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“I get it,” Jordan said, meeting Ryan’s gaze. “I’m from a small town myself. We protect our own. But I’m going to find Luke Elliott with or without your help.”
Simon shot her a quick glance, probably surprised by her admission. He’d just found out about her small-town roots today, and here she was letting a stranger in on the secret. It had to be done, though. Small-town residents tended to instinctively distrust “city folk.” If she wanted to break in, she needed to establish herself as one of them, just for a while.
Her ploy didn’t work.
Ryan’s smile was wide and just slightly unfriendly. “It’ll have to be without my help, then.”
Fine.
Jordan smiled pleasantly at Ryan, even as she turned on her heel to head back to the rental. “No problem!”
She’d find Luke on her own. It couldn’t be hard to locate a school in a town this tiny.
Jordan was halfway to the car when she heard Simon open his big mouth. “We’re from CBC. We’re hoping for your boy to be the star of a new show.”
Jordan spun around. “Simon!”
Ryan gave an incredulous laugh, then stilled as he looked at the two of them again. “Wait, seriously?”
Jordan shrugged in confirmation. He’d find out eventually.
“Well, hell,” he muttered. “What kind of show?”
Simon glanced at Jordan expectantly, and she sighed. “We want Mr. Elliott to consider bei
ng a candidate on a show called Jilted. Basically, The Bachelor but for runaway grooms.”
“Runaway grooms,” Ryan repeated skeptically.
“Three failed weddings? I’d say he qualifies,” she said, daring him to argue with the facts.
Ryan’s arms were crossed, his expression intent, and she braced herself for a scathing get the hell out of my town lecture.
Instead, he surprised her with a wide and genuine smile. “Oh man, this I’ve got to see.”
She blinked. “You’ll tell us where he is?”
Ryan smiled wider. “Better. I’ll take you there myself.”
Chapter 3
“All right, kids, any questions?” Luke Elliott asked, surveying the twenty or so first-graders staring up at him.
A tiny girl in a pink dress and a crooked ponytail shot her hand in the air.
He nodded and pointed at her, prepping to go over the nuances of stop, drop, and roll. Again. “Let’s hear it.”
The girl’s hand fell and she opened her mouth. “Can I pet the dog?”
A dozen other kids nodded enthusiastically, and Luke heard his partner give a snort behind him.
Luke’s gaze lifted over the top of the kids’ heads to their teacher, a pretty blonde who’d been a year behind him in school and had married one of his old football buddies.
Millie Taylor rolled her eyes good-naturedly and nodded.
Luke looked back at the kids before gesturing to where the station dog sat obediently next to the fire truck. “Sure, yeah. Oreo loves the attention.”
“I love Oreos!” one of the kids shouted as they moved as a mob toward the dog.
