A child he’s never met.

A danger he’s never known.

That he’s a father is news Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that Sam is in the custody of an abusive criminal, that they’ve disappeared . . . and that Ben is now the child’s only hope.

As Ben and Claire band together to track the two down, their concern for the boy draws them closer, each fighting feelings there’s no time to explore. Ben’s got one chance to take back what’s his, and in one gunshot he could lose it

all . . .

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THE SECRET

RE-ISSUE

What lies in the past ...

Haunted by a near-death experience, a troubled son, and a failed marriage, advertising executive Kate Rollins is ready to escape the harsh glamour of LA for the small town vibe of Lost Peak, Montana. All she wants is the simple life of running a cafe inherited from her grandmother Nell. A chance to recharge, a time to refocus. What she gets is a suspicious feeling about Nell's death and a sexy rancher named Chance McLain...

Kate maybe determined to resist him, but Chance can't ignore the desire he feels for her—or the fact somebody wants her to leave Lost Peak. With the promise of a future together tangled up in the ghosts of her past, Kate and Chance must believe in each other before they can believe in love...

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This case may be too hot to handle...

There's silver out there: Sabrina Eckhart is sure of it. And when she finds the hidden mine on that big piece of West Texas desert, all of her financial problems are solved. That is, if she can find it. The man with the skills she needs is private investigator Alex Justice─a former navy fighter pilot and a current pain in the neck.

When mysterious "accidents" start to plague their search, it seems Rina's multi-acre inheritance might be more of a curse than a blessing. And yet, there's still something sensual about the heat...his arrogance...her stubbornness...being thrust into each other's arms by danger...But the vultures are circling, and if they don't watch their backs, the relentless desert sun could be the last thing they ever see.

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DEEP BLUE

RE-ISSUE

The answer lies beneath ...

For reporter Hope Sinclair, writing about the recovery of a sunken Spanish treasure off Pleasure Island should be her big break. Yet Hope can't help feeling she's been hand—picked for this job for all the wrong reasons. Someone wants Hope out of New York-and off a story that could blow a corruption case wide open. But if they think sending her to paradise will shut her up, they've got another thing coming ...

Treasure hunter and former Navy SEAL Conner Reese isn't happy to have Hope along for the ride. He doesn't need the publicity, nor does he want a gorgeous redhead driving his crew—and himself—to distraction. But there's something else. Conner can sense extreme danger, and danger is following Hope Sinclair very, very closely ...

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AGAINST THE SUN

Millions of lives are on the line.
But for him, only one truly matters

It's not in bodyguard Jake Cantrell's job description to share his suspicions with his assignments. Beautiful executive Sage Dumont may be in charge, but Jake's not on her payroll. As a former special forces marine, Jake trusts his gut, and it's telling him that there's something off about a shipment arriving at Marine Drilling International. His instinct is aroused...in more ways than one.

A savvy businesswoman, Sage knows better than to take some hired gun's "hunch" as gospel. And yet she is learning not to underestimate the man her grandfather hired to protect her. Determined to prove Jake wrong, Sage does some digging of her own and turns up deadly details she was never meant to see.

Drawn into a terrifying web of lies and deceit—and into feelings they can't afford to explore—what Jake and Sage uncover may be frighteningly worse than  they ever imagined.

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He knows what goes on in the dark.

She’s got the face of an angel and the body of…well, isn’t that what he’d expect from an exotic dancer? But there’s something about this girl that Johnnie Riggs can’t shake. The former army ranger is hot on the trail of an elusive drug lord—and suddenly very hot under the collar, as well.

Amy’s got her own agenda to pursue: her sister is missing and Amy seems to be the only one who cares. She’ll enlist Johnnie's help and do her best to ignore her growing attraction to finally get some answers. But when the two trails begin to converge and reveal something even more sinister than they imagined, their mutual desire is the least of their problems. They’ll bring the truth to light…or die trying.

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HOT RAIN

Can you handle the heat ?

Allie Parker knows her best friend's death was no accident, and her quest to find the truth soon puts her in the wrong place--at the worst possible time...

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AGAINST THE STORM

Some women find trouble wherever they go.

And some men are their only protection against it.

