Jamie Bennett

Jory Morin is a little... weird. And Meredith Roberts is not. She likes her life and everything in it to be clean, neat, and orderly. And it was, until her father took the position as head coach of the Woodsmen football team, uprooted their small family, and moved them to Michigan. Now she's living in a place where she has no job, no college, and no friends. Awesome. That's how things are going, anyway, until she meets Jory Morin. He's a giant of a guy who plays for her dad, and Meredith can't figure him out-the way he shows up at her house uninvited, his wild hair and beard, his RV full of concrete animal statues and cat food. And he doesn't have a cat. Yeah, a little...weird. And then there's the thing about him fighting, in trouble with his team, and making her wonder if the violent way he plays football is just who he is. Should she even be with him? But there is more to Jory, as Meredith finds out. He has a heart that's bigger than his old truck, and a brain that may not go in the same direction as hers, but it's always going. In fact, Meredith will need to work keep up with him. Jory also has work to do to, to break down the defenses that she has built up to protect herself from the hurt in her past. It won't be easy to figure each other out, but together, they may have created an unstoppable rush!

Defending the Rush

The Big Hit

IT'S 4TH AND GOAL FOR LOVE...SHOULD KATIE GO FOR IT?Katie Bell is Nutty. You know, Nutty the Chipmunk? Katie is the woman inside the costume, one of the mascots for her town's football team, and Davis Blake--handsome, forbidding, tough Davis Blake--is the starting quarterback. Until he gets injured and his season, and possibly his career, are over.Davis needs her help, and Katie sees a temp job working for him as an opportunity to secure her future with the football team. But is there more possible for both of them? Maybe friendship? Maybe...love? When it's fourth down, can both Katie and Davis put their hearts on the line and take a risk?

The Checkdown

There were plus signs; double pink lines; double blue lines; double black lines; two dots; a smiley face; a big Y; and the topper, the one that just announced it: PREGNANT. "Oh, no," I breathed out. Oh, yes, she sure is! Camdyn Riordan is not ready to have a baby-she's the one who lost the class guinea pig in second grade, she's the one who now won't keep a boyfriend long enough to leave a toothbrush at his house! And there's another wrinkle: the father is César Hidalgo, the famous football player, the guy who ran out of her house so fast after their night together that he left a jet trail in his wake. The guy with a list of past girlfriends as long as his hard, muscular arm. They're going to be parents, but first, they're going to be roommates, and then maybe they'll be friends. But there is no way-NO WAY-that this is going to turn into some kind of love story, no matter how much Camdyn likes him, no matter how sweet he is, no matter anything. Absolutely not. Even though César is pretty much the ideal, if a woman was interested in something like a permanent future with a gorgeous, muscled-up guy who also likes to cook. That's not what Camdyn wants-she's positive, as positive as all those pregnancy tests! But life does have a funny way of moving your goal line...

The Goal Line

'I just understand that people can make mistakes, ' I said. 'Someone could do something that you think is terrible. Immoral, even! But it wouldn't be what defined her...' Because, yes, Gaby Carter has made a few mistakes herself, but she's aiming to fix them, to make amends and to make some big changes in her life. Step one in that process: she'll become a cheerleader for the Woodsmen football team. She'll go up against more than 150 beautiful, talented women to get a spot on the coveted roster, but she'll have to fight her way through mean girls, falls, and tears to do it... Step two: Gaby will show her family and friends that she's smart, strong, and successful, no matter how she may have behaved in the past, no matter how little they may think about her. Or how little she may think about herself... Step three: she will not fall in love with the wrong guy again, not this time. Definitely not with Ben Matthews, the handsome, single-dad Woodsmen football coach who is totally off-limits, in so many ways. Even if in so many other ways, he's just perfect... Step four: she'll work past all the bumps and bruises that life keeps throwing at her, at her body and at her heart... And in the end, Gaby will find the happy ending for herself, for Ben, and for his little girl. It's not going to be easy-but it will be worth it!

