Signed, Sealed, Delivered (24 page)

At least when working together.

He’d never once hinted that he wanted anything from her beyond friendship. The women he dated explained his lack of interest. They were all tall, blonde, and thin.

Beth would always be a size fourteen, probably a good four sizes above anything he’d ever find attractive.

“He’s my boss,” she reminded Dani. “Besides”—she quickly found Emma in the dwindling crowd—“I’ve got other things to worry about now.”

“Like your niece,” Dani said. “Have you and your parents talked about what’s gonna happen to Emma now?”

“Aren’t they keeping her?” Juliana asked. “I mean, they had her while Tiffany was in Afghanistan, right?”

Beth nodded. “But having her there was already getting to be a problem. They were going to send her to me for the summer.” Something she’d been looking forward to.

“You said their condo’s in a fifty-five-and-over community,” Juliana commented. “If they want Emma to live with them, they’ll have to move.” A frown bowed her lips. “A retirement community isn’t a good place for a kid, even for a short time.”

“Yeah,” Mallory added. “Definitely not kid-friendly. No playgrounds. No libraries. No other children.”

“I know, I know.” Beth heaved a sigh. The choice was obvious to her if not to her friends—just as obvious as it had been when she’d made up her mind last night. “I’m taking Emma.”

“For how long?” Dani asked.

“Forever.”

Ladies Who Lunch series

The Bottom Line
(book 1)

As a gifted opera singer, Allegra Orsini’s only obsession is music—until she meets
him
. A strikingly handsome and powerful man with a life splashed across the tabloids, Davison Cabot Berkeley isn’t what she expected. She craves Davison’s touch—his possession—endlessly. Even though every fiber of her being is telling her to stay away, that it’s best for both of them, she can’t. But as much as she wants him, Allegra can’t surrender to his love—not until she faces a painful secret from her past that could destroy them both.

* * *

Mala LaCroix has spent her whole life trying to escape her destiny. As the last in a long line of “witch women,” she rejects the notion of spirits and hoodoo and instead does her best to blend in. But when she finds a dead body floating in the bayou behind her house, Mala taps into powers she never knew she had. She’s haunted by visions of the dead girl, demanding justice and vengeance. Landry Prince has always had a crush on Mala, but when Mala discovers his sister, murdered and marked in some sort of satanic ritual, he wonders if all the rumors about the LaCroix family are true. As they move closer to each other and the truth, Mala and Landry must risk everything—their families, their love, and even their lives.

* * *

As a single mom and pediatrician, Sabrina Bankhead doesn’t have time for romance. All that changes when she reluctantly agrees to take part in a dating-show fund-raiser for a children’s hospital. But once she sets eyes on the journalist hired to cover the show, none of the four contestants stand a chance. If she doesn’t choose one of the eligible bachelors, the hospital doesn’t raise a cent. What’s a love-struck doc to do?

* * *

Adopted at birth, Ivy Morales always suspected she was more than human. Still, she keeps the outlandish thought to herself—even though she can’t ignore her powerful dreams of an ancient blood feud… or the darkly erotic turn of those hallucinations. Kidnapped in Mexico for her visions, Ivy has only one chance to escape: find the wickedly sexy man in her dreams. Welsh dragon shifter Ian Madoc doesn’t understand the strange dream connection he shares with an unknown, beautiful woman. Yet after the seductive images turn into pleas for help, Ian rushes off in the middle of the night, hell-bent on rescuing her. But will she turn out to be the soul mate he’s always longed for… or the downfall of his entire clan?

Ex–Army Ranger Gabriel Vincent is a badass hero. Or he used to be. Home from Afghanistan, Gabe can’t stop thinking about that one horrible night on the battlefield, a night that changed his life forever. Madison is happily single—or so she thinks. After the tragic death of her parents, she took on the responsibility of running the family restaurant, and that’s just about all she has time to worry about. Though they don’t realize it at first, Gabe and Maddy will soon develop a weakness: each other. But Gabe has a secret and Maddy is dealing with issues she fears Gabe won’t understand. They quickly realize they need each other to be whole, but they have demons to fight—and the problem with demons is that they never die quietly. Can they find a way to heal the past… before they lose each other?

* * *

What is it about a junior high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night—and worst morning after—of her life. Now they’ve been thrown together in a wedding party. It’s awkward, but survivable… until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she’d always hoped he could be. Now all he has to do is make her believe it…

* * *

Luke Price’s life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction—a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does. Violet Hayes has had a rough life, which has been hard to forget, especially when she never got closure—and she can’t stop dreaming about what happened one tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything. Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other. And soon, they also discover that the past always catches up with you.

* * *

Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs… if she’ll have him. Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she’s just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won’t be denied. But can she trust that this time he’s back to stay?

* * *

Since birth, Lexie Berry has had nothing but bad luck. Orphaned at an early age, she had a rough childhood and a boyfriend who was murdered. Now the beautiful, stylish Lexie is determined to change her luck and her life. But first she’s got to make good on a promise: to pick up Ty Walker from prison. For five years, Ty was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he wants revenge on the people who framed him. Yet when the high-stakes poker player sees the leggy Lexie, he suddenly has other desires on his mind. Realizing that Ty is innocent, Lexie tries to stop his plan for vengeance and help him become a better man. But as Ty battles his inner demons, dirty cops and criminals plot to take him out. Can he and Lexie find a way to escape the past?

* * *

Jessi Randal walked away from her last relationship with a baby and a broken heart. Now, years later, the last thing this single mom wants is to give Windfall Island—and all its nosy residents—anything more to gossip about. But the moment she lays eyes on the tall, sexy stranger with the slow Southern drawl, she knows she’s in delicious trouble. Holden Abbot is on the island to find the missing heir to the Stanhope family fortune. It’s his job to charm as many secrets out of the town as possible. And if he can charm Jessi into his bed, even better. When all evidence points to her as the heir, a dangerous enemy sets his sights on Jessi and her son. Now Holden will have to risk everything to protect the family he’s come to love.

* * *

After a taste of Broadway stardom and a failed marriage, Francine Tanner is rebuilding her life back home on Cavanaugh Island. She’s done with acting—and anyone who isn’t genuine about real life and true feelings. But the mysterious newcomer who’s bought land outside her hometown of Sanctuary Cove is as down-to-earth as he is handsome… and he may be her second chance for the real thing. Keaton Grace has had a crush on glamour girl Francine Tanner for years. He can’t believe his luck that she lives in the same small town where he’s developing his new film studio. He just has to convince his favorite star to return to the spotlight. Yet the more time they spend together, the more he realizes the smart, funny, sexy woman she is in real life is far better than any role he envisioned. Now what he wants most is to heal her pain—and prove their attraction could be more powerful than anything they ever imagined…

* * *

Melanie O’Bryan knows life is too short to be afraid of taking chances. And former Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart is certainly worth taking a chance on. He’s agreed to help her students with a school project, but she’s hoping the handsome handyman will offer her a whole lot more. Yet despite his heated glances and teasing touches, Mel senses there’s something holding him back. Bennett Hart is grateful to be alive and back home in Mirabelle, Florida. Peaceful and uncomplicated—that’s all he’s looking for. Until a spunky, sexy-as-hell teacher turns his life upside down. After one smoldering kiss, Bennett feels like he’s falling without a parachute. But with memories of his past threatening to resurface, he’ll have to decide whether to keep playing it safe, or take the biggest risk of all.