- Table View
- List View
The Missing Marchioness
by Paula MarshallA Young Woman Disappears. A Husband Is Suspected Of Murder. Stirring Times For All The Neighborhood.Since the murder of the Marquis of Sywell shook the quiet neighborhood of Steepwood Abbey, Madam Felice has been careful to conceal her true identity. Now she senses danger and exposure ahead because, for the first time in her life, she feels the lure of a man's attraction. But which is she more terrified of losing-her mask or her heart?Driven by desire to make this elegant modiste his mistress, Marcus, Lord Angmering, sets out to discover the truth. As he gradually peels away the layers of her disguise, Marcus unveils the terrible secret that she has been so desperate to hide....
The Honourable Earl
by Mary NicholsSaving Lydia...Lydia Fostyn is being coerced into marrying an odious older man when Ralph Latimer, Earl of Blackwater, returns from exile and stirs up painful-and passionate-memories.Ralph is responsible for the tragedy that brought about her family's hard time, and he decides he must do the honourable thing and marry the beauty. But, as drawn to Lydia as he is, dare he get involved with a woman who appears to be aiding and abetting smugglers on his land near the Essex marshes...?
The Marriage Truce
by Ann Elizabeth CreeFeuding FamiliesThe Chandlers and the St. Clairs had been feuding for years. When Jessica St. Clair wanted to marry Adam Chandler, the two families were forced to meet. Devin St. Clair, the Marquis of Huntington, had no idea when he attended the betrothal party that he would become smitten with a Chandler himself! The object of an odious man's attentions, Sarah Chandler was thrilled that Dev had come to her rescue. But when her family assumed it was Dev who had compromised her, they were pressed into marriage. Would their sudden wedding lead them to love?
My Lady's Prisoner
by Ann Elizabeth CreeA Dangerous Abduction...Since her husband's murder three years ago, Lady Julia Carrington had done her utmost to uncover the culprit, though with little success. But then Nicholas Chandler, Viscount Thayne, appeared-sinfully handsome and in possession of her husband's ring!Action needed to be taken quickly. The viscount held the key to her husband's death, but how could the daring countess persuade him to hand over the ring and reveal all he knew? There was no alternative-she would have to take him captive! But then the tables were turned and Julia found herself in danger of being enslaved by desire for her prisoner....
The Virtuous Knight
by Margo MaguireOne Thought Consumed Her: Escape!Lucy Kendal would do anything to leave the convent she'd called home since girlhood. But never had she dreamed the world contained such danger-and such desire-as she'd experienced firsthand. Though Sir Alexander Breton had rescued her countless times, he also stirred in her a sense of wildness-something he was honor bound never to fulfill!One Emotion Compelled Him: Grief!Widowed knight Alexander Breton had gone crusading to retreat from sorrow. Indeed, he was to take monastic vows after fulfilling a sacred quest for a dying friend. But fate decreed he would instead find Lucy Kendal, the brave, beauteous innocent, who needed protection...and needed him!
An Ardent Friendship
by Elizabeth BaileyA Most Unusual PropositionMiss Timothia Dulverton had just finished mourning her dear departed father when she received a most unexpected proposal from her cousin, Mr. Leo Wetheral. Marriage? To Leo? Didn't they know each other too well for that? But Leo had a bargain for Timma. Since Dulverton House had been left to the male heir, Timma had nowhere to go. And Leo had Blentisham to run all by himself. Why not combine their resources and help each other out? But how could Timma say yes when she had always wanted to marry for love?
The Impostor's Kiss
by Tanya Anne CrosbySEPARATED AT BIRTH-REUNITED AT KNIFEPOINT!Merrick Welbourne never expected to discover a long-lost twin! Particularly one who'd rob him and leave him senseless on the road. Now living his brother's aristocratic life, he had new trials, tribulations...and temptations he'd never dreamed of. Not the least being Chloe Simon, she of rare mettle, proud heart and unmatchable beauty!Chloe Simon knew Lord Lindale was definitely not himself. After encountering the masked highwayman Hawk, he seemed...different. More approachable. More...desirable. And in stolen moments of startling intimacy, he made her feel like titled nobility. But she was only a doctor's daughter, with every reason to steer clear of his very kissable lips...!
Oklahoma Bride
by Carol Finch"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"To a woman who was all fire, sass and temptation that was a hell of a hello! But army major Rafe Hunter had no choice. Karissa Baxter was a "Sooner" attempting to secure the homestead she wanted before the start of the Land Run, danger-and rules-be damned! But what about what he wanted? And what if what he wanted was her?WHO DID RAFE HUNTER THINK HE WAS?All spit and polish, and with Eastern money to boot! Unlike the hardscrabble types Karissa was used to, he could never understand what drove her to go after her dreams. So how had he managed to quick-march his way into her heart?
A Roguish Gentleman
by Mary BrendanA MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN?Viscount Stratton had a reputation as an adventurer and a daredevil. He also kept the most beautiful mistresses of any man in the ton. So all of London was agog with the news that Stratton suddenly planned to wed Lady Elizabeth Rowe.Lady Elizabeth's family owed money to the viscount, and the only way to repay it was with Elizabeth's sizable dowry. But the sensible girl had no desire to wed such a rogue, even if he was handsome as sin. Everyone, Elizabeth included, wondered why Stratton had agreed to marry a lady with a dubious reputation. Was it love-or revenge?
Protecting Jennie
by Ann CollinsEast Meets WestWaitressing in the Arizona desert was a far cry from Jennie Andrews's high society background, but it couldn't be far enough from the future her father had planned for her-even if it meant wasting her doctoring skills slicing bacon. As determined as she was beautiful, Jennie would let no one stop her from living her own life. Not even the handsome stranger who kept turning up whenever she seemed to need him.Detective-turned-rancher Cole Bryant couldn't deny his attraction to the woman he'd first spotted at the depot-or his curiosity about her. But these days Cole was steering clear of danger. And the more he saw of Jennie Andrews, the more the pretty Eastern miss looked like trouble!
My Montana Home
by Ellen JamesSet against the magnificent background of Montana comes the saga of the Maxwells-one of the state's most powerful ranching families.Cassie Maxwell Warren has kept her seven-year-old son away from the influence of her dominating father-patriarch of the powerful Maxwell ranching dynasty. She saw how that influence almost destroyed her teenage brother and she wants to protect Zak. But now her son is becoming too attached to Andrew Morris, a man who thinks he knows what's best for the child-and for Cassie.
Substitute Father
by Bonnie K. WinnThree orphaned children were definitely not on his shopping list!Luke Duncan never would have believed that going grocery shopping would lead to becoming foster father to three orphans. But no matter how he met them, it was clear that Brian, Hannah and Troy needed him. Now all he has to do is convince the social worker assigned to their case that a single man can be the perfect caregiver.Too bad the social worker is Kealey Fitzpatrick. After their disastrous blind date, he would have sworn she'd never darken his door again.
Zoey Phillips
by Judith BowenAt their last reunion, they all accepted a challenge: look up your first love. Find out what happened to him, what kind of man he became. Since Zoey's spending the month before Christmas back in her old hometown-Stoney Creek, in British Columbia's interior-she decides she'll take the opportunity to search for Ryan Donnelly, the boy she'd loved with all the passion in her teenage heart.Zoey ends up visiting the Donnelly ranch, and she discovers that Ryan-who's still single-does seem interested in pursuing something with her. But what about his brother, Cameron? Cam Donnelly, successful rancher and single dad, is as remote and mysterious as Ryan is flirtatious and charming. Does he approve of her "romance" with Ryan or not? What does he think of her? Zoey's not sure why it even matters...and yet she knows it does.
Unexpected Marriage
by Anna AdamsFor a parent, life gets easier once your kid's in college-right?Once she hears the three little words "Mom, I'm pregnant," Caroline Talbot Manning knows just how wrong that statement is. True, Shelly's boyfriend wants to do the honorable thing and marry her, but as Caroline knows, marrying the wrong man when you're pregnant with his child can be an even bigger problem. After all, that's exactly what she did.But what if Shelly's prospective father-in-law has a point? What if Caroline's daughter and Matt's son can make their marriage work? Certainly, that's going to be a lot easier if Caroline doesn't fall for Matt. Too bad he looks so good in his flight suit....
