Gone South

Chocolatier Lanie Heaven has good friends, a booming business, and the adoration of the citizens of Merritt, Alabama. But she also has a secret. After the devastating breakup with her long time college boyfriend, she lost a baby and the hope of ever having a child - the thing she desires above all else. Though still grief-stricken eighteen months after the accident that killed his wife and best friend, Judge Luke Avery is lonely for the company of someone other than his three-year-old daughter, Emma. When Luke moves into the apartment above Lanie's candy shop, Lanie and Emma fall in love at first sight and Luke finds himself along for the ride. It's so easy for the three of them to slip into a life as sweet as the candy in Lanie's shop. But when Emma calls Lanie Mommy, Luke realizes things have gone too far; he has to propose to Lanie or walk away. He isn't ready for marriage, but engaged isn't married. Lanie eagerly accepts but as the evidence stacks up, she must accept that Luke's love is not equal to her own. Can Luke find a way to slay his demons before the sweet life they have created goes completely south?

Tolly Lee is pearls, debutant balls, and old silver on the breakfast table. She is ashamed of something she did thirteen years ago, but she was only sixteen and she didn't set out to do it. Still, she should not have led college senior Nathan Scott to think she was his age. She never imagined a football star like him would keep calling her, but it was mostly a long distance relationship and it's not like they had sex. In the end, she paid for her sins with her heart and she might not be done paying. When she moved to Merritt, Alabama, Nathan had been gone for over a decade. Now that he's back, and if the good citizens of her adopted hometown learn of her part in costing their hometown hero his chance at an NFL career, she might as well pack up her law practice and move to Siberia. A sports commentator christened Nathan Scott "The Angel" because of his flawless face and his ability to leap to catch a football, as if he had wings. He still has the face but his leaping days ended when he was injured after going on the football field distracted, only hours after catching the girl of his dreams in a terrible lie. He would never have accepted the job as head football coach of Merritt High if he'd known Tolly had set up shop on Main Street. Not that he still has feelings for her. But a small town has a way of reviving the past and when common interest in an orphaned teenager forces Tolly and Nathan to agree to an uneasy truce, guilt and old resentments resurface. With no end zone in sight, their mutual attraction leads to a Scrimmage Gone South.

When New York Yankee Marc MacNeal comes to Merritt, Alabama, for a charity golf tournament, he's shocked to be reunited with his ex-fiancee Bailey Watkins. Their college romance came to a bitter end when he was called up to the majors and the tabloids began printing rubbish about him, dubbing Marc the new bad boy of baseball. Bailey never expected to see Marc back in Merritt ever again, and their reunion proves he's just as infuriating as she thought he'd be. Then social chair Missy Bragg asks her to attend the charity's gala as a last-minute fill-in for his date. It's the last thing she wants to do, but Missy won't take no for an answer. At the ball, old secrets get revealed and old feelings surprisingly stir to life. Could this unexpected reunion be the perfect chance for them to get some long-awaited closure-or the start of a whole new ball game?

The last time Brantley Kincaid had an argument with someone, he was eighteen years old-and he regrets it like he will never regret anything again. If only he had not balked at going to pick up his grandfather that day, his mother would not have driven into the path of a truck and there would be two fewer graves in Merritt Cemetery. Though a frequent visitor, he hasn't lived in Merritt since burying his mother and grandfather. But now he's coming back and it might not be so easy to hide behind his wit and charisma. Outwardly, interior designer Lucy Mead is a beautiful, confident professional. Inside, she's the friendless, overweight girl who spent her life following her archeologist parents all over the globe. And who could forget those teenage years of turmoil and unrequited love? It would have been kinder if Brantley had not known she was alive rather than treating her like Robin to his Batman. She carries the humiliation to this day. Their friends and Brantley's family are delighted when he sets his sights on Lucy, though Lucy isn't so sure. She cannot deny the attraction, but something is wrong. Does he really love her, or does he see her as a refuge and another way to run from his grief? If she can't find answers, what could be a simple, sweet life might go completely south.

No matter how many critics call him an artisan or how much money people are willing to pay for his handcrafted furniture, Will Garrett will always be the son of a drunk from Mill Town. Though he has admired Dr. Arabelle Avery ever since his teenage busboy days at the Merritt County Club, he has no aspirations where she is concerned. A boy from across the tracks doesn't go calling on a state senator's daughter. But he is stoic about all that. He has his work and the home he built with his own hands in the woods where he draws his strength and serenity. At one time, life was easy for Arabelle Avery. She was smart and pretty, with her sister-in-law and cousin as best friends. When her sister-in-law wrapped her car around a tree, Arabelle was devastated. The day her brother remarried was a hard day, and going to Will Garrett's arms for the comfort was unexpected but easy. When she finds herself pregnant and hears, incorrectly, that Will is engaged, she flees to Switzerland to lick her wounds and have her baby. Desperate to do the best thing for her child, she allows her cousin to adopt him - a decision she immediately regrets. When a twist of fate reunites Arabelle with her child, she moves home to Merritt, where she is determined to keep her secret and raise her child in peace. But once Will gets a look at his son and guesses the truth, Arabelle's life spins out of control. Can they find the path to what's best for their son - and each other? Sensuality Level: Sensual

It's Christmastime in Merritt, Alabama and magic is afoot! Professor Bebe Wellesley comes from a long line of psychics, but has inherited just enough of the family gifts to make her peculiar, rather than of very much use. The handsome bookseller who is so proficient at obtaining the obscure texts she needs to teach her college parapsychology classes caught her eye a while back, but why bother? She's learned the hard way that men don't like women with a supernatural bent-no matter how paltry their power. In an age when independent bookstores are nearing extinction, it takes all of Byron Masters's time and energy to keep Creekview Books relevant and successful. He knows he must be crazy to finally pursue smart, pretty Bebe Wellesley at his busiest time of year, but he's tired of flirting and watching her walk out the door. From their first date, Bebe can hardly believe her luck. She and Byron clicked with a harmony that she never dreamed possible. If only she can keep her "little something extra" a secret, she might be looking at happily ever after. Life seems perfect until Christmas decorations mysteriously begin to appear in Byron's apartment. Convinced the culprit is a member of his staff, Byron begins to alienate them one by one with his accusations. Bebe knows different, but would he ever believe that the vintage Santa ornament he bought came with a benevolent spirit attached, who just wants to spread some holiday cheer? As Creekview's once pleasant and thriving atmosphere disintegrates, dropping customers along the way, Bebe is unable to sit by and watch everything Byron has worked for unravel. She prepares to drop the bizarre bomb, bracing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Will Byron be the man who can accept her as she is? Or is it going to take some Christmas magic to save them all?