Redheads like her are nothing but trouble. But Trace Rawlins, a former army-ranger-turned-private-investigator, takes the case anyway. After all, he knows how to deal with women.

Trace can sense that something’s wrong—Maggie O’Connell isn’t telling him everything. If these menacing calls and messages are real, why won’t the police help her? And if they aren’t real, what is she hiding?

As Trace digs deeper to find the source of Maggie’s threats, he discovers a secret that no one was meant to uncover. And the only puzzle left to be solved is whether the danger comes from an unknown stalker…or from the woman he’s trying his hardest not to fall for.

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MAGNIFICENT PASSAGE

RE-ISSUE

Twenty five years ago I started my first novel, which today would be

considered an old fashioned Bodice Ripper. This is a Western Romance,

the sort popular back in the eighties.

Mandy Ashton fled a stifling frontier existence for the glittering social whirl of Sacramento City, California's state capital, trading childhood innocence for a woman's burning desire. Though it’s risky to masquerade as her flighty cousin, Julia, Mandy is determined to give her cousin a chance at happiness with the man she loves.  But Mandy is hardly faint of heart—proven time and again on a journey fraught with deadly adventure and sublime temptation.

Travis Langley, known by his Indian name, Hawk, is a white man raised by the Cheyenne, a man trying to make peace with his dual heritage. The last thing he needs is a job chaperoning Julia Aston, the California governor's spoiled daughter. But Mandy—posing as Julia—is spirited, captivating, and irresistibly sensuous. By journey's end, Mandy and Hawk have become helpless prisoners of a smoldering passion that nothing can kill—except, perhaps, the secret Mandy has guarded so carefully throughout the arduous days and passionate nights of their long, magnificent passage.

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TIN ANGEL  

RE-ISSUE

My husband, Larry, and I wrote this book together back in 1989.

It's a fast paced historical romance with humor and adventure that

I hope you will enjoy.

Jessica Taggart came west seeking adventure, and no hard-drinking, easy-living rogue like Jake Weston was going to stop her from finding it. Event if it meant being his partner in the Tin Angel, the most notorious brothel on the Barbary Coast. Even if she had to resist his determined seduction when all she really wanted was to melt in his arms.

Jake had no intention of sharing the Tin Angel with some high society, know-it-all-female from Boston. But Jessica's beauty, spirited independence, and sensual, responsive nature made him want to swear off other women forever.

And when Jessie proceeded to get shipwrecked, kidnapped, and almost killed, Jake swore to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe whether she wanted his help or not.

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A SONG FOR MY MOTHER

A compelling story of love,

loss, hope and second chances...

Years after running away with her boyfriend in her junior year of high school, Marly Hanson returns to Dreyerville at the request of her daughter, Katie, who has recently been treated for brain cancer. Katie has never met her grandmother, Marly's mother, Winnie. But Marly and Winnie have been estranged for years and confronting the past for each of them is painful. The homecoming is bittersweet, but revisiting the conflict between them is crucial if Marly and her mother are ever to find the bond they shared before Marly left Dreyerville.      

To complicate matters, living next door to Winnie is handsome sheriff and widower Reed Bennett, and his son, Ham, who is close to Katie's age. Ham and Katie become fast friends, while their parents find their attraction to one another going deeper than mere friendship. But Marly's time in Dreyerville is limited and risking her heart isn't something she's willing to do.     

As the days slip past, and though she tries to avoid it, Marly and Reed become more deeply involved. Can she risk loving the handsome sheriff and give up the the futer she worked so hard to forge for herself and her daughter? Can she make a life in Dreyerville after what happened all those years ago?

Will Marly finally realize that her true destiny and ultimate happiness lie in coming to terms with her past?

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AGAINST THE LAW

The most unsettled of the “no-account Raines boys,”

Devlin Raines has long been protecting his heart from injury.

But his latest case—and client—forces him to lay

everything on the line…

The most unsettled of the “no-account Raines boys,” Devlin Raines has long been protecting his heart from injury. But his latest case—and client—forces him to lay everything on the line…

At thirty-two Dev is “mostly retired” from Raines Investigations, content to run operations from his sprawling Arizona home. But Dev has never been able to say no to a beautiful woman, so when Lark Delaney comes to him for help, the former U.S. Army Ranger from Wind Canyon gets back in the game.

Lark is sexy, successful and dedicated to tracking down the baby girl her sister gave up for adoption. It should be a straightforward case, but it’s not long before Dev uncovers a shady adoption ring and worse—the child’s parents have been murdered and the little girl has been taken.

As the case grows dangerous and Lark needs him more than ever, Dev can’t ignore his growing attraction for her. He also can’t trust his judgment with women or the emotions he’s long since buried. But there’s a chance, if he gets this right and saves Lark’s niece, that he’ll end up saving himself, too.

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AGAINST THE FIRE

Once one of the “no-account Raines boys,” Gabriel Raines

has pulled himself out of poverty by his bootstraps to become

a successful businessman—one who has become the target of revenge…

Once one of the “no-account Raines boys,” Gabriel Raines has pulled himself out of poverty by his bootstraps to become a successful businessman—one who has become the target of revenge…

You can’t fight what you can’t see. And Gabriel Raines can’t be sure just who’s setting the fires in his new real-estate development. When two fires hit back-to-back, he knows it’s personal, but any number of competitors or ex-employees could be the arsonist.

The police suspect Angel Ramirez, a local teen who’s been in trouble before. But Mattie Baker, a volunteer at the Family Abuse center, just can’t believe the kid she’s been working with would go back to his delinquent ways.

Determined to convince Gabe that she’s right, Mattie must get close to him and find out who’s putting their neighborhood in jeopardy. And just as the arsonist’s flames continue to burn, they find a heat developing between them. It might just turn into a full-fledged fire…if they can survive long enough ...

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AGAINST THE WIND

Unable to resist trouble the "no account Raines boy", Jackson

Raines finds himself entangled with the high school beauty who

humiliated him so many years ago. Enemies of her dead husband

bring trouble. And despite their history, Jackson is the one man

who can save her and her daughter ...

Secrets don’t stay buried long in cattle country. Sarah Allen,the beautiful girl who humiliated Jackson Raines in high school, is back in town. Not so long ago, she couldn’t wait to leave Wind Canyon, Wyoming, in her dust. But recently widowed, she has nowhere else to go and finds herself on Jackson’s ranch.

Despite everything, Jackson is reluctant to get rid of her. He can’t resist trouble, and Sarah brings her own special kind. Enemies of her dead husband show up on the ranch making threats, thinking she has something they’re owed. They’re not taking no for an answer, but what they will take is the one thing she has left—her daughter—and Jackson may be the only hope she has of getting little Holly home alive.

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RULE'S BRIDE

Unrepentant rake Rule Dewar is living the good life

when a most surprising event occurs—

he falls in love with his wife.

After their strategic “marriage of commerce” three years ago, Rule quite forgot about Violet Griffin, the teenage heiress to a Boston manufacturing fortune. He simply spoke his vows, took over her father’s business and returned to England to resume his usual pursuits: high-priced wine, high-stakes gambling and high-born women.

Yet when Violet, now a sophisticated woman, unexpectedly appears at Rule's London townhouse, husbandly duties no longer seem so odious—he can't wait to take his stunning bride to their marriage bed. Violet, however, is not so easily led: she has her own ideas and is seeking an annulment to marry another. But as Rule attempts to win her over, someone else is determined to frame him for murder and keep him out of the way for good….

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Wounded in battle,

Major Reese Dewar returns to England –

but his damaged leg is nothing

compared to his shattered heart.

Years before, love-struck Reese departed his home at Briarwood with a promise from raven-haired Elizabeth Clemens: that she would make a life with him upon his return. But mere months later, she married the Earl of Aldridge, attaining wealth and status Reese could never match. Memories of that betrayal make his homecoming far more bitter than sweet.

Elizabeth knows when she appears on Reese's doorstep dressed in widow's garb that she is twisting the knife. But fear for her young son’s safety has overcome guilt and shame: she begs Reese for protection against the forces that would see the boy Earl dead to possess his fortune. The former lovers forge an uneasy alliance, but Elizabeth still harbors some deep secrets—and Reese knows that protecting her means placing himself in danger...of losing his heart all over again.

