One Night

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.

Rediscover the joy of #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber's delightful tale of unexpected love, second chances, and a cat named Dog.

Lacey Lancaster has always longed to be a wife and mother. However, after a painful divorce, she decides it's time to lay low for a while in her charming San Francisco apartment with her beautiful Abyssinian cat, Cleo.

Everything would be wonderful, except for her utterly impossible neighbor Jack Walker. When he's not arguing day and night with his girlfriend, begging her to move in with him, he's chasing down his cat named Dog, who seems determined to get Cleo to succumb to his feline advances.

Then Lacey discovers the awful truth-Cleo is in the family way and Dog's to blame. She's furious that neither Jack nor his amorous animal seem too upset about the situation.

But Lacey learns that things are not quite as they seem. Jack's "girlfriend" is really his sister-and his intentions toward Lacey are very honorable. And though she's not quite sure about Dog, Lacey begins to discover the tender joy of falling in love all over again.

Dear Jack,

I may be a rough, tough solider of fortune but I've me my match!

I'm in Central America on a no-win job and regretting every minute. A woman named Letty Madden hired me to find her missing brother. I'd figured this prim and proper Texas postmistress would run and hide when I named my price: one night. I was wrong.

I swear the woman is my punishment for never giving a damn about anyone. She's as stubborn as a mule and soft and sweet . . . and hell, buddy, I'm in big trouble. Getting out alive is the least of my problems.

Murphy

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.

Not long ago, the only adventures Lorraine Dancy experienced were in the movies--where the improbable becomes possible and the romantic becomes real. Now she's starring in her own version of Romancing the Stone--except that this is her life. Her adventure begins with a trip to Mexico's Yucat n coast to search for the father she doesn't remember. She finds him, all right. She also finds herself in trouble--framed for the theft of an artifact and pursued by the police, the thief and a local crime boss.

Enter Jack Keller. Jack's a renegade who keeps to himself and makes his own rules. As a favor to Lorraine's father he helps her escape. In his boat. Just like The African Queen. But there are troubled waters ahead...including an attraction that's as risky as it is intense. Lorraine's not looking for another Brief Encounter, though. She wants her story to have a different ending altogether!

Seth Webster's heart never healed after he lost his adored wife. Now, with Christmas approaching, wild twin boys to raise alone, a home in chaos, and the latest in a long line of exasperated housekeepers quitting in disgust, Seth needs more than help to keep his family togethe...he needs a miracle.

And then a miracle arrives on his doorstep. Her name is Mrs. Merkle, but the kids call her "Mrs. Miracle"—and from the moment the warm, knowing, and very patient nanny appears, everything is different. Her sassy spirit is infectious, and it gives Seth the courage to approach Reba, a beautiful travel agent who's been hurt and betrayed, and is afraid to ever love again. Through the magic of faith—and with a little help from a children's Christmas pageant and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. Miracle—Seth and Reba might just be able to find a Christmas miracle of their very own: true love.

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

It's a time of change for a small prairie town

Buffalo Valley, North Dakota, has a will to survive, to prosper. And the outside world has discovered Buffalo Valley. A large retail conglomerate plans to move in, which would surely destroy the independent businesses...and maybe the town.

It's a season of change for Vaughn Kyle

Just out of the army, he's looking for a life to live--and waits for his reluctant fianc?e to make up her mind. Vaughn decides to visit Buffalo Valley and Hassie Knight. He was named after Hassie's son who died in Vietnam and she thinks of him as a surrogate son. He arrives at her store one snowy day and finds not Hassie but a young woman named Carrie Hendrickson...

Will the season bring peace and joy--to Vaughn and to the town?

As he begins to love Carrie, Vaughn questions his feelings for the woman he thought he loved. He wants to stay in Buffalo Valley and fight for its way of life. A life that's all about friends and family.