The sun was dipping low, casting amber streaks across the horizon, when Maddie received the invitation. She was reclined on a striped lounge chair beside the inn’s saltwater pool, legs glistening from tanning oil, sunglasses perched high, lost in the…

Maddie returned that evening to the seaside suite. Wine glasses were chilled, rose petals scattered across the bedspread, soft music vibrating through the walls. Liana and Mark looked different now—expectant, a tiny tremor of anticipation in their stance. She chose…

Her name was Miranda Blake. Forty-one. A stunning woman with a smoky voice, soft laugh, and curves that made heads turn even when she wasn’t trying. She was the kind of woman who walked with the confidence of someone who knew…

The summer sun was high over Timber Hollow, pouring golden light over dusty pickup trucks, porch swings, and the faint scent of cedarwood from the sawmill drifting down Main Street. Jack Johnson, all six-foot-five of him, stood outside the hardware…

With the sound of children’s laughter and the rhythmic thud of little feet bouncing around her, Lucy couldn’t resist the siren call of the colorful inflatable fortress. The party was in full swing, a cacophony of balloons popping and sugared-up…