A lead on love
Sabrina Ryan is a successful reporter—until a mistake sends her back to her hometown. But when she takes a job at the local paper, she finds an unexpected perk: an interview with the town’s oh-so-sexy mayor, Noah Barnes. He’s hot, he’s charming and suddenly her days are looking up.
But even as things heat up between them, Noah seems hesitant. Okay, so Sabrina has a reputation for slanting her articles to get what she wants. That doesn’t mean she’s using him, does it? As Sabrina starts to earn Noah’s trust—and glimpses the man behind the mayoral role—she finds it’ll take more than words to win his heart.
When he turned to go, Sabrina caught his forearm
Her fingers felt warm through the material of his dress shirt. “Will you think about the interview?”
Her face was open and seemingly sincere. But Noah knew how easy it was to fake emotions for the camera or, in this case, the potential interviewee. “Yes.” He let her hand remain on his arm a moment longer then nodded. “Have a nice day, Sabrina.”
“You, too, Mr. Mayor.”
“It’s Noah.” He didn’t know why he said it. If she wanted to call him by his title, as so many in town did, he shouldn’t care. Didn’t care. He attempted to cover his verbal hiccup. “Most people call me Noah.”
“I’m not most people.”
She was standing only a couple of inches away. The breeze caught her hair, tugged the strands toward him. They whispered across his cheek, just as soft as they looked. Noah exhaled slowly. “I’ve noticed.”
The summer I turned thirteen, I attended a family reunion in a small town. Up to this point, I’d never experienced small-town life: a hotel that had a grand total of four rooms, a single thoroughfare aptly named Main Street, and residents who not only knew each other by name, but were versed in all the tiny details of each other’s lives. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to grow up in that kind of close-knit community and what might make a person leave or stay.
Noah Barnes never considered living anywhere but the small town he calls home, while Sabrina Ryan hoped never to return. But when their lives connect, they start to see that maybe home isn’t a place, but a person.
I loved writing This Just In… and hope you enjoy it. If you’re curious about the music I played and the actors I pictured while writing the book, visit my website, www.jennifermckenzie.com.
Happy reading,
Jennifer McKenzie
This Just In…
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer McKenzie lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she enjoys being able to ski and surf in the same day—not that she ever does either of those things. After years of working as a communications professional and spending her days writing for everyone else, she traded in the world of watercoolers, cubicles and high heels to write for herself and wear pajamas all day. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, eating chocolate, trying to talk herself into working off said chocolate on the treadmill or spending time with her husband.
For my dear friend Jenn who always cheers me on, offers support when I need it and laughs at my jokes. Just for you, the P-word is nowhere to be found in this book.
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