Tempting the One (Meadowview Heat 4; The Meadowview 4)

by Rochelle French

  No, not again. She couldn’t go through this again. Not another hideous ring. “Theo, I don’t think—”

  He cut her off. “I know what you’re thinking, Chessie. But things are different this time. Please, just open it.”

  She hesitated, and then noticed Theo’s face. His expression read guardedly hopeful. She needed to respect him, to listen to him as he’d listened to her. Two days ago he’d come to her seemingly as a changed man, but she’d stepped away from him, shut him out. Today, at least, she could give him a chance and open the box.

  At first, when she nudged the lid off, she was confused. No smaller velvet box sat inside the one in her hands. No glittering piece of jewelry sat inside. Instead, there were thousands of small brown dots the size of pin-heads—seeds.

  Theo had given her a box of seeds.

  She tipped her face up, meeting his blue eyes. “I don’t understand…”

  He cleared his throat. “After you walked away from me the other day, I felt like shit. I wanted to do something, but you shut me out. So I asked Jack a little more about Louisa’s lavender, and about her farm, the one in England. He gave me the name of the town where your great-grandmother had grown up. I placed a few calls to the tax recorder’s office there, traced the ownership, and found the name and address of the current owners. Then I flew to England.”

  She stirred the seeds with her fingertip. “But the fields had been plowed under,” she whispered. “All the crops had been destroyed. Louisa saw the whole thing happen. There were no more lavender plants.”

  Theo put a hand up to her cheek, brushed her hair back. “True. But plants are tenacious, especially lavender, apparently. I found the farm and spoke with the owners, explained what had happened to Louisa and the lavender farm. Chessie,” his said, his voice growing excited, “a small area had never been plowed under. The family that lives there still grows that lavender.” He dipped his finger in the small box, stirred the seeds.

  “My god, Theo, you got me Louisa’s lavender.” Chessie’s voice caught. He’d done this for her? Flown halfway around the world to find her seeds? “Did the new owners sell them to you?”

  “Nope. I never asked to buy the seeds either, just asked if I could have a few. Although when I asked, they looked at me like I was some sort of loony American tourist. So I explained how their farm had once belonged to your great-grandmother and that you’d just lost the last of your plants, and then…”

  “And then?” Chessie looked at him. His eyes had taken on a burning heat.

  “I want to kiss you first,” Theo, and cupped her chin in his hand. His fingers felt warm and inviting as they slid under her jaw. She raised her head to look at him but his mouth caught hers in a light kiss. His fingers worked their way upward to caress the back of her neck.

  “The seeds, Theo,” she murmured, her lips pressed against his jawline.

  “Oh, yeah, the seeds.” He nibbled at her lips, sending a liquid heat spilling throughout her body. “I mentioned how you named your plants.” He motioned with his chin toward the box. “Seems like Louisa’s tradition carried on. The owners said to tell you these seeds came from Gabby and Matilda, many generations removed.”

  Tears formed in Chessie’s eyes, spiking her lashes. She had part of Louisa back, part of her past that she’d thought had been lost. Theo had done that for her. He’d found the one thing that money couldn’t buy—an attachment to the past.

  But now wasn’t time for the past. It was time for the future. “Is this a proposal?” she asked.

  “No, this is just me trying to make you happy again. You were so sad the other day. It broke my heart, Chessie. You didn’t want me to be there, but I wanted to be there for you. This was the only thing I could think of. Find Louisa’s lavender.”

  “I love you, Theo.” She closed the lid to the box and placed it carefully to the side. She didn’t want lavender seeds scattered because of what she was about to do next.

  “And I love you, Chessie,” he answered. He was about to say something else, but Chessie stopped him by slanting her mouth over his. She parted her lips to meet his tongue with hers. Their lips and tongues danced, teased. An incoherent sound came from Chessie, a wordless plea for more.

  Underneath her, the moss was like a warm sponge, soft and welcoming, molding to her body. A mourning dove called out, a signal evening was about to come.

  Then Theo kissed her, and time returned at warp speed. He let go of her mouth and Chessie mewled, unhappy at the separation.

  “I need to know this is for real, Chessie,” Theo panted, his forehead against hers. “I need to know you won’t leave me.”

  Chessie struggled to make sense of his words.

  “You always pull away. Just when I get close, you pull away. I need to know that this time you’ll stay by my side.”

  Before she’d had reason to pull away. Before, Theo had been a playboy, out for himself. Before, he hadn’t known her, and she hadn’t known him. But now—the robin’s-egg blue box caught her eye.

