ONCE BURNED…When polished Seattle professional Lauren Edwards landed at a wilderness cabin to temporarily caretake her widowed brother's children, she was flying blind, relying on untried instincts to guide her. Until help arrived in the unlikely form of brazen bush pilot Zach McKendrick…whose granite shoulders and mesmerizing maleness marked him a force of nature Lauren hadn't bargained for.No woman alive could resist Zach's tenderness with the motherless tykes–or the haunting hunger in his quicksilver eyes. Zach evoked longings Lauren had all but abandoned–for marriage, for motherhood. But would this wounded lone wolf ever seek the warmth of hearth and home–or safely settle for tending another man's children?
When Jeff Ritter offered Ashley Churchill shelter, the struggling single mom longed to lean on his broad shoulders. And though she accepted a job as his housekeeper, Ashley was determined to make her own happiness, without the heartbreak of loving a man. No matter how tempting that man was….It was Jeff's nature to protect, but his heart was off-limits–even to the woman and child he came home to each night. For life had made Jeff a hardened soldier, not a man to love. And despite the hope he saw shining in Ashley's eyes, Jeff didn't dare dream she could truly be his….
Single father in need of a wife!High-flying businessman Carson Page loves his young son, but Joey is deaf–and Carson is unable to communicate with him.Gina Tennison feels for Joey–she was once in his position herself. So for his sake, she agrees to live in Carson's home for the summer to show this proud man how to reach out to his son. As Carson becomes the dad of Joey's dreams, Gina begins to wonder if Carson could ever reach out for her, too….
It was a grand white wedding that would make the society pages the world over–handsome British aristocrat Jarvis Larne was marrying beautiful American oil heiress Meryl Winters. But behind the lavish ceremony, their vows were a sham.Marrying for convenience had been the only way Jarvis could save his estate–and that had hurt his pride. But after the wedding came the wedding night–which exceeded both their expectations! Was their society wedding set to become a marriage for real?
HE'D COME TO CLAIM HER HEART…But he didn't seem to have one of his own. Yet from his midnight-black hair down to his dusty cowboy boots, Bo Ramsey still radiated sexiness. Months ago he'd left without saying goodbye, on the arm of another woman, but now he was back, as seductive as ever though broken in body and spirit. But since he'd disappointed Abby once before, she told herself that Bo's troubles were none of her concern….Yes, that's what she told herself. Until Bo turned up on her doorstep, with a plea for forgiveness and a look of such love in his eyes that she stopped listening to the voice in her head and started hearing the one in her heart….
CHARMING, CONFIDENT, SEXY…AND A HEARTBREAKERThat's how rancher David Major remembered his ex-love Kim Winchester. Romance had budded between them in high school, but ended abruptly when Kim moved away without even saying goodbye. Now she was back in his life, and though she was still strikingly beautiful, he wasn't ready to put his heart on the line again.When she'd returned home to Colorado after ten long years, the last person Kim expected to greet her at the airport was David. Seeing him set her heart aflutter, but she'd changed since she last saw him–matured, made herself over, moved on. As the two grew close again, she regretted leaving him all those years ago, but would she be able to heal his shattered heart?
INTEROFFICE MEMOFROM: MATTHEW HARDING, CEO, HARDING HOTELSREGARDING: STEPHANIE ROSSI, MY PERSONAL ASSISTANTWhen Stephanie Rossi was promoted from our operations department to be my right-hand woman, I was skeptical at first. But her amazing efficiency and plainspoken Brooklyn smarts*#151;not to mention the gorgeous looks she keeps under wraps at work– soon won me over. After Stephanie's amazing performance–both personal and professional–during a hotel crisis, I grew more intrigued by her than ever. So intrigued that I'd love to attend her sister's wedding not as her boss, but as her date! Yet suddenly Stephanie wants to transfer out of my office…and straight out of my life? Well, maybe it's time for a little one-on-one assignment….
HAVING HIS BABYEmily Maguire's gruff-as-granite brother-in-law had always seemed intimidating and remote. But now that Emily was pregnant, widowed and humiliated by her late husband, Dillon was suddenly sticking too close for comfort. Why?Oddly protective of Emily and her in vitro baby-to-be, Dillon used his muscular exterior to serve her Jell-O, to nurse her through morning sickness–even to become her birthing coach. But what unspoken secret made this rough-hewn male treat her so tenderly? And why did she respond so shamelessly to his raw masculinity? It almost felt as if Dillon was the father of her child–almost as if he loved her!
Heather felt humiliated when Lorenzo Martelli jilted her at the altar. She blamed his brother Renato for what had happened and was astonished when everyone insisted Renato make amends by taking his brother's place in an arranged marriage with her!Renato was a powerful man, not used to taking orders. But he knew he was responsible, and felt duty-bound to marry Heather. She was wary of accepting such a proud, arrogant substitute husband–only the attraction between them was overwhelming…. Could she refuse?
Dearest Godmother,You said all I must do to regain my youth is play matchmaker for twenty-one couples. Well, it's harder than you made it sound! Luckily, I've only got six more to go.Take my latest attempt: ex-ugly-duckling Jackie Hammond and sexy rancher Steven Rollins. There's sizzle between these two strangers–even I can see it–but Jackie just found out that Steven's one-year-old cutie is biologically hers. (How? You'd have to ask the fertility clinic.) I can't blame her for wanting two weeks with a child she has to give up, but how can I make Jackie see that she should fight for the little girl–and the one man who makes her feel beautiful?Merry