Instead she's shocked at how deliciously wicked the velvet mask and Mrs.-Claus-as-dominatrix outfit feel. Nick is determined to find out who robbed his friend at the club. Visions of revenge vanish faster than a flying sleigh when he encounters Mistress Christmas, a leggy brunette with a lush mouth made for mistletoe--and a wish for a night of anonymous sexual pleasure. Miss Firecracker One year ago Willow accidentally won the Miss Firecracker title. Celebrating her freedom from the crown didn't include waking up in a sexy stranger's bed. Nor agreeing to work off the damage she caused to his bar--or go to jail. Normally, Blake could say no to a drunken, horny, naked beauty queen. But there's something about her that makes him want to blow his Mr. Nice Guy persona all to hell...

    Original.

    Delight in this season's most joyous presents with these four sparkling tales. . . "Making Spirits Bright" by Fern Michaels Melanie McLaughlin desperately wants to adopt two orphaned siblings and give them a real home for Christmas. A just-for-the-holiday marriage to Bryce Landry fits her plan perfectly. . .until unexpected sparks have Melanie dreaming of forever by his side. . . "Runaway Christmas" by Elizabeth Bass A glass of wine, lounging in pajamas, and catching up on movies—that's Heidi Bogue's idea of a perfect Christmas. Until her thirteen-year-old niece makes a surprise visit—and a snowstorm turns Heidi's café into a community refuge. Now one handsome cop is giving Heidi plenty more reasons to celebrate. . . "Home For Christmas" by Rosalind Noonan Jo Truman needs a replacement Santa for her gift shop's Christmas Eve party. She'll do whatever it takes to convince lonely soldier Sam Norwood that he's perfect for the part...and that the season for love is always. . . "Christmas On Cape Cod" by Nan Rossiter Maddie Carlson would do anything for her best friend. And helping Asa Coleman babysit a rambunctious puppy Christmas Eve night is her one chance to help the troubled teacher put his past to rest. . .and give the sweetest gift of all.

    An unforgettable holiday anthology from bestselling authors Jennifer Ryan, Maisey Yates, and Lia Riley.Close to Perfect: A Montana Men Novella by Jennifer RyanAt sixteen, Abigail gave Dex the gift of a lifetime, but the cost of it was more than he ever knew. Now she s back in town with a secret that has been ten years in the making and this time it s Dex s turn to make the ultimate sacrifice or risk losing her forever.Snowed in at Copper Ridge: A Copper Ridge Novella by Maisey YatesMia Landry has always had it bad for brooding cowboy Devlin Grayson. Too bad he s her best friend s older brother. But when they find themselves snowed in at Copper Ridge Lodge, Mia finally has the chance to tell the man of her dreams exactly what she wants him.Hot Winter s Night: A Brightwater Novella by Lia RileyWhile Brightwater is being covered in snow, Goldie Flint is stuck in her flower shop. She never expected her hero to be Kit Kane, the former love of her life. Kit knows that what he had with Goldie isn t just in the past and with the help of a little bet, an ornery grandmother, and a lot of snow, he s ready to show her that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance."

    This latest salvo in his ongoing practical joke battle with his best friend, Rob Matheson, has gone too far, and Ethan plans to send his “bride” right back home, then get busy plotting his revenge. One look at Autumn Leeds changes his mind, however. Perhaps he needs a bride, after all. A breathtakingly beautiful city bride. Autumn Leeds needs a story – fast – or she’s going to lose her lucrative contract with CityPretty Magazine, so when she sees the crazy video plea for a modern mail-order bride for a cowboy, it sounds like the story of the century. Making a video of her own, she casts herself as the perfect mail-order bride for a rancher, but when she finally reaches Montana, she’s surprised to find Ethan’s the perfect cowboy husband-to-be. Against her better judgment, her plan to keep her handsome groom at arm’s length disintegrates into a night of passion spent in his arms.Ethan knows he can’t keep playing this game – he has to come clean with Autumn and tell her the truth; about the practical joke and about the state of his ranch. He’s about to lose it all because of the debts his mother racked up before his parents’ deaths. Now his sister, Claire, wants to sell the ranch and collect what little money they can. He’ll be out of a home and a job, and in no shape to support the bride he desperately wants to marry, after all. Autumn’s in bigger trouble than ever. Not only has she fallen in love with the subject of her expose – she might be carrying his child. If she doesn’t write this article and secure her contract for another year, she’ll lose everything – her career, her apartment, and more importantly, her family’s approval. The only alternative is to stay and marry Ethan. But how can she trust a man she’s just met when she knows too well that men always let you down? Can a love based on lies last?

    Isis eagle eye had penetrated her disguise. Abby pulled the pins. Her platinum hair cascaded down her shoulders. She no longer blended with the woodwork-the perfect executive secretary to the irascible trial lawyer and lady's man, Greyson McCallum. But she was still a fugitive from the man who had betrayed her... the man who would arrive in Atlanta within hours. Her only alternative was to flee again or accept McCallum's outrageous offer She would pose as his live-in lover! He had offered his protection ... and forced her to see him in a dangerous new light. Was she merely exchanging one risky masquerade for another?

