Dixie Browning

MEN of the YEAR MAN of the MONTH"I'm not a family man, but I sure as hell am willing to try." Travis Holiday, former Coast Guard officer When Travis learned he had a son, he'd gone into emergency mode: build a home, become a dad, settle down. No more heroics. But when he came upon the dark-haired goddess stranded in a coastal storm, Trav just had to help.He knew Ruanna Roberts was running from something… but all that mattered now was his son. So why did his arms instinctively open up to Ruanna –...

Mr. September The Single Dad: Wealthy bachelor Alex Hightower has three women on his mind… .His Sassy-Mouthed Teenage Daughter: A girl with training bras on her mind.His «Steady Gal»: A snooty socialite with marriage to Mr. Moneybags on her mind.Angeline Wydowski Perkins: An unsuitable woman with an endless supply of love for Alex on her mind.My steady's familiar – but about as exciting as a stale croissant. Angeline's exciting – but about as familiar as a total stranger. Of course, my daughter...

I didn't care how many sizzling fantasies the mysterious man on my doorstep sparked. Whatever Jake Smith was offering, I didn't need it, didn't want it–knew better than to even think about it! Besides, if there's one thing I, Sasha Combs Cassidy Boone Lasiter, have learned after four marriages, it's that no good comes from romantic entanglements.Still, ladies, it would be a shame to let this dark-haired hunk go to waste. There must be a woman out there–other than me, of course!–who'd appreciate...

Okay, so maybe hiring a centerfold stud to remodel my home was crazy. But I, Marty Owens, practical bookstore owner, was a desperate woman, and contractor Cole Stevens was a man with muscles and strong hands and a seductive voice promising me he could get the job done fast.It made perfect sense for him to move in so he could work days and nights. But no logic can explain my wild fantasies about getting cozy with Cole in every room in the house–the bedroom, the shower, the kitchen…. Ladies, I'm...

Honestly, ladies, I had the perfect plan to catch a good man…until he showed up out of nowhere! With his come-hither, all-male looks, sexy stranger Kell Magee could melt the chrome off a bumper. But marriage material? Men like Kell are good for one thing–wild, scorching sex. No, I'd do much better with someone like our town accountant. Sensible, dull, he wouldn't drive me crazy with desire or have me dreaming of hot kisses all day long. The sooner Kell finds his family roots and leaves town, the...

MR. DECEMBER Instant Father: Former detective Joe Dana had a weakness for beautiful women – not pudgy babies! Earth Mother: Sophie Bayard knew all about natural childbirth – she just didn't expect a handsome stranger to practically deliver her baby in a vegetable garden!Little Miss Fatcheeks: Could this tiny dynamo hook Sophie a husband? Joe planned to hightail it back to Texas once he retrieved an heirloom from the brand-new mother, but before this bachelor knew it, he was strutting around like...

Mr. MayIrresistible Man: Stone McCloud couldn't let a big-mouthed floozy ruin a family's good name! Unattainable Woman: Having bad taste in husbands and being trapped in a femme fatale's body were only two of Lucy Dooley's problems.Unexpected Happening: Hah! They've both been hoodwinked! When Stone was sent to North Carolina's Outer Banks to spy on Lucy, a big-mouthed floozy was nowhere to be found on Coronoke Island. Seemingly sweet and wonderful, Lucy was obviously planning to wrap him around...

John MacBride would do anything to keep his stepbrother from being thrown into jail for a crime he didn't commit. Which is how he ended up in the Outer Banks, posing as a handyman for the young socialite who could clear his stepbrother's name.As a marine archaeologist, Mac was used to digging deep for clues, but nothing had prepared him for the gorgeous woman he suspected of wrongdoing. Only Val Bonnard wasn't the spoiled heiress he'd been expecting. She seemed gentle and caring–and one look at...

MAN OF THE MONTH TALL, DARK AND HANDSOMEMR. NOVEMBERReluctant Bachelor: Kurt Stryker didn't want to marry, but he sure needed a wife! Unsuspecting Bride: Sweet, sexy Debranne Kiley. The proposal: Gulp! Rugged Kurt Stryker wasn't a man of many words, but he did have one heck of a hot desire for Debranne Kiley. So when he needed a wife to keep custody of the boy in his care, he started practicing his «I do.»Problem was, whenever he had Debranne in his arms, he couldn't get the proposal past his...

THE OIL BARON He was the epitome of masculinity – and rich as sin. But with midlife approaching, Texas baron Hank Langley was in sore need of a wife. And finding a Mrs. Langely from the bevy of social-climbing beauties was a challenge even for this ex-military man. Until Callie Riley, his new, much younger secretary, breezed into his life and took Hank's hardened heart by storm. Suddenly he was learning more about love than he'd ever thought possible.Could the millionaire convince this...

Daddy Knows Last THE BABY MAKER? Rugged cowboy Jake Spencer liked how babies were made – but wasn't about to make one himself! Then he heard that the sexiest single gal in New Hope, Texas, was planning to visit the sperm bank. Suddenly, convincing Priscilla to do her daddy-donor hunting the old-fashioned way seemed infinitely appealing. Priscilla Barrington would do anything to have a baby.So when a devastatingly attractive bachelor like Jake Spencer tried talking her out of Plan A, she decided...

MAN OF THE MONTH TALL, DARK AND HANDSOMEMR. MARCHThe Beast: Gus Wydowski, a brooding bachelor with a weakness for beautiful women – but not for bouncing babies!The Beauty: Mariah Brady didn't need a man who knew nothing about babies – especially when she was juggling a newborn!The Baby: Was cute little Jessie going to hook Mariah a husband? Gus couldn’t diaper an infant to save his life, but he also couldn't stay away from Mariah Brady.And Mariah and baby Jessie were a package deal, so before he...

LAST-CHANCE BRIDE… Single father and marriage cynic Tucker Dennis was sure his too-romantic dad had been roped into saying «I do.» So he hightailed it down to the Blue Flamingo Motel to halt the honeymoon and talk some sense into the elderly groom. And that's where he found the bride's riled relative…Annie Summer's heart melted with happiness when she saw the blissful newlyweds – or was it at the sight of the groom's son? But sexy Tucker didn't seem to have a heart of his own underneath that...

MAN of the Month THE LAWLESS HEIRSMR. MAY The G-Man: Secret agent Daniel Lawless… double-crossed by his own agency!The Woman: Brokenhearted beauty Jasmine Clancy… betrayed by her fiance and best friend!The passion: Suddenly trapped together in a remote hideaway, the two hotheads exploded with desire… for each other… .Agent Lawless had a bad guy to nab. More, he had his own untouchable heart to guard. Yet from the moment he met the lovely and mysterious Jasmine, keeping his mind on his mission...

Brace Ridgeway: Okay, I was dumped. No big deal. I'm not too upset at being single again, but the reason I got jilted was pretty embarrassing. So I escaped to North Carolina's Outer Banks to be alone, and what do I get? A woman who wants to know my business.Frances Jones: What's a gal to do when she gets a scrumptious-looking, sexy man for company, and he's not much of a talker? I know he's been through something, but I also know that underneath that hard, muscled chest I can't keep my eyes off...