Michelle Parkerton

“I’m here to see my fiancé. I believe you know Parker, Dad…” That sentence seems innocent enough in the right setting. But the woman’s father? Yeah, he happens to be my boss. The first time I met Cashlynn O’Neil, she thought she was going to die before the plane we were on ever left the ground. So I did what any gentleman would do—I comforted her, kept her distracted, and then later that night, she ended up back in my hotel room to thank me. But then a year later she waltzed in the Carrington Cove Animal Hospital and told her father we were engaged.

He’ll save her from the nightmare in her past. Luke Haven has an adrenaline problem. As in, he can’t get enough. His squeaky-clean, nice-guy reputation in his small town isn’t a lie. But it’s not the whole truth, either. Although his real problem? He’s not even sure what he’s searching for. Melanie Andolini never thought she’d be starting over in her thirties. But moving back to her hometown is exactly the fresh start she needs. Until she runs into Luke Haven, and things get complicated. Really complicated.

Riggins has been in love with Stella for as long as he can remember. As kids, they’d sneak out and spend long nights under the stars writing songs together, sharing their deepest confessions, and dreaming about getting out of their small town. When his band gets a record deal and a headlining tour, he convinces her to come see the world with him, and she agrees. It doesn’t take long before Riggins gets too far into the rockstar lifestyle, and everything begins to fall apart, including his relationship.

Sometimes all you get is a single chance to turn a surprise into happily ever after… Chance: One night. That’s all I wanted. A single night to forget I’m a widowed single dad with a million responsibilities and a ton of emotional baggage. To remember what it’s like to just be a man. I didn’t need any extra drama in my life. Romantic complications? No thanks. But after that night, everything changed.

I’m the bad boy of baseball. And she’s the good girl who’s meant to repair my image. Falling in love with my pretend girlfriend is not part of the plan… My life is a mess. My career is in serious jeopardy because of one stupid decision that had disastrous results. I’m stuck on the injured list, for who knows how long, and losing endorsements because of my reckless behaviour.

It’s not easy being a woman working in a male dominated field. Add in the fact that my uncle owns the baseball team I work for, and proving I belong here is a constant battle. Dating a player was never an option. Not if I wanted to keep a shred of dignity and respect. Then Ronan Sinclair sits down next to me in first class with his alluring blue eyes and hard-to-resist dimples. To say nothing of his kindness and charm, or his determination to convince me that a steamy vacation fling is what we both need.

Falling for Finn isn’t part of my plan. He’s older, moody, and complains about everything I do. His family flies me three thousand miles out to their orchard farm in Vermont to do a painting for their centennial celebration. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to do a piece for the Bennetts, but I don’t expect my clients’ grandson to rope me into a fake dating scheme. When his ex-girlfriend shows up expecting to sleep in the cottage I’m currently in, I volunteer to stay with Finn to keep up appearances that we’re together.

The gorgeous, brilliant woman I have dirty dreams about every damned night? She's supposed to marry my best friend. She's supposed to be queen someday. She's off-limits. But I can't walk away. I'm supposed to protect her. Maybe even be her friend. I should not be lusting after her. And I absolutely cannot fall in love with her.

“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.” When those words left the lips of Damien Shaw, my childhood nemesis, I should have told him to kick rocks right then and there. But sadly, his scheme to impress his boss left me with something to gain from it too—getting my meddling mother, who was obsessed with my love life, off my back just in time for my parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration in Hawaii.

He proposed . . . and I said yes. Normally a jovial occasion for a couple in love, but this proposal has a very different feel. Because the man that I'll be calling my husband blew into town with one thing on his mind . . . to make my life a living nightmare. So why did I say yes? Well, because we both need something from each other. Namely, I want the farm land he currently owns, and he needs a wife in order to inherit his family cabin in his grandfather’s will. So as he so eloquently put it, my hand, for his land.