Teen-Age Romances #36

In a close-knit New England village where outsiders are unwelcome, Abby breaks the town's unwritten rule by falling in love with Rusty, a Coast Guard radioman from the Midwest who's new to the community. As her feelings for him deepen and Rusty speaks of settling down and marriage, Abby finds herself torn between her heart and the expectations of her family and town, knowing that their bond faces impossible odds. When a storm rolls in, her carefully constructed resolve will be tested in ways she never anticipated.

A young woman raised in isolation by her overprotective mother finally breaks free and runs away—only to find herself lost in the woods and rescued by a kind stranger named Bob Hanley. As Victoria begins to question the fears her mother instilled in her, she discovers something unexpected: real feelings for Bob, and the possibility that love might not be the danger she was taught to believe. When her mother and a search party track her down, Victoria must choose between the safety of her old life and the courage to build a new one.

A chance elevator collision introduces a young secretary to Barry Saunders, a struggling writer whose charm and ambition sweep her off her feet—and within months, they're engaged and planning a future together. When she discovers the true nature of his "writing job" at the newspaper, she makes a heartbreaking decision about what love really means, and whether staying in his life will help or hold him back.

In a sun-drenched moment at the beach, Vicky dares Rory to swim out to retrieve her scarf, swept away by the wind and carried into the waves. As the storm looms and the lifeguard calls everyone to shore, Rory takes the challenge—risking everything to bring it back. When he finally returns, soaked and furious, he tells Vicky no girl would ask her boyfriend to risk his life for something so worthless. The moment hangs in the air as Rory walks away, leaving Vicky standing on the sand, heartbreak and hope tangled in the wind.

In "Love's Bad Girl," sixteen-year-old Diane struggles to adjust when her widowed mother, Linda, begins seeing Reid Warren, a man from her past. Jealous and determined to win Reid for herself, Diane’s misguided actions lead to a surprising consequence when Reid, seeing her as a child, firmly corrects her. The experience forces Diane to confront her own selfishness and ultimately helps her see Mark Cooper—and her mother’s happiness—with new clarity.