Real Love #52

Lynda Kearney’s trying to fit in, even if it means pretending she’s not the quiet girl everyone overlooks. When her date with Marvin Shephard takes a turn at Sweetheart’s Lane, things get messy—especially when transfer student Ronnie Colson steps in to defend her. The tension between the three of them is thick, and Lynda’s trying to keep her head above water, all while wondering if she’s really the kind of girl people think she is.

Julie Erland’s heart is set on marrying Dave Wilford, but when he’s drafted, she agrees to wait. Determined to see him, she travels to his camp—only to arrive too late and take shelter in a rundown hotel, where fear and a bad reputation send her fleeing. When Dave comes to get her, the Military Police raid the place, leaving Julie shaken and humbled. As she resolves to wait at home, the weight of her choices and the distance between them hang in the air.

Jill, haunted by the tragic deaths of her father and brother in racing accidents, finds herself drawn to the daring race driver Lanny Dixon—yet she can’t bring herself to marry him unless he leaves the track for good. When Lanny promises to retire and open a garage, but insists on racing one last time to secure the funds, Jill walks away, seeking a new life as a model in New York. There, wealthy heir Bancroft Emmett Jr. proposes, but Jill soon realizes her heart belongs to Lanny. Her search leads her back to the garage where Lanny has kept his promise, and their reunion begins anew.

In a quiet 1952 neighborhood, Mindy Cole finds herself drawn to Kirk Radford, a man who arrives at Fran Pardoe’s door under mysterious circumstances. As Mindy helps care for Fran’s children, she uncovers a web of secrets behind Fran’s glamorous dates—dates that stem from a series of “lonely hearts” letters. When Kirk begins to ask questions, Mindy can’t help but wonder what he’s really after—and whether her growing feelings for him are built on truth or deception.