From Anne To Zach

The letters of the alphabet, presented here with illustrations of children with different names.

A groundbreaking new vision for public safety that overturns more than 200 years of fear-based discrimination, othering, and punishment As the effects of aggressive policing and mass incarceration harm historically marginalized communities and tear families apart, how do we define safety? In a time when the most powerful institutions in the United States are embracing the repressive and racist systems that keep many communities struggling and in fear, we need to reimagine what safety means. Community leader and lawyer Zach Norris lays out a radical way to shift the conversation about public safety away from fear and punishment and toward growth and support systems for our families and communities. In order to truly be safe, we are going to have to dismantle our mentality of Us vs. Them. By bridging the divides and building relationships with one another, we can dedicate ourselves to strategic, smart investments—meaning resources directed toward our stability and well-being, like healthcare and housing, education and living-wage jobs. This is where real safety begins. Originally published in hardcover as We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities, Defund Fear is a blueprint of how to hold people accountable while still holding them in community. The result reinstates full humanity and agency for everyone who has been dehumanized and traumatized, so they can participate fully in life, in society, and in the fabric of our democracy.

Working up a sweat has never been more fun than in this value-priced collection starring sexy, athletic heroes and the dynamic women who capture their hearts. Reforming Gabe: Once the NFL’s best wide receiver, Gabe Beauford’s been dropping the ball this season—literally. After his team loses the Super Bowl, he heads to Beauford to brood, but crossing paths with independent and talented jewelry maker Neyland MacKenzie puts a new gleam in his eye. She needs saving and he needs a project…But will his not-so-deft touch ruin her dreams and their chance at real love? Worth the Wait: Playboy and fitness instructor Jared Patterson seems like the perfect candidate to help Tasha Smith lose her long-held V-card. But what starts out as a one-time thing quickly turns into an affair neither wants to stop—even when it might get in the way of their futures. High Octane: Fueled: Texan rebel Maddux Bates’s bad behavior won him last year’s Formula One championship—and an image problem. Getting caught dating a sponsor’s girlfriend, oncologist Brynn Douglas, could sabotage this season too—but can anything slow this dynamic duo down when their relationship shifts into overdrive? On the Fly: Newly minted MBA Jacey Vaughn gets in over her head when her father unexpectedly leaves her his NHL team. She knows business, not hockey, but it doesn’t take her long to recognize that her flirtation with team captain Carter Phlynn is a danger to her professional reputation. With the Stanley Cup on the line, she must decide between her heart’s desire and her family’s legacy. The Bull Rider’s Brother: Lizzie Hudson is enjoying rodeo weekend to start her summer when James Sullivan, the cowboy who got away, walks his Justin Ropers back into her life. Can he learn to redefine family before she gives up on him and marries another? Montana Christmas Magic: Tennis pro Logan Collins inherits a cabin in rural Phillipsburg, Montana, that he’s not allowed to sell for six months. It’s just enough time to start a sweet relationship with artist and chocolatier Julie Thompson. But despite the trappings of permanence—a dog, a horse, and a woman who brings light into his dark days—his life is still in New York. He’ll have to persuade Julie that Christmas in Manhattan is just as inspiring, before the holidays put a final wrap on their relationship. No Secrets in Spandex: Allegations of drug use surround bike racer Jacob Hunter, and reporter Ariel Hays is ready to do anything to get that story—except reveal her own secrets. Choosing Carter: When Bryn McKay’s brother escapes from prison bent on revenge, she invites her best friend, naturalist and outdoor guide Carter Danielson, on a rafting trip to help her de-stress—and she wouldn’t mind if things turned romantic. But Carter is a recovering alcoholic who shies away from commitment. Then her brother shows up and they must flee for their lives. Will imminent danger prompt Carter to finally figure out where his heart lies? Winter Storms: Daniel’s sailing accident cost Carly her shot at Olympic dreams, while his own athletic success was unhindered. Now he’s returned and they’re stuck in the Cornish village where storms lash them from outside—and within. Final Mend: Jake Inman may be a triathlete, but he needs a private investigator to help him track down his kidnapped goddaughter in the wilderness. Winona Wall left the PI game, but now to save herself, she must team up with Jake—and avoid love at all costs. Sensuality Level: Sensual

