Detective Mike Sterling walked away from his dream job telling himself it was to honor the promise he’d made his mother, while lying in a Chicago emergency room. A year later, he’s still fighting the demons that followed him back to his boyhood town. Taryn Watts is an award-winning designer, going from project to project, living from a suitcase. Her plan for Renlend Kansas was the same as always. Go in, get the job done and get out, just the way she likes it. Growing up as a cop’s daughter, her every move was controlled. When she escaped to college she vowed to never fall in love with a cop –ever. Until she found herself sitting across from the ruggedly handsome stranger. Looking into Mike’s ice blue eyes they pulled her, called to her, but there was a haunting in them she knew too well. Mike is drawn to Taryn, her passion for her work and her stunning beauty left him breathless, but what surprises him most is the peace he feels when he’s near her. Maybe it’s because Taryn is a temporary addition to his town and his secret is safe, or maybe it’s because she makes him feel safe. Mike knows he can’t keep up this charade and when Taryn moves to Renlend for an extended stay he can’t hide the truth any longer. Can Taryn forget he’s a cop and give him her heart, or will his demons drive them apart?

Gabby James didn’t have the idyllic childhood many in her little hometown of Renlend, Kansas had. High school was a living hell, but when she graduated she couldn’t bring herself to leave Renlend. The town was her prison, but her family’s bookstore, The Looking Glass, was her one true love. It was the place she could run to, and escape the prying eyes of the ones who taunted her. Shane Compton was a literary agent in one of the most prestigious publishing houses in New York City. He found no greater rush than finding the next big talent, someone who could take the written word and turn it into an art form. In the span of one rude phone call Shane was drawn into the mystery of just who the fiery new author from Kansas was. When everyone else in the office refused to deal with her, Shane willingly accepted the challenge. There was no logic to the madness, but every time he had contact with her, she drove him wild. Gabby tried every trick in the book to keep Shane at arm’s length, but he had made good on his promise to come to Kansas. He wanted to pull her out of anonymity, he wanted her in the public eye. Now here he stood, on the sidewalk in front her bookstore, and one look told her he was everything she was afraid he’d be. Too bad she was anything but who he thought she was. Gabby quickly discovers Shane has more on his mind than just books and with a little help from an ornery matchmaker, he shows her a whole new life through her looking glass.

Leaving his last foster home, Tyson Ellison signed his name on the dotted line and checked out entirely, looking for something he felt missing. Four tours of service over-seas, too much death, too much violence, brought him back stateside. He was tired, drained, and still empty with nothing left to give. He hopped on his Ducati and headed northwest from his base in Georgia, the only place he’d ever called home. Fate ran him out of gas in the tiny town of Renlend, Kansas with nothing but his Army-issued duffle holding a few meager belongings. For two years Dianna’s father has made sure something around their family-owned Bed and Breakfast needed attention. Tyson’s attention. His handy-man skills put them in each other’s space on a regular basis, her dad pointing out the vet’s attributes regularly. She isn’t oblivious, she’d memorized each one. Tyson’s body was made for the movies, and so he kind of flirted with and smiled at her. Always managed to speak to her when he is there working. But in what lifetime would a ripped, tanned, tattooed Army veteran want with the shyest girl in town? Especially someone as plain Jane as her.

Drew McKnight has always had a killer smile. Girls first, then women fell for it. Add that to his magnetic personality and Drew has never known a stranger. Growing up in the quaint town of Renlend, Kansas he had everything he’d always wanted, including his high school sweetheart. Then he blinked. In one moment of sheer hell, his entire world crashed down around him. His heart was torn in two pieces and he didn’t know how to move forward. Except…he had no choice not to. Hope’s career came to a screeching halt one night on stage in front of a packed house. Her entire life’s work went down the drain. Using the same determination that got her to New York in the first place, she started over. She’s been dealt a crappy hand—twice, but she won’t let any of that interfere with her new life. No more toe shoes, tutus or men. She’s in a new town, ready for a new start. Until she turned around and fell in love with the most precious brown eyes she’d ever seen.

How can one man’s tux fitting change a life forever? Ryan Seely has no idea, but she can’t seem to escape the storm blowing through her world when Blaine Decklen stops by for what should have been a routine appointment.Jaded. Tired. Loyal. Blaine Decklen wouldn’t miss his brother’s wedding for the world, even if spending time in small town Kansas is the last thing he has time for. The summer heat isn’t the only thing that has Blaine’s nerves snapping and popping when he reaches for the door handle of Ryan Seely’s bridal shop, though.She’s firmly planted in Kansas. He’s certain he’s lost his mind. Can Blaine prove fairy tales really do come true? Or is he too late to get the girl?

Easton Montgomery demands control and order. He’s purposely kept to himself, no strings and no nonsense. Preferring to be in charge of his destiny, keeping his life neat and tidy, all wrapped up. Life is perfect, until the bow comes undone and his world completely unravels. Jessica Pierce left Denver years ago with nothing more than her clothes and a need for a brand new beginning. After planting roots where her car broke down, life was good for a while. Then the ranch owner who helped her rebuild her life threw her a curve ball. Now she’s the new girl in Renlend, Kansas on the Montgomery’s ranch, and their son Easton is a constant source of frustration and distraction. Getting her hands around the veterinarian’s neck and squeezing, looks better by the day. After a week of stepping around each other, dodging barbed comments, and Jessica’s smart mouth, Easton realizes she’s got more fire than any other woman he’s met. Suddenly Easton wonders if this curvy, blonde spitfire might just be the challenge he’s been waiting for.

Jeff Hughes is most comfortable behind the gleaming bar of Jenny’s, the bar and grill he owns, just as the two generations before him did. Situated on the square in the tiny town of Renlend, Kansas, Jenny’s and Jeff have been a sounding board for the townspeople for years. Now, each of those in his inner circle have all fallen in love, and if they aren’t already married, proposals have been made, complete with shiny rings. Not Jeff. He’s kept quiet, silently brooding over the one woman who stole his heart the first time he saw her, over five years ago. He’d forget all about the dark-haired beauty with pale ice green eyes if he could. Except it’s his signature on her paycheck each week. Kelly DeGraw grew up in a world completely unlike than the one she’s made for herself in Renlend. This was the place she’d visited as a child. Complete with a gazebo in the middle of the town’s square, she’d fallen for its stillness, its beauty, and its charm. Everything is polar opposite to the past she ran from and was trying to keep hidden. She loves her friends here, and she doesn’t want to be treated different if they all knew her secrets. Coming back to Renlend as an adult had always been her plan. Walking into Jenny’s and falling for the owner hadn’t. If she didn’t love everything about her new life in this sleepy town so much, she’d risk it all and move on. Yet, part of her heart still holds out hope Jeff will eventually see her for more than a dependable employee.