Filled with plans, McKenzie Forsberg returns to her hometown to spend Christmas with her family. Stressed by a year of intense, ongoing problems, she quit her high-powered job to move back and rebuild her life. Kenzie desperately needs the peace and security she is sure will come from buying the home she grew up in. But when she arrives, Kenzie discovers that a handsome widower, Jared Rawlins, has already put an offer on the house. However, he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by Christmas Eve.
When Kenzie unexpectedly runs into a couple who are considering buying Jared’s house, she unthinkingly gives them information that changes thei
r mind. Jared is more than a little interested in Kenzie, but has second thoughts when it appears Kenzie may have attempted to sabotage the sale of his home. Feeling bad, Kenzie apologizes but the damage may be too much for their relationship to overcome. Despite themselves, sparks of attraction grow into something more. Then, a few days before Christmas, Kenzie makes a stunning discovery about her past. In that moment, everything changes. Will the power of love be enough to bring Jared and Kenzie together and allow them to find their happily ever after?
Excerpt
“What made you decide
to move to Lake Forest?” Kenzie asked.
“I’ve always loved it
here,” Jared said. “It’s a beautiful area, and there’s a special atmosphere
here. People are so friendly. I guess part of the reason I came is because I
needed to go someplace new and kind of start over, you know?”
Kenzie
did know. That was exactly what she was doing now. She’d gotten over Larry, but
she needed to go someplace new and reinvent herself and her life.
“Now let me ask you,”
Jared said. “What made you decide to
come back?”
“A
lot of reasons. I need a fresh start too. I’m tired of the hectic pace in
Chicago.” Impulsively she added, “Also, I had to get away from my job at
Midwest. A guy was causing some real problems for me—” She stopped. Their eyes
met and lingered. Jared’s compassion was evident and the expression on his face
kind. She felt so comfortable talking with him—as if they were kindred spirits.
Something in her heart softened into a spreading pool, and she smiled at him.
Tearing open his packet
of Oreo cookies., Jared took one and dunked it in his hot chocolate.
Kenzie frowned.
“Figures. You’re a dunker.”
“And I bet you’re a
twister.”
Snatching up a cookie,
Kenzie twisted it open and took a bite of the creamy middle. “Ummm.”
Jared shuddered. “That’s
wrong in so many ways.”
Picking up her mug and
warming her fingers, Kenzie sipped her hot chocolate. “This is wonderful!”
“It’s a secret
recipe—been in my family for generations.”
“Really?”
“No,
but it sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Links
For Sale by Owner is available at Deseret Book and
Seagull Book. It can also be purchased online at:
Bio
Marlene
Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Sandy,
Utah. She graduated from the
University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly
R. Sullivan and they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four
cats. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote
the best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light
on Fire Island.
She has written three other mysteries; Motive
for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House.
Marlene has
also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint
Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the
Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s
Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in
Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts
of Where We Go When We Die.
