Bøger af Diane M. Pratt

Maisie Kane is convinced Cristian McLean is a criminal. Why else would Roy, Maisie's sweet neighbor, say his grandson had "been away for three long years"? Cristian McLean thinks Maisie Kane is trying to con his grandfather out of his life's savings, which means Cristian will be keeping a very close eye on her. Living in houses separated only by a narrow driveway and a goldfish pond, they slowly realize just how wrong their first impressions were.

Brielle Duncan can hardly believe her boss has volunteered her to plan the company's fiftieth anniversary party when the most challenging things she's ever had to plan have been what outfits to wear to work, but there's no way she can get out of the assignment. And when she learns her co-planner is none other than Decker O'Leary, the company serial dater, she is beside herself. How is she supposed to work with this man to plan a party for over four hundred people? Decker O'Leary knows his boss is a moron, but for once he's done something right in assigning Decker to work with Brielle Duncan. The fact Brielle makes her contempt for him obvious in the way she looks at him doesn't matter, because he knows one thing. He's going to find out just what it is he's done to make her feel that way, then he's going to change her mind.

Christmas is coming, and all Rebecca Knox wants is to be able to stay home and enjoy the season by watching one Christmas movie after another. The last thing she wants is to go on a blind date, but when her friend, Paula, reminds Rebecca she owes a favor, Rebecca reluctantly agrees to meet "Cooper" for a coffee date, even though it will mean missing half a movie. Yes, Cooper is gorgeous, but the man not only doesn't watch Christmas movies, he doesn't even like Christmas songs, and Rebecca wonders why Paula ever thought she and Cooper had anything in common. Cooper Weston would rather stay home and watch a game, but his buddy, Dylan, has made it his life's work to get Cooper to agree to meet "Rebecca or Becca or Becky" for coffee, and he finally caves. When he meets the exquisite Rebecca, he's amazed she isn't already with someone. Five minutes later, when she says she'd rather be at home than with him, he begins to understand her brutal honesty might be the reason she's alone. After she tells him they don't have any connection, he can't stop thinking about her and knows he needs to pursue her and prove there is a connection, even if it means he has to watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas songs. Including The Twelve Days of Christmas.

In sixth grade, Cammie Asher kissed Cade Bridges only because Skylar, her bestie, dared her, and the results were hate at first sight, on both sides. Sixteen years later, Cammie and Cade are asked to be in a wedding, as maid of honor and best man. Cammie has no idea how she's going to get through an entire week of wedding festivities when she and Cade have never spoken even one civil word to each other. Cade has been waiting for sixteen years to get some answers about what exactly went wrong all those years ago. Then somehow make it right.

Kelli Welch's dream of owning a townhouse is finally coming true, and she is delighted beyond words when she moves in and finds she has the most wonderful neighbors anyone could ask for. Except for Spencer Blake, who lives right next to her. He doesn't socialize with the others and Kelli thinks he's the closest thing to a stuffed shirt she's ever met, especially when he paints his house boring old gray.Spencer Blake has been waiting to buy on Camelot Court, and the day he closes on his new home is the happiest of his life. Until he learns who the neighbor to his immediate right is; none other than Kelli Welch, who he already has to deal with at work five days a week. He tells himself he can get along with Kelli if he stays out of her way, which works until the day she paints her house pink. Then he knows this is never going to work.

Chablis Bolton has a dilemma; should she stay at a job she hates until she's used up her vacation time or just find a better job and have no time off? On one hand, if she chooses to use the vacation time, she'll be spending money that's earmarked for her someday condo so she can stop paying rent on her micro apartment. On the other hand… There is no other hand. Until her new neighbor across the hall, Cage Gardner, asks if she'll be his fake girlfriend for a trip to Las Vegas. Cage Gardner asks fourteen of his exes to come with him to Vegas, and not even one of them can make it. But no girl means no trip. Resorting to asking Chablis, a girl he met a week ago, he's surprised she agrees, and he makes it clear to Chablis this is a no-strings arrangement and he is not the commitment type. Or so he thinks.

