Peter wanted her. Wanted to grab her and kiss her and tell her how much he loved her and then drive her home and take her to bed. But the kid in front of him needed yet another signature, and then another, until finally Peter had signed all the forms on the documents, handed one copy back to the young man, and waited until the kid took off with a squeal.
“Sorry you had to wait, but that was important,” he told Neva.
She looked at the ground.
“I have something for you,” he continued. When she didn’t look up, he held out the bound sheaf of papers. “I wasn’t at the bus stop because I’m taking a bus to nowhere. I was here because it’s a convenient place to meet out-of-towners. I was waiting on a delivery.”
Neva backed up. “I’m sorry I interrupted. My mistake. Delilah said you were leaving town.” She glanced over at the empty bench and grimaced. “Clearly you’re not. You don’t even have a bag with you.”
“And I’m not. Leaving town, that is. Here, look.” He handed her the legal documents.
She flipped through the pages, frowning at first. Bewilderment crossed her face. She looked up at him. “What is all this? What do these papers mean?”
“I bought the farm.”
She frowned. “Isn’t that a euphemism for dying?”
He chuckled. “Maude’s farm. Her property. I bought it and now I’m the owner.”
Neva glanced down at the papers. “For five hundred thousand dollars?”
“That’s market rate.”
She took a few steps back, still staring at the documents. “This makes no sense. Why would you buy Maude’s farm? You held onto that half million dollars for years so you could travel the world.”
“I know. I changed my mind. I’m not going anywhere—I’m staying right here in Meadowview.”
“Why?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “You need apples.”
“You gave up on your life-long dream so I can have apples?”
At that, he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. Tipped his forehead down to meet hers and held her gaze. Smiled. “No, silly. I realized something important. Back in high school, when you broke off our friendship, something inside me froze. But that morning when I shoved your cute little butt—”
“My butt’s not all that little,” she corrected.
“Which is good, because I happen to love it in its luscious state. So when I shoved your cute big butt—”
“Could we move on from my rear, please? I mean, I have the sense you’re about to say something romantic, and the continued mention of my bottom isn’t helping with the romanticism of this moment.”
He chuckled and slid his hands down from her shoulders to cup her ass. “From the moment I saw you stuck in that irrigation canal, a flicker of hope grew inside me.”
“I’m nervous,” she interrupted yet again.
“About what?”
“Whatever it is you’re going to say.”
“Should I cut to the chase before your knees buckle?” he asked.
“They keep doing that when you’re around. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing.”
“I’ve learned something important from you. Sometimes bad things happen for a very good reason. You and your wobbly knees may have thrown a monkey wrench into my big plans, but for the best reason of all.”
Neva hitched a shuddery breath. Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to say something, but he smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips instead. A light touch, the barest brush of lips against lips.
That didn’t last long. He reached down and dug his hands into her hair, bracketing her face with his palms, caressing her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs as he kissed her long and hard and deep, their tongues entwining, exhales blending, heartbeats melding until he couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. He only knew they were one.
When he pulled his head back and stared down at the woman who had his heart, she beamed back at him, her own eyes shimmering with love.
“For someone who’s usually so blunt, you’re being rather obtuse right now,” she said with a smile. “What are you really trying to say, Peter?”
“I love being a firefighter. I love this town. And I love you, Neva Tipton. I’m here to stay.”
Her knees did buckle then, but Peter was there to catch her. And he did already have his hands on her butt, which helped considerably.
Peter stroked her cheek and stared into her eyes. He swallowed, emotion choking his throat. It took a moment, but Neva waited until he could speak. “A long time ago, you ran away from me when you were scared you might lose me. This time, when you thought you would lose me for sure, you ran to me, instead.”
“And I always will,” she breathed, twining her arms around his shoulders. “I promise.”
Life couldn’t be more perfect, Neva thought, tucked away against Peter’s chest. Afternoon sex with a man who’d just declared his love could make a girl feel that way. She stretched, languidly, and snuggled her feet against Peter’s. His heartbeat still pounded in her ears and his breathing was still labored but his limbs were relaxed and his eyes closed, his lashes fanning out over his cheeks.
“I still can’t get over you buying Maude’s farm because of me,” she murmured, peppering light kisses on his chest.
“Because of us. I couldn’t let you lose that contract.”
“Was your aunt okay with selling the farm to you?”
He yawned. “She argued at first, pointing out that the profit she and Roberto would have made if they developed the property would be substantial. I pointed out to her that love was worth more than money. Besides, she’s now a half million dollars richer. I also pointed out that selling to me would save them from sticking around Meadowview until the development’s complete. She was on the computer and searching for trips to Iceland before I even left the house.”
“Good. I’d hate to get off on the wrong foot with your aunt.”
He responded by tightening his arm around her shoulder.
“I asked for help, you know,” she added. “I was desperate to find you before you ran away from Meadowview, but the battery in my truck was dead. So I called Trudy and asked for a ride.”
