Curtiss Ann Matlock

Life is just about as good as it gets in Valentine, Oklahoma….

In this funny and poignant sequel to Cold Tea on a Hot Day, Valentine's own Marilee James is engaged to Tate Holloway, the new editor of the Valentine Voice, a man whose sweet Southern sensibilities and melting kisses have convinced her to take a leap of faith. But marriage is a nerve–racking proposition–especially when she's got a special–needs son and an abandoned niece to care for.

As she stands at life's crossroads, Marilee needs a push in the right direction.

That push, ironically, comes from Stuart James, Marilee's ex–husband and her son's father. Gone these two years, he's come back at the most inopportune time, pushing Marilee to think long and hard about the road she's taking. But Stuart, with his charm, his talent and his own secrets, is exactly what Marilee's heart needs to move into the arms of the right man…and into the happiness that's waiting right around the corner.

It takes a lot of work to plan a wedding and even more to save a marriage but in Valentine, Oklahoma, there's always someone to help you keep your chin up.

Emma Cole's son is getting married, and she's determined to make everything perfect even if that means asking her estranged husband to come home and pretend they're still together. John may be an imperfect husband, but he's a devoted dad. He's happy to oblige Emma especially since he didn't really much like living apart from her anyway. Now he wants a second chance.

As Emma sorts through the mess of her own marriage, she puts her heart into planning Valentine's wedding of the century. But there's one big problem: the bride's ambitious mother wants more for her daughter than marriage to a small–town boy.

As the wedding approaches, the many meanings of love, commitment and happiness capture the hearts of folks in town. And surrounded by the warmth and spirit of her neighbours, Emma starts to see new beginnings instead of endings.

Marilee James has a complicated life caring for her special–needs son, playing surrogate mother to an abandoned niece and temporarily running the local paper until the new managing editor arrives. She's so busy attending to everyone else that her own yearnings get pushed aside.

Then Tate Holloway comes speeding into town in his BMW, bringing his whiz–bang laptop, journalistic integrity and the thrill of remembering what running a small–town newspaper is all about. Tate's a firm believer in the little things that make life worthwhile: overripe peaches, a good dog, a passionate kiss. The kinds of things he thinks Marilee needs to rediscover with him.

Problem is, she's already engaged. Not about to let a little thing like a fiance stand in his way, Tate sets out to win Marilee's

On the road of life, sometimes you have to shift gears and slow down for those rough patches, but in the end, if you drive carefully, you'll end up home at last….

After twenty years of marriage, Charlene's husband, Joey, has left her and their three children. Now, with an Oklahoma ranch house, a Chevy Suburban that's seen better days, and an uncertain road ahead, Charlene finds herself taking a journey she never wanted or planned. But she can't turn around and to back. All she can do is move forward.

Sometimes, though, the most unexpected way is the best. Because if you're brave and grip the wheel tightly, you can find yourself in an extraordinary new place: like in the arms of a man who understands lost dreams and, with a little luck, on the brink of discovering new directions.

So what if Winston Valentine is ninety–two years old? He isn't dead yet! And he's out to prove it. His exuberant show of life–coming to you live from radio dial 1550–revitalizes Valentine, Oklahoma, for its centennial celebration. The townsfolk are determined to make this an anniversary to remember.

Except Belinda Blaine, who, at thirty–eight, doesn't feel like celebrating. Suddenly she's carrying a child–and the guilt of an earlier pregnancy nearly twenty years ago. No one in her close–knit community knows of either, including her sweet–mannered husband, Lyle. But disclosing this pregnancy will mean revealing her past and opening her heart. And Belinda's not quite ready for that.

As Belinda struggles over what to do, she finds comfort in unexpected places. After all, in Valentine, neighbors are family and strangers are friends. And this small town holds secrets and mysteries, and takes care of its own.

As her mother always said, nothing happens by coincidence…

Meet Rainey Valentine: thirty–five, twice divorced, a woman with broken dreams but irrepressible hope.When her mother dies, she inherits a truck, an old barrel–racing mare named Lulu and a lifetime supply of Mary Kay cosmetics. So taking a page from her mother's life, Rainey packs it all up and heads off, leaving Valentine, Oklahoma, in her rearview mirror.

Then, somewhere outside Abilene, she finds him. Dazed and wandering after a car accident, Harry Furneaux is a man as lost as she is.With nowhere else to go, he joins Rainey on her travels. But when their journey leads them back to Valentine, Harry and Rainey find an unexpected new direction….

Straight out of the heartland of the South, Lost Highways is a novel to gently rock the heart and soul…the story of a woman traveling too long on an endless stretch of lonesome road who finds her way home at last.