Anne Stuart Short Reads

Everyone knew that the High Sheriff of Huntingdon was a madman, the son of a witch and the devil himself. His proxy wedding to a young nun is simply another appalling deed, not to be wondered at, until the bride herself arrives, a flaxen-haired girl with a resolve to equal the Sheriff’s own. True love never runs smoothly, particularly when there’s a witch, a vicious killer, and the Sheriff’s own behavior to deal with. But Sister Elspeth is strong enough to deal with all of it, and win her husband’s love in the end. There are times when even a madman can be tamed.

Fragile Laura Fitzpatrick has lived her entire life with the certainty of an early death, and her wealthy family hasn’t been able to do anything to change her fate. Over the years, she’s come to think of death as a friend, a long-lost companion she is bound to meet again someday. But she isn’t prepared to meet Death himself, human for a short time, up in the snowy mountains of Colorado. She only knows he is the one she loves, the one she is waiting for.

Emma Milsom thought a job with director/playwright Teddy Winters would help her put her life back together. She hadn’t counted on the presence of British actor Sebastian Brand in the dilapidated old theater. Sebastian was the foremost actor in horror films, adept at playing monsters of every sort, and his behavior in real life wasn’t much of an improvement. Rumors of accidents and death followed him, and Emma should have had enough sense to keep her distance. But Sebastian was mesmerizing, and just as obsessed with her.

The Gunslinger. Mad Billy Maddox, aka the Angel of Death, comes to the tiny town in Johnson County, Wyoming as a gun for hire to scare away the settlers. He’s a man who makes his living with his guns, and he never expects to find someone to make him want to change his ways. The Lady. Sara is the sweet and shy wife of the biggest bully in town. She’s learned not to let anything scare her, but the way Will Maddox looks at her shakes her up far worse than her husband’s heavy fists. She knows she should hate him, but she can’t.

Emma O’Bannion has a crush on the mysterious Frenchman who lives above her, and for Valentine’s Day she decides to be his secret admirer. There’s one problem—Luc is a retired agent, and sees danger everywhere, particularly in a bouquet of roses and a box of poisoned chocolates. It’s easy enough for him to discover who’s stalking him, easy for him to kidnap her and find out exactly who she’s working for. Except that apparently her only motive is a misplaced crush. Too bad that he’s starting to feel the same way.