Witemeyer Returns with Her Trademark Blend of Adventure, Romance, and Humor Grace Mallory is tired of running, of hiding. But when an old friend sends an after-hours telegraph transmission warning Grace that the man who has hunted her for nearly a year has discovered her location, she fears she has no choice. She can't let the villain she believes responsible for her father's death release his wrath in Harper's Station, the town that has sheltered her and blessed her with the dearest friends she's ever known. Amos Bledsoe prefers bicycles to horses and private conversations over the telegraph wire to social gatherings with young ladies who see him as nothing more than an oddity. His telegraph companion, the mysterious Miss G, listens eagerly to his ramblings every night and delights him with tales all her own. For months, their friendship--dare he believe, courtship?--has fed his hope that he has finally found the woman God intended for him. Yet when he takes the next step to meet her in person, he discovers her life is in peril, and Amos must decide if he can shed the cocoon of his quiet nature to become the hero Grace requires.

“If after five years you don’t think you owe me at least that amount of respect, then you’re not the man I thought you were Gibraltar. How could you just disappear for eight days with no explanation.” “Look Harper, I told you … it was work. I got called out of town at the last minute. I was handpicked to do that security job. Do you know what it means to be selected to provide personal security for a client like that? I worked 16 hour days; eight days straight. I was tired as hell when I fell into bed at night, and then I had to get up and do it all over again the next day. Look, I’m sorry …" “Let me ask you this … you said your client didn’t want you using personal cell phones on the job. But the last time I checked, there were 24 hours in a day. You worked 16. By my calculations, that left you eight hours to pee, bathe, eat, fart, brush your teeth … and anything else you wanted to do. Did you do all of that?” “Don’t look at me like I have two heads. Answer me dammit!” Harper screamed. “And your point is?” Gibraltar said, folding his arms across his massive chest. “My point is,” Harper hissed, “you had time to send a two-second text or leave a ten-second voice message. Your phone is like an appendage. You always have it with you, so I know that wasn’t the problem. I didn’t warrant a few seconds of your time? Really! That’s what hurts the most,” Harper continued, a sob settling somewhere in the middle of her chest. “You know what I realized as I was worrying myself sick over you those eight days? I realized that you never go out of your way for me Gibraltar. Never. It always – always – has to be convenient for you to have any type of interaction with me,” Harper said on a whisper. “I thought,” she said, futilely trying to keep her cheeks dry of tears, “give him time. He’ll see how happy we could be together. But then there was always that little voice inside that said, ‘He only calls when it’s convenient Harper. Like when he’s had enough sleep, or when he gets the next day off, or when he’s done at the gym, or when he doesn’t have to do overtime.’” “I tried so hard not to be one of these pushy women who’s always pressuring her man to do something. I wanted you to be with me because you wanted to; not because I put pressure on you. I thought that if you could see that I wasn’t one of ‘those’ kinds of women, you’d respect me more; that you’d see what life could be like for us together. But it seems like the more I didn’t ask anything of you, the less you gave.” “But I loved you. I still love you. So I made myself believe that it didn’t matter. That you just needed time. I see clearly now that there was never going to come a time because you know what? Life has a funny way of being ridiculously inconvenient. But when you care for someone …” Harper let her voice trail off. Running the back of her left hand over her cheek to stop another tear midstream, she continued, “But I can’t pretend any more that I'm some modern woman who has all her shit together and is okay with this type of casual relationship.” “I’m not. I’m a real woman with real feelings. And the way you treat me hurts … it hurts like hell,” Harper said. “And it’s been eating away at my soul for a long time.” Harper took her time to dry every tear. Then she looked into the dark-brown eyes of the man she’d loved for five years and said what she knew she’d needed to say for a long time. “I really should probably thank you, because who knows how long I would have let whatever it is we call this supposed relationship go on had this not happened.” “Harper look …” Gibraltar started, feeling the need to say something. “Gibraltar you don’t need to say anything. Your actions have said it all – for five years now.” Harper opened the front door of her apartment. Gibraltar walked out. She closed the door silently behind him and clicked the lock -- on a past that should have ended long ago … and a future that was never meant to be. ### interracial romance, bwwm romance, african american romance, contemporary Christian romance, multiracial romance, short story romance, short romance, christan romance, religious romance

If you could make one wish and you knew it would be granted, what would you wish for? Think about it. By following the seven easy principles contained within, anything and everything is within your grasp. Isn't that tempting! What better venture can there be? Besides mastering the art of Wishcrafting, you'll learn how to initiate constructive events and transform them into positive results.

When Mila Coin goes to see her best friend Harper, the last thing she expects to find is a job, especially her dream job as a Nanny. Looking after three-year-old Asher is a pleasure but contending with his brooding Uncle Cooper is another matter altogether.Club President Cooper is used to getting his own way. He's bossy, dominating and everything Mila avoids in a man. But when Cooper shows Mila how a real man behaves, she finds herself falling fast, addicted to the scraps of attention that he throws her way.Just when Mila thinks she's found her forever man, things take a dramatic turn and ghosts from the past threaten everything they have together.Can Mila survive the drama that surrounds Cooper and his beloved Hammers MC club and can he convince her that he is everything she's ever needed so they can build their happy ever after together.This story may contain situations that cause triggers for some readers.

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Harper's informs a diverse body of readers of cultural, business, political, literary and scientific affairs.

A cold night's silent majesty hides a BITTER secret… Though she is deeply loved by her parents, the fact that Lydia Brand is adopted has always made her different from her close-knit Amish community. But as Christmas approaches and she begins to search for answers about her biological parents, more questions surface. Soon it seems that the deaths of two women in her small town may not be coincidences, after all. And her pursuit of the truth has left her only with hints of a dark secret—and threats from an unseen adversary. While she does her best to stave off advances from her parents' preferred suitor, Lydia discovers that her heart truly belongs to the man who's been there all along: her friend Josh Yoder. It's only with his help that Lydia can ensure that the stillness of a winter's night means peace…and not danger.