Secret Blend (Bourbon Springs Book 1)

by Jennifer Bramseth

  “You idiot, I’m not the reason you won,” CiCi countered, shaking her head. “Maybe I did help a little. Maybe. But you won the race because of those things you said, because you told the truth, and people knew it. They finally saw that you’re the good man everyone in the courthouse knows you are and that you’re a damn fine judge on top of that. No, Brady, I didn’t win this election. You did. This belongs to you—and Rachel,” she said.

  “Why isn’t every single man in Craig County breaking your door down?” he joked. “They have no idea what they’re missing.”

  “I never saw you come sniffing around,” she countered, laughing.

  Brady shot a look at Rachel. “Maybe I always knew that my interests were going to be elsewhere,” he said.

  CiCi patted his hand. “Congratulations,” she said in a soft voice, and paused. “I wonder how Hannah is taking this,” she said, and left the table.

  It was the first time the thought entered Rachel’s mind. Hannah had lost, and she must have been expecting to win. Despite the relief she felt at Brady’s election—which resolved so many of their problems about how they could be together in the future—a part of her still ached for the loss of her friend and the sadness she knew that Hannah must be experiencing at that very moment.

  Rachel knew that the distillery was Hannah’s announced site to watch the returns, and it was only a few miles up the road. But Rachel doubted that her presence, and especially Brady’s, would be welcomed there that night.

  “Think I should call her? Or text?” Rachel asked Brady.

  “If you were Hannah, would you want to hear from us?” he asked.

  Rachel couldn’t honestly tell him yes.

  By Thanksgiving, the excitement of the election had dissipated, and Rachel and Brady had settled into a contented pattern of work and life. No longer constrained by fears of discovery or the perceptions of the public, Rachel began spending more time at Brady’s house a few blocks south of the courthouse. It was particularly nice to be able to go to Brady’s place during lunch to have some time alone. On more than one occasion they were unable to keep their hands off each other and wound up having a quick but intense lovemaking session. Brady usually initiated these trysts; she’d noticed his sexual appetite had markedly increased (if that had been possible) since he had been elected. But she didn’t complain about his way to celebrate victory. It was sometimes hard to disguise their satiated states when they returned to the courthouse, and Rachel noticed Sherry giving her knowing little looks a few times after lunch.

  Other than the holidays, one thing they were both looking forward to was the unveiling of the portrait of a late, beloved judge from Craig County. This was the event for which Justice Nolan would be visiting their humble little town, and they were both excited.

  The morning of the unveiling was a gray early December day with snow flurries swirling in the sky. It was not enough snow to stick to the roads or vehicles, but it was sufficient to be annoying and cause visibility problems. Rachel was a few minutes late to work; it was a little tricky to navigate some of the country roads leading into Bourbon Springs from her house. But to her surprise that morning, she’d beaten Brady to work, and he only had a five-minute walk.

  “Where’s Brady?” Rachel asked Sherry when she arrived.

  “Thought you’d know better than anyone,” Sherry retorted.

  “Ha, ha,” Rachel mocked. “No, I don’t know why he’s late today. Of all days to be late, too. Our old boss is coming to our little corner of the world and I know he wanted to put his best foot forward,” she said, and went into her office.

  Brady arrived about half an hour late and was exceptionally agitated and nervous that morning. When Rachel asked him what was wrong, he told her his hot water heater broke and taking a cold shower had not been a pleasant way to start the day.

  He did have some brief court business to attend to that morning, a pretrial conference in chambers. Brady was happy to have them now since the attorneys no longer treated him like someone who was only keeping the bench warm for Hannah. The lawyers had become just a shade more respectful and he was happily setting trial dates far into the next year.

  About ten minutes before the unveiling was scheduled to begin, Justice Nolan had not arrived. Brady was standing in the reception area with Rachel, fretfully fidgeting, smoothing back his hair, and checking his new black suit for any traces of lint. Rachel had prevailed upon him to do a little shopping, and he had relented and purchased some new suits for himself after the election during a shopping excursion in Lexington.

