Return Home, page 1
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Marina Adair. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original St. Helena Vineyard Series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Marina Adair, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
RETURN HOME
A St. Helena Vineyard Kindle World Novella
T.M. CROMER
CONTENTS
A Letter From Marina Adair
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Other Kindle World Novellas by T.M. Cromer
Picture This Excerpt
To my sister authors in SHVKW: Working with you ladies has been a great pleasure. The instant connection and camaraderie has developed into a great friendship. One that I hope will continue long after this project is done.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the St. Helena Vineyard’s Kindle World, where romance is waiting to be uncorked and authors from around the globe are invited to share their own stories of love and happily ever after. Set in the heart of wine country, this quaint town and its cast of quirky characters were the inspiration behind my St Helena Vineyard series, and the Hallmark Channel movie, AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD. I want to thank these incredible authors for spending time in St. Helena, and all of you readers who are adventurous enough to take the journey with us.
I hope you enjoy your time here as much as we have.
Warmly,
Marina Adair
CHAPTER ONE
Valentino Fiore walked to the Spigot and placed an order for a burger and fries. He had about forty-five minutes before Bella Watson was due to show for their weekend getaway, so he figured he’d kill time here at the sports pub.
A glance around showed all the regulars having their midday meals. He sent a casual wave toward Nate and Frankie DeLuca across the way. Val wouldn’t have bet on those two lasting, but he—along with the whole town—was thrilled. A happy Frankie wasn’t as scary as a moody Frankie.
Sprawling in a booth, Val positioned himself to see the local news. That’s about the time he noticed his sister, Hope, charging his way. The guilty look on her face instantly shot his good mood to hell. Whatever she’d planned, he wasn’t going to like it.
Her arrival coincided with his food, and she immediately went for his fries. Because he disliked sharing, he offered to buy her lunch.
“No, thanks. I won’t be here that long. I have some errands to run,” she told him, grabbing another fry. The shudder of revulsion took a lot to suppress. He’d never let it be known he was a bit of a germophobe because his family would never let him hear the end of it.
“Dammit, Hope! I offered to buy. Order your own,” Val groused. Of course, she stole another one. He heaved a frustrated sigh, making her laugh. “Here. It’s all yours.”
“You’re so easy,” she grinned, accepting the plate he shoved her way.
“Whatever. Next time I’m ordering two plates.”
Because he couldn’t bear to see her drown her food in the ketchup which had probably been sitting out all morning, he looked away to check his watch.
“Got a hot date?”
“No!” he denied, not wanting Hope to discover he’d been dating her best friend for the past month if she didn’t already know. Color surged up his neck and into his cheeks. Talk about a tell. He’d be crap at cards if he ever had time to play poker.
Val tapped his fingers, impatient for her to finish her meal and be gone. Another check of his watch showed the big hand was moving at a snail’s pace.
“Who is she?” she asked in a casual tone, taking a bite of his burger.
Why did she look so innocent? Had she heard Ashley Reynolds was coming back to St. Helena, spurring his own departure? The thought pissed him off, making him a grumpy tool. “Leave it alone.”
“Ah.”
“Ah what?”
“You only get moody over one woman. Ashley Reynolds. She coming back to town?” His furious glare didn’t deter her. She grinned around another mouthful of fries. “I take it by your pissed off face that she is. And soon, unless I miss my guess. Poor Val.”
Her lack of surprise and mocking tone gave her away.
“You knew!” he charged, dragging the plate of food out or her reach so she was forced to look at him. “Dammit, Hope! How could you not tell me?”
“Because you would have taken off, and I need you here.” Her voice held only a hint of apology. “Mama wanted her for the new catalog shoot.”
Suspicious, he asked, “What’s that got to do with me?”
“She wants you to partner her in the pictures and in all the commercial spots we’re filming.”
“Fuck. No. There’s no way in hell I’m going to get within ten feet of that succubus.” He said it, and he meant it. Ashley was an evil spawn of Satan, and he had no intention of ever seeing her again, much less working with her.
Hope shot a nervous glance around her. His little sister hated a scene. He’d use it to get rid of her if he had to. Maybe he could sneak out of town before his mother became aware of his plans.
“Val—”
“No, Hope. I’m not doing it. I’m waiting for Bella to pick me up. We’re heading to San Francisco for a long weekend.” He pointed a finger in her direction to emphasize the point. “This is my first vacation in two years. I’m going.”
“Actually, you’re not. Bella isn’t coming.” Hope dragged the plate back in front of her and popped another fry in her mouth, refusing to meet his now furious gaze. “While you were in the bathroom, I sent her a text from your phone, telling her you were canceling.”
White-hot rage shot through him. Well, that and a healthy dose of fear. If he didn’t get the hell out of here, and soon, the likelihood of him avoiding Ashley would be slim to none. His large palm slapped the table top, making their dishes dance.
