Cori Weathers is a wizard with a torque wrench, but the
moment she lays eyes on her cooking teacher, Micah
DePalma, her lessons turn into a klutzy symphony of
flying poultry and burning aprons. It makes no sense. He
couldn’t be less her type: tall, skinny, and born with a
silver spoon in his mouth. So why is her heart
sputtering like a badly tuned engine?
Despite family pressure to date only women of his own
social class, something about the cooking-challenged
spitfire lights all Micah’s burners. Cori’s a complex
dish inside a deceptively simple coating, one he’s
willing to risk tackle football and jealous
ex-boyfriends to sample.
His every attempt to crack her stubborn heart strikes
sparks. Will they ignite the flame of love—or explode
into just another kitchen disaster?
Warning:
This story contains flying poultry, annoying older
brothers, the occasional quote from Shakespeare, and
enough sexual tension to overheat ovens—and engines.
Olivia "Liv" Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of
cheating on her, so she takes drastic steps to discover whether appearances
are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a
change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her
manicure to clean house for a sexy but sloppy man whose neighbor is
determined to break several of the strangest Guinness Book of World Records,
why should that be a problem?
Mike, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than
content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of
laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But
when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on
his doorstep, what's a nice guy to do? Why, invite
her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the
truth and, in the process, fall head over heels for
a woman who's never been less his type.
Returning to
Wyoming after a six-year absence, Jake Langley finds more than just changes
in the now run down family ranch. His warm feelings for a former girlfriend
have cooled, and he finds himself drawn to her sister and his former best
friend, Emily. His discovery of the sisters' well-kept secret,
however, upsets his long-term plans and sets
duty against his heart's desire. Now, four hearts and four lives will be
changed, forever.
It's June, 1953 and Lizzie Scott recently lost her brother, Seb, in the
Korean War. When his friend and unit buddy, Jeremy McMasters, brings her
Seb's "goodbye" letter, little does she know her life is about to change
forever.
For Molly Scott, everything bad in her life
has happened during the Christmas season, from training bras in her stocking
to being jilted by her fiancé. This year is no exception.
Ten days before
Christmas, she arrives at work to find her department closed down and
everyone laid off. Desperate, she takes a job for a singing telegram
service and, dressed as Mrs. Claus, meets the man of her dreams--who turns
out to be a nightmare--in a broken down elevator. The Christmas Curse is
right on track.
Patrice would do anything for her pregnant
friend, Cathy, even if "anything" includes running to the convenience store
on a daily basis to indulge her cravings. On one of her excursions, Patrice
meets Joey Sousa, the cashier at the store. Their attraction is undeniable,
but awkward: he thinks she's pregnant, she thinks he's dating someone else.
Will the misunderstandings keep them apart, or will their chance meeting
give birth to happy ever after?
For fifteen years, seven friends have gathered for a vacation at Lake
Wentworth, NH. This year is no different -- except this time, Cass Edwards
has trouble looking at her best-friend-since-forever Ben Wilson as just a
friend. Can two people in search of a future find it in a mutual past? Will
love strengthen the bonds of their friendship or destroy them?
It's 1948, and thirty-four year-old diner owner Millie Townsend is well on
the shelf. Millie's fallen hard for regular customer, Paul Whittier, a
veteran of World War II and a civil engineer. When she discovers he's
accepted a new job out of state and it's their last evening together, how
can this ultra-shy spinster find the nerve to show she's interested in more
than just friendship?
Since her return to her childhood home following the deaths of her parents,
Tina Springfield has been alone, with nothing but her prize-winning roses
for company. Though she longs for friendship and romance, her innate shyness
and her awkward work schedule have kept her from meeting anyone -- including
her new neighbors. But when a little boy's baseball threatens her rose
bushes, everything changes, and Tina discovers that small sacrifices can
make a big difference in life.
For
three years, the memory of Sarah Kirkman's dead husband has kept other men at
bay. Her heart only has room for her six-year-old daughter, Melinda. On a
vacation to the Smithsonian, the Kirkmans run into Doctor Duncan MacPherson, a
paleontologist who befriends her dinosaur-obsessed daughter. Sarah's attraction
to Duncan is undeniable but pointless-- he must leave for his home in Scotland
the very next morning. But Sarah has forgotten one important thing:
Christmas really is for miracles.
This story came in
thirteenth out of 131 nominated stories in the
Preditors & Editors poll
of best short romance
stories of 2006!
