Under Kansas Skies

Apparently, conservative Midwestern voters want more than my brains, connections, and good looks to vote me in as a congressman. That's right, to appear as the all-American family man they want . . . I need a wife. ASAP. The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She's a wholesome small-town girl, and conveniently in need of cash. I'll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she'll be the political arm candy I need. We both win, right? The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and way too distracting.

After losing my husband three years ago, I'm ready for a fresh start for me and my daughter. I appreciate all of my parents' help, of course, but I can't live with them forever (and I don't want to). Dr. Drew Reed, my father's coworker, informs me his basement (turned income-property) is available for rent. And he also needs a part time nanny. Lucky for him, I can do both! But living in such close proximity, seeing him in those dang sexy surgical scrubs, and watching him with our girls . . . is making my heart thaw in ways I never expected. But am I ready to love again?

How did I find myself sharing a tent with my obnoxious—albeit gorgeous—neighbor, Isabella Romero? It all started with a stupid bet. All I had to do in order to win was something unpredictable. (Which my brother thought was impossible for the ever-boring David Windell). Well, I showed him . . . by booking a trek in the Andes Mountains to see Machu Picchu. When the brochure for the expedition mysteriously appeared on my front porch, it was like fate interceded: I could win the bet while simultaneously getting a vacation from my irritating neighbor.