Asking For Trouble--And Getting It! By Jannine Gallant

The long awaited sequel to Nothing But Trouble is finally here! Okay, long awaited by me--and maybe my mom, a couple of close friends... LOL Asking For Trouble released just after Christmas on Amazon, and it actually falls into our Forward and Backward theme.

Miranda and Cole have a past. He believes, if they put some effort into it, they could still look forward to a future together. She's afraid--terrified--to go backward. Everything she knows about Cole leads her to believe he'll just break her heart--again!

Here's the blurb:

Daycare owner, Miranda O’Neill isn’t looking for a miracle. But that’s what it’ll take to convince Cole Matheson the American Dream isn’t a trap designed to suck the life out of a man. She wants a house with a white picket fence. He wants adventure. She yearns for babies of her own. He’s perfectly content claiming his aging hound as his only dependent. The one thing they agree on—they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Six months before, they’d admitted love wasn’t enough and parted ways. But when Cole finds himself in charge of his nephew for the ten longest days of his life, only one person can save him.

Will Miranda put aside her heartache to jump into the fray? Can Cole find any redeeming qualities in a demon in a diaper? Either way, both know they’re just asking for trouble.

And now a snippet to show you just why going forward might not be such a smart move for these two...

   “I loved you, you know.”
   His words knocked the breath out of her. Tears burned behind her eyelids, and she blinked to keep them from falling. “I loved you, too. It’s why I ended things when I did.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “Do you know how much it hurt to walk away?”
   “You didn’t have to.” Stepping forward, he brushed her cheek with his thumb.
   She backed away on trembling legs, knowing all those emotions she’d fought so hard to control were bubbling to the surface, ready to spill over. “You don’t want a family. I do.”
   “Having a family doesn’t need to be about kids.” The smile on his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We could get a puppy or two, or maybe one of those cute little pot-bellied pigs if you want something to baby.”
   She sighed. “You’re all about having fun, being impulsive, letting nothing tie you down. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. But I need an actual grown-up for a life partner, not a guy who never outgrew boyhood.”
   His eyes flashed with a hint of anger. “Hey, I have responsibilities. When someone orders a bear or a moose or a freaking dinosaur, I deliver the finished product on schedule.”
   “But you accept only enough work to survive on, leaving yourself plenty of free time to play.” When he opened his mouth, she held up her hand. “More power to you. Your life is a good one. For you. But I want more than having the man I love drop a distracted kiss on my forehead before he takes off on a two week backpacking trip.” She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “That would be fine once in a while, but you’re gone as often as you’re home. Babies weren’t our only sticking point, Cole.”
   In the silence that followed her words, a scratch on the door grated down her spine like nails on a chalk board. Turning, she opened it and stepped back to let Tucker inside. His toenails clicked against the hardwood floor.
   “I’m going now.”
   He nodded, defeat dimming those compelling eyes. “Thanks for coming over.”
   “You’re welcome. I guess I’ll see you on Monday when you drop Jackson off at the daycare.”
   “Sure.”
   Crossing the porch, she tilted her face up to the cool night breeze. But it couldn’t dry the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Find Asking For Trouble HERE. Links to all my books are on my WEBSITE.

Happy New Year!