Nora's Guy Next Door
She’s got everything under control…Making lists keeps Nora Bradford’s life neat and tidy… until her college freshman daughter announces she’s pregnant and engaged. Luckily Nora knows how to fix a complicated situation. If that means moving to Gallant Lake, New York, where Becky and her fiancé live, that’s what she’ll do. Because Becky needs her. Nora just has to keep her distance from her new neighbor, Asher Peyton, who’s handsome, gruff and strictly off-limits. Falling in love again is not on Nora’s to-do list. Especially since she and Asher will soon share a grandchild…
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Sheâs got everything under control...
Making lists keeps Nora Bradfordâs life neat and tidy...until her college-freshman daughter announces sheâs pregnant and engaged. Luckily Nora knows how to fix a complicated situation. If that means moving to Gallant Lake, New York, where Becky and her fiancé live, thatâs what sheâll do. Because Becky needs her. Nora just has to keep her distance from her new neighbor, Asher Peyton, whoâs handsome, gruff and strictly off-limits. Falling in love again is not on Noraâs to-do list. Especially since she and Asher will soon share a grandchild...
He stared deep into her eyes as if he was searching for something there.
âYouâre going all sappy on me again, Nora,â he said. âDonât try to fix me. Youâd be wasting your time. I gotta go...â
âAsher.â
âNo, Nora. I have to go.â
But he didnât open the door. Instead, he turned toward her. She didnât wait for an invitation, stepping in and leaning against his strong, hard chest. He hesitated, then folded his arms around her, and it felt so...right. She tipped her head back. His gaze fell to her lips and she silently begged him to finish the job this time and kiss her. Her whole body vibrated with the need of it. But he just rested his forehead on hers, shaking it back and forth.
âNo, no, no.â Was he talking to her or himself? âI am not going to kiss the mother of my sonâs girlfriend, no matter how much I want to.â
When my husband and I met twenty-some years ago, neither of us had any interest in getting involved with someone new, because we were both coming off difficult relationships. But there was simply no denying the chemistry between us. Sometimes weâll say we wish weâd met earlier in our lives, but honestly? We would have been different people then, and we could have easily just passed each other by. We were meant to meet exactly when we did.
I wanted to write a story about how love brings us the people we need when we need them the most, and the result was Noraâs Guy Next Door. This book is the newest addition to what is now the Lowery Women series, about four smart, sassy women who are cousins as well as best friends. Each has a strong will, a quick wit and a loving heart.
Loving thanks to my husband, friends and family, who encourage me every day. And a special thank-you to my amazing agent, Veronica Park of the Corvisiero Literary Agency.
Wishing you forever love,
Jo McNally
PS: My hero is stuck in the anger phase of grieving for a lost child. If youâve suffered the loss of a loved one and feel you might be âstuck,â please reach out to someone. Many community centers and houses of worship have grief support groups, or you can find one online. Youâre not alone.
JO MCNALLY lives in coastal North Carolina with one hundred pounds of dog and two hundred pounds of husbandâher slice of the bed is very small. When sheâs not writing or reading romance novels (or clinging to the edge of the bed), she can often be found on the back porch sipping wine with friends while listening to great music. If the weather is absolutely perfect, Jo might join her husband on the golf course, where she tends to feel far more competitive than her actual skill level would suggest.
She likes writing stories about strong women and the men who love them. Sheâs a true believer that love can conquer all if given just half a chance.
You can follow Jo pretty much anywhere on social media (and sheâd love it if you did!), but you can start at her website, www.jomcnallyromance.com.
Itâs only fitting that a book about a strong mom should be dedicated to a strong mom. My mom is an independent, jet-setting fashionista who makes ninety look like the new sixty.
To Mom, with love and gratitude.
Contents
NORA LOWERY BRADFORD didnât come close to losing her good Southern manners until the third time someone smacked their grocery cart into hers, nearly toppling a package of fancily frosted cupcakes. She spun on her heel, but the angry words died on her lips. The offender was an elderly lady, even shorter than Nora, pushing a cart loaded to the brim with Thanksgiving fixings.
Bless her heart.
Nora smiled and was about to wish her a happy holiday, but before she could speak, the woman rammed her cart into Noraâs againâon purpose!
âWhatâre you doinâ, sightseeing or something? Move over! Other people got things to do.â With that, the woman pushed on by, scraping her cart along Noraâs to drive home her point.
