"Marry me…for the baby's sake." With a fortune at his disposal, there is little Marek Rangel can't buy. Now, he has put a price on something priceless: his late brother's child. He will stop at nothing to ensure the baby's birthright…even if it means marrying a complete stranger. A rising opera star, Camille Avanole relishes her independence, but she loves her child more. The billionaire rancher will give her son security and a chance to know his Texan heritage. So she agrees to Marek's demands, telling herself she won't fall in love—because if she does, he will only break her heart….

When he settled in Mexican Texas in 1832 and began courting Anna Raguet, Sam Houston had been separated from his Tennessee wife Eliza Allen for three years, while having already married and divorced his Cherokee wife Tiana and at least two other Indian "wives" during the interval. Houston's political enemies derided these marital irregularities, but in fact Houston's legal and extralegal marriages hardly set him apart from many other Texas men at a time when illicit and unstable unions were common in the yet-to-be-formed Lone Star State. In this book, Mark Carroll draws on legal and social history to trace the evolution of sexual, family, and racial-caste relations in the most turbulent polity on the southern frontier during the antebellum period (1823-1860). He finds that the marriages of settlers in Texas were typically born of economic necessity and that, with few white women available, Anglo men frequently partnered with Native American, Tejano, and black women. While identifying a multicultural array of gender roles that combined with law and frontier disorder to destabilize the marriages of homesteaders, he also reveals how harsh living conditions, land policies, and property rules prompted settling spouses to cooperate for survival and mutual economic gain. Of equal importance, he reveals how evolving Texas law reinforced the substantial autonomy of Anglo women and provided them material rewards, even as it ensured that cross-racial sexual relationships and their reproductive consequences comported with slavery and a regime that dispossessed and subordinated free blacks, Native Americans, and Tejanos.

Enjoy two classic Lone Star romances from New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer! Kingman Kingman Marshall knows he’s too burdened with secrets for sheltered Tiffany Blair. And Tiffany deserves more than just one night of passion; she’s a woman made for walking down the aisle to her groom. But Kingman is the only one Tiffany wants, and she’s determined to make him hers…forever! Blake Tough Texan Blake Kemp considers himself first and foremost a man of the law. But he will stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman he loved long ago, even if that means breaking some rules along the way. Despite his best efforts, Blake can’t deny his growing feelings for his beautiful assistant, Violet. But can his passion replace his need for revenge?

Join New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer with three classic Long, Tall Texans tales, plus USA Today bestseller Rita Herron’s fan-favorite tale of a rancher on the run. Hank (Originally published in 1995 as Redbird) After years of heartache and drama, Hank Shoeman has come to one conclusion…love is nothing more than a nuisance! He has retreated to a secluded Colorado cabin, eager to be away from the pesky outside world…and the hurt that came with it. Instead, Hank is distracted by a beautiful young woman—and gets so much more than he ever bargained for… Coltrain (Originally published in 1995 as Coltrain’s Proposal) Doctors Jebediah Coltrain and Louise Blakely have been arch-enemies since Louise’s father had cruelly betrayed Jeb years ago. Jeb will stop at nothing to get revenge, plotting to convince lovely Louise to marry him, then to bring her and her family down for good. But the good doctor never counted on falling for his fake fiancée and breaking his own rules of engagement. Marshall (Originally published in 1998 as The Princess Bride) Kingman Marshall knows he’s too old, too jaded, and too burdened with secrets for fresh, youthful Tiffany Blair. And Tiffany’s not the kind of girl for just one night of passion; she’s an innocent, made for walking down the aisle to her groom. But Kingman is the only one Tiffany wants, and she’ll stop at nothing to make him hers…forever! Grant Dana Mobry has worked her family’s Texas ranch her entire life. Where does it say a rancher’s daughter has to marry a long, tall Texan—or lose her cherished home? In her father’s will—and Dana’s just discovered that her partner in this marriage of convenience is none other than the sexiest cowboy in Texas, Hank Grant! Ultimate Cowboy Rancher Brody Bloodworth has spent years blaming himself for his brother’s disappearance. If he hadn’t snuck off to be with Julie Whitehead, everything would have been different. Now FBI agent Julie is back in town, and sparks fly as they prepare for a showdown with ruthless kidnappers.

The first in-depth history of miscegenation law in the United States, this book illustrates in vivid detail how states, communities, and the courts have defined and regulated mixed-race marriage from the colonial period to the present. Combining a storyteller's detail with a historian's analysis, Peter Wallenstein brings the sagas of Richard and Mildred Loving and countless other interracial couples before them to light in this harrowing history of how individual states had the power to regulate one of the most private aspects of life: marriage.