A Crazy Kind of Love

E
XTRAORDINARY
P
RAISE FOR
M
AUREEN
C
HILD AND HER NOVELS

Some Kind of Wonderful

“The terrific Child introduces readers to some wonderful new characters and a very special town. Blending the power of love and forgiveness, Child will touch your heart.”

—
Romantic Times

“Child deftly invokes the full range of human emotion . . . thoroughly satisfying.”

—
Booklist

“A touching story of friendship, deep love and scorching passion . . . A very good read.”

—
Old Book Barn Gazette

“A heartwarming read filled with a terrific cast of characters.”

—
Rendezvous Review

“Romance and sexual tension . . . charming, emotional.”

—RoadToRomance.com

Loving You

“The boisterous Candellanos are back . . . in this latest heartwarmer.”

—
Romantic Times

“Packed with very strong characters and lots of emotion . . . an unforgettable story, and a romance to treasure.”

—
A Romance Review

“Maureen Child always writes a guaranteed winner, and this is no exception. Heartwarming, sexy, and impossible to put down.”

—Susan Mallery, bestselling author
of
The Sparkling One

Finding You/Knowing You

“An absolutely wonderful contemporary romance. A delightful blend of humor and emotion, this sexy love story will definitely keep readers turning the pages.”

—Kristin Hannah, author of
Distant Shores

“The Candellano family is warm and wonderful . . . you’ll get swept up in the lives and loves of these passionate and fascinating individuals.”

—
Romantic Times

“Maureen Child infuses her writing with the perfect blend of laughter, tears, and romance. Her well-crafted
characters, humor, and understanding of what it means to be part of a family make each of her novels a treat to be savored.”

—Jill Marie Landis, author of
Magnolia Creek

“Delightful romances involving colorful and yet realistic characters make these two stories by Maureen Child a veritable feast for the eyes. The large Italian family of the Candellanos is very convincing and the characterizations are so mature and honest that the author is to be applauded for such skillful crafting and accurate portrayal . . . the heartfelt emotions leap from the pages, and the delicately blended humor and pathos render these stories memorable . . . after the exhilarating first story, readers will feel compelled to read the other one too, and neither disappoints. Maureen Child is an author to watch out for.”

—
The Road to Romance

“A fresh tale of family, conflict, and love . . . the characters are endearing.”

—
Old Book Barn Gazette

“Both of these novels are engaging contemporary romances with a warm ensemble that feels like the kitchen of many readers. The story lines will hook readers because the characters seem genuine and friendly.”

—
Harriet’s Book Review

“Fall in love with this delightful family with these two tales, and prepare yourself for the next installment.”

—TheRomanceReader.com

S
T
. M
ARTIN
’
S
P
APERBACKS
T
ITLES
BY
M
AUREEN
C
HILD

Finding You

Knowing You

Loving You

Some Kind of Wonderful

And Then Came You

                
Mike’s Story

Maureen Child

A CRAZY KIND OF LOVE: MIKE
’
S STORY

Copyright © 2005 by Maureen Child.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

ISBN: 0-312-99753-1
EAN: 80312-99753-3

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / January 2005

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Jeff and Amber Clausi

To celebrate their little miracle,
Reese

I hope your new little boy fills your

World with bugs and frogs and baseball

And sticky fingered hugs.

Oh! And tell Lucky and Bullseye

To watch their backs!

My thanks to Jennifer Enderlin, Super Editor, who always knows how to bring out the best in a writer. Jen, thanks for asking for “more.”

And to Susan Mallery—a great writer and an even better friend—for helping me define “more.” You’re the best, Susan.

Michaela “Mike” Marconi had never really planned on being a stalker.

It just worked out that way.

“You moved the balcony.” A statement, more than a question, and he didn’t sound happy about it. The deep male voice came from right behind her and Mike winced before she turned to face him.

“You’re back early,” she said, ignoring his accusation to throw one of her own. “Thought you were going to be gone until tomorrow.”

“I came back early,” Lucas Gallagher pointed out, biting off every single word, “because I knew
you’d
be here.”

“Aw,” Mike said, smiling in the face of the fury gripping the tall man looming over her. “You missed me.”

