He digs into the snowman to discover two things: the weapon fits into the body just under the head, and the snowman was supposed to be the back drop for Lexi's next show.From this improbable beginning comes friendship. Can there be more for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood?Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.

     Never underestimate a sexy, stubborn SEAL… On New Year’s Eve… Proud of the life she’s created, financial analyst Gwen Kirkpatrick moves easily among the rich and powerful of San Francisco, including dating her nice-guy boss. It’s quite a change from the broken hearted woman who got dumped on New Year’s Eve three years ago when the love of her life chose his Navy career over her. As the clock ticks down… For Petty Officer Noah Morelli, mixing his personal life and his dream career as a Navy SEAL seemed impossible. He made a tough choice, and for the last three years he’s been happy using his career challenges to forget the sweet-but-oh-so-sexy girl he left behind. Until he hears someone else is about to propose to her. Suddenly the idea of Gwen spending her life with anyone but him is unthinkable. Anything can happen… Gwen refuses to let her heart be broken again, but Noah is determined to win her back. Some sizzling stolen moments in a closet are all it takes to remind Gwen how hot they were together. She may be minus her panties, but she still has her pride. Now Gwen is the one confronted with a hard choice: a dream-come-true opportunity or the love she thought she’d lost. It’s New Year’s Eve, with new choices, new chances, and maybe a new life for them both.

    Kat McMarrin likes her space.After spending her entire life as an Army brat, she's done moving all over the map.So when crashing at her brother's lake house comes with an unexpected plus-one,she's less than thrilled.Even if his best friend Jesse is calm, cool, and gorgeous.But fixing up the falling-down cabin quickly turns from sawdust to sizzle,and pretty soon, Jesse and Kat find themselves wondering...Can a fixer-upper really become forever?

    No more awkward questions or pitying looks as you face the holidays alone!  MIXED UP But even the best technology has its glitches. When real-life emotions come into play, this trio of twenty-somethings find themselves in a tangle of crossed signals, flying wrapping paper, disastrous Christmas parties…and surprising kisses.  MATCHED UP Yet despite the confusion of their mistletoe misadventures, when the New Year dawns, these very satisfied women just may find themselves waking up with true love beside them.

    Riding to the rescue—literally—is Dillon Craig, a reclusive doctor who insists she weather the storm in his cabin. Since returning from Afghanistan where he treated wounded soldiers on the front lines, Dillon's made it a point to avoid any emotional involvement. But his unexpected guest has him dangerously close to breaking his own rules. Brenna has a plan for her life—until she's stranded for three days with Dillon. Soon, the chemistry sizzling between them forces her to reexamine her priorities. The man is gorgeous, if taciturn, and a true hero in every sense of the word. No woman in her right mind could resist him, and so Brenna doesn't—even though she can't stay...From anthology "Holiday Kisses"

    A family tragedy when she was a child had her retreating deep into shyness, and social anxiety kept her on the fringes of the cozy chaos of the busy vicarage.After several years away from home, Anna returns for Christmas... and an important announcement from her father. As much as she once loved the village, coming back is hard and puts Anna's social capabilities to the test. Avoiding her sisters’ bossy questions, she heads out to the local pub one night, and meets a handsome stranger nursing a pint. Somehow, unburdened by expectations, Simon seems like the perfect person to spill all her secrets to—including a hopeless, long-held crush on her sister’s boyfriend. Confident she’ll never see him again, Anna returns home… only to discover the next day that Simon is actually her father’s new curate!Anna is beyond mortified, but Simon won’t let her retreat into her usual shyness—and for once Anna is forced to confront the past, and all the fears and feelings she’d tried so long to hide. But with his own heartache that needs to heal, can Simon help Anna to make this the most magical Christmas either of them have known?

    But will her dream of a Parisian Happily-Ever-After come true? Or will Sarah realise that the dream isn’t quite as rosy in reality…

    After a frightening encounter with a patient, Evan insists Cinder stay with him until the culprit is caught. Will these two become something more with a little nudge from their four-legged friends?Originally published in 2013

    She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.Maybe that was always beside the point.Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...Is that what she’s supposed to do?Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

    . .Ellen’s figured out that finding the right guy is all about compatibility. That’s why she signs up for Detailed Dating—the local online dating scene in Sacramento. They ask men the hard questions, compare their answers with hers, then she filters through the profiles of each provided “match.” After numerous email exchanges, she narrows it down to two promising candidates she’s excited to meet in person. When Ellen’s best friend asks her for a favor, dog-sitting leads to disaster and Ellen ends up at the local vet where she meets a man she can’t get out of her mind. Henry isn’t a logical choice, but she finds herself paying for dog obedience class to spend more time with him. Ellen knows that in order to have a lasting relationship, she should take the safe route and go for one of the pre-screened guys. But, how can she think with her head when her heart keeps begging her to give Henry a chance?

    Reese Woodward had returned to town with dark secrets, and he was determined to unravel them. While evil lurks in the darkness, seduction burns between them...only time was their enemy.Will her secrets destroy what they've built, or can he earn her trust before the killer strikes again?

    Stephen is fresh out of a relationship and dreading the prospect of Christmas alone. Ali, on the other hand, can't celebrate with friends or family. The most important man in her life is dying - decorating cookies and hanging tinsel aren't even on her radar. When the two meet during a chance encounter, Stephen's instant attraction to Ali spurs him into action. He'll do whatever it takes to give her the holiday she deserves and pull off a real Christmas miracle.This holiday romance short is the moving story of two people, fates intertwined, about to be surprised by what destiny has in store.*Bonus: Sneak peek of the uniquely-told story of a compulsive liar and her therapist, Compulsive.

    Imagine her surprise when she learns that Uncle Miles, despite their time apart, has left her with half of his estate in Sapphire Falls.Wounded police officer Dillon Whitmore loves Sapphire Falls and the much-needed peace the town has brought to his life. He wants nothing more than to settle down in the home he helped build for his dear friend and father figure, Miles. The only problem is the pretty—and completely unexpected—co-heir who stands in his way.

     Nicola Hart grew up under the heels of her older brother and his sexy best friend, Cash Garrison. Years of ignoring her spark with Cash has transformed their friendship into a slow burning sizzle. One night with him could ruin everything. Or it could be more than she ever dreamed. They play. They flirt. But they haven't crossed the line because too much is at stake. Family. Friendship. And the deepest kind of love that she'd have to be crazy to walk away from. She's his best friend's little sister. The definition of hands off. Cash has tried to ignore her for years. Those innocent eyes and her smile that screams kiss-me-if-you-dare... Instead, he's looked at every pretty little thing who's crossed his path, all to ignore the girl he seems destined to want. But when his hard partying ways get old and everyone at school is interested in Nicola, it's time to stake a claim. To make Nicola his girl, no matter the risks, and hold the hand of the one he really loves.

     Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She's found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check. ...Now he has a second chance to get it right. Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her career as a paediatric surgeon is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life he once chose over her. Come home to Wardham. Come home to love.