The Sooner the Better

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.

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.

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.

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

But they always remain friends.

Through the years and across the miles, through marriage, children, divorce and widowhood, Jill and Lesley confide everything to each other-every grief and every joy. Because the quality of a friendship is the quality of a life.

Midnight Sons and Daughter by Debbie Macomber

There's something special about Alaska-and about the town of Hard Luck. Scott O'Halloran grew up there; he's been away for years, but now he's back. To stay? Everybody's wondering-especially Chrissie Harris. The girl he left behind...

The Glory Girl by Judith Bowen

Glory, Alberta. A cowboy town in cowboy country. Hannah Parrish loves it here. "Once from a small town, always from a small town," says Jack Gamble, ex-prospector, a man who's ready to come home. He wants to find a "nice, quiet Glory girl." And that's exactly what Hannah is-even if Jack doesn't know it yet!

Promise Me Picket Fences by Janice Kay Johnson

Melanie Parker never wants to leave Elk Springs, Oregon. After a lifetime of moving, she finally has a big house with a picket fence. To Kevin McNeil, that sounds like prison. The could walk away from each other right now-if they weren't falling in 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

A billboard on the side of a Seattle road is common enough-but one advertising for a bride? It's Chase Goodwin's solution to the problem of finding a wife quickly, a wife to bring home to Alaska. Lesley Campbell has her own reasons for responding…and in no time she's the Bride Wanted in Chase's life!