  Now he knew her. They knew each other.

  “I have something for you, too,” she said, her voice thick with love. “A gift I want you to have.”

  He hovered above her, waiting.

  “I give you my heart,” she whispered.

  And then she kissed him.

  Chessie breathed in deep, sucking every drop of scent she could get from the baby’s downy hair. She sat cross-legged on a patchwork quilt in her back yard in the warm spring sunlight, the baby tucked neatly in her lap, surrounded on all sides by friends and family. Janie cooed and waved a tiny, drool-coated fist in the air, enthralled with the attention she was receiving from the various adults surrounding her.

  Chessie tickled her under the chin with a rose petal and Janie grinned, and then let out a burp. Her chubby little face held a look of astonishment, as if she weren’t sure where the loud sound had come from.

  “Just like her mother, can’t take her anywhere,” Theo said. He was leaning against Chessie’s shoulder, staring at his niece. The day he’d come back from England with a box of lavender seeds had been the day he moved into Chessie’s cottage. And he hadn’t left. He kept the townhome in San Francisco and would drive down for a couple of days a week for business with The Courant Foundation, but then would immediately return to Chessie. To come home.

  “Knock it off, brat,” Sadie said. His sister gave him a gentle kick with her toe. “Or else Ethan and I won’t ask you and Chessie to babysit again.”

  “Speak for yourself. I’ll take all the babysitting offers I can get.” Ethan’s voice called from inside the house where he and Jack had been carrying on a conversation. “That little girl is a miniature replica of her mother—beautiful, intelligent, and high-maintenance.”

  “I’m not high-maintenance,” Sadie snorted, causing the others to laugh. She looked at the group, puzzled. “Wait—am I?”

  “Hate to say it, sweetie,” Lia said, her eyes focused on the baby, “but I think I need to agree with my brother on this one. You’re definitely a little on the HM side.”

  Sadie huffed, but her face softened when her daughter turned her way. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” she breathed.

  Janie began to fuss, a soft yet insistent cry. “Time to eat,” Sadie sang out, answering the call of motherhood. She scooped the baby out of Chessie’s lap and headed toward the house, with Janie peeking over her shoulder, holding a fistful of her mother’s blond curls. Lia followed, leaving Chessie and Theo alone in the setting sun.

  Theo ducked his head into the crook of Chessie’s neck. She felt his lips nuzzle and his tongue tickle her skin as he made his way from her neck to her ear. Intent on the wet and erotic sensation of Theo’s mouth, Chessie almost didn’t notice when he fastened a necklace at the back of her neck.

  “What’s this?” she asked, noticing the white gold pendant dangling between her breasts, hanging from a thin strip of leather. She fingered it, noticing its shape: a bud of lavender.

&n
bsp; “Engagement necklace.”

  She looked back down, her heart pounding. The pendant was intricate, delicate, and clearly custom made. She shot her head up to look at him, trying to read his expression.

  “Seriously?”

  Theo reached out a finger to touch the necklace. “Seriously. The ring thing didn’t work out so well last time. Besides, the more I thought about it, the less a ring seemed to fit you. I mean,” he said, then stopped talking long enough to kiss her clavicle, “you always seem to have your hands in either dirt or—”

  Chessie stopped him with a kiss. A deep, searingly hot kiss on the mouth, a kiss meant to knock him off his feet.

  And it did.

  * * *

  * I hope you enjoyed reading Tempting the One! 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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  Up next in Meadowview…

  Photographer Mac Johns discovers his muse…too bad she’s the same woman with whom he just had a disastrous one-night-stand! Find out how former fashion model Trudy Prendergast meets her match with Mac—and her future—in Finding the One, Book 1 in the Meadowview Heroes series, out now! Keep turning the pages to read an excerpt.

  Meadowview: 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.

  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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  Grab a FREE ebook copy of Forever the One, the first book in the Meadowview Heat series. Just let me know where to send it!

  http://smarturl.it/forever-FREE

  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, Finding the One

  Photographer Mac Johns discovers his muse…too bad she’s the same woman with whom he just had a disastrous one-night-stand! Find out how former fashion model Trudy Prendergast meets her match with Mac—and her future—in Finding the One, out now!

