Dixie Cooney and her brother, Will, left their hometown of Pigeon Hollow and came to Pine Valley in search of their uncle, Pete Cooney (known in Pine Valley as the formidable Palmer Cortlandt) Dixie began working for Palmer as his maid, but after having worked there a few weeks, Palmer found out that she was his niece and would not allow her to be his maid any longer.
Next, Dixie then took a job as Laura Cudahy's nanny and moved in with Brooke and Adam Chandler. Adam seduced Dixie, in the hopes of getting her pregnant with a son who could be his heir (he believed wife Brooke was infertile). He succeeded, and plotted to steal the baby from Dixie and raise it with Brooke. Meanwhile, Dixie was befriended by Tad Martin (who had been hired by Brooke to learn the identity of the father of Dixie’s baby). When Brooke learned Adam had fathered Dixie’s son, she divorced him, allowing Adam to marry Dixie.
Once married, Adam made Dixie think she had gone crazy and had Dixie committed to Laurel Hill mental institute, all in hopes of gaining sole custody of Adam Jr. However, Tad Martin learned of Adam’s schemes, rescued Dixie from Laurel Hill, and helped her regain custody of her son. Once divorced from Adam, Dixie was free to wed her true love, Tad.
Opal and Palmer (Tad’s mother and Dixie’s uncle, respectively), however, were not content to let the love-birds live a happy life, and set about breaking them up. Palmer paid a woman to say she had slept with Tad; when Dixie heard this, she separated from him. Reeling from the loss of Dixie, Tad fell into bed with his old friend Brooke. When Dixie learned of his tryst with Brooke, she divorced him.
Tad and Dixie reunited, however, after Tad rescued Dixie from nutcase Billy Clyde Tuggle, who wanted Dixie as his bride, and had kidnapped her when she turned him down. Plans were made for their second wedding, but on the day of the wedding, Tad and Billy Clyde got into a fight(Billy Clyde had a bomb), and they both tumbled off a bridge and into the raging river. Only Billy Clyde’s body was ever found. Dixie was devastated, her heart broken. Things didn't get any easier for her when she learned that Brooke was pregnant with Tad's child.
Dixie then turned to a "former friend" of Tad's, Craig Lawson. Dixie and Craig eloped and were married for a short period of time. They divorced after she found out that Craig was using her. Dixie met Brian Bodine. They had an interesting relationship and she married him. That marriage did not last long due to the unexpected return of her one and only love, Tad Martin.
Ted Orsini, Tad's look alike evil twin came into Pine Valley with hopes of causing trouble---and getting rid of Tad so that he could have Dixie all to himself. Dixie found him to be very sensitive and became friends with him. Ted took Tad on a "hunting trip" in order to kill him. That came to an end when Dixie stumbled upon a helpless Tad in a river and saved him.
Upon returning to Pine Valley, Tad married the mother of his child, Brooke English. Dixie need to occupy her time and took some college courses at Pine Valley University, where she became fast friends with Jason Sheffield. Jason became obsessed with becoming Dixie's lover, a romance that was never in the cards. Tad divorced Brooke, which left him open to Dixie. Tad asked Dixie to marry him, again.
Tad started a job at the local TV station. The marriage started to get rocky when Dixie found out that Tad's earlier-in-life love, Liza Colby, was his boss. While Tad and Dixie’s marriage was going through a particularly rough spot, Tad slept with Liza. When Dixie found out about their one night stand, she divorced Tad, left Pine Valley(with son Junior), and moved back to Pigeon Hollow. Through phone calls every now and then, we learned that Dixie became a full-time school teacher and was, for a time, engaged to a man named Jonas.
In July 1998, Dixie was forced to returned to Pine Valley when Adam got a temporary order for custody of Adam Junior. Adam sought the order so that he could keep his son away from the danger that had been plaguing his family. Dixie agreed to let Adam Jr. return to town, but only of she was there to keep an eye on Adam.
Within hours of her return to Pine Valley, Dixie came face to face with her one true love, Tad, and it was obvious that the chemistry was still there. For months, Tad and Dixie danced around their feelings for each other, but when they chased Palmer to New York City, their emotions got the best of them, and they kissed. During their time in New York, Tad and Dixie confronted their past, and decided to move on with their lives. They decided that if they were ready to re-commit to each other, they would meet on the roof of the Stadtler building in 24 hours, a la "An Affair to Remember."
Unfortunately, while on her way to meet Tad, Dixie’s kidney failed, and she was too sick to meet him. Hovering near death, Dixie called out for Tad, but her pleas fell on deaf ears, as Palmer was the one at her bedside. Dixie’s kidneys got better, but she developed a heart condition to worry Tad, decided to keep her illness a secret (Tad, meanwhile, continued to believe that she had stood him up and did not love him).
After months of keeping secrets, Tad finally learned of Dixie’s illness, and whisked her away to New York. Once there, he declared his undying love for her, and proposed. Dixie accepted, of course, and they are now simply enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company while making plans for a wedding.