After her marriage ends, one woman’s struggle to pick up the pieces finally leads to a new beginning - but is the past truly behind her? In this poignant novel, number one New York Times best-selling author Debbie Macomber explores the powerful intersections of love and family.

Stranded on the side of a country road with a broken-down car, Rorie Campbell is grateful when horse rancher Clay Franklin comes to her rescue. Stuck in the quirky small town, Rorie gets to know Clay, and she quickly starts to fall for the gruff, tough cowboy. Can a city girl make it work with a country man? Kate Logan is understandably devastated when her former fiancé marries someone else instead. At the wedding, after one glass of champagne, she spontaneously—foolishly—proposes to her longtime friend Luke Rivers. And Luke agrees.

A new beginning in charming Oceanside, Washington, is exactly what Hope Godwin needs after the death of her twin brother. There are plenty of distractions, like her cozy cottage with the slightly nosy landlords next door, and a brewing drama among her students at the local high school. Even having settled quickly into the community, Hope still feels something is still missing. That is, until her landlords convince her to volunteer at their animal shelter. There she meets Shadow, a rescue dog that everyone has given up on. But true to her name, Hope believes he’s worth saving.

Joan Sample is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With Emmie’s support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting out a room to a local college student. Before long Joan is starting to feel a little like herself again.

Her grandfather wants her to come home, and Molly thinks she just might. His ranch will be a good place for her sons to grow up, a place to escape big-city influences. Then she learns - from a stranger named Sam Dakota - that her grandfather is ill. Possibly dying. Molly packs up the kids without a second thought and makes the long drive to Sweetgrass, Montana. Once she arrives, she immediately has questions about Sam Dakota. Why is he working on her grandfather’s ranch? Why doesn’t the sheriff trust him? Just who is he?

Susannah Simmons has a five-year plan to succeed in her career. And it doesn't include falling in love with her next-door neighbor! Nate Townsend is undeniably attractive, but he seems to lack ambition. He stays home baking cookies and flying kites while Susannah struggles up the corporate ladder. She resents the way he questions her values—and makes her question them, too. Is he right? Has she given up too much in pursuit of her career goals? Has she given up family, fun…and Nate's love?

There's a little shop on Blossom Street in Seattle called A Good Yarn. You go there to buy knitting supplies and patterns, and now it's offering a knitting class. The first lesson: how to knit a baby blanket.

The Lakey sisters are perfect opposites. After their mother died and their father was lost in grief, Willa had no choice but to raise her sister, Harper, and their brother, Lucas. Then, as an adult, she put her own life on hold to nurse Harper through a terrifying illness. Now that Harper is better and the sisters are living as roommates, Willa has realized her dream of running her own bakery and coffee shop, bringing her special brand of caretaking to the whole Oceanside community.

Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax are best friends, but their lives couldn’t be more different. Peter, the local pastor who is dedicated to his community, spending time visiting the flock, attending meetings, and, with the holiday season approaching, preparing for the Christmas service and live nativity. As a bartender, Hank serves a much different customer base at his family-owned tavern, including a handful of lonely regulars and the local biker gang. When Peter scoffs that Hank has it easy compared to him, the two decide to switch jobs until Christmas Eve.

Lonesome Cowboy:

Savannah Weston lives quietly on the family ranch with her brother, Grady. Until she encounters a stranger named Laredo Smith, a disenchanted cowboy who just might change her life - in the best possible way! Texas Two-Step: After her father’s death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. But now her long-standing relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be turning into something else....

Two classic stories of finding love where you least expect it! Marriage Wanted: As far as Nash Davenport's concerned, marriage isn't shelter from the storm - it is the storm. He's a divorce attorney, himself divorced, who believes no married couple can live up to their wedding vows. My Hero: Would-be romance writer Bailey York has already failed twice at love. She thinks men are wonderful to read and write about, but that's it. Which is probably why she has such difficulty creating a hero for her novel. What she needs is a real-life example.

"You don't know me yet, but in a few hours that's going to change. You see, I'm inviting you to my home and my town of Cedar Cove, because I want you to meet my family, friends, and neighbors. Come and hear their stories - maybe even their secrets!"

Orchard Valley, Oregon. It's where the Bloomfield sisters, Valerie, Stephanie, and Norah, grew up, and it'll always be home to them.

The alarm on Hallie's biological clock is buzzing away. She's hitting the big three-0, and there's no prospect of marriage, no man in sight. But Hallie's an organized, goal-setting kind of person. She gives herself a year to meet Mr. Knight in Shining Armor. But all her dates are disasters. (There's the cheapskate and the sex fiend and - well, never mind.) Too bad she can't just fall for her good-looking neighbor, Steve Marris. He's definitely not her type.

In Promise, Texas, people know what it is to depend on a friend, and how to be that friend. They know that family, home, and community are the things that really count. They know that love gives meaning to every single day of their lives.