The Hardest Cut

Things can only get better...right?Emily Brennan dropped everything to move back home to northern Michigan to take care of her sister and nephew. Her sister is sick; her brother-in-law is MIA; money is tight. With everything she has going, she's certainly not looking for love, certainly not in the form of a guy that she's secretly crushed on since the sixth grade. She doesn't need some knight in shining armor to swoop in and make things right for her and for her nephew, Charlie. But maybe that wouldn't be so bad...And just when things might be working out, she has to remember to expect the unexpected--in love, and in life.

The Moon Garden

Hallie and Gunnar just don't get off on the right foot. There may be a question if either of Hallie's feet are right, based on the number of times she trips and falls over them. But certainly, pegging a guy with a rock (like she does when she first encounters Gunnar Christensen) isn't a great way to begin a relationship. It was by mistake, ok? Despite this beginning, Gunnar wants a cordial friendship with her, his new neighbor. When she next gives him a right jab in the eye (by mistake!), this seems even more unlikely. But, friendship, sure-that's a good goal, and it's also all that Hallie wants from the big, beautiful professional football player who lives next door. Sure, that's all anyone would want with a guy like Gunnar, someone so sweet, and considerate, and gorgeous, and... And she can barely keep herself from grabbing him, in a more than friendly way. That's beside the point. The point is, Hallie has a lot to do to keep her own game plan running. Between tutoring a teenager who hates her, a best friend making poor life choices, her career in the dumpster, and her house falling down around her ears, she has enough to keep track of. Gunnar Christensen and his problems aren't her concern. But at the end of the game, it's the people standing with you who matter the most. And there's Gunnar on her team-and Hallie is definitely on his. Getting to the moment when the last whistle blows won't be easy, but true love never is...

The Last Whistle

The Takeaway

Here I Go

Set, Shift, Score

"I thought maybe I had hallucinated that you were here," Nico commented. "I drank too much last night." "It does seem like a dream," I agreed. "Isn't it amazing?" "That wasn't exactly what I meant..." Tatum and Nico are meant to be. They're perfect for each other! Just ask anyone, except maybe Nico, because he doesn't seem very thrilled that Tatum has shown up uninvited at his new penthouse apartment, in the new city where he lives after being traded away from the Woodsmen football team. The city that's five states away from where they had known each other before...and by the way, she's moving in. But he's been acting off ever since he got traded-acting in ways that are going to sabotage his pro-football career, and Tatum is going to help him. She'll be his life coach, even if he doesn't think he needs one. Or wants one, or even wants Tatum in his life at all. No matter what, she knows that they can make it work, through legal problems, family problems, teammate problems, anything. Because in his heart of hearts, Nico loves her. Now he just needs to realize it too...and with Tatum there to nudge him along the way, they'll find their happily ever after!

The Comeback Route

There's a Deer at the Door and a Cow in the Mudroom

A benchwarmer? Nope, Teddy Hayes can really start her up! Second-string. That's been Ellie Wilde's position in life. The daughter of a superstar quarterback and his model wife, Ellie could have been beautiful, tough, desirable-a winner, just like her parents. It didn't quite work out that way, but she's satisfied with things as they are. She has a great job with a professional football team...which would be perfect, except that she's a really just a gofer with her office in a janitor's closet. She has a great boyfriend...or he would be, if he was aware of her existence, and wasn't just the object of her 10-year, secret crush. Yeah. There are a few issues, but Ellie doesn't dwell. Her life takes a definite turn when she meets Teddy Hayes, recently promoted to play on her team as the backup quarterback. He's gorgeous, funny, and struggling. He has the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the pros, but he's messing it up, and his personal life isn't much better. Maybe Ellie can help him, both on and off the field, and maybe he can do the same for her... Maybe both these benchwarmers can step up to the big time and score-together.

