When I charged up those courthouse steps to stop Sera's wedding, I didn't exactly have a plan. But there was no way I was letting my best friend's little sister marry some no-good tool who didn't deserve her. Let's just say things got out of control. Fast. Now, the wedding is off. And Sera is crushed. And I'm just trying to be a good friend. "Come stay at my place until you're back on your feet." "Have some tequila; it'll ease the pain." And "What're a few much-needed orgasms between friends?"

It was a heat-of-the-moment agreement scribbled onto the back of a crinkled gas station receipt nine years ago. "If neither of us is married by age 30, we'll marry each other." Haha! So funny! Cash moved to a city 500 miles away, built his billion-dollar empire, and made a name for himself. Me? I stayed in our gossipy hometown, working a simple job and living a simple life. And we never discussed the marriage pact again. But I just turned the big three-oh, and Cash showed up at my door in the middle of a freaking rainstorm. 

I'm Karli Brighton, reigning Queen of Epic Screw-Ups. With twelve med school rejection letters burning a hole in my back pocket, I'm back in my quirky hometown for the summer. Grumpy and shame-faced, I'm not exactly in the mood to make new friends. Having a wild one-night stand with the charming pretty boy I meet at a local bar to feel better about myself? Probably not the smartest idea. But I take comfort in knowing that I'll never see the gorgeous stranger again. Until he strolls into my family home one hour later.

First rule of being a nanny? Don’t fall for the single dad, even if he is smoking hot. But that’s exactly what happens when grumpy small-town sheriff Asher Whitlock reluctantly hires me to take care of his daughter for the summer. Neither of us is thrilled with the arrangement, but he’s desperate for help, and I need the money for grad school this fall.

Aiden Stone is a six-foot-two former Marine with a permanent scowl, dark hair, and dreamy blue eyes. He’s the oldest of the Stone brothers, and his “by the book” family has battled mine for control of our small town for generations. The last thing I should do is sleep with him. Or nearly run him down with my truck. Especially since he's sort-of my new boss.

As a divorced single father, I live by three rules: Make sure every day my daughter, Paisley, knows she’s number one in my life. No matter what, keep contact with my cheating ex-wife to a minimum, and turn Maxwell Wineries into a legacy that keeps Paisley set for life. When I hire Lexi to look after my daughter, I realize I need another rule: Don’t pursue Paisley’s nanny. But even if I had that rule it wouldn’t matter. Because I'm breaking it already.

There’s nothing better than a packed house on a Saturday night, and co-owning the hottest restaurant and bar in town with my best friends isn’t so bad either. We put everything into Burgers and Brew. My job is to keep the alcohol moving and the patrons coming back for more. I won’t let anyone break my focus.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why. Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven. She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it. She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

I should have known I was in trouble when I backed my old, beat-up truck into the shiny Range Rover. The driver looked like a gorgeous fallen angel–one who’d been booted right out of paradise for being a giant prick. Good thing I’ll never have to see him again.

Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hiring the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.

Ashton Scott is not my type. He’s arrogant and presumptuous, and way too bossy for me. The man is persistent, though. Nothing stops him when he decides he wants something, and he’s decided he wants to buy my building. He’s also decided he wants me. And like I said, when Ashton Scott wants something, nothing stops him. He’s sexy AF. He wears a suit like nobody’s business. And his bossiness turns me on in ways I can’t understand. But I’m not going down without a fight. Or at least, I wasn’t.

I've been dreading this for a year. Okay, that's a lie. I've been dreading this reunion since we graduated high school 10 years ago. So why am I here, standing outside the door like the eternal wallflower I am? I'd say it's because my younger sister browbeat me into it, but the truth is, I'm tired of being a nobody. Of never taking a risk with myself and my life. And...well...maybe I'm also hoping to see him. The tall, insanely gorgeous man walking my way now. Oliver Fritz is regarded as one of Boston's sexiest doctors. I know him as the former god of our school.

Dear diary, I’m having the absolute worst week. I’m having the absolute worst week. I was fired from my job at the coffee shop because of some ridiculously grumpy hot Wall Street-looking banker and a bad cup of coffee I made. But the story gets worse because the guy that got me fired is now my new boss. I, Harriet Campbell, am now a housekeeper for a billionaire. And get this, this morning, he walked into my bedroom at 5:00 a.m. demanding his breakfast, and I may have told him to make it himself, which led to him pulling the sheets off the bed and revealing that I slept in the nude....

My fresh start turned into a dumpster fire. Awesome new job. Small town heaven. Friendly faces galore. Then I strolled into my new home and found the unspeakable. Just when I'm sure it can't get worse, I'm “rescued” by a man who makes me see red for miles. Enter Lucas Graves. A bossy grump with a badge who's sworn to keep me safe. He rocks the scary-hot vibe, he reads too much, and he never misses a chance to give me crap for being a nerdy little cactus who mouths back. Not the type of man I'd go for in my right mind. Definitely not the type I should keep trading bruising kisses with.

Nothing in my life is going as planned. I haven’t been discovered walking down the street in my $40 Old Navy skinny jeans and told I have “The Look,” my hopes for achieving a Guinness World Record for most chocolate bars eaten isn’t even close, and no one in my family takes my writing seriously.