Meant to Be: Southern Heat Series (26 page)

F
irst
, I want to give a big shout out to Jane Austen, whose book
Persuasion
is the ultimate second chance at love story, and the inspiration for
Meant to Be
. I want to thank my agent, Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency for her support and feedback on this story. To my editor,
Carolyn Schweitzer, thank you for highlighting areas I could make the writing stronger, while also letting me have my way sometimes. Thank you to Penner Publishing and Jessica Gadsden for sharing the Southern Heat series with the world.

A big thank you to my sister, Rachel Young, who answered my questions about hunting and venison, and is always encouraging me. To all the SweetHartes who support me; you gals (and guys) rock! I want to share a special thank you to
Doris Phillips. Your support and feedback were invaluable in my dream to become a fiction writer. I miss you.

Finally, thank you to my husband, Jay, who has always been supportive of my writing, even when it didn’t seem like it would pay off.

J
enna Harte is
a die-hard romantic writing about characters who are passionate about and committed to each other, and frequently getting into trouble. She is the author of the Valentine Mysteries, the first of which, “Deadly Valentine,” reached the quarter-finals in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award in 2013. She has a bundle of stories filled with romance, mystery and even time travel rattling around in her head and is eager for the day when a device is invented allowing her to download what’s in her brain onto her computer. When she’s not telling stories, she works by day as a freelance writer, author, blogger and online entrepreneur. She lives in central Virginia with her husband, two college-bound children and a fat cat.

Connect with Jenna

• @jenna_harte
  
• JennaHarteAuthor
  

A
vailable from Penner Publishing

D
rawn
to Her

Feisty and outspoken, Lexie McKenna will do anything to protect her cantankerous and ailing patient—even if it means going up against his cold and calculating, but sexy and irresistible grandson. After all, as a nurse, her number one priority is her patient.

Drake Carmichael doesn’t trust the nurse who’s taking care of his grandfather—despite how adorable and compassionate she seems. He refuses to let her get her grips into their hard-earned money. But as the two square off and begin to battle about what is best for the dying man, Lexie and Drake realize they know very little about each other and that first impressions are deceiving. Once they finally give into their desires, the battle has only just begun.

With a fight between family and fortune, love and lust, will either one be able to find the southern comfort they both truly crave?

W
ed
to You

Irresistible playboy, Jagger Talbot left his flashy life in New York to properly take care of Kaden, a little boy he vowed to raise, gaining custody when the Kaden’s father died and his mother ran off with another man. Starting over in Virginia seemed like the perfect beginning. But when the boy’s mother comes back, clean and sober, fighting for custody, Jagger knows he needs a miracle to prove he’s what the child needs.

That miracle is Chelsea Beemer, sweet, perky kindergarten teacher. Down and out, and no stranger to strategy, Chelsea is on the verge of losing her family home. She’d do anything to save the house—and herself—even marry the sexy playboy. Now it’s up to them to “play house” and convince everyone that they have perfect little family. But are any of them really pretending?