  Finding the One

  Meadowview: Meadowview Heroes 1

  Rochelle French

  CHAPTER ONE

  Trudy Prendergast eyeballed the grape stuck in her cleavage with something close to horror. Here she was, minutes from introducing herself to the artist she needed to hire her (being jobless and about to lose just about everything kinda sucked), and a grape had been jostled off a passing waiter’s tray to fly out into the crowd and lodge between her boobs. So much for the decision to wear a plunging neckline. Ugh. Butterflies that earlier had been playing a rowdy game of soccer were now sinking to the pit of her stomach.

  She swept her gaze across the crowded art gallery, but couldn’t find her “date” for the evening, her sister. Good god could she ever use Milla’s help to calm her nerves. And get the grape out.

  Because if world-famous sculptor Gregor Johansson caught her with her hands down her top, he’d no doubt be suitably unimpressed. Hire a model who felt herself up in public? Not likely.

  The message from her agent had been clear—several live models were applying to pose for Gregor’s upcoming art series. To up Trudy’s odds at getting the job, she should get herself into the event honoring him at the River City Art Museum and Gallery in Sacramento. Make sure he knew she was more than just a photographed face in a portfolio. Be real. Be three-dimensional.

  Be without a grape.

  Her bank account and her loft (how many mortgage payments was she behind in now?) were both relying on her to get this job.

  “Cheese puff?” Her sister Milla appeared at her side, holding a plate topped with hors d’oeuvres, all precariously balanced on her ever-expanding pregnant belly. Seven months and counting. “Gruyere and Irish cheddar.”

  “Not now. I kind of have a problem.” Trudy shimmied slightly, hoping to work the grape down her dress and to the floor, but the zipper at her waist cinched the dress in tight.

  “You’re checking out your own cleavage. I hadn’t realized you were that desperate.” Milla went on tiptoes to peek down the plunging vee of Trudy’s dress. “Oh. How’d you manage that?”

  “Hey, I don’t need any sibling grief right now,” Trudy said, giving her sister what she hoped was a glowering stare. “What I need is help in removing this grape before I meet the artist. I can’t fail getting this contract.”

  “Failure’s in the eye of the beholder.”

  “Wasn’t that Foster Dad Number Three’s motto?”

  “Number Four, remember? Number Three spouted Biblical sayings.”

  A reporter and his cameraman pushed their way between the two, cutting off their conversation and sending Milla off-balance. When her pregnant sister wobbled, Trudy grabbed her arm and steadied her, then pushed back against the crowd to give Milla more room. She waved the cameraman onward, but a flash went off in front of them in a blinding light.

  Her chest clenched and her jaw slammed shut. Blasted photographers. Three years ago a client with a camera had harmed her career and left her emotionally reeling. She hated the lot of them. “Can’t you guys give us some space?” she ground out and glared. The photographer, a young man with a press ID around his neck, held up a hand and backed off.

  “I’m fine,” Milla said, now balanced on two feet.

  Relieved her sister was safe, Trudy let go of Milla’s arm, but the crowd shifted and pressed in tight. Too tight. The grape squished between her boobs. Gross. “Bathroom, Mill
a,” she said. She had to get rid of the annoying fruit, and fast. Because if that wretched thing stayed stuck in her cleavage for one moment longer, she’d have to introduce herself with jelly in her cleavage.

  Definitely not how one became a world-famous artist’s new muse.

  * * *

  Mac Johns leaned over the wrought-iron balcony above the gathered crowd. He looked down to the floor below, tracking the redhead’s steps as she stomped toward the bathroom. Aww, how adorable. Her pissed-off expression was the cutest attempt at fierce he’d ever seen.

  Next to him, his friend Remy Toussaint waved a hand in front of his face. “Stop drooling at the redhead down there and hand over the money.”

  “You’re a sheriff,” Mac said, tipping his head in Remy’s direction but keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the gorgeous woman with the flaming red hair he’d mentally named Red Hot. “Isn’t gambling illegal in California? Shouldn’t you arrest yourself?”

  “We’re not in Deloro County, so I’m outside my jurisdiction and therefore off duty. Now pay up.”

  “Crap.” He’d been so certain Red Hot would pull that grape out right there in the middle of the crowd, and that he would’ve liked to see. He put his glass of champagne down on the balustrade, fumbled in his pocket, then pulled out a wad of cash. He peeled off a hundred-dollar bill and then handed it to his friend with a resigned shrug. “God she’s cute. Even with that lovely don’t-fuck-with-me look.”

  “Not an uncommon expression among women in your vicinity.” Remy shoved the money into his jacket pocket. “She was sexy, for sure. But there was something…” He paused, then said, “She remind you of anybody?”