“Do you know how long it took me to get Bella to go out with me? Do you?” His voice rose, and the surrounding silence was deafening. “I had to convince her I was over Ashley. A thought that you put in her head when you told her I wasn’t. This was supposed to be the weekend. The weekend, Hope.”
“Bella’s not for you, Val. Give it up. I don’t want the two of you to hook up because then I would lose my best friend when you broke her heart. As it is, she isn’t happy I hired Ashley and asked her to come back.”
“Who the hell says I would’ve broken her heart? Can I not even explore other options in this god-forsaken town?”
“Keep your voice down. You’re drawing a crowd,” she warned.
“Like I could give a sh—”
“Hello, Val.”
The husky voice he’d hoped to never hear again, from the beautiful woman he’d hoped to never see again, did a funny thing to his system. Her melodic tones reached right in and squeezed his heart and lungs. Drawing a breath was difficult at best.
Hope, sensing his distress, clasped his hand. He squeezed hers in return. The siblings stared into each other’s dark eyes—a silent understanding forming. She would fill the gap and allow him the necessary time to collect himself.
But she didn’t. What she did instead was look beyond him, seemingly frozen in place. When she blushed, he frowned. His sister wasn’t a blusher. Nothing usually phased her, and as such, seeing her disoriented and confused was a rare treat.
“Wow, I want to lick him all over,” she sighed. A completely off-the-wall remark from Hope. Gasps and a few barks of laughter from those closest to their table greeted her comment. Val, in the process of taking a sip of beer, snorted and very nearly inhaled the brew.
When she continued to stare beyond him, Val ventured a look. Ah, he should have known. Ashley’s pretty-boy agent. Distaste curled his lip, and Val’s hand tightened on Hope’s.
She jerked back, upending her beer. The icy drink soaking through her jeans snapped her out of her hypnotic state. “Oh for fuck’s sake!”
Drawn back to the mess his sister was making, he started to laugh.
“Et tu, Brute?” she asked in irritation.
“Sorry, sis. I’ve never seen…” Val gestured up and down, chuckling. “Good to know you’re as human as the rest of us.”
“Bite me,” she snarled, taking the proffered towels from Sir Galahad himself— Royce Fucking Anderson, talent agent and girlfriend stealer. Hope lifted her head and released a strangled cry.
What the hell was wrong with her? Val had never seen her so off her game before. He opened his mouth to speak, when he noticed Nora Kincaid, town gossip, with her smartphone aimed in their direction and ready to record this bizarre meeting. To post to her social media page, he imagined.
“Oh, hell no! What is she even doing here?” Hope cried in outrage, standing to charge in Nora’s direction. “Excuse me, I have to go beat an old woman to death.”
Royce grabbed Hope’s arm and whispered something only she could hear. His little sister did the Fiores proud when she punched the smarmy bastard in the stomach. Val would have applauded if he w
Then she did the damnedest thing. She turned tail and ran out the door, leaving him alone with Ashley and Royce. Panic assailed him. How was he supposed to make small talk? The desire to run after his sister was overwhelming. It seemed Royce thought the same as he charged out the door after her.
What in the hell was going on here? He guessed he shouldn’t be surprised. With Ashley came chaos. The two went hand-in-hand.
ASHLEY HAD KNOWN RETURNING to St. Helena was a terrible idea. When Royce had forwarded the email from Hope Fiore with the proposal and contracts, Ashley had secretly hoped Val had gotten beyond his hurt at her abrupt departure. Based on the way he studiously avoided looking at her while mopping up the beer, it appeared he hadn’t.
“Are you going to talk to me, Val?”
“No.”
His curt reply hadn’t been unexpected. Hell, had she thought about it long enough she could’ve—and would’ve—stopped herself from asking such a stupid question to begin with.
“Very adult. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
He whipped his head up to glare at her. The fire in those deep, dark eyes did strange things to her lady parts. She remembered a time—no, she wouldn’t go there. Reliving their past was pointless. What she truly needed to remember was how much he hated her. But as hard as she tried, recalling those ugly words he’d hurled at her was impossible when he was standing this close.
“Adult? We’re going there? This soon in the game?” he challenged, throwing the dishtowel on the table. “How adult was it to run off without a word to me? With another man, I might add. Yeah, you know all about being an adult, lady.”
“I didn’t run off with another man.” At his disbelieving look, she clarified, “Okay, I did, but not in the way you’re insinuating. Royce and I, we…”
His eyes sharpened, and he straightened to his full height of six-two. “You and Royce what?”
Val had a way of saying her agent’s name that made her fear for the other man if they were ever alone together. He couldn’t still be jealous after all this time, could he? Testing the theory she said, “Royce and I weren’t dating at the time.”
The truth, but based on the narrowing of his eyes, he had picked up on her insinuation the two of them were dating now.
“You’re fucking unbelievable. You know that?”
Digging in his wallet, he removed a twenty and threw the bill down next to the beer-soaked rag.
“And you haven’t changed. Still resorting to insults and running away,” she taunted, hands on hips.