Gwen has a plan to date and just have fun for five years, then think about finding the man of her dreams. Brodie is determined to avoid anything serious, and decides that ten years isn't too long to wait before settling down.When Gwen and Brodie meet in a bookstore, they feel an immediate physical attraction for the other, and when they trade quotes from "The Great Gatsby", they realize they share an intellectual connection as well. Once they begin dating, their inability to communicate becomes apparent to both. They speak the same language but can't seem to understand each other's words.Gwen, saddened that the relationship seems doomed, doubts they will ever be able to solve what she sees as an insurmountable problem. Brodie, ready for the most important challenge of his life, has no doubts they can and will solve it, and during the process, find something that neither of them had expected to find.

Gemma Williams meets the man of her dreams at a masquerade ball but soon learns he is already in a relationship. Telling herself to move on, she finds some consolation in securing the apartment of her dreams in a gorgeous brick Victorian. And it even has a turret. The only drawback to her new perfect apartment is her downstairs neighbor, Becket McKenzie, who repeatedly tells Gemma the turret apartment should rightfully be his. Becket McKenzie can't believe he's missed out on the top floor apartment again, and when he meets Gemma Williams, who is unsympathetic to his claims, he wishes she were more like the woman he met at a masquerade ball, a woman he still has not been able to find weeks later. Until he finds her, and he realizes what is most important isn't what he thought it would be.

Joy is excited to learn she and her BFF, Fiona, have been asked to drive from Massachusetts through eleven states to pick up their boss' 85-year-old mother, then bring her back to Massachusetts. Being paid to take a road trip? And being away for two weeks from Joy's nemesis, her colleague, Nash? What's not to be excited about? Until there's a last minute substitution and Joy hears the bad news. Fiona won't be coming with her. Then Joy hears the even worse news. Nash is Fiona's replacement.

Heidi Adams has worked with Callahan James for over three years. Three years of Callahan competing with her over who has the fastest call times in the technical support office, and Heidi is determined to beat him. Callahan doesn't like losing, and he decides to up his game and beat Heidi once and for all. When the competition gets more intense and personal, Heidi and Callahan realize maybe it isn't the competition that matters most.

It's Emmeline's turn to be designated driver, unfortunately, and while she waits impatiently at the bar trying to catch the bartender's attention, she is interrogated by Max, who has the most beautiful blue eyes she has ever seen. Max is also waiting, only it's for a blind date who seems to have stood him up. When Max asks Emmeline one question too many, the argument begins, and soon Emmeline is watching Max, who now has the most beautiful annoyed blue eyes she has ever seen, walk out of the bar. Thanks to Max's matchmaking grandmother, Emmeline finds herself committed to spending a weekend with the irritating Max at a resort in the Allegheny Mountains. Since she and Max can't seem to open their mouths without arguing, Emmeline knows it is going to be a disaster.

Tessa has been as patient as humanly possible for three long, aggravating years, ever since Tucker McLain moved into the townhouse next to hers, and she is looking forward to getting away from him for a week in the sun more than she's looked forward to anything in a long while.Tucker has had it with his next-door neighbor, Tessa Philips, with her deplorable taste in music and her inability to keep her nose out of his business, and he can't wait for his vacation and getting away from her. Until he discovers he and Tessa have not only chosen the same vacation destination but are being forced to share living quarters due to circumstances beyond their control.

Maggie Muldoon is assigned to oversee the renovations on the Victorian home owned by her Aunt Alice, while also running a consignment shop, also owned by Aunt Alice. When Maggie meets Cole Kessler, the contractor, she can't hold a conversation with the man that doesn't end in shouting. And Cole is the man Maggie needs to convince to have the extensive renovations done in time for Aunt Alice's Christmas Eve open house, to which dozens of guests have already been invited. Maggie knows she needs to smile and play nice, and it's only the first of many problems that Cole brings out the absolute worst in her. How is she going to get through the next six weeks?

