Until one woman dared venture onto Mackenzie's mountain, determined to tame the rugged half-breed.Joe "Breed" Mackenzie: Like his father before him, he was as wild as the wind...and not about to settle down. Yet one equally stubborn blonde - bent on reversing Mackenzie's mission - would stop at nothing to make Joe her own.

    But she is a good teacher and she wants Wolf Mackenzie's son back in school. And after one heated confrontation with the boy's father, she knows father and son have changed her life forever.Still paying for a crime he didn't commit, Wolf Mackenzie has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming. But prim-and-proper Mary Elizabeth Potter doesn't see Wolf as the dangerous half-breed the town has branded him. Somehow she sees him as a good, decent, honest man. A man who could love...Wolf's not sure he or the town of Ruth, Wyoming is ready for the taming of Wolf Mackenzie.

    The Fateful Bargain by Betty Neels released on Dec 25, 2001 is available now for purchase.

    But something about gutsy, down-on-her-luck grocery clerk Christine Palmer and her two little kids got to him. Crazy as it was, he carted them home with him, and soon found that providing for them made him happier than he'd been in years. Suddenly he felt like a father--and husband--again.Still, Chris was bound to get back on her own two feet, and once that happened, might not need his support anymore. Would she still want his love? Mike braved danger daily. Why was it so terrifying when his heart, not his life, was at risk?

    The virile stranger didn't look like your average neighborhood ice cream man, and Jenny's neighbors were convinced he was some sort of criminal. Jenny couldn't believe it. But was that because she was already dangerously attracted to enigmatic, mysterious Nick?Nick's mission was to keep close tabs on Jenny; posing as the man in the white truck was the perfect cover. But he'd never accept this sexy, earthy mother of two as a forger and a thief. Not Jenny, the only woman who had ever made him think about hearth and home .... Jenny, who'd melted his cold loner's heart--and who could never be his.

    . . Free spirit Veronique Delacroix has a reputation for being reckless and for thumbing her nose at society’s rules. But her wild ways mask the vulnerability she keeps hidden. After all, with an impenetrable wall around her heart, how could it be broken?Brandon Rhodes is New Orleans’ version of royalty, his life steeped in the traditions of high society, Mardi Gras and privilege. His father’s sudden death leaves him in control of his family’s retail empire, but also with a vague restlessness. A sense that something is missing in his life. Veronique and Brandon’s chance meeting leads to a seductive game of one-upmanship. Their flirtatious sparring seems harmless enough until it becomes a passionate winner-takes-all game in which their hearts are the ultimate prize.

    Having witnessed a body hauled onto a boat and a prominent politician who was involved, Eden can’t go home. As they work together to find proof of a woman’s murder, as attraction brings them closer than he’s ever been with another woman, "Chickie-loves-it" wonders if Eden will ever realize he’s more than a seasoned carny. Excerpt: He sought out the lady mud wrestler. She had disappeared. No, she was waiting in line for a ticket to the Tilt-A-Whirl. She appeared out of place. And frightened. Her stance was self-protective, and she was looking around furtively. Then her attention focused on something that made her frown. Chick realized she was staring at a small carrot-topped boy of five or six who stood alone in the midway, his face puckered, tears rolling down his chubby freckled cheeks. With seeming reluctance, the woman stepped out of line and approached the child. She stooped and spoke to him for a moment, then helped him dry his tears. The next thing Chick knew, they were hand-in-hand, walking straight toward him. He stuck a toothpick between his teeth. “Excuse me,” the woman said, quickly glancing over her shoulder before stopping at the counter. “But Jimmy lost his older sister and her friends.” The blue eyes meeting his were shadowed so Chick couldn’t read her thoughts. Her voice was low, her speech precise. Cultured. And despite her disheveled appearance, he realized the lady was wearing expensive clothes. He rolled the toothpick to the corner of his mouth. “Are you all right?” “Yes.” She answered too quickly, glancing behind and all around them. “I’m fine. Jimmy’s the one with the problem. Can you help him find his sister?” “There are a half-dozen policemen wandering around.” ”No police!” Her eyes widened, and in them, Chick recognized fear. His brow furrowed and he was about to demand an explanation. She didn’t give him the chance to question her. “I mean, you must have a loud speaker system or something, right?” she asked. “We have a lost and found by the front gate.” “This is a child we’re talking about, not an article of clothing.” “I wan’ Laura!” Jimmy shouted, then burst into sobs that racked his little chest. “I wanna go home.” The woman dropped to her knees and tried to comfort the boy. She stroked his carrot top and lifted his chin. “Sh-h. You’re going to be fine. We’ll find your sister and she’ll take you home.” She glared up at Chick, impatience burning away the more brittle emotions he’d seen reflected in her finely boned face. “Well?”