Emma Goldrick

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO An accidental mom! After the latest in a long line of romantic disasters, Hope Latimore had decided there was only one thing for it—she would have to enter a convent! That or take the job her father had arranged for her as a stand-in nanny. Only Bruce Latimore had neglected to mention that her new boss was Ralph Browne—the man who had made her high school days hell! Hope, the "baby" of the Latimore family, was beginning to think that perhaps the nuns would have been a better idea! But she couldn't leave Eddie and little Melody with a bachelor dad to contend with. Sexy, Ralph might be, but it was clear that this hero knew less than Hope about bringing up kids!

Dream Lover... Though Rose Marie Chase told herself that she wasn't looking for another involvement, it would be nice if the man of her dreams swept her off her feet. But the trouble with daydreams about Mr.Right was that sometimes you found him! When Sam Horton arrived in town, Rose instantly recognized Husband Material; he also came as a part of a family package, with daughter included. However, foolish fantasies were one thing, reality quite another: Sam was acting as lawyer for Chad Westbrook, local Romeo and cheater of widows, who hired him to sue Rose!

A Tough Little Lady How dare Charlie Wheeler suggest that she needed a man -- for anything! It looked to her like he, and his little daughter, Cecilia, needed the tender loving care that a woman could provide. Cecilia might act tough, but Leonie Marshall knew that underneath it all was a vulnerable little girl. Well, maybe Leonie was little lonely at night... and perhaps Charlie did have deep, dark eyes and a smile that could warm her heart. But in Leonie's experience, men were just plain bad luck -- but could that luck be about to change?

"I'm not your girl! I'm not anybody's girl!" As far as Faith Latimore was concerned, that was the way she wanted to stay! Why, then, did Lady Sunny seem so determined to throw her together with Harry Holson? Drop-dead gorgeous he might be, but he was also a liar. The trouble was, until she could expose Harry's dirty double-dealings over a hotel construction, Faith was going to have to put up with his company--and the fact that he obviously found her very attractive, too!

Sharing the same island hideaway with gorgeous Selby Farnsworth and his mischievous son wasn't Abby's idea of heaven -- especially with all the chaos created by the two Farnsworth men. — TLC was in short supply and Abby seemed destined to dole it out in large doses. Selby, in return, seemed determined to dazzle her with kisses. Slowly but surely, the island was becoming paradise. Until a throng of reporters showed up demanding to know what Congressman Farnsworth was doing there -- and just who was the lovely woman with him? And that's when Selby told them Abby was his wife!

He was a dark and stormy knight... Riding in from the North to rescue Katie Lovewell from the dungeon of despair. She needed money and fast, not even her earnings from three jobs could save her Virginia home and land, which had been in her family for generations from being auctioned in thirty days - only a miracle would do that. But miracles could happen - if you met someone who could perform them; was John Lee the man for the job? The itinerant lawyer arrived with a young daughter in need of a mother and a free spirit that begged for a heart to call home. Jack also had a lot of nerve, insinuating himself into her house, her life--making her feel alive again. Katie didn't really think Jack could possibly help--but he did have such a lovely shoulder to lean on. Could this tall, dark and handsome champion prove that fairy tales do come true?

HE WASN'T THE MAN SHE WAS LOOKING FOR When Peggy Mitchell found handsome James T. Marston lying hurt near her Saint Vincent's Caribbean plantation, she hoped he was bringing news of an inheritance. She desperately needed the money to save her farm. In fact, he was a financial wizard getting away from it all, and he knew nothing about the legacy. However, Jim soon spotted Peggy's redundant crops of arrowroot and, having problems of his own, he quickly devised a deal to suit them both. Peggy was tempted by his plan -- but just what had her superstitious housekeeper meant when she'd read Jim's tarot cards and had predicted riches, fire... and love?

Dr. Frank Wylie was in a class by himself Beth Hendley had to concede that no one else had ever shattered the hard-won peace she'd found as a schoolteacher. What had she done to deserve this husky ex-professional football player? He hated her dog, made her volatile stepsister's eyelashes flutter, and challenged Beth's mission to teach history to the kids of Picayune. Worse still, he felt he had the right to kiss her! Well, if Frank Wylie was looking to do battle, Beth was ready--right down to the armor surrounding her heart....

One day had changed her life It had been Amanda Small's twenty-first birthday--and the day she met Brian Stone, the handsome adventure writer. Events quickly snowballed. Drawn to the idea of a secretary who wouldn't answer back to him, Brian hired Mandy to work for him. Greatly attracted to having an amenable wife, he also asked Mandy to marry him. But Mandy wasn't sure that Brian was really attracted to her--even though she was certain of her love for him. And there was no easy way to tell Brian just exactly how she felt....

She knew trouble when she saw it! New Englander Madeleine Charbonneau was too big a girl to think of marriage - five feet ten inches, to be precise. Her problems consisted mainly of keeping a roof over her head in the quiet town of Laconia, New Hampshire, and caring for her great-aunt, Tante Marie. Then Joel Fairmont moved into the house next door, and Maddie's life changed abruptly. She was fed up with her good-looking neighbor, what with his scandalous parties and his foul-speaking parrot! It wasn't like her to threaten a stranger with physical violence - but then, most strangers didn't kiss her like that! Whatever was she to do about that arrogant, arrant man? Concerned for her fragile old housemate, she plotted to get rid of Joel. Her scheming wasn't supposed to lead to her spending a night on a lonely island--trapped with tempting Joel! Nor was her reputation supposed to wind up as grist for the town's gossip mill! Joel's honorable proposal of marriage saved the day. But Madeleine had the unnerving suspicion that her rescuer was railroading her....

Alison Springer had a lot of problems Top priorities at the moment were a decaying water supply system and trying to avoid the local sheriff, who took more than a passing interest in her activities. Stedman Colson solved one problem when he moved on to the ranch next door and unexpectedly paid for new piping. The other grew and grew. Steady was a lawyer, had friends in high places and was very attractive. Alison just knew she had to avoid him, too. The man might have been coming on strong - but she couldn't afford to fall for a spy....

Valeria Brewster wasn't in the least interested in Bart Thomas. He was just the man who paid her a fat salary for looking after his unhappy teenage daughter, and Valeria was good with children. Why, then, should she find things getting out of hand so easily when Bart was around? It wasn't as though she was his type of woman - she left that sort of thing to blonde bombshells like Amele Poitras. The problem was that Bart didn't seem to agree...