Shenandoah Christmas
by Lynnette KentWill Christmas come to Goodwill, Virginia, this year?Ten-year-old Maddie Tremaine is supposed to be the announcing angel in the town pageant this Christmas. But unless they can find someone to direct the show, Maddie's dream won't come true. Her dad's not much help. Ever since her mom went to heaven, he's been too sad to think about the holidays. He hasn't even met Miss Caitlyn, the new choir teacher, who'd be the perfect person to run the pageant.Then somehow-maybe because it's nearly Christmas-Maddie's wish comes true in the best possible way. Her dad and Miss Caitlyn are going to produce the pageant together. Suddenly her dad's smiling again. And her little brother-who stopped speaking after the accident-is beginning to talk.As for Maddie? She's going to be the best announcing angel Goodwill has ever seen!
True Heart
by Peggy NicholsonThey're on a collision course-againRancher Tripp McGraw knows that only the big ranches will survive in southwest Colorado, and he's determined to buy the Circle C, a ranch that adjoins his own. If he wanted to, he could foreclose on a loan and force Kaley Cotter to sell her spread to him.Newly divorced, pregnant by her ex-husband, Kaley has just returned to the Circle C, a ranch her family has held for four generations. Now her baby will be the fifth&3151;as long as Tripp doesn't succeed in buying her home out from under her.To make things even more difficult, nine years ago Tripp ended his engagement to Kaley without explanation, and both lovers felt abandoned and wronged.Two passionate, stubborn people heading for heartbreak once again.But maybe, just maybe, love is better the second time around....
Charlotte Moore
by Judith BowenCharlotte's taken the Girlfriends' challenge: Find your first love. What's he doing? How's he doing? On a business trip to Prince Edward Island-searching for antiques and folk art-Charlotte doesn't have to look very hard to find Liam Connery. But he's not what she expected. Not at all....Instead of the pilot he wanted to be, he trains and raises dogs. He's a man living a secluded existence in a rambling country house. A man with secrets.And yet-like Jane Eyre, with Liam playing the Mr. Rochester role-Charlotte's powerfully drawn to him. Falling in love, dreaming of marriage and babies and the promise of forever. A promise Liam may not be able to make...or to keep.
Daughter of Oklahoma
by Darlene GrahamAnnie Fischer's come back to Medicine Creek, Oklahoma, to sell her childhood home. She doesn't plan to spend any more time than necessary in the place where her memories are all sad. Or are they? Suddenly-with the help of Mike Kirkpatrick, Realtor, pastor and father of five-she's uncovering secrets about her family and discovering one very good reason to stay in Medicine Creek.
A Cowboy for Clementine (Home on the Ranch #17)
by Susan FloydClem Wells has made a career out of screwing upFirst she quit school to get married. Then she spent years being the perfect corporate wife-only to get dumped. Finally she went home to manage her family's ranch, figuring even she couldn't wreck a smoothly running operation. But she'd saved the worst for last.Who would've guessed that those sweet little cows she'd put out to pasture would turn into feral beasts that refused to be rounded up? Simple math said 0 cows = $0. And $0 meant her family's ranch was in jeopardy.What Clementine needed now was a miracle. Hard to believe that a miracle would take the form of Dexter Scott. But if a silent, ornery and stubborn cowboy was all that was available, then she'd take what she could get.
Child of His Heart
by Joan KilbyHe's raised one child who might not be his own. Does he have it in his heart to do it again?Fire chief Nick Dalton has a lot on his plate. He's had to move to a small town in Washington to get his twelve-going-on-twenty-year-old daughter away from the rough crowd she was hanging out with in Los Angeles. He's also struggling with the knowledge his late wife imparted on her deathbed-their child might not be his biologically.Erin Hanson has returned to the small town she grew up in to come to grips with a failed romance, and Nick is just the kind of man to make her quickly forget her woes. But suddenly she has a more wrenching situation on her hands-she's pregnant with her ex-fiancé's child.Erin knows Nick loves her. Now they both have to find out if he can love her baby, too.
Lydia Lane
by Judith BowenLydia Lane didn't take the girlfriends' challenge-to find her first love-seriously at all. But then, Sam Pereira finds her...or rather, his ex-wife does.Lydia runs a business called Domestica, organizing people's lives and teaching them household skills. Sam's ex figures he needs someone like Lydia to create order out of chaos-and Sam agrees.Back when Lydia first knew Sam, back when she was secretly in love with him, he was Trouble with a capital T. A sexy motorcycle-riding "bad boy." Now he's a successful lawyer and a single father-but still sexy, still a rebel in his own way. Lydia knows she could fall for him all over again...and for his little girl!
Man with a Mission
by Muriel JensenHe's a man with a missionShe's a woman with a secretHank Whitcomb is back in Maple Hill, Massachusetts, the tiny town he grew up in but fled almost twenty years earlier for fame and fortune. And he's determined to make a new life for himself. It doesn't take long before he discovers that he wants his old high school flame, Jackie Bourgeois, to be part of it-and in the deepest way possible: love, commitment, family.Until, that is, Hank happens to learn the real reason Jackie refused to come with him all those years ago...Still, nothing can keep Hank and Jackie from being together again-as they quickly find out!
14 Valentine Place
by Pamela BauerThings change. Coming home isn't easy for Dylan Donovan. He left thirteen years ago, carrying a terrible secret about his father, and he can't believe what's happened since. His widowed mother is now a savvy entrepreneur, his family home has been turned into student housing and his brothers seem to think his well-meant advice is just bossy interference. And then there's Maddie Lamont-Dylan doesn't know what to think about her.People change. Maddie's grown up a lot since the summer she spent with the Donovans. The braces, thick glasses and boyish figure have all been replaced, and Dylan's man enough to appreciate the transformation. What he doesn't appreciate is the influence Maddie seems to have on his family-particularly his mother. But like it or not, he has to get along with Maddie and remember that change is good. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself....
The Colonel and the Kid
by Elizabeth AshtreeShe hated her assignment...until she met himThere's something about a handsome man who speaks with an accent and wears a foreign military uniform. Add an air of mystery and a young child he's raising on his own, and that man becomes irresistible....But resisting him is exactly what Captain Natalie Wentworth's career demands. As an army protocol officer, her duties-showing Colonel Viktor Baturnov around, making sure he's properly introduced to his American counterparts and getting him settled into his training program at the Pentagon-call for professional detachment.Things go smoothly until Natalie learns the real reason for the colonel's visit to America. Suddenly she's embroiled in the struggle of a father to save his son. And her feelings for both could cost her dearly.
Sarah's Legacy (Home on the Ranch #18)
by Brenda MottHer idea of paradise is a country farmhouse with lots of kids and a dog. All he wants is his ranch, his horses-and to be left alone.When the Denver bank Bailey Chancellor works for transfers her to the small mountain town of Ferguson, Colorado, she eagerly accepts. Now she can have a country home, and maybe the children she's always wanted.The townspeople view Bailey as tough because of her banking policies, but neighbor Trent Murdock sees a softer side, and he can't help responding. Up to a point, that is. Trent lost his little girl, Sarah, a year before Bailey moved to town. Then his marriage fell apart. The last thing he wants is to feel vulnerable again.How does a city girl with a country heart get a stubborn cowboy to love her?
A Second-Chance Proposal
by C. J. CarmichaelHe's back!Two years ago, almost everyone in Canmore, Alberta, thought Dylan McLean was responsible for the death of a teenage girl on his father's ranch. Only Cathleen Shannon believed he was innocent.Then he left her at the altar and fled town. Now Dylan has returned, and he wants a second chance-from the townspeople and Cathleen!Having been jilted on her wedding day, Cathleen is furious when Dylan shows up asking for assistance. But that doesn't mean she wants him paying for a crime he didn't commit. So maybe she will help him clear his name.A second chance at love, though? That's out of the question....Or is it?
The Maverick
by Carrie AlexanderSophie Ryan was a girl from the wrong side of town, pregnant, uneducated and aloneNow she's a sheriff's deputy and has managed to put the past behind her. It's been a long time since the gossips of Treetop, Wyoming, have speculated on the identity of Joe Ryan's father, and Sophie would prefer that didn't change. But on a crisp fall day, Sophie's past comes back-in the form of Luke "Maverick" Salinger, the man who abandoned her when she needed him most.It's Sophie's job to arrest Luke on an old warrant, even though she knows the rumors will start to fly as soon as she gets the cuffs on him. The citizens of Treetop think they know who Joe's father is, but the truth is a mystery-even to Sophie.
Across a Thousand Miles
by Nadia NicholsHeart-stopping action...and heartwarming romance!Rebecca Reed and Bill (Mac) MacKenzie have nothing in common...except their desire to run the Yukon Quest.She's an experienced musher who knows only too well how humbling the northern landscape can be. She understands that the Quest-from Whitehorse, in the Yukon, to Fairbanks, Alaska, across a thousand miles of frozen trails-will take every ounce of strength and skill.He's a cheechako, who doesn't know a dog harness from a doghouse. He's come north for a year to take care of his brother's dog team-and to escape his past. To Rebecca, his decision to run the Quest is not only arrogant, it's dangerous.Race day arrives, and Mac and Rebecca struggle against the harsh elements. One night, in a fierce snowstorm, Rebecca and her team are blown over the mountain, and only the courage of the cheechako-the man she's beginning to love-can save her.
A Convenient Proposal
by C. J. CarmichaelShe was doing her duty. Now he'll do his.While investigating a local murder, Kelly Shannon, an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is forced to kill in the line of duty. Afterward she feels the terrible responsibility of having taken a human life. Especially in this case, where she's killed the father of two young children.Because the children's mother falls apart after her husband's death, his brother, Mick Mizzoni, steps in. But juggling the demands of his job with the needs of a three-year-old and a five-year-old is difficult.Kelly feels that the only way she can cope with her guilt is by helping these children. So she makes Mick an offer...an offer he can't refuse.The real problems begin when Kelly starts falling in love with Mick.
Marriage to a Stranger
by Kay David"You're going to have to act like his wife, whether you want to or not."After seven years, the marriage of Conley and Lara Harrison is over. Lara still cares for Conley, but he's hurt her once too often. She wants nothing more than to get her divorce and move on. But that's not going to be easy. Not once she learns there's a stalker pursuing Conley.Lara's a bodyguard and, according to everyone from her father to Conley, the perfect agent for the job. After all, no one's in a better position to protect a husband than his wife.
Wide Open Spaces (Home on the Ranch #19)
by Roz Denny FoxThe Forked Lightning Ranch, near Callanton, OregonSummer Marsh wants to hang on to her family's cattle spread. It's the only life she knows...and it's her son's legacy.Summer's ex-husband, Frank, sees the ranch as a cash cow-literally. With the collusion of his new girlfriend, he's trying to sell it to a developer at an inflated price. Summer has to come up with almost four million dollars in order to buy Frank out. Impossible! She might be land rich but she's cash poor.Then there's Coltrane Quinn. He's a broken-down soldier and one-time horse breeder, and like Summer, he was betrayed by his ex. Now he's working for the conservation group Save Open Spaces. He's hoping to buy the Forked Lightning on behalf of SOS, which acquires failing ranches in order to preserve the land.Colt's operating in secrecy, so things get complicated when he falls for Summer. They get even more complicated when she falls for him!
Unexpected Outcome
by Dawn StewardsonA little secret...Dana Morancy adores her father, so it isn't surprising that she followed in his career footsteps and joined the New York Police Department. But after four years on the job, she is involved in a "suicide by cop." Uncertain whether she'll ever be able to fire a gun again, she becomes a private investigator.Noah Haine works at a Manhattan import shop that's being sabotaged. He and Dana join forces and find the villain-find, too, that they've fallen in love.Dana and Noah are ready for happily ever after.But they may have to wait a while. In fact, they may have to wait forever.Because Dana's father has a little secret....
A Lasting Proposal
by C. J. CarmichaelHe made her an offer she couldn't refuse-but did she ever try!Jake Hartman's heli-skiing operation in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies has been hugely successful. But because of the major outlays he now wants to make, he needs a capital infusion. A bank loan is a nonissue-Jake's not keen on debt. But a silent partner would do the trick.Widowed Maureen Shannon, eldest of the Shannon sisters, has just moved back to the sleepy town of Canmore, hoping that slow-paced living will help mend her deteriorating relationship with her twelve-year-old daughter. Jake's proposal sounds good.But then Jake makes Maureen a second offer-a lasting proposal she's much more reluctant to accept....
The Family Doctor
by Bobby HutchinsonHe's got lots of patients-but she's the one with patience to spare!Dr. Tony O'Connor, chief of staff at St. Joseph's Hospital in Vancouver, has a short fuse these days. His mother is driving him crazy. His father, whom he hasn't seen in thirty-two years, is coming to visit with the woman he loves, and the members of Tony's family are taking sides. Not only that, Tony has just injured his ankle and gotten himself laid up in St. Joe's.Kate Lewis, the hospital's patient representative, is an expert at coping. Maybe she can help Tony out.Except that soon Tony and Kate are facing even more problems. Like what to do about the volatile feelings between them...and how to stop putting their own needs last.
The Baby Gift
by Bethany CampbellA good mother will do anything to save her child. Briana Morris is definitely a good mother.Josh Morris travels the world in search of its stories. Briana Morris's whole world is a single small farm. They met and married and divorced in little more than the wink of an eye. But together they managed to create one perfect thing-their daughter, Nealie.Now Nealie has been diagnosed with a rare and dangerous form of anemia. Her best hope for survival is a transfusion from a sibling. But Nealie has no siblings. To save her daughter's life, Briana must do the unthinkable-contact Josh and convince him to father another child.
Into the Badlands
by Caron ToddIt's not easy working with the man who almost ruined your career before it even started. It's even worse when he's your new boss.Paleontologist Susannah Robb just lost a prestigious job to her rival Alexander Blake, and she has to figure out a way to work with him. But that quickly turns out to be the least of her problems.Someone is stealing fossils from the site she discovered in Alberta's Badlands. And now she and Alex must team up to stop them.
Fleet Hospital
by Anne Marie DuquetteFleet Hospital-it's the U.S. Navy's version of M.A.S.H.At Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Fleet Hospital is conducting a simulated emergency under the command of Captain Michael McLowery. This means the place is filled with servicemen and women "moulaged" to resemble the wounded.Also on-site is reporter Lori Sepanik-aka Jo Marche-of tabloid fame. She's looking for journalistic legitimacy in the form of a good story; she thinks reporting on the Fleet exercise will provide this. But the last thing she expects to find is a "dead" body that really is!Michael's in charge of the murder investigation-and he wants Jo involved. As an outsider, she notices things others don't. She also notices the very attractive Captain McLowery....Together, the man in uniform and the woman with a camera make an unbeatable team!
The Payback Man
by Carolyn McsparrenDr. Eleanor Grayson, large-animal vet at Creature Comfort, has taken care of animals all her life. Now she's in charge of the new farm program at the local prison. As she meets the inmates, one man catches her eye.Steve Chadwick was still grieving his wife's death when he was convicted of her murder. Now he has only one thing on his mind. Escape! He needs to confront the real killer before the man absconds to Brazil. The last thing Steve can afford is to let the attractive lady vet distract him.And the last thing Eleanor can afford is to fall for a convict with vengeance in his heart.
Mr. and Mrs. Wrong
by Fay RobinsonWill this baby save their marriage-or destroy it?Erin Cahill has always been known as Lucky-although the name Trouble might suit her better, since she can't seem to stay out of it.Lucky definitely loves her husband, a police captain in their Alabama town, and Jack definitely loves her. But despite that love, despite all the laughter they share, Jack and Lucky argue about everything: where to live, how to live, work, family, everything. So they do the logical thing and separate.There's a complication, though, a really big one. Because Lucky's pregnant.