  She adjusted his dark red tie. “You look really nice.”

  “Likewise,” he said breathlessly, his eyes sweeping over her.

  She was wearing a deep red dress with long sleeves and a hemline hitting at the knee. While the neckline was high, the dress was form-fitting and showed off her figure quite well. He kissed her, looked at his watch, and suggested they go on into the courtroom to await Justice Nolan.

  When Rachel reached for her robe on the coat rack, Brady had to remind her that they weren’t going into open court. This was just an event.

  “Besides,” he said as he reached for the courtroom door, “it would be a crime to cover you up the way you look today.”

  Rachel opened her mouth to respond as the front door to their chambers opened.

  It was Hannah.

  She was dressed in a simple black suit and low-heeled pumps, and her expression matched her somewhat funereal garb. Hannah fiddled with the gloves she held in her hand and her lower lip was quivering.

  “I just wanted to come in really fast before the unveiling,” Hannah said as the words spilled out in a tumble of agitation. “I—I wanted to say congratulations and I’m sorry about Marie.” Hannah stopped, swallowed and shut her eyes. “And I’m sorry for everything,” she whispered, choking back tears. “Damn, I didn’t want to cry.”

  Rachel went to her at once but Hannah pushed her away.

  “This is all I can handle right now. I’m sorry,” she said, breathing deeply. Hannah then turned abruptly and left, leaving Rachel on the verge of tears.

  Brady pulled her to him and toward the courtroom door.

  “It’s a start, isn’t it?” he said as he rubbed Rachel’s back. “Things will mend with time.”

  “I hope so,” Rachel said in a strained voice as they entered the courtroom together.

  The small gallery of the courtroom was full, and nearly every lawyer in Bourbon Springs was present, along with a few state and local officials. Brady spotted several of the clerks in the audience, including CiCi, and saw Hannah arrive and take a seat. Brady noticed that Kyle hadn’t taken his eyes off Hannah since she entered the courtroom. There was trouble waiting to happen, Brady feared.

  Justice Nolan was only five minutes late but full of apologies. Sheriff Sammons himself led her into the courtroom and toward Brady and Rachel and the still-covered portrait. After hugs and quick greetings, Brady went to a small lectern placed in the middle of the courtroom and directly in front of the bench. He gave some introductory remarks and then Justice Nolan took to the lectern, with Brady and Rachel taking up positions on opposite sides of the portrait in preparation for the unveiling. After Justice Nolan presented a little speech full of reminiscences about the subject of the portrait, she gave the signal and Rachel pulled the covering off the portrait. A smattering of applause rippled through the courtroom.

  “I think Judge Craft has something to say before we leave today,” Justice Nolan said, and moved aside for Brady.

  Brady approached the lectern and briefly glanced at Rachel, who was staring at him with curiosity. After greeting and thanking the attendees for their presence, Brady licked his lips, took a deep breath, and gripped the sides of the small lectern, causing it to wobble a little on the dull-colored carpet.

  “As many of you know,” he began, “Several weeks ago, I was taken hostage by a litigant in this very courtroom,” Brady said, and gestured vaguely around him. “An
d it just so happens that the experience was recorded by the courtroom recording system.”

  He paused and smiled, and a few titters of laughter rippled through the gallery. He caught CiCi’s eye and saw her smiling.

  “If you’ve seen that video, and I suspect everyone in this room has, you’re no doubt aware that I professed my love for this woman,” and he gestured to Rachel who was standing behind him and to his left. She remained in the same spot as when the portrait had been unveiled.

  Brady turned to Rachel and looked straight at her.

  “And nothing I said that day has changed nor will it ever change,” he said. “I would take back nothing. Not one word.” Brady took a few steps toward Rachel as he enjoyed the look of shock on her face. “So since everyone saw my heartfelt confessions, it seemed only right that people got to see this part of the story. People just have to know how a story ends.”

