Personal Love #4

Kathy Davis sets out on a cruise to Quitana, partly to escape doubts about her engagement to Tom, and partly to satisfy her long-held dream of seeing the world—a desire Tom dismissed as silly and impractical. Aboard ship, she meets Steve Brent, a cynical reporter heading to the same country, and the two form a deep connection as they explore Quitana together, from its stunning vistas to its heartbreaking poverty. When they encounter a dying woman and her orphaned daughter, Nona, Kathy's compassion sets her on an unexpected path that will test everything she thought she wanted from life.

Lila, a receptionist who prides herself on reading people, falls for Terry Blakely when he visits her doctor's office—but she doesn't realize he's actually Tad Shore, a burned-out author who left the publishing world on his psychiatrist Dr. Blauswitz's orders to find peace. Convinced she knows what's best for him, Lila orchestrates his return to the spotlight, only to watch helplessly as the crowds and pressure that nearly destroyed him once begin closing in all over again.

When Helen Selby arrives at a mountain resort with just three months left to live, she decides to embrace every moment of joy she can find—until she meets Allen Venner, a stranger whose own troubles seem to mirror her own. As the two become inseparable companions, sharing laughter and stolen moments at carnivals and quiet walks under the stars, Allen confesses his love for her in the darkness of a tunnel of love ride. But Helen's secret weighs heavily on her heart, and she must face an impossible choice between the happiness she's found and the burden of her fate.

When Ken Brown meets Janet Avery at a party, the attraction is instant and passionate—but his devotion to his invalid mother, Mrs. Brown, soon threatens everything they've built together. As Janet grows tired of waiting for Ken to choose their future, she pushes for marriage, forcing Ken into an agonizing conflict between the woman he loves and the parent who depends on him. Will he find a way to honor both loyalties, or will one love have to be sacrificed for the other?