“I’m proud of you. There you go, embracing your social side and asking for help, all in one.”
She giggled. “Score one for my maturity, right?”
“She shoots, she scores!” He sobered. “I took your advice. Had a long, hard look at my past. I met with my dad. We set some things straight.”
“I’m glad for you.”
“It took me a long time to realize that just as much as I was getting on your case for not accepting that people change, I was the one who wasn’t changing. Or maybe it was that I had changed but I wasn’t accepting the fact I was different.”
“Like how you thought you hated firefighting but you love it. And how your dream of using your inheritance to travel the world faded over time.”
“Exactly. I still want to see all those places I’d dreamed about when I was young, but I want to take vacations and travel, with you by my side. I want to keep my job and the land.”
Neva let time slide by, then added, “I figured out Carla’s secret. She told me you’d known for years. Thanks for not telling anyone.”
“I won’t betray my friends.”
Neva knew that to be true.
“How about Ireland for our honeymoon?” Peter asked. “Or Morocco? Brazil?”
“Our honeymoon?”
“You’re marrying me.”
Other women might have been shocked at such a blunt statement. Other women might have expected a romantic proposal with a ring and red roses and her man in a tuxedo down on bended knee, but she wasn’t any other woman. She was Neva Tipton and the man proposing was Peter Leary.
The same man who’d once been the boy who’d stood up for her in class when she was a complete stranger to him. The boy who’d held her own twin sister’s secret for years because she’d deserved his respe
ct. The man who’d rescued a stinky and prickly porcupine because the animal needed help. The man who’d both taught her the power of moving forward and who’d also listened when she asked him to look at his past.
This was the man who loved her. And always would.
So she simply smiled and said one word. “Yes.” Then she added with a wink, “But only if I can wear a polka-dot dress and walk down the aisle to the Ramones’ I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”
Peter grinned and swept her up into his arms. He brought his forehead to touch hers, and smiling, he said, “Best love song ever. And ours is the best love story ever told.”
* Thanks for reading Charming the One. I hope you enjoyed following along as Peter and Neva discovered the love that had been there all along! If you had fun during your stay in Meadowview and think others should learn about this quaint and quirky town, please consider taking a moment to leave an honest review, even if it’s just a few words, by going here.
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And now for something just a bit different…
Welcome to Vineyard Springs, a town where love is always in the air! Sometimes it’s about knowing when NOT to do something, as the heroes and heroines learn in Rochelle French’s new small-town contemporary romance series, Vineyard Springs. The first book in the series, What NOT to Do in Bed, is now available, and the other books will follow soon.
Blogger Victory Lennox is on the hunt for professional success, not a man. Then she comes across the deliciously sexy movie star Cooper Fairclough running naked down a country lane—trying to catch up with his ride and his dignity. Keep turning the pages to read an excerpt from What NOT to Do in Bed, the first book in the Vineyard Springs series!
Also by Rochelle French
(by town)
MEADOWVIEW
The Meadowview Heat Series
When friends (and enemies) return to the same small town where they grew up, sparks fly! Meet three best friends and their younger sisters (and the girl the boys once protected) and discover what happens when the past becomes the present. The little town of Meadowview will never be the same when love takes center stage!
Forever the One (Ethan and Sadie)
Trusting the One (Lia and Jack)
Claiming the One (Hunter and Liz)
Tempting the One (Theo and Chessie)
The Meadowview Heroes Series
The quirky town of Meadowview finds itself wrapped up in a whole heap of happy when a few sexy newcomers arrive to challenge the status quo of a by-the-books sheriff, a reluctant artist, and a firefighter headed for destinations unknown. A thieving goat, a missing horse, and a porcupine with a tendency for trouble help make for a rocky and oh so fun path to love.
Finding the One (Mac and Trudy)
Always the One (Remy and Coraleen)
Charming the One (Peter and Neva)
Treasure the One (coming soon!)
VINEYARD SPRINGS
The Vineyard Springs Series
Welcome to Vineyard Springs, a town where love is always in the air! Sometimes it’s about knowing when NOT to do something, as the heroes and heroines learn in this contemporary romance series.
What NOT to Do in Bed (Cooper and Victory)
How NOT to Fake a Fiancé (Oliver and Juliet—2016)
How NOT to Tame a Bad Boy (Sean and Anise—2016)
How NOT to Resist a Rebel (Delphine and Wilder—2016)
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About the Author
Rochelle French is a bestselling romance novelist and the author of the Meadowview series and the Vineyard Springs series. Her books feature contemporary characters falling in love in small town settings. She currently lives in Northern California in the same small town where she grew up, where she now spends her days writing, hiking in the woods, or swimming in the river.
@RochelleFrench
AuthorRochelleFrench
www.rochellefrench.com
Excerpt, What NOT to Do in Bed
A Vineyard Springs novel: Book 1
Vineyard Springs—a small town where love is always in the air!
