The New York Times bestselling author of Silver Thaw returns to Mystic Creek in a novel about a love that inspires the courage to start over…and the strength to reclaim a dream.   When Taffeta Brown was viciously betrayed by her wealthy husband, she lost everything—including custody of their daughter, Sarah. Now that Taffy has moved to Mystic Creek, Oregon, to start over, she unexpectedly meets the one man who might help her get Sarah back.   Barney Sterling, a local lawman, finds himself drawn to the lovely, guarded Taffy, but he’s stunned by her proposition—that they marry immediately to improve her chances of regaining custody of her daughter. Barney takes marriage too seriously to commit himself to a woman he hardly knows. Yet soon his sympathies fall with the desperate Taffy, and pretending to be in love becomes the easiest part of the plan. But they have no idea what they’re up against, or what they’re willing to risk to make a miracle come true in Mystic Creek. Praise for New Leaf “Love is blooming under the most unlikely circumstances in Anderson’s new Mystic Creek story. Desperation forces store owner Taffeta Brown to make Deputy Barney Sterling an unusual and highly charged proposal. The minute you open an Anderson novel, you can immediately feel the vision of humanity and warmth that runs through all her books. No one does heartfelt romance better!”— RT Book Reviews Praise for Silver Thaw   “Master storyteller Anderson has skillfully penned the heart-wrenching story of domestic abuse and its aftermath...Compelling.”— Booklist (starred review)   “The stuff romances are made of.”—Heroes and Heartbreakers   “I’d recommend Silver Thaw to contemporary romance readers who like to go deep into a novel that explores many emotions.”—Harlequin Junkies   “I am totally hooked...Thank you Catherine Anderson for this wonderful story.”—The Reading Cafe   “Sweet and inspirational.”—Smitten by Books Catherine Anderson loves dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, and nearly every other critter on earth.  Her most guilty pleasure when she isn't writing is to chat with her followers on Facebook.  Her fan page is one of the most happening places on the net, with a daily place for you to post and share pics up front and center.  Ever visited a fan page, and all you can do is reply to an author's chosen feature of the day?  Well, Catherine believes in community, and she wants her readers to not only have fun, but also to become lifelong friends.  And she always, ALWAYS replies, unless something catastrophic occurs.  She doesn't want her fan page to be all about her and her books!  Heaps of tried and true recipes!  Funny jokes.  Hilarious quotes.  It's a happening place with fairly frequent contests as well.  Please come and join in at facebook.com/catherineandersonbooks Catherine Anderson  is the author of more than thirty  New York Times  bestselling and award-winning historical and contemporary romances including the Harrigan Family series, the Coulter Family series, the Comanche series, and the Mystic Creek series. She lives in the pristine woodlands of Central Oregon. CHAPTER ONE April 2015 The headlights of the county-owned crew-cab truck cut through drifting snowflakes to bathe quaint storefronts in flashes of gold as Barney Sterling circled the town center of Mystic Creek and then turned right onto East Main. Paul Kutz, better known as Pop, the proprietor of Antiquarian Books in the Mystic Creek Menagerie, had just called in a complaint about loud music keeping him and his new roommate, Ray Burke, awake. It wasn’t yet nine, but Barney guessed that people on the high side of eighty went to bed early. Reaching across the console, he crumpled the top of a white paper bag that held what remained of his night-shift meal, fresh from the ovens at the Jake ’n’ Bake. He’d ordered three Italian panzarotti, small closed pizzas filled with tomato, mozzarella, and sausage. Now a dusting of confectioner’s sugar clung to his fingers from the warm cream horns he’d been about to devour for dessert. The interior of the cab smelled of vanilla filling, yeast bread, peppers, and cheese, with a touch of his Polo cologne underscoring the lot. A woman’s voice came over the radio. “You gotten there yet, Barney?” Doreen, a plump redhead and newly hired dispatcher, hadn’t memorized any police codes yet. Nearly everyone at the sheriff’s department was willing to bet that she’d still be yacking over the airwaves in plain English come next Christmas. It had become a sore point with most of the officers. Doreen used the names of individuals in town, gave details about complaints over the air, and pretty much broke all the FCC regulations in every other way as well. Barney knew that the sheriff had been in a pinch for a new dispatcher when he hired Doreen, and the man had probably anticipated that she’d apply herself to learning how to do her job, but so far she just wasn’t getting it. In such a small town, cert