The days are hot and the nights even steamier when the sexy ranchers in this value-priced collection kick off their boots and fall in love. What the Gambler Risks: Twenty-something ice queen Sabrina York enjoys fame and fortune writing self-help books for women—but she could do without her reputation as the Oldest Living (Supposed) Virgin in Vegas. Jase Reeves knows Sabrina’s not nearly as cold as she’d like people to think. He didn’t intend to have a one-night stand with the Vegas Virgin, but he can’t get her out of his head. Now Sabrina has one goal: stay away from the handsome gambler before he melts her career—and her heart. A Kiss in the Morning Mist: Former US Marshal Eamon MacDermott failed to prevent his closest family’s death at the hands of the Logan gang, and the guilt made him hang up his guns and bow out of life. That is, until he runs into widow Theodosia “Theo” Danforth, who believes everyone needs kindness. When the outlaw gang sets its sights on destroying her Morning Mist ranch, Eamon must choose between a final chance to exact vengeance and forging a new future with Theo. Legacy of Lies: Garrison Taggart is in a jam. The family’s Wyoming ranch is being sabotaged and his supernatural ability to tell when someone is lying hasn’t been a lick of help. Now sweet schoolteacher Sara Lopez informs him that his son is having trouble at school, and it’s clear he needs a hand. Yet Sara’s recent breakup with Garrison’s rival puts her in an uncomfortable position, despite her attraction to her student’s father. But when the boy goes missing, Sara and Garrison must risk their deepest secrets and their lives to save him. Montana Christmas Magic: Tennis pro Logan Collins inherits a ranch in rural Phillipsburg, Montana, that he’s not allowed to sell for six months. It’s just enough time to start a sweet relationship with artist and chocolatier Julie Thompson. But despite the trappings of permanence—a dog, a horse, and a woman who brings light into his dark days—his life is still in New York. He’ll have to persuade Julie that Christmas in Manhattan is just as inspiring, before the holidays put a final wrap on their relationship. Relentless: Battling his partner, his attraction to spitfire rancher and professional barrel racer Cody Lewis, and the demons of his past, Dallas detective Remy LeBeau must take the ultimate risk to catch a serial killer terrorizing the rodeo circuit. It could cost him everything—including Cody’s life. One Last Letter: At sixteen, Evelyn Lancaster rejected ranch hand Jesse Greenwood to save her father’s struggling ranch. Now a newly wealthy Jesse has returned home, and he’s drawn to the land he swore to never step foot on again. As long-held emotions rekindle, he can only admit his true feelings via unsigned letters left on Evelyn’s porch … until another man comes forward to claim the correspondence as his own. Will one final note give them the courage to say yes to love on the wild Texas plains? Killing Casanova: In the small ranch community of Lindley, Nevada, Jake Caswell has a reputation as a womanizer—that is, until he meets Cassie Taylor, a blind woman who is oblivious to his normally irresistible charms. As Jake attempts to add Cassie to his list of conquests, he unintentionally pulls her into a world of violence, old wounds, and enemies out for revenge. Will Cassie be able to uncover the man behind the mask amid the threat of peril, and find love in a tangled web of danger? Sensuality Level: Sensual

A picture paints a thousand emotions in these eight tales of colorful romance. Don’t miss a stroke of these wonderful stories of inspiration and passion. Heath’s Hope: Ambitious Hope MacKenzie left Heath Beckett with a bleeding heart, but now she’s back in town to aid her family’s struggling bank. When she gives a personal loan to the women who own the local knitting shop without consulting Heath, who has helped them with their finances for years, the two must work together to ensure the ladies’ business plan is in tip-top shape. But will sharing their time reawaken deeper feelings? Sweet Tooth: Artist Micah Taylor has returned home to Fiesta, Florida, after the death of the father who disowned him. When he decides to buy his father’s favorite candy to lay on his grave, it leads to a scorching-hot reunion with Sweet Tooth store owner Cash Callahan. Micah wants to publicly celebrate their rekindled feelings, but Cash fears the backlash from small-town minds intolerant of both gay and interracial romance. It’s up to Micah to convince him that life is sweeter when you’re true to yourself. Sparked by Love: If artist Leo Wilson can get the okay to install his glass fireworks at Fort Vancouver on the Fourth of July, it could be his big career break. But some crabby bureaucrat stands between him and the permits he needs. He’s surprised to discover the culprit is actually beautiful, young Shannon Morgan, and even more shocked when fireworks ignite between them. Delicious Deception: Artist Emily Kate Boudreaux spends her days running a restaurant on a Texas bayou because it’s what her family expects. Then sexy chef Connor Rikeland walks into her life and turns her business—and her bed—into one hot adventure. But his story is a sham, and Cajun cooking isn’t his ticket to fame after all. Emily Kate must decide what’s real, what’s a lie, and what’s worth risking her heart over. The Bull Rider’s Keeper: Rodeo star Jesse Sullivan isn’t afraid of anything…except maybe following his secret dream of being an artist. When he decides to take a chance and make an offer on an art gallery, owner Taylor DeMarco teaches him what it means to be truly fearless. Ruby’s Reward: When Ruby Rendell’s vindictive ex accuses her of illegally trading stolen artwork, she makes just one mistake in her defense: she lets her body outwit her brain. Her affair with her ex’s sidekick, Raphael Gianetti, is definitely a bad idea…but it feels so good. Art of Affection: Holly Hartland has spent the last year in Los Angeles finalizing her divorce and getting her career as an art gallery curator back on track. The platonic co-parenting role she shares with LAPD detective Gary Sumner is perfect for two people who’ve sworn off romance, but the burgeoning sexual chemistry they share proves hard to ignore. Montana Christmas Magic: Former tennis pro Logan Collins inherits a cabin in rural Phillipsburg, Montana, that he’s not allowed to sell for six months. It’s just enough time to start a sweet relationship with artist and temporary chocolatier Julie Thompson. But despite the trappings of permanence—a dog, a horse, and a woman who brings light into his dark days—his life is still in New York. Can he persuade Julie that Christmas in Manhattan is just as inspiring? Or will the holidays put the final wrap on their relationship? Sensuality Level: Sensual

To: Rachel, Pilar, Meg From: Anne Re: Fall carnival update! I couldn't believe it when the girls from the teen center transformed me into a lovely Cinderella for the fund-raising photos...but then to have youth minister Caleb Williams as my Prince Charming? You know I have a huge crush on him! Every time I see him—at the hospital or Tiny Blessings—I can barely manage to string two words together, and he's always sweet to me. I think the makeover made him see me differently, but I don't think he'd ever date someone as plain—and lacking in faith—as me. Even so, a woman can dream, can't she?

Sunao Tokumura, descendent of an old and honorable samurai family, has risen to the powerful post of vice minister in the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Unable to forget the tears of shame shed by his father as Japan surrendered in 1945, Tokumura has vowed vengeance against America. Satoshi Yoshida, aging billionaire industrialist, also seeks revenge against the country that imprisoned him as a war criminal for his support of its enemies in WWII. His money and influence now extend from the dark corners inhabited by the yakusa to a former president of the United States, and he has discovered a way to manipulate the current president. Together the two men have devised a plot to destroy the country they both loathe, using innocent Americans and their own countrymen as pawns. Maggie Davidson Stuart, was unable to defy her fathers objections to her Japanese suitor, Stan Mitsunari, and married Charles Stuart, the young banker considered to be of proper background. Tokumura and Yoshida draw the unsuspecting Stan, now a respected financial editor in Japan, into the scheme as America is thrown into chaos by massive labor strikes, a Treasury bond boycott, and the sabotaging of an innovative computer storage system. When her father dies suddenly and Charles leaves her for his male lover, Maggie assumes leadership of the prestigious Davidson Hotel Group, the family owned company. Stan and Maggie are reunited when Stan begins to suspect the vicious plot, but will anyone believe him in time to stop the madness?