by Susan Wiggs, Nancy Warren, Jule McBride (2003)
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the city — Not a single woman was stirring except . . . — THE ST. JAMES AFFAIR by Susan Wiggs — Manhattan blue blood Eve St. James - Could she forgo the air-kissing society scene for real love . . . With a Brooklyn cop? — A CATERED AFFAIR by Nancy Warren Up-and-coming caterer Marina Shields - She's seduced right out of her apron by CEO Clay Archer -- and into her own catered affair. A PHILADELPHIA AFFAIR by Jule McBride And Scrooge-in-heels marketing exec Kim Winkler - Her lust for the season's must-have toy was transforming to romance with the toy's brilliant creator.
Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, Julia London
In a trio of holiday romance tales set in Regency England and Scotland, a debutante falls for a mysterious driver, a spinster finds refuge at the home of a curmudgeonly aristocrat, and a lord meets a young lady trying to escape from home.
Nora Roberts
COULD HE HEAL HER BROKEN HEART? What was she doing here? Hyattown had changed very little in the years Vanessa Sexton had been away. In some ways her high school sweetheart, Brady Tucker, hadn't changed much either - he was still lean, athletic, rugged... But the once reckless boy had become a solid, dependable man. He'd stood her up on the most important night of her life; could she ever trust him again? So Vanessa had finally come home, Brady thought. She could still turn him inside out with one of her sultry looks. He couldn't believe she hadn't forgiven him for that night twelve years ago--but he'd had his reasons for not showing up. He'd let her leave town then--but he wasn't going to let her get away this time....
Linda Lael Miller
When news arrived that there was trouble back in Texas, Holt McKettrick left a mail-order bride and his family on the spot. And he never looked back. He just prayed he'd be in time to save the man who had raised him as a son and keep his best friend from the gallows. He knew he'd encounter rustlers, scoundrels and thieves, but he'd never expected to find a woman like Lorelei Fellows. Setting fire to her wedding dress in the town square probably wasn't the best way to stand her ground. But Lorelei had had enough. She was sick of men and their schemes. All she wanted was to stake her claim on her own little piece of Texas. And with Holt McKettrick as a neighbor, things were beginning to look up. The man was a straight shooter with a strong will, a steady aim and a hungry heart.
Alicia Erian
Collects nine stories that examine how love and emotions can make an individual do things that might be considered out of character in such works as "Lass," about a newlywed bride who finds herself drawn to her father-in-law.