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THE CHRISTMAS CLOCK

An inspiring holiday story

of vows broken and love redeemed,

of courage and strength, in a memorable tale

that will resonate long after the book is over.

Sylvia Winters returns to her hometown where eight years ago she broke her engagement to Joe Dixon.  Stricken with cervical cancer, Syl moved away for treatment but never told Joe the truth.  To heal the pain of his fiance’s imagined betrayal, Joe turned to drinking and accidentally killed a man.  Now Joe is out of prison and Syl is back in town but it will take a miracle to restore their lost love.

Lottie Sparks and her grandson, Teddy, are also in town.  Eight-year old Teddy lives with Lottie, his only living relative.  Teddy loves his grandmother and for Christmas, he desperately wants to buy her the old Victorian clock she adores in the window of Tremont’s Antiques—a clock that vividly reminds her of her childhood. 

But the memory is soon to fade along with all the rest as her Alzheimer’s advances.

Summer turns to fall and Lottie worsens. With winter approaching, will a Christmas miracle be enough to bring the people of Dreyerville hope, love, and redemption?

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ROYAL'S BRIDE

Though he is a titled nobleman,

Royal Dewar is singulary unlucky ...

forced to choose between his soul mate ...

and his salvation.

After years abroad, Royal has returned to Bransford Castle to find his father dying and the family treasury nearly empty. Then the old duke wrests a final promise from his guilt-ridden son: that Royal will marry heiress Jocelyn Caulfield and restore the estate to its former glory. However, it is not his fiancee who quickens Royal's pulse, but rather her beautiful cousin Lily Moran.

Penniless Lily knows that nothing can come of their undeniable attraction―but there is a way she can help Royal. Enlisting some questionable characters from her past, Lily concocts an elaborate ruse to recover some of the Bransford fortune from a notorious confidence artist. As the dangerous scheme unfolds, Lily and Royal are thrown together in pursuit of the very thing―money―that keeps them part ...

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Heart of Courage

The third book in the bestselling

Heart trilogy ...

Under the pert pen name "Lady Smart." opinionated Lindsey Graham crusades for social change among London's elite, writing for the ladies' gazette Heart to Heart. but Lindsey's greatest campaign begins when her brother Rudy, a notorious rake, is accused of murdering a string of prostitutes.

Her confidence in his innocence is bolstered when an anonymous letter arrives naming viscount Merrick as the killer. Lindsey launches her own investigation into the gentleman's questionable pursuits, a risky venture that earns her an unwelcome bodyguard―Thor Draugr.

At first, Lindsey refuses the protection of her employer's brother-in-law. They are like oil and water, yet she can barely conceal her attraction to the rugged Norseman. But an attempt on her life reveals not only the lengths that someone will go to in order to prevent her interference in the viscount's sordid affairs, but that she can no longer deny that she desires the warrior by her side ...

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Season of Strangers

Is she loosing her heart...or her mind?

Dedicated, driven real estate agent Julie Ferris is enjoying a day at the beach with her sister Laura when a strange, almost undetectable charge fills the air. Then, under the hot Malibu sun, time stops altogether.

Neither sister can explain their "lost day" —nor the blinding headaches and horrific nightmares that follow—but Julie chalks it up to the stress she's been under since her boss's son took over Donovan Real Estate.

Patrick Donovan would be a real catch if not for his notorious playboy lifestyle and matching attitude. But when a cocaine-fueled heart attack nearly kills him, Patrick makes an astonishingly fast—and peculiar—recovery. Julie barely recognizes the newly sober Patrick as the same man she once struggled to resist. Maybe it's the strange beach experience fueling her paranoia, but she can't help sensing something isn't...right.

As Julie's feelings for Patrick intensify, she's about to discover how that day at the beach links her newfound happiness with her wildest suspicions...

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Heart of Fire

The deliciously passionate

Heart trilogy continues ...

When Coralee Whitmore, a reporter for the fashionable London ladies’ gazette, Heart to Heart, learns that her sister’s death has been dismissed as a suicide, she vows to uncover the truth.  Suspecting the notorious Earl of Tremaine was Laurel’s lover--and the father of her illegitimate child--Corrie infiltrates Castle Tremaine, posing as the abandoned, destitute wife of the earl’s distant cousin.

