That Holiday Feeling

It was the year that changed everything...

When Susannah Nelson turned eighteen she said goodbye to her boyfriend Jake--and never saw him again. She never saw her brother Doug again either. He died unexpectedly that same year.

Now at fifty Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married a mother and a teacher she should be happy. But she feels there's something missing in her life. Not only that she's balancing the demands of an aging mother and a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter.

Her mother Vivian a recent widow is having difficulty coping and living alone so Susannah goes home to Colville Washington. In returning to her parents' house her girlhood friends and the garden she's always loved she also returns to the past--and the choices she made back then. What she discovers is that things are not always as they once seemed. Some paths are dead ends. But some gardens remain beautiful....

Falling for Him

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

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!

Midnight Sons and Daughters

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...

“His early novel Call It Sleep was his Ulysses. His late work An American Type is his Grapes of Wrath.”—Thane Rosenbaum, Los Angeles Times

Seth Webster's heart never healed after he lost his adored wife. Now, with Christmas approaching, wild twin boys to raise alone, a home in chaos, and the latest in a long line of exasperated housekeepers quitting in disgust, Seth needs more than help to keep his family togethe...he needs a miracle.

And then a miracle arrives on his doorstep. Her name is Mrs. Merkle, but the kids call her "Mrs. Miracle"—and from the moment the warm, knowing, and very patient nanny appears, everything is different. Her sassy spirit is infectious, and it gives Seth the courage to approach Reba, a beautiful travel agent who's been hurt and betrayed, and is afraid to ever love again. Through the magic of faith—and with a little help from a children's Christmas pageant and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. Miracle—Seth and Reba might just be able to find a Christmas miracle of their very own: true love.

Knitting and Life

They're both about beginnings-and endings. That's why Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle's Blossom Street, offers a class called Knit to Quit. It's for people who want to quit something-or someone!-and start a new phase of their lives.

First to join is Phoebe Rylander, who's trying to get over a man. Alix Turner and her husband want a baby, so she has to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson needs a way to deal with the stress of running his family's business.

Then there's Lydia's friend Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, have finally settled into a secure and happy routine-when a stranger appears asking questions.

Meanwhile, Lydia and her husband, Brad, have their hands full with the angry, defiant twelve-year-old who unexpectedly becomes their foster child….

But when your life-and your stitches-get snarled, your friends can always help!

Emma Collins has always believed that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love fruitcake and those who don't. She's firmly in the second category, so it's ironic that her first major assignment for the Puyallup, Washington, Examiner is a series of articles about...fruitcake. At least it's a step up from writing obituaries.

Her task is to interview the finalists in a fruitcake recipe contest, and that means traveling around the state. Actually...flying around the state. Local pilot Oliver Hamilton, who's starting an airfreight business, has agreed to take her wherever she needs to go, in exchange for free advertising. Unfortunately Emma hates small planes--almost as much as she hates fruitcake.

But in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Emma falls for Oliver (who's not quite the Scrooge he sometimes seems) and his mutt, Oscar (who's allergic to her perfume, which makes him sneeze repeatedly). And she meets three wise women who know a lot about fruitcake--and even more about life.

It all reminds her that there's something about Christmas. Something special...

Buffalo Valley North Dakota has become a good place to live--the way it used to be. People here are feeling confident about the future again.

Stalled lives are moving forward. People are taking risks--on new ventures and lifelong dreams. On happiness. And one of those people is local rancher Margaret Clemens who's finally getting what she wants most. Marriage to cowboy Matt Eilers. Her friends don't think Matt's such a prize but Margaret's aware of his reputation and his flaws. She wants him anyway. And she wants his baby....