  Brady positioned himself squarely in front of Rachel. He lingered a moment to savor the look of enraptured love she was giving him, took her right hand in his left, and dropped to one knee before her.

  “Rachel Richards, will you marry me?”

  A gasp went up from the crowd, and then silence fell as all waited on her answer.

  Brady saw Rachel swallow, and he could see her whole body trembling. She was smiling at him, and, it seemed, struggling to control her emotions.

  Taking a deep breath and putting her free hand on his cheek, Rachel answered.

  “Yes.”

  The gallery erupted into applause as Brady, not missing a beat, reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a small box. He popped it open, held it in front of her, and presented the contents for inspection.

  Inside, a two-carat, marquise-shaped solitaire was nestled amidst a cocoon of garnet-colored velvet.

  Rachel gaped as Brady reached for her left hand and slipped the ring on his fiancée’s finger. He rose to his feet and was pulled into a kiss that was so fierce Brady feared he would get visibly aroused.

  That definitely wasn’t part of the story he wanted to share with the world.

  Justice Nolan dismissed the crowd and a few well-wishers started to make their way to the newly-engaged couple. After congratulations from Justice Nolan, CiCi was next.

  “Wow!” she exclaimed and threw her arms around Rachel, then Brady. “You sure know how to top yourself!” she said to him.

  “Yeah, you’ve raised the bar pretty damned high for the rest of us poor slobs.”

  Rachel turned to see Kyle standing behind CiCi. Kyle shook Brady’s proffered hand and pulled Rachel into a quick hug.

  “Is Hannah still here?” Rachel asked the sheriff, scanning the crowd.

  “I’m sorry, judge, but she left,” Kyle told her.

  Rachel’s face fell.

  “Who left?” CiCi asked, looking behind her to the emptying courtroom.

  “Hannah,” Kyle revealed. “I tried to stop her, but she just jerked her arm away from me and ran out of the courtroom. She left when Brady got down on one knee.”

  CiCi and Kyle fell into conversation with Justice Nolan and some of the clerks, and Brady pulled Rachel to him.

  “You know, we could get married today, if you want,” he said.

  “Today?”

  “Sure,” he said. “We can go across the street to the county clerk’s office and get a marriage license and Justice Nolan could marry us right now.”

  “Aren’t you the eager beaver?” she teased.

  “You bet I am,” he said, and moved against her in such a way that there was no possibility that she could fail to feel his arousal.

  “Then I think it will be fun to make you wait, Judge Craft,” she teased. “Besides, I want a wedding ceremony. Not big, but something more than heading over to the county clerk’s office today. I want my parents there, as well as friends.”

  He nodded. “Understood.”

  “And I want the time to plan a nice honeymoon,” she added.

  “I like the sound of that,” he said with a big smile. “That’s a definite advantage to a more planned event.”

  “And maybe I can find us a place where we have our own private pool?” she suggested.

  “I thought we already had one of those,” he said, and leered. “Although we’ll have to wait until next spring to enjoy all the delights of yours.”

  “Well, what about our own secluded woods? Bench included?”

  “All I need is place to be with you where I don’t have to be a gentleman,” he teased.

  “Then why don’t you take me home right now?” she whispered, calling him on his boast.

  “Good idea,” he agreed with a nod.

  Then he picked Rachel up and flung her over his shoulder, something he had never done nor even attempted to do.

  Ignoring the chatter and laughter of the people remaining in the courtroom, she let out a squeal of protest.

  “Brady! We’re still in the courtroom! Still gotta be a gentleman!” she giggled, slapping his back with the palm of one hand.

  “No harm in getting a head start on not being one,” he said, and pushed through the remaining crowd and out of the courtroom.

  THE END

  Hello there! Thanks for reading my book. I am honored that you read it and certainly hope you enjoyed it! I had a great time writing it, as I did the whole Bourbon Springs Series.

  So if you’ve made it this far, I guess I did something you like—so may I ask a favor or two?