The Benchwarmer

"You have to ask yourself, Tucker. Is it time to stop playing around?"Everything has always come pretty easy for baseball's Tucker "Tuck" Whitaker. A talented pitcher, he has it all: MVP career, big house in California, gorgeous girlfriend, party-a-minute. He has been living the good life, and why would he want that to change?Meanwhile, Caroline Laurence has been struggling a bit. She has a job she doesn't really like, she lives with her parents, and most importantly of all, she has a baby to raise by herself. She doesn't have the time or inclination to mess around with a playboy ballplayer. Circumstances bring them together. But are they so different that eventually they will strike out?

Tuck

"I told you I don't like ties to the past. I move forward.""Even from the good things?"But there haven't been very many good things in Maura Sutherland's life; she has struggled against almost everything, and almost everyone. Against all odds, she has carved out a life for herself. Maybe it's not the happiest, but it's hers.On the other hand, Iván Marrero's existence has been charmed. He was traveling the world and breaking records, becoming a multi-millionaire before he turned 30. With his handsome face and easy laugh, he has friends everywhere. Everyone wants to be with Iván-especially women.When Maura and Iván meet, the attraction is undeniable. But she has so many dark secrets locked away...Can she trust him? Should she? What if it all goes wrong, again? Can she let go of the past-and will it let go of her?

Lost to Light

Soft and Low

"You're not going to do some crazy fangirl thing, are you?" "Oh, please!" I scoffed. Yes. So what if Dylan McKenzie came back home to northern Michigan? It wasn't like he would ever notice me, the shy girl lurking around the edges of the pool deck while he passed around his gold medals like it was no big deal. He was one of the best swimmers in the world now, not a 13-year-old who said a few nice things to a little girl following him around like a puppy. So what if he asked me to come with him to the biggest international swim meet of the year in Spain? He was just interested in my writing skills to finish his autobiography. And if he kissed me, well, it was probably just due to the adrenaline after winning his race! So what if he had secrets in his life that were tearing him apart? It wasn't like he needed me. Or we were going to end up together. But maybe...

Stroke by Stroke

"Reid McGrath is going to see me naked. Who would have thought it?"Polar opposites. Karis and Reid are nothing alike. Where she calculates risks, he takes them. When she looks, he leaps--literally.But somehow, they do work well together--better than well, because oddly, they seem to complement each other. They're great work colleagues. They're great friends.Could they be great at something more? Can Reid give up roaming around the world, looking for adventure? Can Karis let go of her control a little, to take a chance?Sometimes, your happy ending can't be planned, coordinated, and calculated...but it's there, if you can let go and reach for it!

What We Know Is True

b>"Isobel with an O, Starr with two Rs," I said to her pleasantly. "It's been a while." Isobel's lips moved as she mouthed words. Damned if she wasn't praying. Eight years. That's how long it's been since Rory Morin went away, but now he's back in Detroit to clean up his life. Eight years before, Isobel Starr made an appearance in it, and now he's come looking for her-and she knows that she owes him. Isobel never left the city. She's been getting by and doing better than when she first met Rory. Back then, she was a little kid hiding in the dark from him, a giant of a guy who scared people so much with his size and scowl that they crossed the street to avoid him. She doesn't think that she's same person anymore, but is he? Has Rory really changed after spending eight years of his life in prison? Can she trust him, and can she trust her own feelings for him? And when Rory's past comes roaring back and threatens them both, will they be able to survive it?

First, Last, and in Between

Evie is doing just fine, thank you very much! Everything is great, practically perfect, really--until, POOF! Evie's life turns upside down and suddenly, she's more than the fun party-girl she has been all her life. She has responsibilities. Commitments. Out of the blue, she's the one people depend on, and the transition isn't the smoothest. And not that anything is easier when she has to deal on a daily basis with Heath Baldwin, who has a stick up...anyway, he's a little starchy. If he could relax a little, maybe they would get along. If he could just see Evie as something other than a screw-up who needs to be watched, a user with nothing on her mind but what she can get out of him, things would be a lot better. Maybe everyone needs a little work, because if Evie could open her mind to new possibilities, and Heath could open his heart to new love, maybe they could make their unexpected situation a success. Maybe it could become something more than either of them ever expected...

S. Z. Meriläinen

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