The Coxwells Books
I always get the math wrong. Is the third time the charm? Because I can think of three good reasons not to let Nick Sullivan back into my life. FIRST, I got over my infatuation with him - cold turkey. So what did he have to offer anyway? Mystery? Adventure? A sexy grin and a killer sense of humor? All of the above, if I think about it. Which I don’t. Ever. SECOND, he had the nerve to come back! After fifteen years, he shows up looking (better than ever) for a place to hide, with a story about being framed for murder. Only problem is, there’s no corpse. As if I’d fall for that old line... THIRD, I’m now old enough to know better - and smart enough not to be seduced all over again by the warmth in his eyes. I should give him the boot. But it is murder. And he does need a place to stay. This time it’s strictly business. Nothing personal. Just harboring a fugitive. For old times’ sake. And just maybe to satisfy my own craving for a little adventure... So what does that add up to? THIRD TIME LUCKY.
Two sisters. One disaster. First things first: I’m the bad twin. While my sister, Marcia, has the perfect family in the perfect suburb, I’ve been making my living as an Internet advice columnist and designing Web sites in my downtown loft. I always thought I had the right answer - and hair color—for any occasion. That is, until Marcia ran up loads of debt and ran out on her husband and kids, and I was left helping to pick up the pieces. Her husband, James, is a lawyer who I hate on principle alone. But for a guy who’s just lost his job, his marriage, and his expensive toys, he’s keeping it together—and making me rethink my feelings toward him. It’s not that he’s traded in his conservative suits for sexy jeans. It’s that he’s not giving up what’s important to him, and oh baby, I’m a sucker for a guy who hangs tough. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to step into Marcia’s designer shoes now that she’s gone AWOL. And it doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for James’s easy charm...not again, anyhow. Besides, I’ve had a lifelong policy of not being mistaken for my twin and I’m not backing down on that one now - no matter how convenient it might be for a certain sexy (and persuasive) man...
Can you know what you want before you have it? Or do you have to lose it to know for sure? Mild-mannered Matt Coxwell has finally found something worth fighting for. In fact, it's only after he's left his marriage that he realizes he hasn't fought this hard for anything since he fell like a ton of bricks for his wife Leslie. How did their marriage shift from idyllic into idle? And is there any way back? Leslie Coxwell, long rumored to be the most organized working mother alive, is suddenly having a tough time coping. Her job's in jeopardy, her teenage daughter has attitude to spare (well, that's not new), and her formidable mother-in-law has moved in unexpectedly...with two very large poodles. She could juggle it all with the right motivation. Unfortunately her husband, Matt—the motivation for everything Leslie has ever done—turned into a sexy enigmatic stranger right before he walked out the door. Even better, he's gone to stay with his free-spirited ex-fiancé, the one woman who makes Leslie feel as sexy as dirty dishwater. The only good news is that Leslie still has the greatest lingerie collection known to womankind and she's prepared to use it. After all, to give her marriage one more chance, to take the chance on falling in love one more time, she'll need all the support she can get...
Some people will do anything for true love—even if they have to fake it. Jen Maitland had no use for handsome guys with easy charm—until she met Zach. He's the perfect fake date to end her mother's matchmaking scheme before it starts. Besides, he'd probably just use her and leave her like her ex-fiancé did. At least that's what Jen tells herself. The only problem is that Zach isn't as predictable as he appears... Zach Coxwell hates commitment, but loves a challenge. Like the pretty bar waitress who turned him down flat for a date—only to invite him to her family's Thanksgiving dinner. Zach knows he can make Jen smile—and he's betting that he can unravel her mysteries—even if he has to do it over candied yams. A tofu turkey, a sister who threatens to have Zach's love-child, the untimely appearance of a knitted avocado—and Zach's discovery of her real motive—combine to turn Thanksgiving dinner into Jen's worst nightmare. Zach, on the other hand, has the time of his life. And when he makes Jen smile, he finally finds a commitment he's willing to make...but persuading Jen to believe him will take everything he's got.
Twelve years have passed since events in All or Nothing and it’s time to check in with my favorite family again. When last we heard, Jen had opened a yarn shop, Zach had his first photography show, Matt had finished his first book, Leslie had left the college to teach at a new and smaller school and Annette was going to learn to drive the Jag. James had moved over to the D.A.’s office, Maralys had become a soccer mom and was pregnant, Nick was growing heritage seeds, and Phil was running her garden design business even as she expected her first child. Beverly had adopted a pair of standard poodles and was dating Ross, the veterinarian, and Matt was buying out his siblings’ shares of the family house, Grey Gables, in Rosemount. There have been babies and changes galore, so come and catch up with the Coxwells in this holiday short story.