Zoe Randall's life is going well. She is fortunate enough to own a cottage on the beach, and she has a pretty good job working for an engineering firm. Until one day she no longer has that pretty good job. Zoe picks up a couple of part time jobs in the small beach town where she lives, hoping she will be able to make ends meet. Except she figures out pretty quickly ends aren't going to meet. Zoe Randall's life becomes stressful.And then Finn Walters moves in to the house across the street from Zoe's. Finn Walters, who will be sharing Zoe's beach. Finn Walters, who tailgates Zoe and who drives too fast, and who is unfriendly and critical and so unpleasant that Zoe's cat growls at him. Zoe wonders if things could get any worse. When she finds a job that actually pays enough to keep her afloat and she thinks her life has taken a turn for the so-much-better, Zoe wonders why she ever worried. Then she meets her new boss, Finn Walters, and she knows her troubles have just begun.

Paige needs a nice, long vacation, preferably one that includes palm trees, a white sandy beach, crystal clear water, and her boyfriend, Edward. After she is dumped by Edward, who doesn't care for her vacation idea, or evidently her either, she decides a weekend at a campground is just what she needs. There she meets Harper, who not only has no clue how to set up his tent, but doesn't even know what to wear for camping. Paige can hardly stand by and not help the man, who just happens to be hotter than the summer sun, can she?When Harper's brother, the veteran camper, cancels their guys' camping weekend, Harper acknowledges that he knows nothing about camping, but he does know about YouTube's library of instructional videos. He doesn't think sleeping outside for a couple of nights can be that difficult. Within ten minutes of his arrival at the campground, he is stymied by the tent assembly. Within twenty minutes, he is facing down a nature girl who thinks she knows all there is to know about camping and everything else in the universe, and Harper wonders if it's too late to just pack up his truck and go home.

Finley dreads the day Roscoe, her beloved 75-year-old boss and president of Broady Engineering, will retire, not only because he's the most wonderful boss she could ever hope to have, but Roscoe's son, Cash, will be taking over the company. Cash, who as far as Finley can determine, doesn't even have a real job since he's too busy tinkering with cars. Finley suspects he still lives at home with Roscoe, but she doesn't dare ask. When the day arrives for Roscoe to leave, Finley is finally introduced to Cash, the new president, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt of all things, and she knows the company is destined for disaster.When Cash finally meets Finley Everett, the paragon he's been hearing about for the past four years, the one who's been fooling his father into thinking she's all that and a bag of chips, he knows the two of them will never be able to get along, let alone work together to continue to make Broady a success. Until the day he realizes there's much more to Finley than he'd first thought, and his challenge is to knock down the wall she's built around her heart.

After her break-up, Nikki gets a new job, happy to be leaving the unpleasant past behind. For the most part, people at Pace's Preserves are very nice. Except for Seager McBride, who is the most conceited man she's ever had the misfortune to meet. Fortunately, they work in different departments so her interaction with him is limited. Until the company president decides to send everyone, which includes Seager McBride, on a team-building retreat.Seager would rather work than attend a retreat, and when he learns his teammate for the week will be none other than Nikki Garfield, who walks around Pace's with her nose stuck in the air, he tries everything in his power to get out of it. When he fails to convince the boss to let him stay behind, he tells himself he can deal with Ms. Snooty for five days, then he'll never have to speak to her again. What he fails to take into consideration is fate.

Scarlet has waited fourteen years for her trip to Europe, and if all goes well, she will finally have the money to realize her dream. All she has to do is secure a spot in the prestigious Banbury Craft Fair, then work at selling her hand-crafted jewelry every weekend until Labor Day. The first challenge for Scarlet is the director doesn't seem to like her. The second challenge is trying to avoid the head-on collisions that Holden Stuart seems intent on involving her in.Holden knows giving up his summer weekends is a decision he may come to regret, but he sees no other way to pick up the extra funds he needs to fulfill his lifelong dream. His acceptance to the Banbury Craft Fair is a given, as he has connections to the director. Another given seems to be having to deal with one Scarlet Finley, who doesn't look where she's driving, or walking, and is a menace whether on wheels or on foot. If he is able to survive the summer, despite her intentions to wreck both his truck and him, it will be a minor miracle.