Bringing the Magic by Nan Reinhardt

The Weaver Sisters turned up in Max Lange’s book, Falling for the Doctor, when they brought Max’s love Lauren out to the showboat so they could have their reunion, and I was immediately intrigued with the idea of identical triplets. It’s funny how character surprise us, first by appearing in our heads, then by going off on their own to tell their stories. Jazz’s story, Home to River’s Edge, book 1 in the Weaver Sister series was pretty much in my head when I sat down to write it, although it took some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting.

Meet Me in River’s Edge, Jo Weaver’s story, was different. First of all, I knew my premise—a female boat mechanic who had no use for the rich, entitled “river rats” who cruised the Ohio River in their expensive yachts all summer long suddenly falls in love with one of them. I also knew that Alex, the hero and heir to a vast hotel fortune, had to bring his own special magic to win Jo over.

Adding a touch of magic to a contemporary romance was a tricky business for me because I’m not a paranormal writer, but I knew that Jo and Alex’s romance would get a little push from a very unusual and other-worldly source—Alex’s dead twin sister, Arianna. She’s not a ghost in the book, but rather a presence that Alex feels driving him toward Jo, a woman who is so not his type. The scientist in him might ordinarily have eschewed the feeling that his sister’s spirit was close, but Alex was used to feeling Ari near. He knows Jo is the one and it only takes a little nudge from the other side to convince him to pursue her. He wins Jo’s heart, but relinquishes it when he realizes that he may not be able to give her a forever. They are both devastated by his decision to separate himself from Jo, but Ari is there, pushing him toward his happily-ever-after.

The magic was fun, I loved creating subtle, not creepy, ways to bring Ari into Jo and Alex’s story. I hope you enjoy Meet Me in River’s Edge and that you can find the magic, too! Welcome back to River’s Edge, Indiana!

Meet Me in River’s Edge, book 2 in the Weaver Sisters trilogy

He ticks every one of her “never again” boxes…

Jo Weaver loves her job as a boat mechanic for her family’s marina in River’s Edge, Indiana. But when she’s pulled away from her high school reunion with her sisters to fix a stranded yacht, she can’t restrain her irritation. Jo doesn’t like wealthy men who think they can have whatever they want, and she has no intention of falling for rich and charming again.

Born into the international Briggs Hotels empire, Alex Briggs has never felt comfortable with his life of privilege. Abandoning his family’s business to pursue medical research, he’s far more at home in his lab. When the yacht he restored himself breaks down on the way to an important conference, Alex begrudgingly goes in search of a boat mechanic and falls, literally, into Jo Weaver’s arms. The fireworks he feels are impossible to ignore.

Jo does her best to keep Alex in the business zone, but he keeps slipping into something more. Can she trust her fragile heart, especially when Alex and his life-altering research are so far from River’s Edge?

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Excerpt - The Girl Mechanic

“But my dinghy’s tied up at the showboat landing.” His tone wasn’t whiny, not at all, although the slight undercurrent of anxiety that he’d clearly been trying to stave off since he’d fallen into the party at the winery was starting to show.

Jo’s sympathy grew slightly since his concern seemed to be for other boaters and not strictly himself, and he was a customer—a potential customer—so she gave him a smile. “Chill. It’s safe there, and I’ll take you to get it once we figure out what’s going on.” She pulled into the gravel drive and then stopped the truck in the parking lot by the marina shop.

Alex’s brow furrowed as she opened her door. “Are you going to call the mechanic to come out with us?”

She held back the retort that immediately rose to her lips and instead merely replied, “The mechanic is already here.” He had no way of knowing, after all.

Alex hopped out of the truck. “I don’t see any other cars and the place is dark.”

“I’m the mechanic, Mr. Briggs.” Jo slammed her door harder than was probably necessary, but it eased her urge to smack him.

His jaw dropped. “You?”

She hit the remote locks on the truck and strode to the service door, punching in the key code and tapping the light switch before giving him a cool stare. “I promise it’ll be more believable once I get into my coveralls and hat and collect some tools.” She turned, deliberately not holding the door open for him.

Alex had to rush to catch it before it shut in his face, which gave her a smidgen of satisfaction. “Look, I’m sorry. I got no problem with a girl mechanic. I’m a millennial—we’re open to anything.”

Jo stopped in the middle of the shop and spun around, hands on her hips. This guy was something else. “A girl mechanic? Did you seriously just say you had no problem with a girl mechanic?”

Defensively, he raised both hands, managing to look innocent as a lamb and rocket-hot all at the same time. Damn him. “Don’t shoot me. I’ve never met a woman boat mechanic before. It’s . . . unexpected, that’s all.” Somehow, his open expression reminded her of a golden retriever, all eager and wide-eyed and trying desperately to please, so he could get what he wanted.

She shook her head.

Don’t try to disarm me, buddy. I’m immune to river rat charm.

“Well, that’s who you’ve got tonight.” She held up her hand. “Wait here. I’ll go throw on my coveralls and grab some tools.”

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 50 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

Talk to Nan at: nan@nanreinhardt.com

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