Lost But Not Forgotten
by Roz Denny FoxOur Beloved Katie11-18-00Finding a silver urn by the side of a country road-you'd call that unusual, wouldn't you? Ex-cop Mitch Valetti certainly does.He knows this has to be a precious object, the memory of a life, and Mitch is determined to find the person who lost it.Unbeknownst to him, the person in question is a woman going by the name of Gillian Stevens. She's new to Desert City, Arizona, and when he meets her, he's attracted. Very attracted. But who is Gillian Stevens? What's she looking for-and who's she hiding from?The answers to those questions will change his life...and hers.
Forbidden Love
by Christine FlynnOTHERWISE ENGAGED?Indulgences never suited no-nonsense Amy Chapman. Practical and pragmatic, she'd loyally quelled her secret crush on rugged Nick Culhane-her sister's fiancé. And rightly so, since Nick mysteriously broke the engagement and enraged Amy's entire family. Amy had heard he'd found another woman......and that other woman was Amy! Nick was back in town and still, ten years later, traitorous heat simmered between them, until being in Nick's muscular arms seemed as necessary as breathing. Nick hadn't been prepared for how truly lovely his doe-eyed beauty had become. Yet how dare Amy, the dutiful Chapman daughter, love the one man her family would never forgive?
Starting with a Kiss
by Barbara Mcmahon"HOW CAN I EVER HOPE TO ATTRACT THE MAN OF MY DREAMS WHEN HE HAS NEVER LOOKED AT ME THAT WAY?"Abigail Trent had never intended to be thirty and still single. So when her colleague Dr. Greg Hastings offered to help her transform from prim-and-proper physician to irresistible temptress, Abigail couldn't refuse. But she never expected that with just one kiss, Greg would make her feel so desirable and special. For the first time in Abigail's life, she was keenly aware of the sensations and longings a man's touch could evoke. Suddenly, she began to hope that what had started out as a Cinderella-esque fantasy could turn into something much more...that maybe Greg was the Prince Charming she'd been waiting for all her life to give her innocence, and her heart.
Her Unforgettable Fiance
by Allison Leigh"YOU WANT ME TO POSE AS YOUR BRIDE? BEEN THERE, DONE THAT-AND I'M NOT DOING IT AGAIN!"-Kate Stockwell on a shocking "proposal"A surge of raw emotion rocked Kate Stockwell-her brothers had enlisted her ex-fiancé to spearhead the search for their long-lost mother! Years ago, the marriage she and Brett Larson had planned with such youthful enthusiasm had been crushed beneath the weight of the Stockwell name. In an ironic twist, Brett now commanded that Kate play his bride-a role she'd imagined millions of times. But now her "groom" was at a distance too dangerous for Kate. For proximity sparked passion...and a moment in Brett's arms could reveal her secret longing to rekindle their love, this time forever....
Standing Bear's Surrender
by Peggy WebbHE LOST HIS WINGS...Blue Angel Naval Commander Jim Standing Bear lived to fly. And when that was taken away from him one dark night, his ability to walk had mysteriously disappeared with it. Until one not-so-dark night when a dancing angel caught his eye....AND FOUND HIS HEARTLovely and innocent, Sarah Sloan had never been as entranced by any man as she was by the wounded warrior who was Jim Standing Bear. And though he was clearly terrified to let himself get too close, Sarah knew that once he was back on his feet-not to mention in the air-his fears would simply melt away. As would, she hoped, the bars over his heart....
Separate Bedrooms...?
by Carole HalstonHE HAD MARRIED FOR CONVENIENCE...Widower Neil Griffen thought he'd never marry again. But when lovely Cara LaCroix told him her plan to find herself a temporary husband to fulfill her beloved grandmother's dearest wish, Neil knew he'd trust her to no one else. Not only was she his best employee, Cara was his best friend-what difference could a few months of pretend marital bliss make?SHE HAD MARRIED FOR LOVE...Cara had loved her handsome boss forever, and marrying Neil in name only would be sweet torment. Neil treated her as a kid sister-but behind the wall of his carefully guarded emotions, she sensed something more. Suddenly Cara knew she'd risk their friendship, on the chance that something might be love....
The Millionaire and the Mom
by Patricia Kay"LOVE IS ABOUT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. SOME MEN FALL, BUT SURVIVORS LIKE ME DON'T."-Jack Stockwell's thoughts on loveMercenary Jack Stockwell's secret mission was twofold: 1) Find out if the Stockwells had swindled Beth Johnson's ancestors out of their fortune, and 2) Get out with his heart intact. The strong, earthy widow and her two children stirred the dark shadows of his soul-and left traces of hope. But Jack had to resist her sweet temptation-and shackle himself to caution. For Beth would soon discover that her lover was actually her worst enemy-a Stockwell. At the shock of this revelation, would she seek the ultimate revenge...or let love settle the score?
From This Day Forward
by Christie RidgwayA GUN TO THE BACK COULD MAKE A WOMAN THINK ABOUT THINGS...And Annie Smith had had a revelation the day she found herself an innocent bystander in an armed bank robbery! Once the danger was over, she discovered there was one thing in her life she had yet to do: fall in love....Now it seemed everywhere Annie turned, she came face-to-face with sexy Griffin Chase. Not that he was really an option. After all, Griffin was the heir to the Chase family fortune, while she-well, she was his housekeeper's daughter! Yet somehow this incredibly eligible bachelor had named himself her protector in her mad romantic quest. Could it be the prince she once dreamed of would one day be her man?
Magic in a Jelly Jar
by Sally Tyler HayesWHEN YOU WISH UPON A...TOOTH?Disillusioned with love, single dad Joe Morgan had no time for his instant and unwanted attraction to enchanting dentist Samantha Carter. But Joe needed Samantha's help. His son, Luke, had the crazy idea that Samantha was the magic tooth fairy. And Luke was saving teeth in a jelly jar so Samantha would grant his wish for a mother!With one tender, unexpected kiss, Joe broke through Samantha's fragile defenses. And spending time with Joe and Luke awoke dangerous yearnings. Samantha knew her own wish was for them to be a family. But that would never happen-unless she could open Joe's wary heart to the magic of love....
Her Mysterious Houseguest
by Jane ToombsHE WAS TALL, DARK...AND TEMPTINGMysterious Mikel arrived out of nowhere. Rescued Rachel's elderly relative. Then stayed on at her remote Michigan farm to see her through the crisis. Yet with her haunted past, Rachel couldn't risk trusting anyone, least of all this elusive loner. For, despite Mikel's studied nonchalance, he certainly seemed a man on a mission....Mikel's probing questions, his penetrating gaze, warned Rachel to be wary. Still, his heart-stopping kindnesses, his breathtaking sensuality and his own hidden scars from some past betrayal called out to her soul. Though Mikel might expose her every secret, then soon be gone, Rachel ached to be honest with him...and she ached to be his.
Solution: Marriage
by Barbara BenedictLUKE PARKER WAS BACK IN TOWN...The news ripped through Main Street like a midsummer tornado. But Callie Magruder didn't need the local gossip mill to tell her so. She'd felt he was coming. After all, she'd always had a sixth sense when it came to Luke-or maybe it was no sense. Luke was the town's Golden Boy, son of her family's nemesis...and her forbidden first love. And now he was returning with a proposition: marriage! Only, Callie had a ten-year-old secret, one that shared his father's devastating smile....
The Cattleman and the Virgin Heiress
by Jackie Merritt"I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN MY NAME, BUT I REMEMBER WHAT IT IS TO WANT A MAN."-Hope LeClaire Stockwell on her amnesiaThough Hope LeClaire's memory was in shards, in the arms of her gallant rescuer, Matt McCarlson, she felt entirely whole. Stranded on his ranch, they couldn't summon her past, so they focused on the present...and the sensual awareness sizzling between them. Then a torrent of memories came flooding in...and the "forever" she dreamed of was washed away. For Hope was a Stockwell, an heiress of untold wealth, and Matt was the sworn enemy of all aristocratic women. But Hope would not be denied her one chance at happiness...at becoming this proud rancher's wife....
