“Stop stuttering, Jack. Don’t be so clumsy. What’s wrong with you?” Over and over, Jack Warren heard such words his entire life from his father and others. When his brother comes across an ad looking for hired hands in Lincoln, Nebraska, Jack jumps at the chance to go. Finally, he’ll get to live his life in peace since he’ll be far removed from others. What he doesn’t count on is the owner’s attractive daughter who happens to be available. When the new hired hands arrive at her pa’s farm, Maybell is immediately drawn to Jack. Though he wasn’t the most graceful of all men to work for her pa, there’s a certain charm and sweetness about him that appeals to her. Her pa, however, has other ideas. Certain someone as timid as Jack wouldn’t make a good husband, he rejects Jack’s suit. Instead, he plans for her to marry his brother, and he’ll do everything he can to make that happen. *This was originally published in A Groom's Promise anthology.

Libby, a young widow trying to make her way in the Old West, accepts a job as a cook for three cowboys, including the loner Tyler Hollins. Tyler and Libby find themselves irresistibly attracted to each other--and once they begin to share secrets about their past, they forge a strong bond that will soon be put to the ultimate test.

Eric Johnson’s real mail order bride shows up later than expected, and she quickly learns he is already married. Now Allie Jones is stuck in a small Colorado town with no way to leave. She must either marry the only suitable bachelor or risk being sold to the saloon’s owner to be one of the soiled doves. Seeing she has no real choice, she agrees to marry the bachelor. Rumored as being a monster by the people in town, Travis Martin is content to live alone, sheltered in the wooded area of the mountainside. The last thing he expects is a preacher when there’s a knock on the door. With great hesitation, he agrees to the marriage. He can’t confine such a beautiful young lady to the saloon, but he knows the marriage won’t be a happy one for her, not when she could have had someone so much better. So the best thing he can do is keep his distance and leave her alone. She, however, can't help but be intrigued by her new husband. Is he the ugly beast the people in town claim, or is there something beautiful worth loving just beneath the surface?

Eliza left her life of prostitution to become something she could never be back in Omaha: a lady. Her plan is to remain single for the rest of her life, but when she arrives in South Dakota, she runs into John Evans. And he’s not about to let her remain single if he has anything to do about it. As soon as John sees Eliza, he falls in love with her. Not only is Eliza the most beautiful young lady he’s ever seen, but she isn’t put off by the fact that he’s mute. Since his mail-order bride didn’t come, he sees no reason why he can’t marry Eliza and make a home with her. Eliza, however, knows very well why they can’t be together. She used to be a prostitute. John is a sweet man who’s never even kissed a woman. He deserves a virgin who can give him her innocence and a future with children. Eliza can do neither one for him. But while she insists he should wait to see if his mail-order bride is coming after all, she is taken in with his sweetness and charm. And soon, she’s torn between doing what is best for him and what her selfish heart wants.

Los Angeles magazine is a regional magazine of national stature. Our combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design covers the people, lifestyle, culture, entertainment, fashion, art and architecture, and news that define Southern California. Started in the spring of 1961, Los Angeles magazine has been addressing the needs and interests of our region for 48 years. The magazine continues to be the definitive resource for an affluent population that is intensely interested in a lifestyle that is uniquely Southern Californian.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

The face of 1980s television was shaped by a man who stayed behind the scenes. Stephen Cannell's reluctant white knights--put-upon private eye James Rockford, World War II fly-boys the Black Sheep Squadron, hapless superhero Ralph Hinckley, fugitive mercenaries the A-Team, and maverick cop Hunter--traversed the television landscape from the 1970s to the 1990s. Cannell changed the face of the action-adventure genre, updating the crime-show format with a hybrid of rebellious morality, juvenile wit, intelligent sarcasm, and radical conservatism. This book discusses in detail the programs of the writer-producer and lists every episode of his award-winning productions from the early 1970s to the early '90s. The book features publicity photos and descriptions of unsold pilots.