Sweethearts #87

Peggy returns to her hometown of Doddsdale carrying deep resentment for the Dodd family, whose patriarch destroyed the town's prosperity years ago—and she's determined to prevent young Dodd from reopening the old factory. But when she meets Alan Simont, a watchman at the factory, their connection blooms into romance, even as Peggy's bitter conviction about the Dodds threatens to cloud her growing feelings for him. As their bond deepens over stolen evenings and dancing, Peggy finds herself caught between her loyalty to the town and the unexpected love taking root in her heart.

Mavis moves to a new town to be near her fiancé Bob, but rents a room in a boarding house still occupied by the personal effects of a mysterious young man named Jack Caton, who vanished months before. A portrait of the strikingly handsome Jack ignites her imagination, and as the weeks pass, she finds herself increasingly captivated by the image and the romantic fantasy she's woven around him—even as Bob grows concerned about the strange hold this absent stranger has begun to exert over her.

When restlessness drives Lois Manning away from her quiet life running a small-town diner and her steady boyfriend Danny, she's swept up by the mystery and charm of a stranger named Chick—but his vague stories and peculiar behavior soon leave her wondering if the thrilling unknown she craved might actually be dangerous. As Lois finds herself caught between Danny's genuine concern and Chick's dark magnetism, she discovers that some pitfalls can't be escaped once you've fallen in.

Van Johnson's journey from a circus-struck kid in Newport, Rhode Island to one of Hollywood's brightest stars is a natural-born performer's success story. After catching the show business bug early and honing his talents in high school dramatics and on Broadway, Van made the leap to film—appearing alongside Lionel Barrymore in *Between Two Women* and quickly becoming the public's favorite through a string of hit movies. His talent for acting, singing, and dancing has cemented his place as one of the entertainment world's most beloved names.

Judith Alden, a sharp executive at a publishing house, deliberately engineers a meeting with Don Hamilton, a rough-around-the-edges laborer, and begins systematically molding him—new clothes, education, polish—like a personal project. As Don grows increasingly devoted to her, grateful and genuinely transformed, Judith pursues her scheme to prove something to her coworker Vera, unaware that playing with hearts rarely ends the way you plan.