The Ties That Bind
by Ginna GrayWHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A...WEDDING?When ruggedly sexy cowboy Zach Mahoney set foot on her beloved ranch, feisty Willa Simmons saw red. How dare her stepfather's will dictate that she, this mesmerizing stranger and his long-lost brothers all inherit the Rocking R?Infuriated at Zach's commanding ways, unnerved by his raw masculinity and secretly, scandalously drawn to his potent magnetism, Willa obstinately vowed to defy the formidable loner at every turn. But when danger loomed, his powerful broad shoulders protected her. His brotherly brood rallied around. And her aching heart slowly awakened to the power of love. Aghast, Willa began wishing that the will that had undone her...would weave the ties that bind.
Something To Talk About
by Laurie PaigeJUST A LITTLE R & R...All wounded detective Jess Fargo wanted from reclusive widow Kate Mulholland was a place to rest, recover...and try desperately to connect with his estranged son. The last thing he wanted was any kind of involvement, and he had a feeling his lovely landlady felt the same...And she did. Because long ago, Kate realized that motherhood was never going to happen to her, and getting involved with the devastatingly attractive, if prickly, detective-not to mention his needy little boy-was not wise. But then she was forced to trust this strange but compelling man with her life. Could her heart be far behind?
Race To The Altar
by Patricia HaganLiz Mallory may have been a whiz at public relations. But when it came to a NASCAR driver hotshot named Rick Castles, Liz had her hands full. For Rick proved to be the epitome of alpha maleness and smooth seduction-a dangerous combination for a woman trying to get her life back on track. And it wasn't at all the right time for Liz to be finding herself falling in love....She was one heck of a woman, all right, Rick thought. And under different circumstances he would let nothing stand in the way of making Liz Mallory his. But his career hurt relationships. Could he risk her being the one with whom he could finish the ultimate race-to the altar?
Lt. Kent: Lone Wolf
by Judith LyonsBEAUTY AND THE LONE WOLFWounded in body, weary in soul, lone wolf Lt. Jason Kent had bid farewell to civilization-secluding himself in his dark Montana mansion. Few dared to interrupt his self-imposed exile. But one determined woman had boldly invaded his home.Like a moth to a flame, journalist Angie Rose would not be driven away from Jason's side. She arrived on his doorstep to unveil the rugged soldier...the hero...the mysterious millionaire. But how could she reveal the secrets that Jason revealed to her in the darkness-when neither could hide their emotions, when they were alone and defenseless and dependent upon each other....
The Stranger in Room 205
by Gina WilkinsEXTRA! EXTRA! HOT OFF June THE PRESSThe Evening Star's Local Chatter...EDSTOWN, Ark.-Yesterday evening, Serena Schaffer, owner of our town newspaper, found an injured man in a ditch near her home in Edstown. He'd been beaten, robbed and left for dead. Schaffer rushed him to the Edstown hospital, where he's recovering in room 205. The word around town is that it won't be long before those two give in to their powerful attraction to each other....The man in question-Sam Wallace-is a drifter with a vague past. Something tells this reporter that he's not who he claims to be, but one look into his blue eyes and you'd believe anything he said. Although, when it comes to Schaffer and her irresistible smile, there may not be many words spoken!
Her Sister's Secret Son
by Lisette BelisleAN ACCIDENTAL BRIDE?Though she'd spent a lifetime in her flamboyant twin's shadow, Rachel Hale adored selflessly, single-handedly raising her late sister's son. But with no time for dating, Rachel couldn't give her beloved nephew the daddy he deserved. Until a granite-eyed man from Maine discovered little Dylan was his....Strong, honorable and stubborn, Jared Carlisle would stop at nothing to claim his kin. Still, knowing how much a boy needed a mother, he proposed making Rachel his bride. In a twinkling, Rachel was sharing a home and a family with Jared. But would she-or only Dylan and her twin-ever share Jared's love?
Single with Twins
by Joan Elliott PickartMRS. MARSHALL...AGAIN?The stranger at her door swore he was family, brother to the man who'd broken her heart and left her pregnant with twins. Before long, Uncle Mack had won her daughters' affection...and made Heather feel like a woman. But experience had taught her that to love was to lose, and though Mack wanted to form family ties, he didn't seem the type to stay....He was world famous...wined and dined beautiful women. She wore secondhand clothes, pinched every penny and hadn't dated in years. They couldn't be more different. Yet irresistibly they were drawn to each other. But Heather had traveled this road once before with a Marshall. Was Mack certain heartbreak...or the husband of her dreams?
Handprints
by Myrna Temte"I DON'T THINK EITHER ONE OF US GOT THIS OUT OF OUR SYSTEM...."Jack Granger's reference to a few stolen kisses haunted Abby Walsh. For being with him and his daughter made her feel like a penniless kid with her nose pressed against the toy-store window. Everything she'd ever wanted was right in front of her, but still completely out of reach.Well, Abby could hardly complain; the man was only keeping his promise-keeping their relationship casual. Still, Abby felt a sexual thrill she couldn't ignore. And she'd caught enough heated glances and heard enough strangled sighs to suspect he was suffering as much frustration as she was. Phooey. She'd never been this attracted to anyone. Ever.But there was no future for them. End of story. Right?If only it were that simple....
When I See Your Face
by Laurie PaigeHE'D SAVED HER LIFE...He was the charming neighbor who made the darkness more bearable...the sexy stranger whose fiery kisses made Shannon Bannock remember how badly she'd once wanted a husband and family...once, before she'd been temporarily blinded and lost sight of her dreams.SHE'D STOLEN HIS HEART.And Rory Daniels knew if the stubborn beauty could just find the courage to trust him with her aching heart he could show her so much more than just how to get to the mailbox and back. He could show her forever....
The Child She Always Wanted
by Jennifer Mikels"THIS CHILD IS YOURS...."Softhearted Rachel Quinn traveled 1200 miles to her old hometown to deliver an orphaned infant to its only kin, rugged, rough-hewn Kane Riley. Trouble was, years ago Kane had unwittingly stirred womanly dreams and desires in Rachel's teenage heart. Dreams she'd long since abandoned.Worse, the brusque, brooding loner the townsfolk shunned claimed he'd be nobody's hero, refused to take his tiny niece-unless Rachel became the temporary nanny. Still, Rachel saw baby Heather gain a toehold in Kane's hardened, haunted heart. And she found herself foolishly aching to live out her lost dreams: to make this man and child hers.
Bachelor Cop Finally Caught?
by Gina WilkinsThe Evening Star's Police Blotter:WANTED!Small-town reporter Lindsey Gray is being charged with stealing police chief Dan Meadows's heart. Ten years her senior, Chief Meadows always thought of her as a little sister. But now that he's discovered her beauty, it looks like there might be something brewing there. Hopefully the chief isn't too late. Lindsey was last seen leaving town for a quick getaway. She is considered gorgeous and gutsy. If you have any information on this green-eyed goddess, please contact the Edstown Police. Chief Meadows is offering a reward to anyone who can lead him to her whereabouts!
Tall, Dark And Difficult
by Patricia CoughlinHE WAS AN OFFICER...BUT NO GENTLEMANOnce a dashing, decorated test pilot, embittered Major Hollis "Griff" Griffin no longer gave a damn about anything-except fulfilling his late aunt's eccentric last request, then leaving all lingering, loving memories behind. But he'd need help, dammit, from one Rose Davenport-surely a fluttery old antiques addict.Yet Rose proved leggy, delectable and mulishly optimistic about restoring castoffs-even unshaven, arrogant, former flyboys like him. Despite her fear of macho males, she bravely evoked Griff's random acts of tenderness, sentimentally spotting a hero beneath his bitterness. But Griff was no hero. So dare he wheedle this wary, wonderful woman into believing they'd share a bed of roses...forever?
Millionaire in Disguise
by Jean BrashearWAS SHE A MIRAGE...OR A MIRACLE?The enchanting blend of tomboy and temptress who stopped to help him tune his T-bird knew him only as Nikos-not Dominic Santorini, formidable empire builder, intimidating tycoon, forever pursued by females dreaming of emeralds not engines. And the quirky innocent invited him home-where car talk led to caring, to an explosion of desire, to heat and hunger and utter abandon in each other's arms.But morning had to come, and with it...betrayal? Was "Lexie" a corporate spy, intent on destroying his domain? Was love a luxury Nikos couldn't afford? Or dare he trust the truth he felt in her every tender touch?