He stepped up to within a foot of her. Ashley could feel the heat radiating off his body, feel the magnetic pull of his sexuality. Back in another place and time, she would’ve been all over him without a second thought. Kissing him, ripping at his clothes, tangling her hands in his long, blond mane, and making love. God, she still missed him and the things he could do with those large, magnificent hands of his.
She spared the hands in question a glance. He opened and closed them as if he were fighting the urge to strangle her. The thought brought her back to the situation in front of her. Lifting her chin, she met his fiery gaze.
A calculating expression settled in place, and his eyes dropped to her lips. He dipped his head and leaned in. Ashley was sure he intended to kiss her. Her skin tightened in anticipation. Instead, he shifted slightly to whisper in her ear. “Does your boyfriend know how hot you still are for me?” He didn’t wait for her answer, saying, “I want you gone. Since all you care about is your damned career, fame, and money, Fiore Vineyard will pay out your contract. Just go.”
Cold. Her body was awash with it. She stood frozen after he’d left, staring at the door he’d strode through. What had made her think it would ever be a good idea to return to St. Helena?
“Come on. I’ll buy you a drink.”
She spun around to find the only true friend she’d ever had in this damned town. “Hey, Frankie.”
“No weepy crap. Got it?”
Her high school bestie, Frankie, was a force to be reckoned with. Tall, beautiful, and still dressing like she belonged in a motorcycle gang after all these years.
“Agreed.”
“Oh, and you’re going to need to be prepared for the fallout. Nosy Nora recorded your little tête-à-tête with Val. She’s all about posting videos to social media now. Sorry about your bad luck.”
“Great. Can I get that drink now? And can we make it a double?”
CHAPTER TWO
Val immediately left the Spigot and headed to Bella’s place. When she didn’t answer the door after the third ring, he became worried. He peered through the sidelight, trying to get a glimpse of movement in the house. Nothing. With a frown, he tried the doorbell again.
“She’s not home,” a young voice said from behind him.
A quick check over his shoulder showed a small girl. If he had to guess her age, he would’ve said six or seven at best. He lifted his head to survey the area to be sure there was a parent or older sibling looking out for the child.
“Where’s your mom? Why are you out here alone?”
“I live right there.” She pointed to the Victorian house sandwiched between Bella’s and his sister’s houses. An older woman sat on the porch, rocking and working yarn into some intricate pattern. Val assumed she must either be the child’s babysitter or her grandmother. He didn’t have long to contemplate the relationship before the child was introducing herself. “I’m Emma.”
He squatted in front of her to shake her hand. “Hi, Emma. I’m Val. Pleasure to meet you. So you were saying Bella’s not home? Do you know where she went?”
“Sat Frasco.”
Sat Frasco? “Do you mean San Francisco?”
Her excited nod had him pleased he guessed correctly. “Do you know when she left?”
She nodded again but didn’t answer. Because patience wasn’t his strong suit, he asked, “Will you tell me?”
“Today.”
Val sighed. He set himself up for that one. Really, who expects a small child to know time?
“Thank you, Emma. I’ll try her on her phone. You make a great neighborhood watch.”
He straightened and looked down into her wide, curious eyes. A strange pang struck his heart. Had things been different, had Ashley stayed with him all those years ago, he might have had a child this little girl’s age. Shoving the thought aside, he waved goodbye and headed back to his truck.
So much for apologizing to Bella for his sister’s high-handed dismissal of their plans. He spared a thought to heading down to San Francisco anyway. His overnight bag was in the backseat of his truck. He’d probably only missed Bella by about fifteen minutes or so. They could arrive at the hotel around the same time.
His smartphone alerted him to a missed phone call from his mother. Calling her back meant giving into her demands for using Ashley in their marketing plan. While he didn’t know what the plan was, he was positive he wouldn’t like it. In fact, he’d hate it on principle alone. Saying a silent goodbye to his vacation, he dialed his mother.
“Valentino! I called to remind you there will be a family dinner tonight at the vineyard.”
“I don’t suppose it matters to you that I was leaving for vacation in a few minutes?” he asked dryly, fighting the urge to bang his head on his steering wheel.
“Don’t be rude. You will be here.”
Of course he would, as if he had a choice. Isabella Fiore’s word was law. As the matriarch of their family, she didn’t expect or accept opposition to her decrees.
“Yes, Mama.”
“Dinner is at seven. Don’t be late.”
After she disconnected their call, Val stared at Bella’s red front door. If he didn’t go after her now, she’d write their budding relationship off. Regret hit strong and swift. She’d been the first woman, over the last seven years, who he could see himself falling in love with. Maybe not to the degree he’d been in love with Ashley, but definitely a deep and abiding caring with a probable long-term relationship.
Within a half hour, he was back at the Fiore Vineyard. He parked on the hill overlooking their land. God, he loved it here! There wasn’t another place in the world he could picture living. The vineyard and, to a lesser degree, St. Helena were embedded into his soul.
