Beau's Beloved (Wicked Winemakers Second Label Book 1), page 21
CORD
I’m a Colorado man born and raised. The last thing I want is to head to a rural town in New York where there are farms--not ranches. And don't try to tell me they're the same. In order to save my birthright, I'm stuck here for a year. Problem is, I have no idea why and the one person who could tell me just died.
When I meet Juniper, the voice inside my head says she can help me find what I’m looking for. And probably so much more. I know I shouldn't get too close, but she's irresistible. When all is said and done, and I pack up my gear and head home, will she just be a distant memory?
JUNI
I’m a New York girl born and raised. The last thing I want is to stay in this small town for the rest of my life. I’ve got my ticket to ride. When the cowboy from Colorado shows up, seeking answers to secrets I can help him find, I forgo my life in the big city. To put my dreams on hold for some sexy rancher may be the dumbest thing I've ever done. But in the end, will he just be a distant memory?
Don’t stop there!
Keep reading for a preview of the next book
in Heather Slade’s series
Wicked Winemakers Second Label
Cru’s Crush
Releasing April 25, 2024
______________
He’s a billionaire with his own label. She’s in love with his best friend. And this auction is about to prove that relationships can get a little WICKED.
CRU
Taboo and forbidden, but I can’t shake what I feel. She’s my best friend’s girlfriend, but they’re on; they’re off.
It’s a nonstop cycle that I’d love to put an end to, and let her see how a real man can treat her.
DAPHNE
They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Well, we’re so hot and cold, that I never know if I have him or not. But this time, when I need him the most, his best friend comes instead—yet again. Don’t get me wrong, Cru is my rock, my security, the one who always shows up.
But when Cru walks out on me too and I fear it’s for good, I’m not sure I can handle it. I have to prove to him that there’s only one WICKED WINEMAKER for me.
ROARING FORK WRANGLER
1
Cord
“Juni’s here,” I heard someone say when my phone beeped, signaling an arrival requesting access to the estate.
I looked down at the screen and caught a glimpse of her before she rolled up her window and drove through the gate. Just the briefest of glances of Juniper Chance had my pulse racing and the crotch of my jeans tightening.
I’d had the same reaction the first time I met her and every time I was in her presence since.
Yeah, it had been a while since I was with a woman, but none I’d met since arriving in this small Western New York village had the same effect on me. Plenty had been damned attractive, too.
“What in the world is going on?” Juni asked, jumping out of her car and running over to us. I heard her say her brother had called with news that something was going down at the Lilacs estate.
While I could hear her words, they weren’t registering with the same intensity as her plump red lips. Damn if I didn’t want to wrap my arm around her waist, pull her body close to mine, and kiss the living shit out of her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
When I realized she was speaking directly to me, I looked into her eyes. “Yeah, why?”
“Just…um…nothing.” Her cheeks flushed.
I followed her gaze and turned to watch everyone but the two of us go inside.
“Should we join them?” she asked.
“Not too sure I’m welcome,” I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.
Her eyes widened. “Why not?”
I kicked at the dirt. “I shot Jimmy Rooker.”
While I had no idea what I expected her reaction to be, it wasn’t the board smile that cracked her face. “He was such an asshole. Way beyond that, actually.”
“Still is, darlin’. I shot his kneecap out.”
“I guess it makes me a terrible person that I was happy thinking he was dead.”
“No doubt plenty of people would agree with you.” I motioned toward the porch steps. “You wanna go inside?”
Juni nodded, and I walked in that direction.
“Wait,” I heard her say.
When I turned around, she was right behind me.
“What were you thinking about before? You know, when I asked if you were okay.”
I sighed and looked up at the canopy of trees above us. If I said I couldn’t remember, I’d be lying. “Might not be somethin’ you’re interested in knowin’.”
“You’re wrong. I mean, I am interested in whatever it was.”
My eyes bored into hers, and I took a step closer. “You’re sure?”
She moistened her lips with her tongue.
I raised my fingers to her chin. “Don’t do that, darlin’.”
“Why not?”
“Because lickin’ your lips was what I was thinking about.”
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Roaring Fork Wrangler
CRU’S CRUSH
1
Cru
I stood in the shadows, watching Daphne pick up a frame and study the photo inside. I couldn’t see it from where I stood, but I still knew whose image she studied—Beau Barrett, the man who was both my best friend and my nemesis, but only where the woman in front of me was concerned.
Beau and Daphne had been one of those on-again, off-again couples since they were teenagers. Every time they broke up, I hoped it would be long enough for me to have a chance with her.
I nearly toppled over when someone nudged my shoulder, and I glanced behind me at my older brother Brix.
He shook his head. “You gotta give it up, man,” he whispered. “Beau will be back before you know it.”
I led him down the hallway and into a bedroom, then shut the door behind us. “Not this time, bro.”
Brix rested against the wall and smirked. “You keep tellin’ yourself that. How long have you been crushin’ on Daphne Cullen? Ten years? More?”
“Things are different now. Beau is with Samantha Marquez.” Frankly, I was surprised he didn’t know, given his wife, Addy, and Sam were best friends.
