Turn My World Upside Down: Jo's Story

E
XTRAORDINARY PRAISE FOR
M
AUREEN
C
HILD AND HER NOVELS

And Then Came You

“Fast-paced, with well-drawn characters, especially the tough yet tender Marconi sisters.”

—Romantic Times

“Filled with heart-wrenching emotions and an unforgettable hero.”

—Rendezvous

“Outstanding characters . . . an amusing, engaging, and heart-tugging story that is just the first of what promises to be a terrific trilogy.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Entertaining . . . the developing romances of the other sisters also adds fun and intrigue.
And Then Came You
is enjoyable and makes for some sunny, light-hearted reading.”

—The Road to Romance

Some Kind of Wonderful

“The terrific Child introduces readers to some wonderful new characters and a very special town. Blending the power of love and forgiveness, Child will touch your heart.”

—Romantic Times

“Child deftly invokes the full range of human emotion . . . thoroughly satisfying.”

—Booklist

“A touching story of friendship, deep love and scorching passion . . . A very good read.”

—Old Book Barn Gazette

“A heartwarming read filled with a terrific cast of characters.”

—Rendezvous Review

“Romance and sexual tension . . . charming, emotional.”

—RoadToRomance.com

Loving You

“Packed with very strong characters and lots of emotion . . . an unforgettable story, and a romance to treasure.”

—A Romance Review

“Maureen Child always writes a guaranteed winner, and this is no exception. Heartwarming, sexy, and impossible to put down.”

—Susan Mallery, bestselling author of
The Sparkling One

Finding You/Knowing You

“An absolutely wonderful contemporary romance. A delightful blend of humor and emotion, this sexy love story will definitely keep readers turning the pages.”

—Kristin Hannah, author of
Distant Shores

“The Candellano family is warm and wonderful . . . you’ll get swept up in the lives and loves of these passionate and fascinating individuals.”

—Romantic Times

“Maureen Child infuses her writing with the perfect blend of laughter, tears, and romance. Her well-crafted characters, humor, and understanding of what it means to be part of a family make each of her novels a treat to be savored.”

—Jill Marie Landis, author of
Magnolia Creek

“Delightful romances involving colorful and yet realistic characters make these two stories by Maureen Child a veritable feast for the eyes. The large Italian family of the Candellanos is very convincing and the characterizations are so mature and honest that the author is to be applauded for such skillful crafting and accurate portrayal . . . the heartfelt emotions leap from the pages, and the delicately blended humor and pathos render these stories memorable . . . after the exhilarating first story, readers will feel compelled to read the other one too, and neither disappoints. Maureen Child is an author to watch out for.”

—The Road to Romance

“A fresh tale of family, conflict, and love . . . the characters are endearing.”

—Old Book Barn Gazette

“Both of these novels are engaging contemporary romances with a warm ensemble that feels like the kitchen of many readers. The story lines will hook readers.”

—Harriet’s Book Review

“Fall in love with this delightful family with these two tales, and prepare yourself for the next installment.”

—TheRomanceReader.com

S
T
. M
ARTIN
’
S
P
APERBACKS
T
ITLES
BY
M
AUREEN
C
HILD

Finding You

Knowing You

Loving You

Some Kind of Wonderful

And Then Came You

A Crazy Kind of Love

Jo’s Story

Maureen Child

TURN MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN: JO’S STORY

Copyright © 2005 by Maureen Child.

Cover photo © Gettyimages.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

ISBN: 0-312-99754-X
EAN: 9780312-99754-0

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / August 2005

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

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Turn My World
Upside Down:

Jo’s Story

Cash Hunter made Hugh Hefner look like a blushing virgin.

He’d been in Chandler more than a year now and the talk still hadn’t died down. In fact, he’d earned a catchy little nickname. People called him “the Woman Whisperer.” A title not unearned.

Josefina “Jo” Marconi remained immune, though.

Well, mostly.