The Last Mercenary
by Diana PalmerTHE LAST MERCENARY WAS ABOUT TO RETIRE HIS GUN...But that was before the virginal beauty from Micah Steele's past was kidnapped by his sworn enemy. Traveling far and wide to rescue Callie Kirby from a dangerous desperado was far less daunting than trying to combat Micah's potent desire for the feisty young woman. Though her beguiling innocence and sassy spirit penetrated Micah's granite heart, bitter discord had shattered their trust and torn them apart. Still, the heavenly taste of Callie's sweetly tempting lips-and the heady rush of her satiny-soft body yielding to him so trustingly-was slowly driving Micah insane. Was the last mercenary finally ready to claim his bride?
When I Dream of You
by Laurie PaigeMY ENEMY...MY LOVE?For generations, a lake shimmering with sinister, scandalous secrets divided the rival ranching families of Megan Windom and Kyle Herriot. So how could one waltz sweep them into a treacherous whirlpool of primal, unthinkable desire? Why did Kyle's husky whispers begin unveiling Megan's lost memories? Why did quiet Megan haunt Kyle's dreams? What drew them inexorably toward betraying their own kin? Family loyalties and a flood of suspicions threatened to swamp the fierce yet fragile bond that throbbed between them like a thousand ravens' wings. Yet, come hell or high water, their forbidden passion could not be forever denied....
Lucky
by Jennifer GreeneNine months ago, Kasey Crandall would have defined "lucky" as "my life." Married to a wealthy, generous older man, pregnant with a once-in-a-lifetime baby, she was oozing with joy. Now, however, she was more apt to think, "just my luck."Yes, motherhood was as glorious as she expected and she totally adored her daughter. Yet an inner voice was telling her something was wrong with her baby. But nobody wanted to hear that her life was not as perfect as it seemed.Kasey knew she needed to be strong for her child and get her the right help...even if it meant going against her husband's wishes. Even if it meant turning to another man. Because sometimes a woman just has to make her own luck.
Old Boyfriends
by Rexanne BecnelRoad Trip for Three?They were three girlfriends whose love lives had seen better days, and they were driving to a reunion in New Orleans, the town they'd left behind.MJ, a gorgeous younger woman whose older husband died in the bed of...well, let's just say he died in a compromising position; Bitsey, an overweight housewife who can't believe that's all there is; and Cat, a twice-divorced designer whose pristine present is small compensation for her past.The trophy wife, prom queen and trashy girl had a vision: the men of their present didn't hold a candle to the boys in their past.
Taking Back Mary Ellen Black
by Lisa ChildsA starter marriage hadn't been the first act Mary Ellen Black had meant to script for herself, but bowing out provided hard-won perspective: The most important things in life were not things at all, but the people she held dear. In her case, the lovable eccentrics she called family, the ones who were more than ready to support her leading role-if only she'd step into the spotlight. So now Mary Ellen's drafted act two-her return home-and she's pretty sure she's ready for the performance of Her Life, starring a strong, single mother of two.She's all dressed up and ready to take on the world...and take back the woman she was meant to be.
What To Keep
by Mary SchramskiShe'd never had a real home...So it had never been about "what to keep" in her life; she'd not experienced that luxury. Then Juliette Carlton got a call, one that said she'd inherited a fortune-and could she please claim it? Juliette didn't know what to do. She was a down-on-her-luck Las Vegas card dealer with $38 in her bank account.Had she hit the jackpot? Or was it just another loss?At first it seemed the latter. The "fortune" was a dilapidated 140-year-old antebellum house that belonged to an uncle she barely remembered. Beneath layers of dust, every inch of the ancestral home was shrouded in secrets-secrets that would put in doubt everything Juliette ever thought she knew.She would have to decide what to give away. But along the way, she found what to keep....
Life Happens
by Sandra SteffenShe's Hiding Something...Well, everyone is hiding something-but Mya Donohue's secret is knocking on the front door, in no uncertain terms. Mya is about to answer to the daughter she'd given birth to nineteen years ago, and Elle has news for her biological mother. Mya is not only a mom, but a grandmother, too. And Elle isn't sticking around for long. She can't.Offering Mya their assistance are her best friends-the only ones who will dare tell her the truth in unmitigated terms; her mother-a woman still sowing her own share of wild oats; and Elle's father-a man of few words, but usually memorable ones, at that. (Note: Mya's current fiancé has conveniently decided to take a long walk.)
Out with the Old, In with the New
by Nancy Robards Thompson"Ask your husband what he's been doing all those nights he claimed to be at the hospital..."The aforementioned suggestion would never be welcomed by any woman who'd been married for the better (well, mostly) part of twenty years. But for Kate Hennessey, who was celebrating turning forty by taking a fabulous vacation with her two best friends, the timing was not the best.Does she go, or does she stay?She'll get the answer soon enough. And though her world may be rocked, maybe she can cope better than we think. Because design is her business, after all. You know, changing things around and putting the pieces together in a whole new way....
Hell's Belles
by Kristen RobinetteShaking it up at the stop-n-bowlThe belles of hell-four best friends growing up in Haddes, Georgia-had a plan. Right before graduating high school, and setting off to capture their dreams, they decided to create a "time capsule"-a letter describing their fantasies for the future. In twenty years they'd meet and see if fantasy had met with reality.MATTIE: At forty, was the man of her dreams still miles away?DELLA: Her old prom dress no longer fit. Did her wedding ring?ERICA: Had seen the world, and found that Hell, home and love all meant Haddes.SHAY: Now could she stop running from her fears?Hell's Belles were back-and though they'd traded milkshakes for margaritas, one thing still remained the same: a whole lot of shaking was about to happen in Haddes!
Come October
by Patricia KayTHEY SAY YOUR LIFE CAN CHANGE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE...And the woman who used to be known as Claire Sherman had to agree. Because that second, that minute, that day exactly six years ago was the one in which everything had simply ceased to be.Her name-it was now Elena Lopez. Her future-no white lace, no promises, no babies in store for her. Even the man she loved-she had to let Tucker Sutherland go, for his own sake.But into this altered reality came a new identity. A new hope. Still, once again, it was October. And the winds of change were starting to blow....
Dating the Mrs. Smiths
by Tanya Michaels"There's no way I would have ever imagined swapping datinghorror stories with my mother-in-law. But life is now officially very, very weird."In Eleven Short Months Charlotte Smith Has:A. Become a widow too soonB. Had her job transferred out of stateC. Driven over 1500 miles with two cranky kidsD. Moved in with her mother-in-law, Rose Fiorello Smith (a cross between Mary Poppins and Napoleon)For Charlotte aka Charlie, dealing with bumps in the road is a fact of life lately. Maybe it's time she made Rose realize that embracing change isn't about waving goodbye, but saying hello to a life where limits are for sissies...and a new beginning is only a new hairdo away.
The Lighthouse
by Mary SchramskiI've never been close with my father...Even though I'm his only child. We were both held together by my mother, the warm, dancing flame attracting the quiet moths. Dad was always on the other side of the sun; I could never reach him.Now Mom's gone. It's Christmas. And my unapproachable father is chasing a wild, crazy, impossible dream. He's putting everything he has into restoring an old, abandoned lighthouse that Mom loved.Yet, after a while, something about restoring the landmark started to make sense. Because in the glow of that beacon, a wife and mother was not gone, but instead was showing her two most treasured people the way toward peace.
A Long Walk Home
by Diane AmosDO TEENAGE GIRLS COME WITH INSTRUCTION MANUALS?The call came out of the blue-Annie's sister Dana is in rehab...can her thirteen-year-old daughter come stay in Maine with Annie? But the wild child in black and piercings is not the sweet little girl Annie remembers.So much for the new pink towels.Surly, sullen and scared, Summer puts a gigantic wedge between Annie and her lover, her friends, even her wonderful ex-motherin-law. Yet Annie has always described herself as a dandelion: not the prettiest flower perhaps, but the most determined and resilient. She refuses to give up on Summer. As days become weeks, downs (slowly!) become ups and risks turn into rewards. And for Annie, the long walk home to what matters most has been worth every step.