  First, I’ll give you a FREE electronic advance review copy of the next Bourbon Springs book, FILTERED THROUGH BLUE (Bourbon Springs Book #2), if you email me a link to where you left a review of SECRET BLEND. Leave a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, or another site, and send me the link, and email the book to you.

  You get the first chapter of FILTERED THROUGH BLUE to read below, so you’ll get a taste of it. This book is about Hannah Davenport, Rachel’s ex-best friend (and future??—read and find out), and Craig County Sheriff Kyle Sammons.

  Hannah’s quite the conflicted character, isn’t she? Acts horribly to Rachel, then manages to save Brady from that crazy dude in the courtroom with her brilliant idea. You’ll learn a lot more about her in FILTERED THROUGH BLUE.

  Interested yet? Email me at jenniferbramseth@gmail.com and I’ll get a FREE advance review copy to you. I will request that you leave a review for the book when it goes live, and I’ll (try to remember to) email you when that happens so you can post a review if you wish.

  NOTE: the offer of a free ARC outlined above is only good up to the date of publication. After it goes live, no ARC will be available. FILTERED THROUGH BLUE is scheduled for release on June 14, 2015.

  Second thing: if you sign up for my mailing list, I’ll give you a FREE short story about Rachel and Brady. This story occurs about a week or so after the end of SECRET BLEND, so it is a nice continuation of their love story and bridges their story to the next book, FILTERED THROUGH BLUE. Yes, the story is steamy. Or, rather, saucy. If you get the story, you’ll understand my meaning. The story is around 11,500 words. The story also contains my short description of going to tour a cooperage (place where they make barrels) and a small craft distillery.

  If you found typos in this book, I apologize. This work was professionally edited, but typos and goofs happen. If you found typos, I would appreciate it if you could email at jenniferbramseth@gmail.com and tell me about them so other readers won’t have to see them. I will acknowledge your assistance in edited and corrected editions of this book (if you’d like me to do that).

  Find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Tsu

  Sign up for my mailing list! (and get the free story—electronic copy!)

  Email me at jenniferbramseth@gmail.com

  www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Bramseth

  http://www.tsu.jennbramseth

  Twitter: @jennbramseth

  My Amazon author page

  Goodreads

  Find my Pinterest board for this book—see the series logo, logos for Over a B
arrel, Old Garnet, and lots more

  Bourbon Springs is a small town with a lot of big-hearted, fun, and sexy characters. In order, the books will be:

  SECRET BLEND

  (Bourbon Springs Book #1—Rachel and Brady)

  FILTERED THROUGH BLUE

  (Bourbon Springs Book #2—Hannah and Kyle)

  ANGELS’ SHARE

  (Bourbon Springs Book #3—Lila and Bo)

  DISTILLER’S CHOICE

  (Bourbon Springs Book #4—CiCi and Walker)

  CEDAR AND CINNAMON

  (Bourbon Springs Book #5—Harriet and Goose)

  DISTILLED HEAT

  (Bourbon Springs Book #6—Pepper and Jon)

  BOTTLED BLUEGRASS

  (Bourbon Springs Book #7—Jorrie and Mack)

  TOAST AND CHAR

  (Bourbon Springs Book #8—Miranda and Prent)

  WATER OF LIFE

  (Bourbon Springs Book #9—Cara and Drake)

  The books are written, but in the editing process. I can’t say how long it will take to edit these books, but, again, the writing is done. The stories are there—and there is always a happy ending.

  I made a deliberate choice to write these books all at once (yeah, that did take a while) to make sure the story—all the characters’ stories—were there before I tried to pull in readers. I didn’t want to make a promise (more books) and not be able to follow through without delivering on it. And I wanted to create a full world—the world of Bourbon Springs, Kentucky, and the Old Garnet Distillery, in the Land of Bourbon and Bluegrass.

  If you read on beyond the sample chapter, you’ll learn more about a few things which I hope will enhance your enjoyment of these books: the distilleries I visited when I was writing these books, a bit about Kentucky, and a few “Easter Egg” surprises (including hidden meanings behind names and a music playlist).