U.S. Marine captain Ben Kozlowski wasn't quite sure, but he knew it had something to do with Ellie Jensen's soulful brown eyes and beautiful soft skin. Being near her had his pulse racing like a fresh recruit's. From the moment he had laid eyes on her and started inventing fairy tales for her adorable five-year-old daughter, Ben had felt his insides melt for this vulnerable little family. They were his family now. And after accepting this dangerous domestic mission—the riskiest he'd ever had—did Ben dare let his guard down and surrender? Or would Ellie and her daughter take his heart hostage for keeps?

How on earth had an intrepid U.S. Marine just gotten maneuvered into dating the librarian next door? Mark it down to a sense of duty but for Steve Kozlowski, meeting Chloe Johnson was like walking over a land mine. For beneath her frumpy exterior was a spirited, sexy woman who could definitely use a lot more excitement in her life. And this die-hard bachelor was just the man to provide it. At least he was until he discovered how much fun he was having with sweet, kissable Chloe. Had Steve's time-honored strategy for sidestepping a more lasting engagement just backfired?

He'd faced enemy fire with more courage than his general's daughter's advances—and U.S. Marine Captain Rad Kozlowski wasn't afraid to admit he was in real danger. The only way to evade her was to find a fake bride. And he knew just the beautiful blonde to play the part…. Experience had taught brainy bookseller Serena Anderson to steer clear of military men. But when Rad offered her a too-good-to-be-true deal in exchange for "marriage," Serena agreed to a little pretence. After all, since neither wanted to settle down, the only thing at risk was a few kisses—and then a few more…

Down-to-earth, dependable Cecelia Rankin was not the kind of woman who believed in dreams-come-tnje…but that's exactly what seemed to be happening! She kept dreaming of her gorgeous, millionaire boss Nick Delaney—no surprise there—but with a crying baby? Then Nick discovered he was guardian of an orphaned baby boy…. Nick was surprised—absolutely shocked! What did he know about bottles or baby booties? Thank goodness his assistant, Cecelia, was there to help him. But as they spent intimate moments together, Nick found that now he was dreaming…that he could make shy, sexy Cecelia his wife!

[Brian Kemp didn't put much faith in happy [endings, but when his orphaned niece's puppy got sick, the hard-nosed cop turned to the one woman capable of performing miracles…. Back in the day, Jessica Moran had been (plain, plump and unpopular—and very much in love with golden-boy Brian. Now she was all grown up, hauntingly beautiful and doing just fine…. Until her high school heartthrob showed up on her doorstep with his sad-eyed niece and injured pup in tow. But Jessica knew better than to give her heart to the man who'd made her stop believing in happily-ever-after long ago…. Didn't she? He'd asked her to heal the pooch, but maybe she would heal his brooding heart, as well!

HE WAS GORGEOUS— From his cutoff tee and skintight jeans… [down to his scuffed boots. She'd only dared to sneak a peek. Then, with a knowing wink and a roguish grin, the sexy cowboy was gone. Callie Walker figured she must have been hallucinating. But when she took a wrong turn on a dark country road, she awoke in her car to see him rapping on her window. Cade Kills Thunder had no idea what city-girl Callie was doing in rugged country like Montana. One thing was clear. He couldn't leave her out there. But bringing her back to

Lone Star Marine by Cathie Linz released on Feb 14, 2006 is available now for purchase.