A laugh-out-loud, feel-good romantic comedy perfect for fans of Jane Costello and Mandy Baggot! Will you...date me? Delilah James, singleton and smoothie-addict, has six months to find a date for her oldest friend's wedding. Oh, and to prove to her ex, best man Ben, that she has totally moved on since he dumped her out-of-the-blue nine months, eight days and seventeen hours ago... So, with her two BFFs playing Cupid, Delilah launches herself into the high-tech, fast-paced and frankly terrifying world of dating. Luckily there's the hot new guy at work, Adam Sinclair, to practice her flirting on – even if, as a colleague, he's strictly off-limits! Yet time's running out and date after disastrous date forces Delilah to tell a little white lie – and invent a fake boyfriend! But will her secret crush on Adam ruin everything? Does she even care about Ben anymore? And is it too late to untangle her web of lies and take a real date to the wedding...? Views: 15
The small towns and wide plains of 1880 Texas come to life when impossible situations and an abandoned child bring Nick Lovelace and Anne Tillerton together. Is Nick prepared to risk his future plans for an unexpected chance at love? Views: 15
Intrepid Victorian sleuth and medium Sybil Ingram is reunited with an old friend in this slightly spooky Christmas short story. Plus: a bonus Sybil Ingram story is included!In December 1873, Sybil's former dressmaker, Clara Graves—now a baroness—invites Sybil and Roderick to celebrate Christmas at Gravesend Hall, notorious for being cursed. Anxious for her old friend, Sybil is quick to accept—but less quick to accept Clara’s insistence that nothing is wrong. Sure enough, once the revelers are snowbound, there are cries in the night and eerie tales of phantom ladies walking the halls. But though Sybil is ready to come to grips with a ghost, not all is as it seems...and Christmas at Gravesend proves to warm the heart as much as it chills the blood.Bonus short story: In “When Soft Voices Die,” Sybil encounters an unusual ghost in a Hudson River Valley home just after the events of Nocturne for a... Views: 15
Subject: Jason Mauer, National Guard.Current status: Homeward bound.Mission: Getting some R & R!Obstacle: Lizzy Mann.Sexy blast from the past.After battling a hurricane of catastrophic proportions, Jason needs some downtime—badly! But there's no rest for the heroic. During another deluge, Jason's savior skills are suddenly in demand...by his hot friend Lizzy.She's fiercely independent. But that doesn't keep them from having incredible sex as they, ah, ride out the storm!Jason knows relationships and duty don't mix. Still, he feels as if he's being swept away by a flash flood of desire for Lizzy.The permanent kind... Views: 15
Keep your secrets under lock and keyOne woman has the power to destroy his family and Sawyer Layton is out to stop her. Even if it means the millionaire must don a Stetson and track Niki Gerard all the way to Colorado.But he didn't count on the gorgeous Niki having trouble of her own. She's hiding out on her family's ranch, desperate to find her mother's scandalous diary—the same diary Sawyer's after. Worse still, she's quicker to the truth. Cover blown, there's only one option left: work with Niki—and try to keep his hands to himself.About the AuthorUSA Today bestselling author Barbara Dunlop has written more than twenty-five novels for Silhouette Desire, Harlequin Temptation and Duets. Her books regularly hit the Bookscan and Boarders' bestsellers lists. Barbara is a two-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart winner, and she has twice been short-listed for Romance Writers of America’s RITA award. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.The trouble with living a lie, Niki discovered three months later, wasn't that you might get caught. It was that, eventually, you wanted it to be true. And that moment came when Sawyer Smith arrived at her half brother's newly framed ranch house.Late-afternoon sun rays slanted through the empty window openings, turning the dust flecks to sparkles, and highlighting planes and angles of Sawyer's striking face. He was neater than most cowboys, clean shaven, hair trimmed short. But his stance was easy, shoulders square, hands wide and capable.Niki was crouched on the rough plywood floor of the kitchen, power drill in her hand. She was putting holes in the two-by-fours in preparation for running the electrical cables. Her jeans were dirty, the heels of her palms scratched and red. She had sawdust in her hair, and her serviceable, green T-shirt was streaked with sweat."I took possession of the Raklin place yesterday." Sawyer spoke to her half-brother Reed, his deep voice carrying across the open rooms.Niki watched covertly between the studs of the skeleton walls. Reed was an imposing figure, broad shouldered, heavily muscled, at a height of six-feet four. But