Love in Plain Sight: Love 'n' MarriageAlmost An Angel - Softcover

Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a leading voice in women’s fiction worldwide. Her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, with more than 170 million copies in print, and she is a multiple award winner. The Hallmark Channel based a television series on Debbie’s popular Cedar Cove books. For more information, visit her website, www.debbiemacomber.com.

Stephanie Coulter sauntered into the personnel office at Lockwood Industries, the largest manufacturer of airplane parts in North America, carrying a brown paper bag. Her friend Jan Michaels glanced up expectantly. "Hi. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

In response, Stephanie placed the sack on Jan's desk.

"What's that?"

Stephanie sat on the corner of her friend's desk and folded her arms. "Maureen sent books. It seems I've been allotted the privilege of delivering your romances."

"I take it Potter is still sick?"

"Right." The entire morning had been a series of frustrations for Stephanie. Her boss was out with a bad case of the flu for the third consecutive day. For the first couple of days Stephanie had been able to occupy herself with the little things an executive assistant never seemed to find the time to do. Things like clearing out the filing cabinets, updating the on-line calendar and reorganizing her desk. But by the third morning she'd run out of ideas and had ended up writing a letter to her parents, feeling guilty about doing it on company time.

"Old Stone Face is out, as well," Jan informed her.

The uncomplimentary name belonged to the executive assistant to the company's president, Jonas Lock-wood. In the two years Stephanie had been working for the business, she'd never known Martha Westheimer to miss a day. For that matter, Stephanie had never even visited the older woman's domain on the top floor and doubted that she ever would. Martha guarded her territory like a polar bear protecting her cubs.

The corner of Jan's mouth twitched. "And guess who's working with Mr. Lockwood in the interim? You're going to love this."

"Who?" Stephanie mentally reviewed the list of possible candidates, coming up blank.

"Mimi Palmer."

"Who?"

"Mimi Palmer. She's been here about a month, working in the mail room, and—get this—she's Old Stone Face's niece."

"I can just imagine how that's working out."

"I haven't heard any complaints yet," Jan murmured as she opened the paper bag. "But then, it's still early." She took out the top book and shot a questioning glance in Stephanie's direction. "Are you sure you don't want to read one of these? The stories are great, and if you're looking to kill time..."

Stephanie held up both palms and shook her head adamantly. "That would look terrific, wouldn't it? Can you imagine what Potter would say if he walked in and caught me reading?"

"Take one home," Jan offered.

"No, thanks. I'm just not into romances."

From the look Jan was giving her, Stephanie could tell that her friend wasn't pleased with her response. She knew that several of the other women at Lockwood Industries read romances, and often traded books back and forth. To be honest, she didn't see why they found the books so enjoyable, but since she hadn't read one she felt she didn't have any right to judge.

"I wish you wouldn't be so closed-minded, especially since—" Jan was interrupted when the door burst open and Mr. Lockwood himself stormed into the room like an unexpected squall. He was tall and broad-shouldered and walked with a cane, his limp more exaggerated than Stephanie could ever recall seeing it. She remembered the first time she'd seen Jonas Lockwood and the fleeting sadness she'd felt that a man so attractive had to deal with the twisted right leg that marred the perfection of his healthy, strong body. His appearance was that of a cynical, relentless male. As always, she couldn't take her eyes away from him. His dark good looks commanded her attention any time he was near.