Not Just the Nanny

She'd been nanny to his children forever— and she'd been in love with him for almost as long. But Kayla James had always managed to keep her relationship with Mick Hanson strictly professional. And now that his kids were older, she had a choice—stay, and fess up…or get out of the line of fire.

Firefighter Mick Hanson had enough responsibility. A working single dad, he didn't need another complication—but then he saw Kayla in a different light. Until now, he'd managed to look at her as nothing more than "the nanny." Now he wasn't sure he could resist the attraction that was too hot to extinguish….

An avid reader, Christie began writing romances in the fifth grade when she wrote stories starring her teen idol (and herself as the heroine, of course!). These stories remain intact, in a locked box with a mercifully missing key.

After college as an English major, she became a technical writer in the computer field for a number of years. That led her into computer programming, a geeky profession that was not-so-surprisingly satisfying for the daughter and sister of accountants.

Christie married her college sweetheart and gave up full-time programming when her first son was born. A visit from an old friend prompted her to take up writing again, and she joined her local chapter of Romance Writers of America two weeks later.

Thanks to the camaraderie and support she found there, Christie persevered, making her first sale to Silhouette. When another son joined her family, she continued to write, juggling motherhood, wifehood, and the writing life. She makes her home in Southern California, writing for both Silhouette Special Edition and Avon Books, thanks to the support of her math teacher husband and their two boys.

If Christie is not at her computer writing contemporary romances, she is doing laundry or watching soccer games or doing laundry or watching basketball games or doing laundry or helping with homework. She does a lot of laundry due to growing sons, and a husband who likes to surf, bike, and fix things!

While the yellow Labrador retriever, the birds, the fish, and the family amphibians do not add to the laundry piles, they do add to the excitement. As often as possible, though, Christie escapes it all with--what else?--a romance.

You can keep in touch with Christie's laundry-filled life at christieridgway.com.