Don't Look Now - A Novel

Devoted defense lawyer Clare Westbrook, used to working for others, can now call the shots on her own terms. A multi-million-dollar inheritance from the father she never knew has allowed her to start her own practice. And with her teenage niece, Emma, whom she's raised as a daughter, on a school trip to Europe, Clare has been able to focus on turning a storefront in a tough Phoenix neighborhood into the legal firm of her dreams and offering her services to the troubled community. But just as she opens for business, explosive shots take out her street-level windows -- and nearly take her life. Someone clearly has targeted Clare, though she doesn't know who or why. All she knows is she must surrender to Tony Sonterra's protection if she wants to survive....

A senseless murder. A sizzling adventure.

Clare Westbrook is a survivor who built her law practice from sheer determination -- and an unexpected inheritance. Now Clare, carrying her lover Tony Sonterra's child, has taken the biggest risk of all: saying "yes" to his marriage proposal and finally burying her lifelong commitment phobia. So why is fear running through her veins and haunting her dreams? Sonterra is fired up to leave Phoenix for small-town Arizona, to replace the town's missing police chief and target a lethal desert crime ring. Clare's willing to stand by her man, but her fiancé won't be the only one flirting with danger on the job: as a special investigator for the D.A.'s office, Clare is plunged into a race to find a missing child whose mother was murdered -- a hot case that puts Clare's safety, and that of her unborn child, on the edge. For in a place where secrets have nowhere to hide, the promise of Clare's bright future could vanish in the blink of an eye....

Eight years ago, Glory Parsons had been forced to flee her hometown-and leave behind her first love. And Jesse Bainbridge would never know the heartbreaking price she'd paid-or about the child born of their fiery union….

Jesse had once wanted Glory with all the passion in his soul-until she walked out on him. Now she was back with shocking news that would change his life forever. Could he trust the woman who'd betrayed him-the only woman he would ever love?

Look for more captivating titles from #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller! Big Sky River is available now from Harlequin HQN. And don't miss The Man from Stone Creek!

THE LAST CHANCE CAFÉ

With acres of land and a house that have been in his family for generations, rancher Chance Qualtrough has deep roots in Primrose Creek. Now, at the local diner, he is about to encounter his futureŠ.Perhaps it was fate that brought Hallie O'Rourke and her two young daughters to the Last Chance Café. More likely, it was the blinding Nevada snowstorm and a broken-down truck that forced the desperate single mother inside. Hallie couldn't know that she would find not just a hot meal and a few hours' rest, but the start of a new life. And Chance doesn't know that Hallie is fleeing a danger so threatening she dares not ask anyone for help. Even his kind offer of his aunt's house as lodging seems like too great a risk for Hallie.

But her fierce protection of her children wins out, and she knows she has no choice but to accept Chance's invitation. Slowly, as Chance and Hallie break down barriers of fear and doubt, trust takes hold. Hope replaces despair. And a fragile attraction grows into an undeniable passion. From the moment she took a chance with a handsome stranger in a country diner, everything Hallie has ever believed about home and family is seen through new eyes. But Hallie can never forget that just one careless word could bring back the past with full force, and could destroy all that she has made her own.

SPRINGWATER WEDDING

Once a frontier stagecoach stop, tiny Springwater has grown and changed and entered the twenty-first century. Cattle rustlers may still be stirring up trouble, but now they're high-tech operators in a modern world. Where stagecoaches once rolled along muddy roads, the Internet is now the newest highway in town. But heartbreak is still heartbreak and love still love, and Springwater still boasts a rich legacy of joy, sorrow, and second chances -- as two childhood sweethearts discover when they rekindle a long-ago passion in the place they will always call home.

Maggie McCaffrey left her fast-paced corporate job to take a chance on a more rewarding -- but riskier -- business venture: turning the dilapidated Springwater Station into a bed-and-breakfast. But Maggie didn't count on running straight into J.T. Wainwright, the hometown boy who stole her heart many years before. A tough former New York City cop, J.T. survived a grave gunshot wound and returned to Springwater to find a better way of life. Now, as deputy town marshal, he's facing off with modern-day cattle thieves who are plaguing local ranchers. Stronger than ever, J.T. seems ready for anything -- except, of course, Maggie.

As Maggie's B&B begins to take root, a delightful new cast of Springwater locals passes through its doors. Maggie's parents, Kathleen and Reece, are finding that their forty-year marriage requires a little renegotiating now and then. Cindy, a teenage newlywed with a baby on the way, is learning about love and sacrifice for the first time. And town marshal Purvis Digg is turning Springwater upside down by dating a woman he met on the Internet.

As always, Linda Lael Miller enchants readers with her portrayal of the complex tangle of life and love in a small town. With her trademark sensuality and her þair for wit, she once again brings Springwater to life -- this time, at the dawn of a new era.

Rachel Springwater's first schoolteacher, she crosses paths with rough-hewn barkeep Trey Hargreaves -- who puts a slow burn on her proper Eastern ways.

Savannah Behind her rouge and bangles, the dance-hall girl has a sure and steady heart. Can her kind, gentle love help Dr. Prescott Parrish heal his wounded spirit?

Miranda An unwed mother in search of a place to call home, she finds her heart's desire in Springwater -- and in the arms of rancher Landry Kildare.

Jessica The sparks fly when she comes to take charge of her late brother's bankrupt newspaper -- and finds herself in a heated love match with town mayor Gage Calloway.

Scully Wainwright never intended to be left alone with his ranching partner's fiancée. But his partner's not due back until spring, and he can't leave a defenseless woman and her child unguarded -- not with wolves and Indians threatening. Biding his time with the lovely Evangeline begins to feel dangerously close to setting up a real home. But as a reckless passion sparks between them, Scully and Evangeline discover a destiny -- and a passion -- as boundless as the open frontier.