title: An Unexpected Kiss
author: White, Carre
description: Can a feisty blonde tame a rough and tumble saloon owner? Susanna Hampton, the youngest of the Hampton sisters, is quite content to take care of her sister’s two young children. A chance encounter with a little thief, who shamelessly steals candy from the mercantile, leads her straight into a confrontation with the boy’s father, Russell Wade, who is new to town and the proprietor of a notorious saloon. She finds him abrasive and rude, although there is something in his manner that intrigues her. Russell Wade is a hard-living businessman, who is haunted by the past, and he continues to run from it, moving from town to town, uprooting his children. His daughter, Grace, befriends the lovely Miss Hampton, and seeing Susanna often begins to wear away at his resolve to never trust another fickle woman. Yet, after his long-missing wife suddenly appears again, albeit ill from consumption, the family is forced to mourn her, and Russell must face his fears or risk losing Susanna, whom he has come to adore. Through the twists and turns of love, two people, who truly belong together, will find themselves happily situated.