Bride's Secrets #17

When Lillian confesses to a romance counselor that she's in love with one man while honor-bound to another, the story unfolds back to a carefree summer when she, her brother Sammy, and their family friend David seemed inseparable—until David joins the Air Corps and leaves for his dream. As months pass and a new suitor named Brent enters her life, Lillian must grapple with what her heart truly owes to the past and what it might promise to the future.

Jack Howe's jealousy spirals when Doris's past romance with Tex Webb—the man who left town before their wedding—suddenly resurfaces as Webb returns to visit. As Jack watches his new bride light up at the prospect of seeing her former flame, he wrestles with devastating doubt about whether Doris married him on the rebound, and whether their marriage can survive the return of the man she once loved. What Jack discovers about himself and his wife through this trial will either break them apart or teach him a hard lesson about trust.

Betty faces an impossible summer when her young, attractive Aunt Prissy moves in and begins capturing the attention of every boy who crosses her path—from casual dates to the men at parties, none are immune to her charm. When Betty meets Don Graham, a new assistant at the museum where she works, she finally finds someone special of her own, but her fear of losing him to Aunt Prissy's allure forces her to take matters into her own hands. Will Betty risk everything to keep Don's heart, or will history repeat itself once again?

Caroline Slater has carried childhood affection for John Evers into adulthood, but when the engineer confesses his love and proposes marriage, she's torn between her heart and the weight of her family name. As her grandfather's final days approach and relatives circle the estate, Caroline must reckon with what truly matters—and whether the gulf between their stations is real or something she's built herself.

Penny Pearson is riding high after landing the "Town Topics" column at the World Star newspaper—until a mysterious error in her writing sets off alarm bells, and a late-night trip back to the office reveals a shocking truth about Fred and her boss, Emmy Sands. Now Penny must grapple with the heartbreak of discovering that someone else loved him too, and figure out what comes next when her world has been turned upside down.