Going Steady #13

When a restaurant waitress named Nancy Burke recognizes her soulmate in Paul, a charming but aimless regular, she's thrilled when he proposes marriage—but only on the condition that he finds steady work. After Paul promises to reform, they flee to Florida together, and for a time his newfound job as an assistant bookkeeper seems to vindicate Nancy's faith in him. Then she discovers a troubling secret about Paul's past that sets her on a course to remake his life entirely, convinced she knows what's best for their future together.

Grace Warren thought she had found love with Jimmy Woods, the ambitious son of a former tenant farmer—until a moment of carelessness on a midnight frog-fishing trip and a cruel word from her visiting aunt drove a wedge between them. When Jimmy insists he won't marry until he owns his own farm, Grace accepts her aunt's offer of singing lessons in New York, hoping to forge a new life and forget him. But as Grace pursues her dreams in the city, Jimmy's sudden reappearance forces her to reckon with what she threw away in the heat of hurt pride.

In "Romance Broke Our Bargain," Julie, still reeling from a recent heartbreak, and Mike, facing a return to naval duty, decide to keep their new relationship light and uncomplicated—no promises, no expectations. But as their time together deepens, the line between casual and something more begins to blur in ways neither of them expected.

Betty has devoted her life to racing horses—until Boots Tipton, a talented young trainer, arrives to work with her father's thoroughbreds and promptly gets under her skin. As Betty and Boots clash over training methods and his bold advances, she finds herself battling unexpected feelings while determined to prove he's not as skilled as he claims, even if it means sabotaging her prized filly's first race.