Sawyer held his own. He was a little shorter, a little leaner, obviously athletic. And he was cover-model sexy, with the most startling, deep blue eyes she'd ever seen."Welcome to Lyndon Valley," Reed responded, reaching out to shake Sawyer's hand.Sawyer's gaze met Niki's, and she quickly refocused on her work, embarrassed to be caught checking him out. She revved up the drill and lined up for the next spot that had been marked by the electrician. She eased the bit through the fibrous wood, her arm vibrating all the way to her shoulder.Up to now, she would have sworn she was only attracted to the urbane, classy type. But, apparently she'd reassessed. At some point, after her life had taken a one-eighty, forcing her to flee Washington, D.C., for the wilds of Colorado cattle country, cowboys must have started to look good.Not that it mattered. Nobody was going to be remotely interested in her while she looked like this.When she'd lived in D.C., her hair had been long, wavy blond, always cleanly cut and highlighted to perfection. She'd never left the penthouse without her contacts, perfect makeup, fine jewelry and designer shoes. She preferred cultured entertainment and five-star restaurants. Her mother had taught her that if a man didn't own a Mercedes or a Jaguar, he might as well ride a bicycle.But that had been Niki Gerard. Here in Lyndon Valley, she was Nellie Cooper, innocuous half sister of Reed and Caleb Terrell. Her hair was cut short and dyed brown. Her sensible glasses were perched on a sunburned, slightly freckled nose. She hadn't worn makeup in weeks, and her blue jeans had cost twenty-five dollars down at the Lyndon City Co-op.Nobody from her old life would ever recognize her. But then that was the point."Hey, Nellie," Reed called from the entry hall, his deep voice booming above the high pitch of her drill.She released the trigger, and the motor whined to a stop as she glanced up."Come meet our new neighbor."Niki hauled herself to her feet, conscious of her sweaty, dusty appearance, telling herself that it didn't matter. She was working on a construction site, not waltzing into the ballroom of the St. Regis. Sawyer seemed to scrutinize her as she approached, and she couldn't help but wonder what stood out for him. The dirt? The sweat? The glasses? The plain-Jane hair?"This is my sister," Reed introduced, motioning her farther forward.Though they'd met for the first time three months ago, Reed never referred to her as his half sister. Neither did his fraternal twin Caleb. From the moment the DNA tests had come back positive, Niki had been welcomed into the Terrell family with open arms. Her newfound brothers had turned out to be solid, smart, dependable men. And with every day that went by, she regretted her lies to them more and more.She wiped her hands across the front of her jeans as she stepped her way around a pair of sawhorses and over an air-compressor line. "Hello," she greeted Sawyer, swallowing the hormonal reaction that grew more intense as she neared.He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment. There was some kind of a question lurking deep in his blue eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and his expression smoothed out."Sawyer Smith," he intoned in a pleasantly mellow voice, holding out his hand."Nellie Cooper," she returned, her own voice slightly breathless as his hand closed over hers.His was warm, strong and commanding, sending pulses of awareness skittering along her nervous system."I just bought the Raklin place across the highway," he told her."Welcome," she managed, wishing the odd sensation would stop, wondering if he could feel it, too. "You lived here long?" he asked."Born and raised," Reed responded. "From our three times great-grandparents on down."Sawyer released Niki's hand, and she glanced over to Reed in surprise. She knew the ranch had been in the Terrell family for generations, but she hadn't realized just how long they'd lived in the Lyndon Valley."That's impressive," Sawyer told him."What about you?" Reed asked. "Are you from Colorado?""Montana originally." Sawyer shifted his stance. "Spent a little time in the military after college. I guess I'm coming back to my roots.""Good roots to come back to," said Reed as his cell phone chimed. "Excuse me." He drew the phone from his pocket and raised it to his ear, listening for a second, a smile growing on his face. "Hey, sweetheart."Niki knew it had to be his wife, Katrina.Though it didn't seem to happen often, because each of the brothers had other homes out of the state, both Reed and Caleb were on the Lyndon Valley ranch this week.Reed and his wife, Katrina, spent much of their time in New York City, because Katrina was a professional ballerina. Caleb's wife, Mandy, had grown up on the neighboring Jacobs spread, but Caleb had spent years in Chicago building Active Equipment, his heavy-equipment manufacturing