Brix chuckled. “Not a chance. There’s no way Sam would put up with his shit.” His expression changed. “Wait. Do you know where Beau is?”
Shortly after his mother’s funeral, Beau had disappeared, and until I saw him in New York, I’d had no idea where he was, either. Turned out he was with Sam.
“I’m telling you; it’s serious between them.”
Brix pushed himself from the wall. “So where is he?”
“C’mon, don’t ask me that. He’s with Sam. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
“What makes you think they’re serious?” Brix shook his head. “No offense at all to Sam, but I just don’t see her with Beau.”
I held up my phone so he could see the text I’d just received from our brother Salazar, who everyone called Snapper.
“No shit! Beau proposed and Sam said yes?” Brix practically shouted at the same time someone pushed the door open. When he moved out of the way, I came face-to-face with Daphne.
She spun around and raced off in the opposite direction, but not before I saw tears fill her eyes.
Brix grabbed my arm when I walked past him. “Let her go.”
I shook my head and pulled away from his grasp. “I can’t.”
My brother stood in front of the door, blocking my exit. He put his hands on my shoulders. “This is going to sound corny as hell, but, Cru, you’re supposed to be the leading lady, not the best friend, and for some reason, you’re acting like, you know, the best friend.”
I took a step back from my brother. “What the fuck are you talking about, Brix? The leading lady?”
“It’s from a movie Addison and I watched last night. You get my point, though. You need to stop acting like the best friend so Daphne can see you as the leading lady—err, man.”
I shook my head and walked over to the window. As I could’ve predicted, Daphne was walking on the beach, alone. Even from here, I knew she was crying.
Brix approached and stood next to me. “If you go out there now, she’ll cry on your shoulder, Cru. You’ll console her, and it’ll be just another conversation about her and Beau. The next time you talk to her, it needs to change. No more her and Beau. Make it about her and you.”
“Like it’s that easy.”
“Take it from me; it is if you want it bad enough.” He turned to look at me. “Do you?”
“I’ve loved her for as long as Beau has,” I murmured.
“Wrong. You’ve loved her when Beau never did. Now, convince her of that.”
I faced my brother and stared into his eyes. “What should I do?”
“Leave.”
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Cru’s Crush
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for your reading!
I am a USA Today and Amazon Top 15 Bestselling Author of shamelessly sexy, edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense.
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Thanks so much,
Heather
ALSO BY HEATHER SLADE
BUTLER RANCH
Kade’s Worth
Brodie’s Promise
Maddox’s Truce
Naughton’s Secret
Mercer’s Vow
Kade’s Return
Butler Ranch Christmas
WICKED WINEMAKERS FIRST LABEL
Brix’s Bid
Ridge’s Release
Press’ Passion
Zin’s Sin
Tryst’s Temptation
WICKED WINEMAKERS SECOND LABEL
Beau’s Beloved
Coming Soon!
Cru’s Crush
Bones’ Bliss
Snapper’s Seduction
Kick’s Kiss
ROARING FORK RANCH
Coming Soon!
Roaring Fork Wrangler
Roaring Fork Roughstock
Roaring Fork Rockstar
Roaring Fork Rooker
Roaring Fork Bridger
K19 SECURITY SOLUTIONS TEAM ONE
Razor’s Edge
Gunner’s Redemption
Mistletoe’s Magic
Mantis’ Desire
Dutch’s Salvation
K19 SECURITY SOLUTIONS TEAM TWO
Striker’s Choice
Monk’s Fire
Halo’s Oath
Tackle’s Honor
Onyx’s Awakening
K19 SHADOW OPERATIONS - TEAM ONE
Code Name: Ranger
Code Name: Diesel
Code Name: Wasp
Code Name: Cowboy
Code Name: Mayhem
K19 SHADOW OPERATIONS - TEAM TWO
Coming 2024
Code Name: Admiral
Code Name: Tank
Code Name: Blackjack
Code Name: Atticus
Code Name: Kodiak
K19 ALLIED INTELLIGENCE - TEAM ONE
Code Name: Ares
Code Name: Cayman
Code Name: Poseidon
Coming Soon!
Code Name: Zeppelin
Code Name: Magnet
THE ROYAL AGENTS OF MI6
Make Me Shiver
Drive Me Wilder
Feel My Pinch
Chase My Shadow
Coming Soon!
Find My Angel (coming December 2023)
THE INVINCIBLES TEAM ONE
Decked
Edged
Grinded
Riled
Smoked
THE INVINCIBLES TEAM TWO
Bucked
Irished
Sainted
Hammered
Ripped
THE UNSTOPPABLES TEAM ONE
Furied
Merried–An Unstoppable Christmas
Coming Soon!
Vexed (coming 2024)
Inked (coming 2024)
COWBOYS OF CRESTED BUTTE
A Cowboy Falls
A Cowboy’s Dance
A Cowboy’s Kiss
A Cowboy Stays
A Cowboy Wins
Heather Slade, Beau's Beloved (Wicked Winemakers Second Label Book 1)