His mouth opened and closed a few times as he sputtered and steam lifted off the top of his head. But Mike was used to this kind of reaction from him. And sure enough, he found his voice again a moment later.

“You are the most infuriating woman. Every time I turn around, there you are . . .” He was off and running, listing every way she’d been driving him insane for the
last couple of months. And since she’d heard it all before, she zoned out.

Instead of listening, she just watched him. And she had to admit, Lucas made quite a picture. Tall, with sharp-planed features, his face looked as though it had been carved by a hasty yet talented sculptor. He had high cheekbones, a square jaw, and chocolate-brown eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. His too long light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of his neck, and his starched, dark blue dress shirt was tucked into sharply creased black slacks. Tall and leanly muscled, he was practically quivering with outrage.

Except, he was way too masculine to
quiver
. Maybe just
vibrating
, she thought idly, enjoying the fact that she was getting to him.

Mike was pretty much used to Lucas being mad. The man had spent the last two months fighting her on every little thing she’d “suggested” for his house. Even when she was right.

Which she always was.

While he ranted, she let her gaze slide over the nearly completed house and felt a small sigh of envy whisper inside her. Tall trees surrounded the yard spreading out in front of the two-story structure, and behind the house, the lake’s clear blue water rippled with every sigh of wind. Shade dappled the yard and a soft breeze danced through the trees, easing back the September heat.

By all rights, this should have been
her
house. She’d been saving every stray dollar for years—had even continued living at the family home with her father rather than spend money on rent—all in the name of buying this one piece of land and building her dream house. In her
mind, she knew every crack and corner of the place she would build. She knew where every window would go, what kind of cabinets to put in, and exactly the right front door.

It should have been perfect.

Until of course, that day earlier this summer, when she’d stopped to enjoy the peace and quiet and had, instead, found Lucas Gallagher telling her that she was on private property. Grace Van Horn, the very same woman who’d been driving the Marconi Construction firm nutso this summer, had sold the land out from under Mike. The fact that the older woman hadn’t even known she was interested in the property was Mike’s damn fault.

For which she’d been kicking her own ass all summer long.

So instead of building her dream home, she was here every week, trying to turn Lucas’s house into the place she’d always wanted.

Did she feel a little bit guilty?

Sure.

But hey, being Catholic taught a person early not only how to live with guilt—but to be a master at it.

Besides, she’d been working in construction since she was old enough to hold a hammer. Who better to tell him what he was doing wrong with this house?

“—and who the hell told you that you could move the balcony?” Lucas demanded, finally pausing for breath.

“Of course I moved the balcony,” Mike said, stepping past him to point up at the framework for the deck spearing off the second-story master bedroom. “If
you’d left it where you wanted it, you would have had the sun blasting into your bedroom every afternoon around fourish. Does the word ‘west’ mean anything to you?”

He grabbed her arm, turned her around to face him, and leaned down to look her square in the eye. She felt the strength in his grip, but wasn’t the least bit concerned. There was nothing violent about Lucas Gallagher. Sexy, though? Oh yeah. Despite the flash of fury in his gaze, something warm and liquid unspooled through her bloodstream. Mike ignored it—as she had been doing for the last two months. She wasn’t interested in the nerd prince. She
was
interested in this house.

“I
wanted
to be able to watch the sunset,” he said.

She laughed. For a smart man, he was really making some dumb decisions. “Hard to do when your retinas are burned out from too much sunlight. Not to mention it would have been hot enough in your bedroom come summer that you’d have been gasping for air and wishing you’d listened to me about the air-conditioning.” She pulled free of his grasp. “Besides, you can still see the sunset. All you have to do is step out onto the balcony and look to the side. The way God intended.”

He stared at her. “Are you
ever
wrong?”

Sarcasm colored every word, but she took the question seriously, tipped her head back, thought about it for a long minute, then said, “No . . . I don’t think so.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Mike smiled. “Because, clearly, you’re an intelligent man.”

“Uh-huh.” He let go of her and shook his head. “Well, I don’t care if you
are
right. I want the balcony where it was supposed to go.”

She frowned at him. “You’re just being stubborn, now.”