connected by a red thread to the one we are destined to be with. That thread may get tangled and stretched, but it will never break. However, for Evan and Tristan, the strength of their thread will be tested.Evan Carter fell in love with the beautiful Tristan Anderson after the first time Tristan kissed her in the eighth grade. Tristan was Evan's first in everything, including seeing the destruction an alcoholic father could cause. At eighteen, they planned to run away and leave their small town behind. Evan would go to college, and Tristan would be free of his abusive father. But one night changes everything, and Tristan becomes the first boy to break Evan's heart.Twelve years later, Evan has a great boyfriend, a career she loves, and supportive friends. She thinks she's over the broken boy who crushed her heart in high school. Until one night Tristan walks back into her life, and all the feelings she thought she had packed away come racing back. Tristan is no longer the broken boy she once knew but a man with a different life. A life he wants to prove to her is better. That he is better.However, fate is not done with the two young lovers, and the strength of their thread is tested once again when tragedy and truth threaten to tear them apart—this time for good.

Wyatt Cassidy Halliday knows exactly what desire costs. At thirty-five, the high-end escort has built a life beneath the neon lights of Las Vegas—one she's sure is running out of ways to love her back. Survival has become performance, routine, armor. But even armor wears thin.Julian Silver was supposed to have it all. Fame, fortune, and a career most athletes dream of. Instead, at thirty-four, the star winger for the Las Vegas Desert Coyotes is falling apart—injuries, pressure, and the quiet fear that he's already seen his last great moment.They meet on a night meant to mean nothing. A transaction. A temporary escape. But connection has a way of slipping in sideways, and what should have been one night becomes something neither of them planned for—and neither quite knows how to hold.As the life Wyatt has built collides with the future Julian is fighting for, both are forced to confront the same truth: wanting more is terrifying when you've convinced yourself you don't deserve it. Love doesn't come without sacrifice… and some sacrifices change everything.How We End is an emotional, character-driven romance about two people in their mid-thirties learning to trust the kind of love that doesn't rush, doesn't pretend, and doesn't let them hide.