Monkey Wrench. Nancy Martin
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WELCOME TO TYLER-EVERYONE’S HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Christmas is coming to Tyler. Share a cup of eggnog and the warm holiday cheer of America’s favorite hometown.
THE CARPENTER AND THE CELEBRITY
Joe Santori, Tyler’s resident contractor, is loud, cocky and filled with a zest for living. So what on earth is he doing pursuing Susannah Atkins, the workaholic Milwaukee TV personality who’s home for the holidays?
THE ODDS ARE AGAINST IT—OR ARE THEY?
Susannah’s certainly convinced they have nothing in common. But her Granny Rose has other ideas. She wants Susannah back in Tyler permanently—with Joe. And what Granny Rose wants, she usually gets.
Previously Published.
“Your grandmother needs you,” Joe said.
“I’m not sure that’s true.”
“How can you deny it?” Joe asked, incredulous. “She’s over eighty years old. She’s not going to live forever.”
“Of course not,” Susannah snapped. ”But I can’t step in and take over her life. I have no right to march in here and boss her around!”
“To save her life, you have the right to do a lot of things.”
“I don’t feel that way,” Susannah said staunchly, wondering how she could have imagined Joe Santori was an attractive man. “My grandmother’s life is hers to live, not mine.”
“I suppose we should be grateful for small favors,” Joe muttered. “Your grandmother is obviously living a full and happy life, while you’re only worried about catching your flight to the Caribbean. It beats me how you ended up in the same family!”
“It beats me how you ended up in the human race. You’re obviously a superior being—in your own mind at least!” She stormed up the stairs.
Welcome to Mills & Boon’s Tyler, a small Wisconsin town whose citizens we hope you’ll soon come to know and love. Like many of the innovative publishing concepts Mills & Boon has launched over the years, the idea for the Tyler series originated in response to our readers’ preferences. Your enthusiasm for sequels and continuing characters within many of the Mills & Boon lines has prompted us to create a twelve-book series of individual romances whose characters’ lives inevitably intertwine.
Tyler faces many challenges typical of small towns, but the fabric of this fictional community will be torn by the revelation of a long-ago murder, the details of which will evolve right through the series.
Big changes are afoot at the old Timberlake resort lodge, which has attracted the attention of a prominent Chicago hotelier, a man with a personal interest in showing Tyler folks his financial clout and a private objective in reclaiming the love of a town resident he romanced long ago.
Marge is waiting with some home-baked pie at her diner, and policeman Brick Bauer might direct you down Elm Street if it’s patriarch Judson Ingalls you’re after. Even television personality Susannah Atkins knows she can find everything she needs at Gates Department Store. She’ll probably stop in when she makes an unscheduled stop in Tyler to check up on her Granny Rose. So join us in Tyler, once a month, for the next nine months, for a slice of small-town life that’s not as innocent or as quiet as you might expect, and for a sense of community that will capture your mind and your heart.
Marsha Zinberg
Editorial Coordinator, Tyler
Monkey Wrench
Nancy Martin
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Nancy Martin for her contribution to the Tyler series.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Joanna Kosloff for her contribution to the concept for the Tyler series.
CONTENTS
Dear Reader
“THAT’S A WRAP!” the director called. “Have a merry Christmas, everybody!”
Susannah Atkins blew a sigh of relief and stepped out of the spotlight that brilliantly illuminated the kitchen set of “Oh, Susannah!,” the daytime household-hints program that was her claim to fame. Untying the strings of her apron, she draped it around the neck of her favorite cameraman, Rafael, and playfully tugged him close.
“Thanks for rescuing me when I missed my cue. And happy holidays, Rafe.”
“Same to you, superstar.”
Susannah laughed and gave the young man a kiss on his bearded cheek. Around them, the rest of the crew and production staff of “Oh, Susannah!” were calling cheery farewells and “see you next years” to each other. It was a pleasant sight. After six