Her family's car plummets into the dark, murky depths of the river on the way home from a funeral. When she recovers from the accident, she realizes she is being held at the hands of a greed driven maniac. A greed driven maniac who wants money she knows nothing about. Her will to live is shattered when she learns that her husband and daughter did not survive the accident...or didn't they? For three years, surrounded by lies and betrayal, Kate is forced to dig deep inside herself for the will to go on. And then, with the help of an unlikely ally, she finally escapes. In search of the truth, she finds her way back home. But she quickly realizes that life has gone on for the husband and daughter who were left behind that dark night, in depths of that seemingly endless river. Luke Garrison has spent three years mourning the wife who supposedly drowned the night he nearly lost his own life. He's been raising their daughter alone and dealing with deeply rooted grief ever since then. But when Kate suddenly reappears, he's not sure what to think. The once vibrant woman he married has been beaten down into a person he barely recognizes. Her story of that stormy night and the past three years is almost too unbelievable to fathom. Luke quickly realizes she didn't leave him on her own; she was taken from him. And the maniac who took her is still on her tail. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants...including murder.Updated Cover

    In A Class By Itself Dani Quinn knew Logan Webster would be at her high school reunion. Yet she had come in order to prove to herself that she was not afraid to see him again. Her departure years before from both Logan and the small Texas town where they were sweethearts had been abrupt, painful, and not of her choosing. Worst of all, she'd never had the chance to tell Logan the truth of why she had to leave. Now she would not only have a chance to explain, but to ask him for a favor. Handsome, charming, and dangerously charismatic, Logan exudes all the power and confidence of a self-made success. He listens as Dani describes her work for a charitable foundation and expresses her hope that he will donate one of his properties for a much-needed summer camp. Logan agrees, but with one shocking proviso: that Dani fulfill the intimate promise she made to him years ago. It is meant to be a coldhearted business transaction...but this time when Dani is once again compelled to leave without an explanation, nothing can keep Logan from following. *Rendezvous"From the Trade Paperback edition."

    Josh must have been close to the truth…and it cost him his life.When Boyd comes to medical resident Hayden Walsh’s ER looking for answers, she agrees to help with his investigation because Josh was a friend. As unnerved as she is by her attraction to the detective, she knows it will be impossible to avoid romantic entanglement…and the mess that comes with it.The investigation uncovers dangerous secrets, and Boyd and Hayden’s passion ignites. Only they can keep each other safe from a threat that lurks inside a life-long mystery.

    Faith might try to hide her true self behind a facade of feistiness, yet to Marcus she's as transparent as the glass she studies. What's more, the vulnerable woman in hiding is frighteningly appealing.Marcus and Faith don't believe in fairy tales, but being snowed in together over Christmas feels like magic. And the best gift of all would be discovering that happy-ever-afters really can come true….

    However, what seems to be a clear case of self-defense soon puts Caitlin on the defensive, as evidence left behind at the scene doesn’t match up with her story. But proving her innocence becomes the least of her problems... Criminal defense attorney Jack Wellington is highly sought after in the courtrooms of Savannah… not to mention the bedrooms of its female denizens. Jack believes himself to be hardened against the darker aspects of human nature, as well as the emotional plight of those he both cross-examines and defends. But when he encounters Caitlin in the hospital following her morning ordeal, something about the frightened but defiant romance novelist pulls at him. Jack’s attraction to his client continues to grow as what started as a simple enough case turns into a fight to save Caitlin’s life. Old friends, ex-lovers and even her own family – someone among them wants Caitlin dead. And both of them learn what lengths some will go to in order to avoid justice.

    Her quest to convict a cold-blooded gang leader makes her a target. The threats point to something beyond gang revenge...like the work of a serial stalker.It takes a man with extraordinary instincts and skill to guard Audrey from an elusive killer, and SWAT member Alex Taylor fits the bill. He's survived the gritty city streets and refuses to let the captivating, determined woman out of his protection...or under his skin. But to rescue her from evil, he must be willing to confront anything--including the powerful passion that binds them.

    Released on a technicality, he now makes his home in the mountains of North Carolina, building rock fireplaces for a waiting list of clients. His self-imposed solitude is shattered when local author Dana Minette asks him to build a fireplace in her new house. Dana becomes more than a client, and for the first time in twenty years, Reece longs to be with someone other than himself.Then a local woman is murdered in the same savage manner as the murder that sent Reece to prison. More than one person wants him to take the fall, including Dana's ex-husband, the local prosecutor, who's determined to convict Reece in the high-profile case. But Reece won't be railroaded again. Four men were with him the night of the first murder. One of them is the killer. Reece goes underground to discover who's setting him up and why. Dana insists on going along, and against his better judgment, he relents. With both the police and FBI on their trail, it's a race against time and a crafty murderer who will kill again.

     A volunteer with the Maui search and rescue team, Greg Braxton is training a greyhound under the extreme conditions of a lightning storm when he finds an unconscious woman in a car at the bottom of a cliff. When she awakens, she doesn’t know who she is or what she was doing in a treacherous rainforest in the middle of a raging storm. Nothing about the woman makes sense. She has the face of an angel but was found dressed in tawdry clothing, wearing a dead woman’s shoe. Is she an innocent victim, or a cunning criminal hiding behind amnesia? Greg takes to calling her “Lucky” because she’s lucky to be alive, but no matter how much Greg comes to admire and desire the woman he saved, he can’t give her back her past. With the law closing in, Lucky and Greg must discover her true identity before someone else—someone obsessed with her—finds her first.

