The wedding dress was made many years ago, and it came with a promise:

The First Man You Meet…<P>Shelly Hansen was horrified when her great-aunt's wedding dress arrived—because, according to family legend, she was destined to marry the next man she met. So when she tripped on an escalator and fell into Mark Brady's arms, she told him—and herself—that she wasn't interested in marriage. But then she started seeing him everywhere…. <I>Coincidence?<P>is <I>The Man You'll Marry

After her own wedding, Shelly sends her best friend, Jill Morrison, the dress—which is delivered to Jill's hotel in Hawaii. But at least the man she sat beside on the plane—gorgeous grouch Jordan Wilcox—can't be the man in question, can he? She met him <I>before she got the dress!

<I>Wounded in battle, Major Reese Dewar returns to England—but his injuries are nothing compared to his shattered heart<P>Years ago, love-struck Reese departed his home at Briarwood with a promise from raven-haired Elizabeth Clemens that she would make a life with him upon his return. But mere months later, she married the Earl of Aldridge, attaining wealth and status Reese could never match. Memories of that betrayal make his homecoming far more bitter than sweet.

Seeing Elizabeth on his doorstep dressed in widow's garb twists the knife even deeper. But fear for her young son's safety has overcome her pride: she begs Reese for protection from those who would see the boy dead to possess his fortune. He agrees to an uneasy alliance, sensing Elizabeth still harbors deep secrets—and Reese knows that he's placing himself in danger…of losing his heart all over again.

After years of trying to become pregnant without success, Rachel Dawson and her husband Thomas felt their dreams had finally come true the day they brought home their newly adopted twin babies. Though the lawyer Baron Bell who arranged for the surrogate mother charged a hefty six-figure fee, one glance into the eyes of their precious children told them it was all worth it. Until the birth mother reappeared, first demanding more money, then the twins themselves. Suddenly Baron Bell was nowhere to be found, and the Dawsons were once again childless, heartbroken and nearly destitute.<br><br>When the case finds its way to the offices of high-profile attorney Lizzie Fox, she can’t wait to take down the so-called “Mr. Wonderful.” And she knows she’ll have all the help she needs as it’s just the kind of crime that really gets the Sisterhood’s adrenalin flowing. Once they get their hands on the perpetrators there will be hell to pay, and it will cost a lot more than cold, hard cash.

Location: north of the Arctic Circle. Population: 150 (mostly men!) But the three O’Halloran brothers, who run a bush-plane charter service called Midnight Sons, are heading a campaign to bring women to town<br><br>Falling for Him:<br>Christian, the youngest O’Halloran brother, has a problem, and her name is Mariah Douglas. The Midnight Sons secretary is always losing his messages, misplacing his files and generally creating chaos. Despite that, he can’t get her out of his mind.…

Ending in Marriage:<br>The clashes between pilot Duke Porter and Seattle attorney Tracy Santiago are legendary. Duke’s a tough, rugged individualist who delights in expressing outrageous opinions, particularly when Tracy’s around. But she gives as good as she gets…and not just when they’re arguing!

AND A SPECIAL BONUS STORY…

Midnight Sons and Daughters:<br>Scott O’Halloran and Chrissie Harris are all grown up now. After years away from Alaska, Scott’s back in town, and everybody’s wondering if he’s here to stay. Especially Chrissie, the girl he left behind…

92 Pacific Boulevard<P> Cedar Cove, Washington

Dear Reader,

I'm not much of a letter writer. As the sheriff here, I'm used to writing incident reports, not chatty letters. But my daughter, Megan—who'll be making me a grandfather soon—told me I had to do this. So here goes.

I'll tell you straight out that I'd hoped to marry Faith Beckwith (my onetime high school girlfriend) but she ended the relationship last month, even though we're both widowed and available. There were a few misunderstandings between us, some of them inadvertently caused by Megan.

However, I've got plenty to keep me occupied, like the unidentified remains found in a cave outside town. And the fact that my friend Judge Olivia Griffin is fighting cancer. And the break-ins at 204 Rosewood Lane—the house Faith happens to be renting from Grace Harding…

If you want to hear more, come on over to my place or to the sheriff's office—if you can stand the stale coffee!

Troy Davis

Everyone in Ashley O'Ballivan's life is marrying and starting families—except her. But what date can compare to Jack McCall, the man who broke her heart years ago?<P>And now he's mysteriously back. But he isn't who she thinks he is.<P>After a dangerous mission working for the DEA, security expert Jack McCall rents a room in Ashley's bed-and-breakfast. For her sake, he must keep his distance. But his feelings for her are so powerful that only his heart remains off-limits. To protect her—from his enemies and himself—he has to leave…vowing to fight his way home to her and Stone Creek forever.

What would make <I>your Christmas perfect?

For Cassie Beaumont, it's meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing's worked. Not blind dates, not the Internet and certainly not leaving love to chance.<P>What's left? A professional matchmaker. He's Simon Dodson, and he's very choosy about the clients he takes on. Cassie finds Simon a di[fb03] cult, acerbic know-it-all, and she's astonished when he accepts her as a client.

Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets him. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell ringer, dressing up as Santa's elf at a children's party and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all—and she's finally ready to meet her match.<P>But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise!