Heart-racing romance, breathless suspense Bodyguard Sean McGregor is back from the dead and protecting his own widow in this high-stakes story of romantic suspense by Karen WhiddonNatalie had faced trouble before. As a highly trained agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service, she'd known heartache and passion and fear. But never before had she been pushed into a corner with no way out. Until now... The man the Lazlo Group sent to help her, to protect her, is none other than her husband, Sean McGregor. After two years of mourning a man who never died, will she have the time to forgive him—or will the brutal actions of a madman leave her widowed once again?Originally published in 2007Mission: ImpassionedDiscover more books in this great miniseries!Book 1: My Spy by Marie FerrarellaBook 2: Secret Agent Reunion by Caridad Pi–eiroBook 3: Top-Secret Bride by Nina BruhnsBook 4: Bulletproof...

Lost Mermaid. Werewolf Protector. When Zach Cantrell's mermaid sister disappears, he goes looking for answers. What he finds instead is Shayla Dover, a mermaid princess moonlighting as a paranormal investigator. Even for a mermaid, she's mesmerizingly gorgeous... Not that it should matter to Zach. His marriage has already been arranged. Shayla has her own reasons to keep her distance from this sexy shifter. But, after an attack on Shayla's life, their undeniable attraction quickly grows into something much deeper. Soon they find themselves pitted in a race against time amid a sea of lies, betrayal and an enemy that threatens them both...

Every time Brock McCauley locks eyes with Zoe Onella, his heart aches. Though Zoe explains why she skipped town, leaving him at the altar years ago, Brock refuses to go down that road again. After all, she’s only back in Anniversary, Texas, to help investigate the bizarre disappearance of her best friend, Shayna. The sooner they find Shayna, the sooner Zoe can return to New York. But Brock can’t stop thinking about the hot passion they once shared. And when danger surrounds Zoe, he must protect the only woman he’s ever loved. Even if it costs him everything.About the AuthorKaren Whiddon started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amidst the Catskill Mountains of New York, then the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty that surrounded her. Karen now lives in north Texas, where she shares her life with her very own hero of a husband and three doting dogs. She divides her time between the business she started and writing. Check out her website, www.karenwhiddon.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.I wish you were here.In her mind Zoe Onella replayed the last words her best friend, Shayna, had said to her before disappearing. Or maybe I could visit there. I really need you right now. The entire cross-country trip from New York to Dallas, Zoe wished she'd have probed or, even better, agreed to let Shayna visit.Instead, she'd rushed Shayna off the phone so she could meet a couple of friends for happy hour. And then, two weeks later, the next phone call had been from Shayna's mother, Mama Bell, worried because she couldn't locate her daughter. Mama had actually believed Shayna might have been with Zoe.With guilt churning inside her, Zoe collected her luggage and stepped outside. The scorching air blasted her like a furnace. Ah, yes. Dallas was still the same as she remembered. Hot and miserable. She slipped on her dark glasses before she looked around for her ride.No one on the sidewalk even looked familiar. Which was odd, since Mama Bell had promised to send someone to collect her. Fine. Squaring her shoulders, Zoe hefted her suitcase and began the trek to the cab area, lifting her chin and making her stride confident despite the towering heels she wore. This was her New York persona, one she planned to hang on to while here in Texas, to remind herself of the person she'd become.She could handle this. Would handle it, exactly as she'd done a hundred times before at home in the city. So what if the cab fare from DFW to Anniversary would be outrageous?"Zoe," called a voice—deep, masculine and unforgettably familiar. The sound of it reached inside her, echoing old longings. "Over here."She stiffened. Brock McCauley. The one person from her past she didn't want to see. Not now. Not ever.For the space of a heartbeat, she debated pretending not to have heard him and striding down the sidewalk as fast as she could. Away from him. Just like before. Instead, she took a deep breath, pasted her best "I am all business" smile on her face, and turned to face the man she'd practically left at the altar long ago.The instant she saw him, all the jangling noise inside of her went still. He looked the same—tall and broad shouldered, blond hair cut in the same sexy-shaggy cut. As his piercing blue eyes met hers, her entire being vibrated. Though her heart hammered out a welcome, she schooled her expression to nothing but pleasant surprise.The man she'd once needed with every fiber of her being wasn't the one she wanted now."Mrs. Bell sent me to pick you up," he said. His blank expression let her know he took no enjoyment in the task. She nodded, unable to summon up a response. After all, what did one say to a man after you'd broken his heart?He led the way to his truck, a new Chevrolet painted shiny red. She flashed back five years to his beat-up old pickup, which had also been red, remembering the way they'd celebrated their love in his front seat.As her face warmed in a blush, she climbed up into the cab and turned away, pretending a sudden interest in everything outside her window. Guilt be damned. She had nothing to say to him, nothing at all.Everything that had happened between them was in the past. She refused to look back.Brock started the truck and they began the long drive from DFW Airport to Anniversary. Keeping his gaze on the road, Brock apparently felt no need to fill the awkward silence with meaningless words. She appreciated that, also unable to give voice to the thoughts taunting her. Might-have-beens that could never be. All they had in common now was Shayna, the only reason Zoe had returned.Still, they had to speak eventually, didn't they? About Shayna. Especially since Zoe's former fiance and best friend lived together and planned to marry.Life in small-town Anniversary had gone on just fine without Zoe. Her gut reaction after Mrs. Bell's frantic phone call had been to panic. She'd been standing by the window in her Manhattan apartment, watching the traffic below do its thing, the same as it did every morning. The hustle and bustle of other people starting their day had always fascinated her. The gray sky promised rain, which meant outside would be muggy and a sticky, frizzy hair day. And then the phone call from the woman Zoe considered her mother, saying Shayna had disappeared and asking Zoe if her daughter was with her. Apparently, Shayna had mentioned she was planning a visit.When Zoe had told Mama Bell no, her answer had been greeted by silence. She sensed she'd dashed Shay-na's mother's last hope. And Zoe thought back to the last conversation she'd had with her best friend, wishing she'd paid better attention.Though Mama Bell hadn't come out and asked, Zoe knew she was needed back home. She'd instantly volunteered to fly to Texas and sort things out.In all the years since Mrs. Bell had taken Zoe under her wing, raising her with as much love as if blood bound them together, she'd never asked for anything.She didn't have to ask this time.Though Zoe hadn't actually seen Shayna since she'd left, and even though they'd lost that best friend need to talk every day, they'd still spoken occasionally by phone. In her heart of hearts, Zoe knew the connection was as strong and unbroken as if they were actual sisters.Even when Brock and Shayna had gotten together and Shayna had tentatively asked Zoe if she minded, Zoe had tried to be happy for the two of them. In the tangled mess her leaving had created, someone should be happy. Truth be told, she'd missed Shayna and actually welcomed a chance to see her again. Brock, however, was another story. Zoe had never gotten over the agony or the guilt of practically leaving him at the altar.She'd missed Anniversary, she realized. It would always be home, the place where she'd grown up. If only the town didn't hold so many dark, bloodstained memories. Here, in a dark alley behind a seedy bar, a younger Zoe had watched her mother die.Glancing again at Brock, she wondered how he was dealing with Shayna's disappearance. After Zoe vanished on him five years ago, this must feel like a twist of the knife. She ached for him, even as she tried not to feel anything at all.Did she want to know? Was it relevant to figuring out where Shayna had gone? More uncomfortable than she'd been in ages, Zoe tried to figure out the best way to ask.While she considered, after clearing his throat, Brock brought up the subject first, still not making eye contact, instead focusing on his driving."Now that we're face-to-face again," he said. "Why don't you tell me why you left?"Dread filled her even though rationally she knew he had a right to know. He deserved an explanation, or at least part of one. Five years had passed, after all. "When my mother was killed in that alley behind her favorite bar, I was there. She'd called me, drunk, and asked me to meet her. When I got to the scene, it turned out her drug dealer was also there, and she owed him money."Though her voice broke, she continued. "She'd told him I'd bring that money. When I didn't, he slit her throat. Right in front of me." Remembered horror made her shudder.His steady gaze stayed on her, but he made no move to touch her. "I knew about her murder, but not that you were there. Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you.""That's just it. I couldn't. Not only did he give me twenty-four hours to get the money, he told me if I didn't, he'd find me and kill everyone I held dear." She took a deep breath."At first, I ran because I was in fear for my life. Later, I was messed up. Seeing such a thing… I couldn't handle…""Me?" he asked, sounding wounded, his grip tight on the steering wheel. "You couldn't handle me?""We were so young, Brock. And you kept pushing to get married. It was too much. So I stayed in New York." Even after all this time, her voice shook. There was more, but she wouldn't tell him the rest of it."So you ran and then kept running, from this town, from your friends and your family, and from me." No emotion in his voice. No condemnation or sympathy, disbelief or commiseration.Oddly enough, this gave her strength. "Yes."Expression like granite, he didn't respond."Tell me about you and Shayna," she said, breaking the silence. After Shayna had confessed to Zoe that she'd always had a thing for Brock, Zoe'd spent months trying to adjust to the idea that her best friend had gotten together with her former fiance."Shayna was moving out," he said, the bluntness of his words matching his unemotional tone. "These past few months have been…difficult for both of us."Trying to hide her shock, Zoe stiffened. For the past few months, every time she'd talked to Shayna, her friend had been full of cheerful plans about her and Brock's upcoming wedding. Until the final phone call, when she'd clearly reached out to Zoe for help and Zoe had been too self-absorbed to notice. "Moved out? What happened? I thought you two were getting married?"Now he looked at her, not bothering to hide his shock. "Shayna and I never even discussed marriage."Not wanting to betray her friend's confidence, Zoe simply nodded. Right now, it was more important to find Shayna. After, they could straighten everything else out."When did you last see her?" Zoe asked.Brock sighed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. "It's been a few days. This past Friday, we discussed her moving out, and I offered to help find her a place to live. She went out that night with her friend Cristine and ...

When a werewolf and the beautiful siren he once saved meet again, resistance is futile... As Pack Protector, Kane McGraw never gets involved with the victims he saves. But Lilly Gideon may be the one exception. She has intrigued him ever since he helped free her from a religious compound called Sanctuary. So when he learns that she's still in danger, he can't stay away--not even if it means exposing Lilly to the fanatics she's trying to escape. Years of psychological torture have left Lilly without the ability to control her shifter nature. Any man she touches is driven mad by an all-consuming desire. Though she wants Kane more than any man, she's forced to deny him the release they most crave. That is, until he decides it's time to take matters--and her--into his own hands....

An enchanting Fae contemporary Romance set in Texas

In a world where betrayal and deceit are everywhere, can love conquer all? Don't miss this latest romance in Karen Whiddon's popular Pack series.Since his mate's death, the only thing that's kept pack protector Mac Lamonda going is the search for his missing children. His hatred for the rival clan who took them is legendary. But when a beautiful shifter saves him from an ambush, Mac enters into a bond that is both seductive...and dangerous.Rehabilitating abused canines is Kelly McKenzie's life calling. And because of who she is, she distrusts everything Pack. So when the handsome protector's arrival at her sanctuary coincides with news of her sister's disappearance, Kelly is torn between suspicion...and desire.Now, Kelly and Mac must join and fight together. For, if they fail, their loved ones will become the victims of an unimaginable evil.

A new addition to Wyoming's most scandalous family Is Theo Colton the father of a baby dropped at his doorstep by a dying socialite? Even more shocked than the sexy bronc-riding champ is his beautiful cook, Ellie Parker. Just as she becomes the baby's nanny, she discovers a terrifying stalker has followed her to Dead River. What's worse--as a mysterious virus quarantines the town, danger goes viral, too. But to Theo and Ellie, the biggest dangers are their sizzling attraction and profound new feelings. Can Ellie tame the cowboy who wants nothing more than a wild ride with women? Or must she deny her heart to save his life?

Small-town cop Mac Riordan lost his wife in a car crash, but his infant son survived, only to later be kidnapped. Now, five years later, Mac locates him living in Anniversary, Texas, with beautiful Emily Gilley. The more he gets to know this mysterious mother of his son, the less he's convinced she's a coldhearted kidnapper. She might be a victim just as much as he is. So when Emily's under-the-radar lifestyle is suddenly discovered, Mac comes clean. The threats against her—against their child—escalate and Mac must risk it all to protect his son...and the woman who's brought him back to life.About the AuthorKaren Whiddon started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amidst the Catskill Mountains of New York, then the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty that surrounded her. Karen now lives in north Texas, where she shares her life with her very own hero of a husband and three doting dogs. She divides her time between the business she started and writing. Check out her website, www.karenwhiddon.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.The bright sun felt warm on his skin. If he'd been here for no reason other than a desire to enjoy the weather, Mac Riordan would have stopped and turned his face up to let the bright rays try to heat blood that these days always seemed chilled. Instead, he glanced around while keeping his quarry in sight, taking in the lush greenness of the park crowded with citizens enjoying the early spring air.He couldn't believe the hunter's rush he felt at this planned-for encounter. Finally, after all this time, he'd meet the woman who had, inadvertently or not, stolen everything he had left to live for.He'd planned this carefully, just happened to take a stroll along the tree-lined, paved walking path when the very woman he'd come to town to find strode past him on her daily walk—Emily Gilley. He'd been watching her for a week, after all, and figured an accidental meeting in the park would be a great way to meet her.True, if he wanted this to appear unintentional, keeping up with her confident pace without looking as though he was stalking her might prove difficult, though not impossible.He doubted she'd find him suspicious. From what he'd heard about the east Texas town of Anniversary, everyone was friendly and trusting and looked out for each other. If this was true, then Emily Gilley would have no reason to worry about a friendly stranger.He allowed himself the slightest of grim smiles. If only she knew.So far, he'd been careful. After all, he'd only been in town for three weeks. It was just long enough to establish his brand-new trucking business and to put out a few feelers about her, the woman he'd spent several years trying to locate: Emily Gilley, twenty-nine-year-old widow of one of the most notorious drug dealers on the Eastern Seaboard. She'd changed her name, taking back her mother's maiden name Gilley, and altered both the cut and the color of her hair, all to help her disappear. But for someone with the far-flung resources to which he had access, finding her had been a matter of time and a tenacious effort. He was fortunate to still have a lot of the tools from his law enforcement days at his disposal.Her long, blond locks were now dark, short and spiky. Instead of designer fashions, she wore clothing that looked off the rack at a big bin department store. She'd gone from a glamorous life in Manhattan to this: a tiny lakefront community ninety miles east of Dallas.As he hurried around a bend at the end of the trail, trying not to appear in too much of a rush, he nearly ran into her. She'd stopped at the weathered wooden bench that marked the entrance to the paved parking lot of Sue's Catfish Hut, which was crowded with lunch-time patrons.She was stopped and turned to face him, apparently willing to wait for him to catch up.This was going even better than he'd hoped, he thought with some satisfaction. And then he got a look at her annoyed expression.Hands on her hips, she glared at him, her brown eyes full of anger mixed with only the barest hint of fear. "What do you want? Stop following me! If you're trying to creep me out, you're succeeding admirably."He dipped