    Their new home, a run-down old rectory, is vandalized the first night in their new country. When Scarlett calls the police to report the crime, a handsome deputy constable appears.Archer Phipps is a well-known figure in North Yorkshire. Tall and handsome, he is immediately taken with the gorgeous American with the dark hair and red lips. A routine police report turns into something warm and curious, and Archer finds himself drawn to the luscious woman. He can also see that she is very guarded. Curiosity turns to concern, and concern to genuine interest. Archer and Scarlett began to fall for each other quickly with a fiery passion borne of lust and magnetic attraction.But something evil is lurking in the mist of the North Yorkshire moors. Ten years ago, when Archer was a new inspector, a series of murders were committed by an individual given the horrific nickname of the Yorkshire Cutter. His crimes were particularly brutal, leaving notes behind at the crime scenes that incorporated poems of great English poets into his twisted taunts. Now, as Archer and Scarlett draw closer, the Yorkshire Cutter rears his ugly head again.Archer finds himself once again embroiled in tracking down a killer that now has his sights set on Scarlett. Through life and death, love and loss, Archer and Scarlett face off against a killer in a tense climax with an unexpected twist. Part thriller, part mystery, and all love story, ‘Darkling, I Listen’ is a true adventure in every sense of the word.

    His role in the prestigious undercover agency Corcoran Team trumped everything. Even Lara Bart. Though his loyalty to his position had once driven her away, Lara knew she had to tame her emotions if she wanted to survive. Whether she liked it or not, he was the only man who could protect her.Showing up at his door after dodging one attempt on her life, she knew Davis had the tools to make sure the next one failed, as well. But was his past to blame for the sudden attacks? Or was the answer, just like their intense relationship, not so clear-cut?

    You have to get her back."The minute he got the message, undercover agent Logan Quinn sprang into action. Getting Juliana James out of Mexico alive was the Elite Ops covert agent's only priority. But once the senator's daughter was safely back in their Mississippi hometown, Logan had a new mission: to get another chance with the woman he couldn't lose again.Juliana had never forgotten the day, ten years ago, when Logan left her heart in pieces. Now he was back in her life, sworn to protect her from the ruthless weapons dealer who wanted her dead. As passion blindsided her --and she was once again thrust into danger -- Julie realized how much she'd risk for one more day in Logan's arms.

    Now, the murderer she helped send to death row has been released because of bungled evidence, and Troy's partner, Detective Reed Tanner, has arrived on her doorstep to protect her from Eddie Victor, who has sworn to kill them both. Reed is determined to protect Shelly like he didn't protect Troy. But Reed isn't prepared for the attraction he feels toward Shelly or the fact that she obviously feels the same way toward him.

    Although she survived the attack, the ordeal was far from over. But she wasn't alone. Not when Riley Patterson appointed himself her protector.Beneath Riley's strapping, solemn exterior hid a hard-driving sheriff who would stop at nothing to catch a killer. He promised Hannah safety, but it was the danger he posed that drew her in. Riley was as much a mystery as the man who sought to take her life. Trapped on his ranch, with no one but each other to trust, only justice could set them free…and possibly separate them forever.

    Soon, they find their unruly partnership has the power to set the night on fire….Olivia Chantry may leave her desk in disarray, but she’s a business dynamo: her Seattle-based company, Light Fantastic, creates the promotional flash her clients need. Her marvelous success has almost made up for a crumbled marriage that has left her wedded to a career instead of a mate. But all that may change when Olivia inherits 49 percent of Glow, Inc., her uncle’s high-tech lighting firm, and she butts heads with the interloper who bagged the other 51 percent: Jasper Sloan, a venture capitalist and deal-maker known as an orderly man with all his ducks in a row.From the start of their feisty business dealings, the so-called partners nearly crash and burn—and barely keep control of the sexual energy crackling between them. But when they discover a blackmailer is hard at work uncovering secrets inside Glow, Inc., Olivia and Sloan’s steamy joint venture faces the acid test of truth…and a need for absolute trust. For when extortion turns to murder, a union of their minds—and hearts—might be their only chance to stay alive.

    These are tales that can be read in their entirety in only a handful of minutes. The stories are submitted by dozens of authors who often set them in the larger worlds of their other books.Stories and Authors in the collection:Mistletoe Cowboy by Trish MilburnAn Ugly Sweater Christmas by Heather McGovernClose to Perfect by Suzanne FerrellTo Santa with Love by Lindsey BrookesA Perfect Party by Anna SugdenThe Miracle of the Child by Bridget HodderMistletoe Magic by D.B. SiedersOn This Christmas Day by Natalie J. DamschroderFashionably Late for Christmas by Tanya MichaelsA SEAL’s Proposal by Tawny WeberWhite Christmas Pizza by Donna MacMeansThe Christmas Before Hell Froze Over by Sally KilpatrickSnowflake by Monica McCabeAn Unexpected Guest by Beth PattilloNew Year’s Magic by Jody WallaceGiving Thanks by Jeanette GreyA Holiday Miracle by Michelle MonkouA Bluestone Christmas Homecoming by M.J. FredrickHaintsgiving by Maureen HardegreeAll She Wants for Christmas by Janice LynnThe Solstice Ball by Nancy NorthcottZombie of Good Cheer by Gretchen StullSnow and Ghosts by Nicki SalcedoA Candle in the Window by Dorien KellyIn Which Miss Gardella Receives Three Gifts by Colleen GleasonA Miracle for Molly by Trish Milburn