    And yet, in a fit of Christmas-cheer-induced insanity, he agrees to help beautiful shelter director Tansy Dexter find homes for all her rambunctious animals. Little does he know that the one truly in need of a loving home this season…is him.Home for Christmas by Catherine MannInformation from Ms Mann's newsletter: For those of you who enjoyed my Wingmen Warrior series, this story features Zach Dawson's daughter Shelby, all grown up and ready for her own happily ever after with a flyboy!Shelby Conrad has had more than her fair share of silent nights. But even though her husband, Tech Sergeant Alex Conrad, is coming home in time for Christmas, Shelby isn't sure he's in time to save their marriage. Can a road trip to deliver three shelter dogs to their new homes teach the couple that the most precious gift of all is hope?A Puppy for Will by Kathie DeNoskyWill Parker hasn't exactly had all his hopes and dreams met, but work has filled the gaps in his life. Or so he thinks…until an energetic and large Saint Bernard foster puppy and Will's cute neighbor Macie Fairbanks introduce him to the best thing about Christmas and life—unconditional love.

    But when her husband is murdered and his associates come looking for her and her daughter, Sarah has only one place left to go—Wind Canyon, Wyoming. She runs right into Jackson Raines, the man she spurned in high school, who has now become a successful ranch owner. She expects anger from him, but instead she gets mercy. Jackson knows Sarah and her daughter, Holly, are in trouble, and he can’t turn them away. He’s never forgotten the beautiful girl he could never have, and she’s more alluring now than she ever was in high school. So when Sarah’s enemies show up in Wind Canyon, Jackson is determined to protect Sarah and Holly, and prove to them that they’ve finally found their way home.

    The road might be closed for dangerous conditions, but the couple navigates their own Kentucky Christmas curves. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.Santa in a KiltDONNA KAUFFMAN, USA Today bestselling authorThe wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira McLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun. It’ll take all the wiles of the canny islanders to weave a perfect Celtic Christmas for all...Snow AngelKATE ANGELL, National bestselling authorSnowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton’s department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and the holiday romance heats up. Our snow angel finds herself face to face with the dashing Aiden, the heir to the retail riches and her host for a night of winter wonder...

    But the night he stepped in to rescue a mysterious redhead in a seedy bar, he got more than he bargained for!The lady excited him, challenged him, drove him wild with desire--then vanished without a trace. Lucky was desperate to find her, to brand her with his heat--and when the police were called in to investigate a suspicious fire at Tyler Drilling, his family business, he needed her for an alibi!Torn between anguish and ecstasy, Devon Haines tried to refuse Lucky's pleas for help, but the reckless blue-eyed devil wouldn't take no as an answer from her... not when his touch could make her burn, could make her his.Framed by old enemies, Lucky knew his only hope to clear himself rested on solving the crime, but Devon feared when his innocence was proved, she would lose the handsome cowboy who possessed her heart and soul Would the tragic vow that made their love forbidden cost her forever in his arms?

    By marrying Alexis Grayson, he'll be able to access the trust fund his parents left behind...and keep Windover Ranch alive.Alexis isn't sure how she's going to get through the next several months, especially when her baby is born. When Connor lands in her life, he seems heaven-sent, and the temporary solution he offers is both crazy and perfect. A fake marriage to save his ranch and give her the security she needs.But when happens when the wedding doesn't seem so fake after all? Can this bride-for-hire become Connor's wife-for-real?

    Enjoy a boot-stomping good time with these captivating couples:What a Texas Girl Wants: The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl like Kathleen Witte, so why did he just wake up next to her on a Mexican beach with a ring on his finger? Once they’re back in Texas though, this all-business marriage might just turn into an all-consuming love.What a Texas Girl Needs: Matias Barnes knows all about society women like Vanessa Witte. It’s part of the reason he left his wealthy family behind and took a job on a ranch. But while Mat knows she’s so not right for him, can he resist her charms long enough to really let her go?What a Texas Girl Dreams: They are opposites in so many ways, but the more veterinarian Trickett Samuels gets to know footloose and fancy free Monica Witte, the more he wonders if he can convince this Texas girl that having roots will only help her soar higher.

    (See individual title listings for descriptions of each book.) Harlequin Presents: Seduction and Passion Guaranteed!

    . . Emily Murphy never thought she’d return to her mom’s rustic hometown in the Colorado Mountains. But after her marriage in San Francisco falls apart, leaving her penniless and heartsick, she returns to her old family home to find a new direction for her life. On her first night back, though, a steamy encounter with handsome rancher Nate Thalberg is not the fresh start she had in mind . . . Nate has good reason not to trust the determined beauty who just waltzed into town—he’s no stranger to betrayal. Besides, she’s only there to sell her family’s old property and move back out. But as Nate and Emily begin working side-by-side to restore her time-worn building and old family secrets change Emily’s perception of herself, both are about to learn how difficult it is to hide from love in a place known far and wide for romance, family ties, and happily-ever-afters: a town called Valentine.

    He had run off his last four nurses, but Dana's determined she won't be the next on that list. A powerful entrepreneur until a devastating accident left his future in doubt, Gannon raged at all who approached him. Dana hoped to light a candle in his darkness--and to escape from the shadows in her own past. But when she fell in love with her curmudgeonly employer, Dana's challenge was no longer strictly professional. Could Dana and Gannon heal to find a true happily-ever-after?