Holidays Are Murder
by Charlotte DouglasTHE HOLIDAYS?-DON'T YOU JUST LOVE 'EM?Been overstressed at work? Ever wish the holidays would go on an extended vacation? Worried about finding the perfect gift? Or had unresolved conflicts with family that drive you up the wall?Detective Maggie Skerritt is every woman who's been there, done that.She also excels at her work, doesn't eat right or get enough sleep and loves to have someone else do her cooking. But her job is murder and she strives to make her city safe. In the process, she gathers her courage to risk loving again.But first she has to make it through Thanksgiving, Christmas...and another murder in Pelican Bay.
Blackberry Winter
by Cheryl ReavisI am illegitimate. But this was never a problem for me-it was just me and my mother against the world. Mother never told me much about her past, and after a couple of unanswered questions in childhood, I stopped asking. Now, Mother is sick, and she's decided to revisit the past-literally-by taking an unexpected trip to the mountains where she was born.I was worried; I was scared. I followed her. And my mother's journey became my journey, too. I discovered that I have a father-and my parents are still in love. Their life together just took a detour that lasted over forty years.Their relationship was like a blackberry winter...the colder the weather, the sweeter the berries in spring. And now that I've found the truth, will I have the strength to make it through my own blackberry winter?
Dragonflies and Dinosaurs
by Kate AustinAt forty-two and given to the occasional panic attack, Randy Roman is taking a leave of absence from her life. After twenty years of working at a bank-no husband, no kids-she's hitting the road with her young nephews Mickey and Eric, and Dexter, a precocious dog they pick up along the way. With each passing mile of prairie, farmland and raspberry fi eld, Randy feels the thrill of freedom....Their destination is Cranberry Portage, a quaint lakeside town her mother loved and Randy can barely remember. But a surprise awaits them at journey's end. Call it fate, karma, or the chance for renewal, it will give Randy the courage to take a risk that will change her life....
What Happens in Paris (Stays in Paris?)
by Nancy Robards Thompsonand the #1 sign that your husband is gay...There's an article in the newspaper telling you so. With a photo, no less.OKAY, so in retrospect, maybe there were other signs that all was not well in Annabelle Essex's eighteen-year-old marriage. Now she had to take stock of her life.She had a wonderful son in college. A job she hated. And a meddlesome sister who insisted that this crisis was really an opportunity in disguise. After all, Annabelle had some dreams left: Paris (she'd always wanted to go) and art (she was a closet painter). So said sister enrolled her in a contest: winner gets a three-month artist-in-residence fellowship in the City of Light. Annabelle was horrified. She couldn't just give up, could she? Trade in the job she hated for three months in the city she'd never stopped dreaming about? Besides, she'd never win it.BUT what if she did?
Driving Me Crazy
by Peggy WebbBecause there are no speed limits in lifeIf there's one thing mystery novelist Maggie Dufrane knows, it's this: Laughter through tears is the Southern way. At least that's what her spitfire mama, aka the Mississippi queen of drama, says. But now the indomitable matriarch is ailing. And reliable Maggie-the-family-chauffeur is moving back in to fix things...again.Then Maggie's life takes another sharp turn. Her older sister, Jean, drops a shocker, screeching (as always), "What are we going to do?" Jean is terrified. Maggie is exasperated. And Mama's convinced it's the best gossip she's heard all year. But can Maggie tear a page from Mama's book of living large, step back and let her family tackle their own problems for once?Maybe there's a god of second chances after all.
Treading Lightly
by Elise LanierTreading lightly had never been Janine Ruvacado's (pronounced: rude avocado) philosophy...The bestselling writer (former) had a way of grabbing life and wrestling it to the ground. Only these days, the wrestling was getting tiresome. If her crazy, passive-aggressive ex-husband wasn't cooking something up to badger her with, then her mother, Betty Black (the anti-Betty White) was calling to remind her of her shortcomings. Her son, her pride and joy, was becoming a teen (and everyone knows what that means).The icing on the cake, though, was when Harvey, her wellmeaning doctor, decided to blackmail her into, of all things, exercising because he'd diagnosed her with osteoporosis. Wasn't her life enough to manage?So, Janine bought herself a membership to the local gym, and started walking on the treadmill. Surprisingly, a whole new world opened up with each step she took...and that had a lot to do with the man walking right next to her.
Off the Map
by Dorien KellyShe needed to find her blissHabitual accommodator Tessa Wright is a mess. And no amount of diplomacy will get back what she wants: Her swishy banking job. Her AWOL husband. The comfortable-albeit lackluster-life she once slipped into like a shadow.Now faced with forging a new life map, Tessa agrees to share a palatial Costa Rican vacation home with Kate, her former boss. Could it be the one-way path to bliss they both crave?But the gorgeous Playa Blanca house perched over the ocean hides more revelations-and inhabitants-than Tessa ever anticipated. Suddenly she must make a decision that teaches her an age-old truth she never would have learned back home: Sometimes achieving happiness means following your own compass...no matter where it takes you.
The Sunshine Coast News
by Kate AustinSince when did life ever tell you where you were going?Josie Harris always drew comfort from the thought that she lived a charmed life. Unexciting, perhaps, but stable and predictable. In a rut? Josie counted that as luck-at least one knew what would happen next.Then disaster struck. Her parents moved across the country, she lost her job and, worst of all-after more than forty years of marriage, her father announced he was leaving her mother. Some local hussy had lured him away! What kind of senior community was this?Josie knew it was time to take charge. She had to make her parents see sense. So she drove across to the Sunshine Coast and was soon immersed in a new job, new community...and most of all, a new and totally unexpected love.
Spring Break
by Charlotte DouglasSPRING BREAKDOWNIt's springtime again, and all P.I. Maggie Skerritt and her charmingly levelheaded business partner and fiancé, Bill Malcolm, can do is hope that rite of passage infamously known as spring break is quiet and painless. Luckily, as the week progresses, Maggie and Bill find the influx of college kids committing only minor offenses, albeit they're piling up like empty kegs at a frat party.If only life could remain that simple...While the tourists wreak mostly harmless havoc, the murder of a woman and her possible connection to a local politician grabs all Maggie's attention. And when that same connection leads her and Bill back to the unsolved case that changed-and still haunts-both their lives, Maggie suddenly wishes party patrol was all she had to worry about.
The Good Kind of Crazy
by Tanya MichaelsYou DON'T PICK YOUR FAMILY, BUT YOU CAN LOVE THEM.Somebody ought to pinch Neely Mason. An all-around-perfect man has asked her to marry him. Suddenly the sister voted most likely to become the resident "crazy neighborhood cat lady" is tying the knot at forty-five.Now the hard part. Neely has to tell her cheerfully opinionated (read: outrageous) family the news. Soon Mom is issuing matrimonial orders like a wedding planner on steroids, baby sis, Vidalia, is actually making sense for once and normally chipper Savannah seems so lost.Can the Mason sisters pull through this wedding and still keep their fragile bond intact? Because one thing's for sure, when it comes to family, crazy is a relative term.
Where's Stanley?
by Donna FasanoIf her husband turned up alive-she'd kill him!Explaining to the seriously sexy cop why she hadn't noticed her husband missing for three days was both embarrassing and sobering. But the day Fiona Rowland lifted her head above the churning chaos of kids, carpools and a million things to do, annoyance turned to fury...then to worry. Where was Stanley?Having one of those wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee moments changes the way a woman looks at things: marriage, money, family and friends. And when her best pal from high school appears (packing her own secrets) to lend support, it turns out even the past isn't quite what it seems. Scrambling to make sense of the drama unfolding, Fiona discovers there's an upside to having your whole world turned upside down. It's easier to grab the good stuff.