his chin, sending her an abashed smile he hoped she'd find reassuring. "My apologies. I had no idea this was a private trail."Instead of growing flustered, she shook her head, sending her shaggy spiked hair rippling. "It's not. But I walk here every day on my lunch break, and I know almost everyone in town. Every time I look up, you're right behind me. You never pass me or fall back. And while this is the first time I've seen you here, you have to understand how such behavior can make a woman feel threatened.""Threatened? Interesting choice of words." He crossed his arms. "I'm new here, and I mean you no harm. I wasn't aware being a newcomer and taking a walk were crimes."Narrowing her eyes, she studied him, apparently not buying his too-easy, confident patter. In his experience, overly suspicious or outright paranoid people usually had something to hide. But then again, she had a point. He was a stranger who was following her, and her former husband had been a drug dealer. No doubt, looking over her shoulder had been deeply ingrained in her psyche. She'd be foolish not to worry. And one thing he'd learned about Emily Gilley, formerly Cavell, was that she was anything but stupid.Finally, she took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly."Look," she said, her tone reasonable this time rather than furious, "you've been following me way too closely. What matters is that you've made me very uncomfortable." Swallowing hard, she studied him, her caramel gaze unflinching. "And even though this is a small town, one can't be too careful."It was especially true for a woman like her, with so many secrets to hide.He nodded, feigning chagrin. "Again, I apologize. If I'd known I was frightening you, I would have dropped back or—" he grimaced ruefully "—I would have tried to pass you."Rather than accept his apology, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. "You said you're new in town, right?""Yes." Relieved and slightly surprised that getting to know her was going to be this simple, he gave her a practiced, easy smile, holding out his hand. "Mac Riordan."Instead of a handshake, she simply continued to stare him down. Only when he'd dropped his hand and frowned did she speak again in a cool, measured tone. "Welcome to Anniversary, Mac Riordan. I don't know who you are or what you want, but in the future, please leave me alone.Tamping down shock, he feigned confusion instead. "Ma'am, I—"Backing up slightly, she tilted her head and peered up at him. "Let me ask you something. Are you the one who mailed me the note? It was postmarked Dallas. Is that where you're from?""Note?" He eyed her warily. Had someone tipped her off about his arrival? "What note? I have no idea what you're talking about.""You didn't send me an anonymous note? Cut out letters on white paper?"Was this a joke? Then, as he realized what she'd said, his former cop instincts made him ask, "Is someone sending you threatening notes?"Again he got the sharp, brown-glass stare, as if she thought if she tried hard enough she could read his mind. Since he'd been looked at all kinds of ways by all sorts of people in his previous life in law enforcement, he let her. Silence was often the best interrogation method of all."You didn't answer my question. Are you from Dallas?""No," he fired back. "Albany, New York. Now tell me about this note.""That's none of your business," she said calmly, her spine so rigid he thought it might snap. Then, apparently considering he might in fact be harmless, she swallowed, still eyeing him warily."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. I've got to go." She mouthed the words, sounding anything but. Without another word, she marched off, her spiky dark hair ruffling in the breeze.Watching her slender, lithe body as she went, he couldn't help but respect that she knew enough to be wary. Because if their situations had been reversed, he'd have done exactly the same. People on the run from former lives couldn't afford to befriend curious strangers.This was exactly the reason he had to make sure he gained her trust—no matter what it took.

A dying father's final wish brings a mystery to life once again... In the small town of Legacy, Texas, an old man is dying. At his side is the son determined to clear his name. Mac Morrison knows his father was wrongfully imprisoned for murder, and he's determined to find the real killer. But not before he reunites with a love from his past... Hailey Green, who's still grieving her brutally murdered sister, hasn't seen Mac since he fled town in disgrace. Forced to raise her siblings, Hailey still relies on no one but herself—until the man who killed her sister returns. Turning to each other while seeking answers, Hailey and Mac find their old desires reignited and realize that the only life worth protecting is one together!