Cassie's Fortune — Linda Shertzer

"You must lose something you can't afford to lose, trust someone you have no reason to trust, and love someone with no hope of him ever loving you in return..."

Such were the words that greeted Cassie Bowen upon her visit to her maiden aunt Flora. And fighting words they were, if Cassie was ever to break the family curse that would sentence her to spinsterhood. Legend had it that centuries before, an old gypsy woman cast a spell of loveless--albeit wealthy--solitude upon the Bowen women. Their only company, if one could call it that, had been a most unusual crystal ball, peculiarly named Sebastian. In four hundred years, none had managed to change their fate. But Cassie was modern and scientific, sensible and well-educated--and best of all, hopeful. Perhaps she could succeed where others had failed ...

But what was Cassie to lose? Whom was she to trust--and more important--to love? She knew no one in town except her aunt's neighbor Brent Conway. From what she'd heard, Mr. Conway was a man of dubious reputation. And besides, something about him had been making her tingle in a most confusing fashion ever since they'd met ...