business. He and Mandy now spent about half their time in Chicago, half in Lyndon Valley."Starving," Reed said into the phone, and he grinned at Niki.She tried to pretend she didn't notice Sawyer studying her. She'd attracted her fair share of male attention in D.C., particularly if she was wearing something by Delwanna, and always when she was wearing her black Magnamis heels. But she couldn't imagine she was anywhere even approaching attractive at the moment. She hoped she didn't have dirt smeared across her cheek or something equally gauche.Sawyer's black jeans were spotless, his boots polished to a shine. He wore a white, Western-cut shirt with black piping and black buttons, and his curved-brim Stetson was worn enough to look natural, but new enough to complement the outfit.Unable to stop herself, she reached up and casually brushed the back of her hand across each cheek. A breeze rustled through the windows, bringing the scent of wild clover. A diesel engine fell silent outside, and a horse whinnied in the distance, blending with the gurgle of the nearby creek.Reed pocketed his phone. "Katrina's on her way with the barbecue fixin's. My wife," he explained to Sawyer. "Care to stick around for a burger?"Sawyer gave an easy nod of acceptance. "Appreciate the offer." He unbuttoned one of his shirt cuffs. "In the meantime, can I lend a hand?" He rolled up a sleeve, revealing a ropy, muscular forearm.The man was obviously used to hard work."There's plenty to do," Reed responded. "There's a crew unloading lumber around the back."Sawyer finished rolling up his other sleeve and tipped his hat back on his head. "Then I'll get right on it." His gaze returned to Niki. "Pleasure, ma'am."He exited and disappeared around the sheeted, exterior wall.Reed moved closer to Niki. "You got pretty quiet there, Nellie. Something about that man get to you?""I'm shy," she responded, telling herself Reed couldn't read her mind. He had no way of knowing she found Sawyer unaccountably attractive.But Reed barked out a laugh. "That's your story?"She shot him a mock, arched glare, intending to show him she didn't mind being teased. "And I'm stickin' to it."But even as she uttered the cavalier words, she struggled to shake off her embarrassment. She couldn't help but worry she'd looked pathetic panting after a man like Sawyer.Though Reed's wife was a Colorado native, Katrina had spent most of her life in New York. She was unfailingly gorgeous and glamorous. Caleb's wife, Mandy, was so healthy and beautiful that she looked spectacular in anything she threw on, including worn jeans and plaid shirts.But Nellie Cooper didn't have a lot going for her. When she'd been Niki Gerard she'd had plenty of money and time to make the most of her looks. But when you took away all the trimmings, there wasn't a whole lot left.Being plain Jane wasn't much fun. But Nellie Cooper was just going to have to suck it up. Because she sure couldn't afford to have anyone make the connection between her and Niki Gerard.Sawyer Layton couldn't believe he'd finally found Niki Gerard. To say she looked nothing like her photo was a colossal understatement. He doubted he could have picked her out of a police lineup.Coming around back of the half-built house, he found a flat-bed truck loaded with lumber. He greeted a trio of men who were unloading, located a spare pair of leather gloves then joined them in their work, while his mind mulled over the latest turn of events.Niki was calling herself Nellie now. He wasn't surprised that she&#... Views: 15
The heart-breakingly handsome Duke of Tynemouth is appalled to find that his torrid affaire d'coeur with the alluring Aline, Countess of Langstone, is destined to end, because Queen Victoria insists that he marries one of Prince Albert's German relatives, who is fat and ugly. To refuse is unthinkable, so, in desperation, he agrees to pre-empt his Monarch by cynically marrying Aline's innocent young niece, Honora.The beautiful Honora is horrified at the prospect of marrying a man she has never met, let alone love, but she has little choice. Heartbroken and facing a life without the love she has always dreamt about, a husband who seems to hate her and a wedding night she dreads, she flees and falls prey to an even worse fate. Now that he might lose her forever, the Duke realises that it is not hate for Honora that beats in his heart. It is love! But has his awakening come too late? Views: 15
When she lost it all, Jess decided to cope by living a lie. But you can’t keep on pretending forever…Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine…until she meets Adam.Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns—giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.But while Adam might be the best thing that’s happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened...and why he'd never want her for more than one night. Views: 15
