He has tusks and a tail and insists she's his fated mate. She's enticed but determined not to get involved.

Can a burly alien warrior and a single mom find love together among the stars?Garek: With my clan threatened, I don't have time for romance with a pesky Earth female. Until I meet Piper.

She and her youngling son are part of our planet's new settlement. Soon, I find myself helping her plan her home and talking about odd Earthling activities.

What is a square dance, and must I do it? She's soft and lush in all the right places, and I could pick her up and carry her around with one arm. And her son.

. .

I ache to show him how to tame a mighty winged trundier. Piper may say she doesn't need love, but I'll do whatever it takes to win her heart.

Piper: I brought my eight-year-old son to Ferlaern to start anew-the new wild west, we're calling this planet. The other women want romance but not me.

Then I meet Garek, a seven-foot-tall, gruff warrior who's out to steal my heart. Burned in the past, I'm afraid to trust.

Never mind that he makes my son laugh for the first time in forever or that his kisses. .

. Not going there.

But when our settlement is attacked by vicious creatures, it'll take both of us to survive the threat. .