But Corrie finds the handsome earl is not all he seems...nor is she immune to his charms--however much she despises his scandalous ways.   

And the deeper Corrie immerses herself in her role, the more certain it becomes that someone is bent on ensuring her questions go unanswered--forever.

Read More. . .

The Summit

 

The dream came again and again...

a little girl abducted from her own yard ...

Autumn Sommers knows the danger of ignoring such powerful omens. Twelve years earlier, she could have prevented a tragic accident if only she had acted on those horrible nightmares. This time, she knows what she has to do.

Her research into local missing persons suggests that the girl in Autumn’s dreams could be Molly, the daughter of businessman Ben McKenzie. Still emotionally shattered from his loss and unwilling to trust this stranger, Ben is angered rather than relieved to hear her theory that Molly is still alive. Certain that she may be the girl’s only chance, Autumn persists, until Ben grudgingly agrees to explore this tiny, if improbable, shred of hope.

As Autumn’s dreams become more and more vivid, she and Ben pursue their leads … leads that point to more murders, and to the only person in control of whether they live … or die.

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He was a powerful viking warrior from an undiscovered world.

She was a sophisticated London lady who became the object of his desire ...

and he was determined to have her.

Krista Hart, publisher of the weekly London ladies' gazette Heart to Heart, is not afraid to speak her mind. Even on such unpopular issues as social reform, which risk her reputation-- and her very safety-- Krista will not be intimidated, although she knows full well she is the target of angry opposition for her outspoken views.

When she encounters a powerful Viking descendant imprisoned as a local sideshow attraction, Krista angrily demands his release. Although she tells herself that freeing Leif Draugr is simply the right thing to do, she can't deny being attracted to the fierce Nordic chieftain, especially after her father transforms him into a "proper" gentleman.

But as anonymous threats against Krista become more and more aggressive, it is Leif who must face the unseen enemies desperate to silence her, even as they push her further into the embrace of a warrior prepared to do whatever it takes to make her his.

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Scent of Roses

Elizabeth doesn't believe in ghosts.

But this time she has no choice.

Family counselor Elizabeth Conners isn't sure what to think when Maria Santiago comes to her for help. Pregnant and terrified, Maria claims to be visited each night by the ghost of a little girl, warning her to flee. Her husband Miguel dismisses her fears.

Zack, one of the of the owners of the cottage where the young couple live, grudgingly agrees to help Elizabeth look into the history of the house. But even as unexpected desire draws them together, Elizabeth and Zack feel something dark and disturbing at the house.

Elizabeth knows something terrible has happened here before, something that has its roots in murder ....

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The Handmaiden's Necklace

Can a necklace hold the power

to right a love gone wrong?

Five years ago Rafael, Duke of the Sheffield, believed he was betrayed by the woman he loved and the pain haunts him still. When Rafe discovers that he was cruelly tricked, and that Danielle Duval was never unfaithful, he's desperate to win her back. But Dani is already on a steamer bound for America to marry another man. Impulsively, Rafe follows her and, trapping her in a compromising situation, quickly makes her his wife.

Promising her that with time he can prove his love and win her trust, Rafe presents her with a stunning necklace rumored to hold great power. As much as Dani wants to believe it can right the wrongs of the past, she fears there is one truth it cannot conceal, a truth that could cost her this second chance with Rafe, the only man she has ever loved.

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THE DEVIL'S NECKLACE

The necklace promised great happiness or great

tragedy-and nobody could elude it's power ...

To British privateer Ethan Sharpe, Grace Chastain was nothing but a pawn for vengeance against Harmon Jeffries, the traitor responsible for his brutal years in prison. Believing Grace to be Jeffries’s mistress, he plans to humiliate his enemy by seducing her.

Grace fears her priceless heirloom necklace has begun to live up to its curse when Captain Sharpe makes her his prisoner aboard his schooner. Defiantly she resists his coarse advances, and suspects there is more to this complex sea captain than his brooding anger and silent accusations.

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