Discovering Jenna

Reclusive children’s author Jenna Winslow hides behind her books to keep life from disappointing her. She’d rather spend her time in museums with the dinosaurs she writes about…until she meets a man who makes her want to live again.

Matt McCutcheon is confined to a wheelchair but doesn’t let life confine him. He’s determined to unearth the mysteries of a woman whose physical scars camouflage wounds that go far deeper.

But are his efforts to unlock the warmth and beauty inside Jenna enough to draw her into the land of the living?

Miniature Rose
22 pages, Sweet

Excerpt:

"Jenna Winslow. Pleased to meet you." I think. A disquieting sensation rippled through her when she shook his hand. If the suddenly clouded expression on his face was any indication, he'd been affected by the contact as well.

"Winslow?" Matt tilted his head. He dropped her hand and moved forward to look at the metal plaque that identified the dinosaur bones. "DeeDee. Stegosaurus. Discovered by Derrick Winslow, Madagascar 1987."

He turned and regarded her intently, as if taking her measure all over again.

Unused to such scrutiny, Jenna glanced at her hands and took a deep breath, inhaling the unique scent of the museum. The mustiness of age mingled with the faint odor of cleaning supplies and floor wax. She found comfort in the familiar scents of the museum, and let them wrap around her like an old friend. "My father. I come here to be close to him."

"I'd heard he'd passed away. I'm sorry for your loss, and for the loss to the scientific community."

"Thank you." Unsure of what to say next, Jenna began to determinedly finish the picture of DeeDee she'd started earlier.

The man wheeled next to the bench and leaned over her shoulder. The whisper of his breath across the sensitive skin on her neck sent goose bumps skittering across her arms. His nearness confused her. People usually didn't invade her space. People usually tried to avoid being near her.

"Why not go to his grave if you want to be close to him?" He asked softly.

Jenna smiled, but the feeling behind it was melancholy. "Because I followed his burial instructions, and it's kind of hard when his remains are sprinkled over a dig site on another continent."

"I can see where that could be a problem. But not a major obstacle."

"I don't fly."