A book in the Man of the Month series, 2009

Dear Reader,

There are so many things I love about this time of year. The crisp days and nights, the holiday decorations, the tempting special foods. Mostly I love curling up in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a delicious romance novel. As the craziness descends, I try to schedule a few at-home evenings to indulge myself.

For my hero Duncan Patrick, the holidays aren’t the least bit special. He doesn’t believe in tradition or family or even being nice to anyone. He doesn’t see the point. For him, life is all about the bottom line. He’s been so successful, he’s completely lost what really matters.

I’ll admit I love heroes like that. Guys who are totally clueless and don’t see what’s headed right for them. It’s not the love of a good woman that changes their lives-it’s loving a good woman. It’s going to take someone special to get Duncan’s attention and Annie McCoy is exactly who he needs.

Now, Annie isn’t looking for a powerful, determined, stubborn guy to warm her nights, but that’s exactly who she’s going to get. I think she’ll thank me later.

I hope you love reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. However you celebrate at this time of year, may your days be joyous and happy and may you spend them with those you love.

Susan Mallery

CEO knocks out the competition.

CEO Duncan Patrick has once again knocked out the competition. The shipping billionaire ends the year with two more acquisitions, including a small European trucking company and a very profitable railroad line in South America. With Patrick Industries dominating the world transportation market, one would think the wealthy billionaire could afford to be gracious, but apparently that’s not the case. For the second year in a row, Duncan has been named meanest CEO in the country. Not surprisingly, the reclusive billionaire declined to be interviewed for this article.