“I’ll coach you.”
“Really?” Slowly, she sank back down.
If she failed, he would have himself to blame. That only added to the cost. But if life had doled him out his share of tragedy, it had also given him broad shoulders. And the hope in her eyes was worth missing a few meetings. Even having to face a life without her, if that’s what it took to make her happy.
“It would mean so much to me, Heath.”
“I’m not gonna lie. It’s going to be tough.”
Poppy threw her arms around him, catching him off guard.
Behind her, his hands hovered inches over her back while his preganglionic sympathetic nerves released acetylcholine, speeding up his heart rate, stirring stagnant blood, and tightening his muscles in the textbook “fight or flight” response.
“Stay and love” had never been one of the options.
Tentatively, his palms came down on her silky hair. Her sweet, tart scent filled his senses...her body was warm and lithe, pressed up against his.
It wasn’t the raw, sensual attraction itself that terrified him. He might be a klutz at cocktail parties, but he didn’t need the lights on to find his way around the bedroom.
It was that these were Poppy’s arms gripping him in a stranglehold...little Poppy, who had talked his ear off after school at her parents’ café until his dad got home from work.
Poppy, whose incessant chatter at the science club meetings his dad insisted they invite her to in return made everyone lose track of their experiments.
She pulled back until her hands rested on his shoulders.
“How soon can you do a mock tasting?”
It took him a second to remember what they were there for.
“What about that reunion meeting next week? You told Demi you already got the job. How are you going to fix that?”
Poppy’s hands slid into her lap, leaving him feeling relieved and at the same time, robbed of something priceless.
“I got a little carried away there, didn’t I?” She laughed drily. “I figure the best thing to do is dial it back a bit—admit to Demi the fact that I have to take a little test as a requirement for the new job. I don’t have to add that I happen to be scared out of my mind about it.”
“Watch out. Demi Barnes is a ballbuster.”
But Poppy was already on her feet, her usual, sunny grin restored. “Thankfully, most people aren’t like Demi. I’m hoping there’ll be some friendly faces on the reunion committee.”
Heath wasn’t nearly as optimistic as she was. But then, who was? “Just saying. Be careful, and don’t let anything Demi says bother you. You’re smarter than you think.”
She put one foot below the other as she climbed down the ladder with the burden of her satchel. Despite her disability, she was so bold, so brave.
“Careful,” he called, wishing he could wrap her in a cocoon of protection wherever she went.
Watching her shoes stir up the new-fallen leaves as she made her way back up the path, his heart squeezed. Poppy had always been there for him. He would do whatever he could to help her pass this test, even if it meant losing the best friend he’d ever had.
A TASTE OF CHARDONNAY
Join author Heather Heyford as she uncorks a sparkling new series following the St. Pierre sisters, heiresses to a Napa wine fortune who are toasting the good life and are thirsty for love…
Chardonnay St. Pierre’s father is as infamous for his scandals as he is famous for his wine, and it’s up to Char to restore the family name. The Challenge, an elite charity competition held in Napa, seems like the perfect opportunity for the socialite to cement her image as a philanthropist. But all eyes—including Char’s—are on the Hollywood heartthrob who’s also entered the race…
Long before his face was splashed across the gossip magazines, Ryder McBride grew up in a working-class family in Napa. He knows all about the St. Pierre sisters and their notorious father, and when he learns he’ll be up against Char in The Challenge, he assumes the grape doesn’t fall far from the vine. But the more they get to know one another, the more they begin to realize that nothing pairs better with a heated rivalry than a healthy pour of flirtation…
A TASTE OF MERLOT
Raise your glass and join Heather Heyford as she pours a second serving in her series following these headstrong wine heiresses in their quest to strike out on their own…
Merlot St. Pierre is struggling to break free from her family name. Her college classmates whisper behind her back that her passion for jewelry design is little more than a hobby, since she’ll always have her father’s fortune. But Meri is determined to prove them wrong, and with the help of a handsome jewelry buyer, she just may taste her first sip of success—as long as she can hide who she really is…
Mark Newman’s family owns a chain of high-end jewelry stores, and he’s working hard to get out from under his aunt’s thumb and prove he has a good eye and a head for business. He’s certain Meri’s designs could be the next big thing, but he’ll have to convince her that she can use her famous last name to her advantage. As their business partnership takes root, an attraction begins to flourish—but they’ll both find that love, like wine, takes time to perfect…
A TASTE OF SAUVIGNON
Join Heather Heyford as she returns to Napa for a third taste in her series following three wine heiresses, each as vibrant and unique as the grapes for which they were named…
Sauvignon St. Pierre has always been fiercely ambitious. She easily could’ve cashed in on her family’s fortune, but instead she struck out on her own, breezed through law school, and landed a job at a small firm in Napa. Savvy’s life is as tidy and straightforward as her sizable collection of little black dresses, and she likes it that way—but every now and then, she can’t help but long for her first sip of love…
After a chance encounter with Esteban Morales, the caliente son of Papa St. Pierre’s long-time rival, something inside Savvy wakes up. It could be that Esteban’s interest in cultivating lavender appeals to her passion for perfumery. But there’s something else about the charming but down-to-earth farmer that she simply can’t resist. They both know their families are an unlikely pairing, but together, Savvy and Esteban just may be the ideal varietals for a perfect blend…
A TASTE OF SAKE
As author Heather Heyford pours a final glass in her series following three Napa wine heiresses, a newcomer must work her way into a tightly-knit family whose bond has been fermenting for years…
Though they each have their own ambitions and are known to be competitive—even with one another—the St. Pierre sisters are fiercely loyal. Chardonnay and Merlot are thrilled about Sauvignon’s wedding day, and it’s slated to be the soirée of the decade among Napa’s most elite residents. Given the family’s notoriety, it almost stands to reason that their eccentric father, Xavier, would arrive by helicopter. But no one could have anticipated the wedding surprise he’d brought along with him…
The product of one of Xavier’s many affairs, Sake is introduced as the half-Japanese sister the St. Pierre girls never knew they had. She struggles to break into clique-ish Napa society—and getting in with her sisters is proving more difficult than nabbing a ’74 Cabernet. It seems only high-end realtor Bill Diamond can tell there’s more to Sake than meets the eye. Afraid of repeating her mother’s mistakes, Sake just hopes that getting drunk on love won’t leave her with a hangover of rejection…
Meet the Author
Heather Heyford learned to walk and talk in Texas, then moved to England. (“Y’all want some scones?”) While in Europe, Heather was forced by her cruel parents to spend Saturdays in the leopard vinyl back seat of their Peugeot, motoring from one medieval pile to the next for the lame purpose of “learning something.” What she soon learned was how to allay the boredom by stashing a Cosmo under the seat. Now a recovering teacher, Heather writes romance
novels set in the wine country. She is represented by the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
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