The Cat RulesRule #1: Cats have nine lives. Catherine Wyndham had used up her first eight avoiding mishaps and romantic misadventures. Now she had only one more left…and one last chance to find true love.Rule #2: Cats always land on their feet. Catherine usually did too, until she was waylaid one night by a purrfectly irresistible veterinarian, Garrett McAllister. He was so kind to her that soon her finicky heart began to melt, even though her inner feline told her she might be headed for a romantic crash landing!Rule #3: Good little kittens grow up, get rescued by the tom of their dreams and live happily ever after.Is that really a rule…or is it just another romantic furry tail?
Successful, handsome Rick Blaine wanted to know everything about his lovely new employee Catrina Mitchell. What did she like? What made her laugh? But when Rick learned Catrina's daughter was the source of joy in Catrina's luscious brown eyes, his racing heart came to a screeching halt.Having a little girl look up at him with hopeful eyes scared him to death. Children were a lifetime commitment–and he was a confirmed bachelor.But Catrina wasn't so easy to forget…. Should Rick start mixing business with romance–and both with a baby?
The French chateau is the perfect hiding place for Jo–until its owner, sardonic reporter Patrick Burns, comes home…At first Patrick thinks the secretive runaway is a thief–or worse–until he sees that what Jo's hiding is her painful past. Soon the brave, lonely girl is the woman he can't live without. But can a man who's never loved win the trust of a girl who's never been loved? Or will her frightening new feelings for him make Jo run again?
Sweet, shy Eleanor Lippert had had it! She now held the dubious title of oldest unmarried woman in Oakdale–and virgin, to boot. It was high time she shed her scholarly shell and unleashed the temptress within. Problem was, she didn't know the first thing about men, let alone seducing one….Heartbreaker Cole Sullivan had been away for twelve years, and boy, had things changed! The innocent girl who once had tutored him in math now was a woman in need of his help…to snare a man! He'd always admired Eleanor, but her stunning transformation was too much for any man to resist–even a sworn bachelor like him…
Precious seconds slipping away, Mack Chaney crashed Sydney's Wedding of the Year to expose a betrayaL.and save the bride from marrying a snake in gentleman's clothing. Suzie Ashton had been his woman once, before their romance ended.Now, like some dark knight in black leather, Mack couldn't help but claim the vulnerable beauty in virginal white as his wife.For Mack, their whirlwind union meant more than sparing Suzie humiliation. It was as binding as the kisses and caresses they shared as Mr. and Mrs. But secrets still loomed between them, secrets Mack vowed to unveil once his bride fled the morning after….
When Maura O'Sullivan took a job with Spencer Diamond, she knew getting too close to the handsome and commanding horse rancher might be risky. But she had a bigger goal in mind–to get closer to the father she never knew she had, who happened to live nearby. For that she would do anything…even spend long days in the company of Spencer, a man whose dazzling blue eyes and soft lips she'd never been able to forget….And then her father walked in the door, and all else was forgotten–almost. Because as she waited to see if he would claim her as his own, Maura remembered Spencer's warm embrace and passionate kisses, and realized how desperately she was in need of both men in her life….
FROM THE DESK OF EMILY WINTERSBachelor #3: Lord Breton Hamilton Title: Senior VP of Overseas Operations This month's scheme: Turn his pretend engagement into a real «I do»I can't believe my luck! Not only is gorgeous Brett Hamilton secretly a British lord, but also he's asked pretty paralegal Sunny Robins to be his fiancée! Okay, it's all for show–she gets a temporary place to stay, he convinces his parents he's found true love and avoids the arranged marriage they're plotting for him. But will this mismatched couple of convenience get what they really need when the romantic charade is over: a real, everlasting love? I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Courtesy of his rakish good looks and powerful prestige, Jared Gillette was every woman's fantasy. Yet, as far as Nicki Holliday was concerned, he was 100% Scrooge! Sure, she felt a jolt of electricity whenever Jared ravished her with his sexy-as-sin eyes…but a practically penniless Nicki was infuriated because her «Bah, Humbug!» boss had her fired. Then he proceeded to charm her into caring for his beloved daughter! Well, a soft-hearted Nicki couldn't resist the challenge of spreading warm holiday cheer throughout his arctic mansion. Before long, a gruffly tender Jared swept the orphaned beauty off her feet. But would it take a miracle to awaken the jaded tycoon to the wonder of love?
Loner Sky Buchanan was sure that his encounter with beguiling Meredith Warner was just a beautiful memory–until the day she returned to town, expecting his child!Sky had never planned on kids–nor wanted a wife. Still, the thought of his baby cradled in Meredith's gentle embrace–and Meredith in his own–spurred him to propose. But how dare she refuse–didn't she know how many others had longed to hear those words?Yet Meredith insisted on more than «I do»–she wanted the other words. Was there a chance she'd ever get them?
SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH HER SEXY, MUCH OLDER BOSS…He was tall, dark and a hunk–typical reasons why Jed Sawyer was the talk of the town. And Nurse Brianne Barrington was the latest victim of his lethal charm. But while Brianne had a bad case of «my-Mr. Right syndrome,» the jaded older man was suffering from «can't commit-itis.»Jed knew better than to take what Brianne was offering. Besides, he'd vowed never to let anyone unshackle the chains around his heart. So how had a woman who believed in church weddings, white gowns and forever made mincemeat of his grand plan to keep things between them strictly professional?