“Ignoring me won’t make me go away.” Cash, in all his male gorgeousness, leaned one shoulder against the wall and crossed his booted feet. He moved slowly, lazily, as if he had all the time in the world.

Oh, Jo
so
wished he was wrong about that. He’d just walked into the Barclay house, instead of staying outside, where he was supposed to be finishing up the trim work. As annoying as Cash might be on a personal level, when it came to woodworking, the man was as talented as he was gorgeous. And that was plenty talented. Still, Jo’d managed to go all morning without actually having to talk to him. Figured it wouldn’t last.

She never should have hired him to help repair and repaint the Barclay house. The man was determined to seduce her for some reason and saying no all the damn
time was really tiring. But damn it, she was too shorthanded to ignore experienced help.

She reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet his. The man was just too good-looking for any woman’s self-control. Even
hers
. Of course, there was no way she’d let
him
know that.

Tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, Cash had black hair that was slightly too long, his dark eyes were too piercing, his wide grin too knowing, and to top it all off, he even smelled too good.

A serious irritation.

“What
will
make you go away, then?” Jo asked, her patient tone sugary sweet despite the annoyance pumping inside. Usually the soul of patience—despite what her sisters might think—Jo couldn’t seem to help the spurt of temper. There was just something about this man that made her want to tear at her own hair.

Never taking his gaze from hers, Cash shifted and dropped into a crouch beside her. Resting his forearm across his knee, he grinned at her, and tiny lines at the corners of his eyes fanned out. “You agreeing to have dinner with me.”

Jo’s fingers tightened around the handle of her favorite hammer. “Like that’s gonna happen.”

He’d been playing this game for months. Didn’t seem to bother him that she blew him off regularly. He didn’t care that she never encouraged him—in fact, went out of her way to avoid him.

For whatever reason, she had become Cash Hunter’s Mount Everest. Didn’t matter how many other women had fallen at his feet. He was bound and determined to conquer
her
.

Well, he was doomed to disappointment. Jo Marconi
wasn’t about to be conquered. She wasn’t interested in a man at the moment—hell, at
any
moment. Especially one with Cash’s track record.

Cash was to women what kryptonite was to Superman. One night in the man’s bed was apparently enough to convince even the most sane, reasonable,
intelligent
woman to give up her ordinary life and go do good deeds. One had gone off to join Habitat for Humanity, one was now in Chechnya, working with foreign adoptions, and still another was off volunteering with the Literacy Foundation.

Of course the talk around town now was that Cash had become a
monk
. According to the truly excellent grapevine in Chandler, he hadn’t been out with
any
female in months.

Which, to Jo’s mind, just meant he was getting desperate enough to keep bothering
her
.

“You know,” she said tightly, “you’re just one more straw tossed onto a camel who’s already thinking about having a breakdown—when she can find a few extra minutes.”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I could help.”

“Is that right?” she asked, and slammed her hammer against a small finishing nail before she looked at him again. Just like a guy to think he could step right in and handle any situation better than a woman. “And just what kind of help would that be?” she asked, glaring at him with enough heat to sizzle his skin. “I’ve got one sister so pregnant she can’t stand up, let alone work. Another sister just pregnant enough to hurl every fifteen minutes. My father and his girlfriend are off on a cruise, and I’m playing temporary mommy to a ten-year-old brother who hates my guts.”

Cash laughed. “Jack doesn’t hate you.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she muttered, and thought about how the kid had looked at her just that morning when he’d headed off to school. It was the look that she used to give her biology teacher.

“I am. He’s just a kid.”

“I know,” Jo muttered, shooting him a quick look, then shifting her gaze again. “And I wasn’t fishing for sympathy.”

Even though, God, saying it all out loud made her want to hop in her truck and hit the nearest freeway ramp. In three days, she could be
anywhere
. But almost as soon as the idle fantasy erupted in her brain, she shut it down again. She wasn’t leaving, despite how tempting the thought was at the moment. If she left, who the hell would hold everything together?