Blogger Victory Lennox is on the hunt for professional success, not a man. Then she comes across the deliciously sexy movie star Cooper Fairclough running naked down a country lane—trying to catch up with his ride and his dignity!
What NOT to Do in Bed
Vineyard Springs: Book 1
Rochelle French
CHAPTER ONE
Similar to most of the men Victory Lennox had dated, the mutt currently clipped to the end of the leather leash didn’t seem to understand how to treat a girl. Instead of giving her the kindness and respect she deserved as they made their way along the San Francisco Bay Trail, the shelter dog she’d volunteered to walk lurched and jolted toward anything that interested him, ignoring her completely.
In the gray, foggy morning typical of San Francisco, the oblivious dog—a male mix of some wire-haired terrier and a should-have-been-intelligent shepherd—lunged forward yet again, barking a loud greeting at a much more well-behaved dog that passed by. When Victory had arrived a half-hour before at Forever Friends, only slightly late for her weekly volunteer dog walk, the brown-haired mid-sized rescue had reminded her of the dog Tramp in the movie Lady and the Tramp. Tramp, however, sure as heck knew how to treat a lady.
Victory was just about to chide herself for her jaded take on dating and dogs when the mutt went into a full-on frenzy, barking and dashing about on the pathway, freaking out over a sea lion that had popped its head up out of the cold water. Ye gads.
On the trail ahead, she spotted a familiar figure standing on the sandy path with a well-behaved miniature dog at her feet. Victory grinned wide at Tee Abernathy. Her best friend, coworker, and compatriot in these early morning dog walks was one of those tiny women who seemed as though they were plucked from the pages of an antique fairy tale book, all soft and wispy, with long flowing black hair and shimmering dark eyes.
Tee’s Papillon, Butterfly, who Tee had adopted from Forever Friends three years before, stood next to her, matching Tee in both ethereal looks (well, ethereal for a dog) and diminutive features.
But unlike the sweet smile Tee gave Victory, Butterfly considered Victory’s dog with one ear cocked, as if firmly assessing the comedy of errors headed toward her.
Of course Tee’s dog wasn’t assaulting any of the passersby with her purebred tongue, Victory mentally grumbled.
Tee raised an eyebrow at the galumphing dog at Victory’s side and ordered Butterfly to sit. The miniature dog with the bat-wing ears obediently plopped her butt on the ground. “Great morning for a drag on the leash,” Tee said wryly.
“Not funny,” Victory said. “I think my shoulder might get dislocated.” She told her dog to heel, then nearly tripped as he abruptly stopped in front of her to sniff a crab exoskeleton. This was a completely hopeless dog, but when he looked at her with puzzlement on his face, her heart melted. She reached down and scratched his scruffy head, earning her a soft lick in return.
“Please don’t roll in anything stinky,” she muttered. She pulled a face and wiped her hand dry on the back of her jogging pants. Tee ordered Butterfly to heel, and Victory (barely) managed to get her dog’s attention away from the abundantly malodorous former crab. She walked next to Tee on the path. Fortunately, this time the scruffy dog kept up—only to stick his nose at Butterfly’s behind and snuffle loudly.Figured.
“I can’t believe you want to celebrate your birthday next week volunteering at the Bay’s Big Pet Adopt-a-thon,” Tee grumbled as she toed Victory’s dog away from hers. “Isn’t it good enough you got The Bay Online to help underwrite the event? Do you and I have to volunteer, too? We should be out getting drinks, not dog slobber.”
“You know I don’t celebrate my birthday. Just so happens the adopt-a-thon falls on the day I was born
. Besides, you promised you’d help me find forever families for the dogs I walk.”
“Think you’ll adopt this one?” Tee asked, tugging Butterfly away from the mutt’s obvious interest.
Victory snorted. “How many times have you asked me that question?”
“How many times have you volunteered to take shelter dogs out for a walk before going to work?” Tee countered.
Too many. Friends Forever was a no-kill shelter located by Victory’s studio apartment in the Cow Hollow neighborhood in San Francisco. The place opened early in the mornings for people who wanted to do a good deed by walking abandoned dogs along the path that led from Fort Mason to the Golden Gate Bridge.
For the last three years, this had been Victory’s routine—stop by the shelter, select an unwanted dog, and take it for a morning walk with Tee and Butterfly. Drop the dog off, take a quick shower at her townhome, and drive her Prius ten blocks over to work as the lead blogger for Fashion & Funk, the fashion page on The Bay Online, a regional on-line magazine. By the time Victory sat down at her desk, she was able to tick five things off on her daily checklist app she always had up on her phone:
1.Shower
2.Exercise
3.Do a good deed for the day
4.Visit Tee
5.Go to work
Um, yeah, so maybe she shouldn’t have the action item of showering on her daily checklist, but it felt good to see that checkmark glowing red in the app’s Completed side. The more the better. The tick marks were a visual reminder she’d accomplished something.
Charming the One: (Meadowview Heroes # 3) (The Meadowview Series Book 7) Page 23