Family Affair + The Bet

You've probably heard that my wife has left me. Rachel's pregnant, and she says she can't handle the stress in our household anymore. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Jolene, is jealous of her. Maybe it's my fault. As a widower I spoiled her-

Jolene was reading over my shoulder just now and says that's not true. She claims Rachel ruined everything. But that's not true. The real question is: How can I get my wife back? I don't even know where she is. She's not with Teri Polgar or any of her other friends from the salon. The other question is…when will Jolene grow up and stop acting like such a brat?

Of course, I'm not the only one in town with problems. Linc Wyse's father-in-law is trying to destroy his business. And you know Charlotte Rhodes? Seems she's becoming forgetful, and the family's worried about her and Ben. Lots of other stuff going on-but Rachel is better at keeping up with it than I am.

If you have any idea where my wife is, give me a call. Please.

Bruce Peyton

A shy Louisiana librarian, Mary Warner fears she'll always be alone—so she answers a personals ad from a rancher in Montana. Never before has she done anything so reckless, casting the only life she knows aside to travel to a strange place and marry a man she's never met. But something about this man calls to her—and she knows this may be her very last chance at happiness.

Tragedy made Travis Thompson the guardian of three orphaned children—and determination leads him to do whatever it takes to keep the kids out of foster homes. When he decides to take a long shot on a personals ad, the results are surprising, and before he knows it, he has agreed to marry a mysterious Southern woman sight unseen.

It could be the mistake of a lifetime. But Mary Warner may be exactly what this broken family needs. And with a little faith, a little trust, and a lot of love, two lonely hearts might just discover the true meaning of miracles.

Opposite Attract

Cain had chosen his lifestyle. He thrived on the challenge. No drug, he told himself, could produce the physical or emotional high of a successfully completed mission. No drug and no woman.

Then why was he standing on a cold San Francisco pier like a lovelorn teenager, hoping for a glimpse of Linette Collins?

And then he saw her. For a moment it felt as if someone had hit him against the back of his head. He went stock-still.

She stood in line at a fish and chips place. The wind whipped her hair about her face and she lifted a finger to wrap a thick strand of dark hair behind her ear.

The smart thing to do was to turn around, and walk away as fast as his feet would carry him. He'd gotten what he wanted. One last look at her. His curiosity should be satisfied.

But even as his mind formulated the thought, Cain knew that just seeing Linette again wasn't enough.

Ever since she was young, Paige McLean has longed to see the world. Still, she never imagined the world would land on her doorstep in the form of a charming British surgeon who needs a place to stay when his plans fall through.

After a devastating loss, Alistair Woodbury has vowed to live his life alone. But in all his travels, he hasn't encountered a town as welcoming as Fool's Gold, nor a woman as caring - or as beautiful - as Paige. Her compassion warms him almost as much as their stolen kisses.

When it's Alistair's time to leave, will his brief visit turn into a lifetime stay?

A Fool's Gold series novella.