The Birdman's Daughter
by Cindi MyersAs a wife and mother, Karen McBride wonders if she'll ever discover what her own spirit requires to feel whole. When her father, the formidable champion bird-watcher, Martin Engel, suffers a stroke, Karen rushes home to Texas to take care of the man who always seemed to have more love for winged creatures than his own family.And now here she is-her children nearly grown, and her rock-of-a-husband, Tom, angry with her for not giving more of herself. She has the feeling that if she could only connect with Martin, somehow her relationships would all make sense. Is this her last chance to soar free?
The Single Life
by Liz WoodMeet Lauren Wilt, Chicago's newest hot thirty-something. She's making a splash Carrie Bradshaw-style with a sex column in the Chicago Gazette that has singles in the city craving more.Meet Lauren Gard, the fifty-something writer once loved by the literati, dealing with an empty nest, a new life alone and a tangle of leaky pipes.And no one can know they're one and the same.So when readers clamor to see their relationship diva in the flesh, Lauren and her friends must perpetrate some fancy sleight of hand à la Cyrano de Bergerac to keep the paper from finding out the truth...and they find out being single requires a lot of solidarity!
Falling Out of Bed
by Mary SchramskiWAKE UP! WAKE UP! LIFE IS HAPPENING WHILE YOU SLEEP...Melinda had never questioned her perfect life. Why should she? Her husband's successful, she's not working for the first time in years and their only daughter is in college. Her father-a workaholic, perfectionist, runner and health nut to boot-is happy and healthy, too.Or so Melinda thought until her father quite literally falls out of bed. Suddenly her formerly robust parent is in jeopardy, and their roles are reversed. Melinda's life changes in the blink of an eye.But with the changes, unexpected blessings come her way, too. Because as she and her father bond, Melinda realizes she's been sleeping through life-and starts discovering what really matters....
Flying Lessons
by Peggy WebbIf this is Beth Holt Martin's life, she wants a refund.It's true. At fifty-three, all Beth's got is a sex-starved marriage to Howard the psychiatrist, an (almost) empty nest and a suitcase full of long-forgotten dreams of becoming...well, something more.Beth doesn't look like the kind of woman who would run away from home, but to heck with reason. If logic were motor oil, she'd be three quarts low. Besides, only one question really counts: Can love survive being stuck in a zipper? Maybe it's time to spread her wings (for everyone's sake), cross her fingers...and see where the open road to acceptance and hope will lead.
The Unspoken Years
by Lynne HugoSOMETIMES THINGS-NO MATTER HOW HARD A WOMAN TRIES-CAN'T BE FIXEDRUTH-from childhood to young womanhood-struggled to come to terms with her mother's often incomprehensible ways, sure that if she were good enough, tried hard enough, she would be able to save her mother from hurt and keep her family intact. If love were powerful enough, it could bring reason to the unreasonable, couldn't it?EVAN-the man who convinced Ruth she needed more, if only she'd reach for it. But he never expected that his love for Ruth would be something she had to pay so dearly for.ELIZABETH-"mother"-the keeper of secrets.
Sisters
by Nancy Robards ThompsonTwo halves of a wholeOnce, long ago, Skye and Summer had looked so much alike that no one could tell the twin sisters apart. Now there was barely a trace of a resemblance. Once, the two of them had been huddled together against a world that neither one of them could deal with alone. Now they hadn't seen each other for years.But it was time for them to get together once more-for Skye Woods and Summer Russo were on the road again. And this time they're in search of their other sister, Jane-the piece of the puzzle that, once inserted, might finally just make their family whole.Not normal, mind you. But whole...
The English Wife
by Doreen RobertsHe left her a cottage in England...and a photograph with the words "I'm sorry" written on it...Marjorie Maitland was used to a certain routine-she'd built her life around the safety of predictability. Then the unexpected happened-her husband died. But grief was not the only emotion that overwhelmed her. The mystery her husband left behind puzzled her-a deed to a cottage in England. Where had that come from? And who was the woman in the photograph? Margie knew trouble when it knocked on her door.The old Margie, safe in her suburban home, would have avoided this potentially humiliating situation. But things were changing. The new Margie had to unravel this tangled web and get to the truth. And that meant a trip to England to find out if her entire life had been a lie...or to discover the best parts of the rest of her life.
Window Dressing
by Nikki RiversSometimes Reality Bites...Lauren Campbell thought she knew where she was going. After dropping her son off at college, she'd have four years to live out her dreams and plan the future. But she'd been so living in denial, spending her days baking cookies, cleaning the house and going to PTA meetings, that she missed the fine print on her divorce. Now she's about to go from empty nest to no nest because her ex's support has ended!From dressing as a milkmaid at the local grocery to working on window displays, Lauren struggles to make lemonade out of lemons. But a strange thing happens along the way. This "temporary" life starts looking more appealing than the life she's built in her fantasies....
Sparkle
by Jennifer GreeneThey couldn't be any more differentPoppy Thompson: The self-proclaimed homeliest woman in town, she deals with animals for a living rather than people.Bren Price: The ever-proper minister's wife, she does everything her husband tells her, but lately her best just isn't good enough.They'd never even spoken to one another until a surprise inheritance brings them together. A fortune in sparkling jewelry could give them what each desires most-Poppy's surgical transformation, Bren's escape from her husband. Yet the real treasure just might be the friendship these two total opposites form once they discover all that glitters isn't gold.
Slow Hands
by Debra DixonSparring has never been so sweetly seductive as in this delicious romance from Debra Dixon, who entangles a sassy workaholic with a formerly buttoned-down and bottled-up hero determined to show her how to seize the day. Sam Tucker isn't the kind of man to wait for an invitation, not when his mission is to help business executive Clare McGuire learn the joys of losing control. He's a man who truly appreciates living in the moment. Can he tempt his beautiful apprentice into doing the same? Convinced Sam only wants to change her, Clare insists she likes her life just as it is. Until, that is, the free-spirited, hold-your-breath-handsome professor kisses her with a fiery need that echoes her own. Loving Sam means having fun, living life to the fullest, and putting old sorrows to rest--if she dares to take a chance. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: All Is Fair . . ., Bad to the Bone, and Rescuing Diana.
Midnight Hour
by Debra DixonIn this uncanny tale of romance from bestselling author Debra Dixon, the new doctor in town falls for a late-night-TV temptress, who in turn is spooked by the promise of love. Her voice enticed him from the start. So when Dr. Nick Devereaux gets a glimpse of Midnight Mercy Malone, the local TV-horror-movie hostess, he's overcome with a desire to keep her up all night. Still, he likes her even better out of her slinky costumes, an everyday beauty who has him prescribing house calls. Every red-blooded male in Louisville tunes into The Midnight Hour for its heartbreaker of a hostess, but Mercy's lusty alter ego has a way of scaring them off in person. Offscreen, she's never risked getting her heart broken--until Nick shows up at her doorstep. She can feel the heat from his body. His exotic Cajun accent gives her goosebumps. And the mischief in his eyes dares her to run--just so Nick can enjoy the chase. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: All Is Fair . . ., Bad to the Bone, and Rescuing Diana.
Mountain Mystic
by Debra DixonBestselling author Debra Dixon ventures deep into the heart of the rural Appalachian Mountains for an unexpected romance that sizzles with friction and fire. Joshua Logan has come back to the lush, green mountains of East Tennessee to get away from the world. After years in the spotlight as a renowned archaeologist and author, Joshua wants nothing more than to reconnect with the hills where he grew up--where the psychic abilities that made him famous can't continue to torture him. The last thing he needs now is a gorgeous woman looking for a guide through the mountains--or the tantalizing lure of a mind whose emotions he cannot read. Victoria Bennett is determined to help the women of Appalachia, far away from her old, privileged life in Connecticut. With a degree in midwifery and a divorce under her belt, Victoria is not looking for any entanglements; she simply wants to do some good. But the tension between her and Joshua is instant. He is everything she's never had--ruggedly handsome, strong, physical . . . and flirty as all get-out. Can she risk reliving her past mistakes for even one night with a man who flusters her mind and sets her heart ablaze? Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: All Is Fair . . ., Bad to the Bone, and Rescuing Diana.