Love Uncorked

by Conner, Jennifer

  Love Uncorked

  The Love List Story 1

  Jennifer Conner

  Love Uncorked

  A Books to Go Now Publication

  Copyright © Jennifer Conner 2014

  Books to Go Now

  For information on the cover illustration and design, contact bookstogonow@gmail.com

  The Cover shot of Kinsale was one of my own pictures from our trip there.

  First eBook Edition August 2014

  Also Published on Smashwords

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  If you are interested in purchasing more works of this nature, please stop by

  www.bookstogonow.com

  Novels

  Shot in the Dark

  Kilt by Love

  Please look for Jennifer Conner’s other short stories

  Sweet Romances

  Christmas Dog Tails

  Christmas at Central Bark

  Christmas Gift that Keeps Wagging

  Dog Tags for Christmas

  Love Comes for Valentine’s Day

  Love Comes for Saint Patrick’s Day

  Love Comes for the 4th of July

  Love Comes for Halloween

  I Hear Angels

  Brewing up Some Love

  Valentine Surprise

  Cupcakes and Cupids

  Christmas Chaos

  The Christmas Horse

  All I Want for Christmas is You

  All I Want for Christmas is You

  Weddings First Chance

  Sexy Romances

  In Love With Santa

  The Music of Christmas

  Make Me Burn

  Winner Takes All

  Valentine Encounter

  New Year Resolution

  Christmas with Carol

  Auld Lang Sigh

  Rush of Love

  Fields of Gold

  The Music of Christmas

  Historical

  The Duke and the Lost Night

  The Wounded Nobleman

  The Reluctant Heir

  Redemption for a Rogue

  Time Travel

  I’ll be Seeing You Through Time

  Walk with me Through Time

  Anthologies

  A Christmas Kiss is on the List Anthology

  Love in TIme for Christmas Anthology

  Christmas Romance (Best of Christmas Romances 2013) Anthology

  Love Under the Christmas Tree Anthology

  The Mobile Mistletoe Boxed Set

  The Regimental Heroes Boxed Set

  Yours for Christmas Anthology

  Valentine’s Say I Love You

  Chapter One

  Tegan Taylor slid a chunk of dark chocolate off the tray, stuffed it in her mouth and washed it down with a large swig of wine. “Ladies, I have a proposition.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve had enough wine for this,” Chloe said, but leaned forward to listen.

  “We’ve been meeting for over six months. Our little club started as a place for singles to meet, that’s why we all showed up the first time. Now, to save face it’s morphed into the Tuesday Night Book Club. We’ve never finished a book that we suggested, so I’m not sure if this name works either.”

  “I read one of the books,” Becca said. “It was the one about the woman… who had that goat and…” her voice trailed.

  “Nice try, but as I said,” Tegan continued, “None of us have finished any of the books. I propose we change the name again, this time to The Love List. Mind you, it will say Tuesday Book Club on the sign, but we need to figure out a way to bring some eligible men into our lives. I’m going to have each of you put your wine soaked brains together. Think of at least two men in your life that might be a good suit for one of us. We’ve mulled this around before, but let’s get serious.”

  “This is kinda creepy,” Chloe said.

  “No creepier than the guys who were at the karaoke bar we were at last Friday. I bet there are body parts wrapped up in those guys freezers, along with a year’s supply of corn dogs. Fingers or hot dogs, we may never know.” Laura wiggled her brows.

  “Do you have a better idea?” Tegan glared at Laura. “Listen, love—most of the time— starts as friendship, so what better way to meet a man than someone the three of you already know. They would have to be nice guys if they are your friends, but just not men you would think of romantically.”

  Becca hesitated. “I’m not sure,”

  “We have to think out-of-the-box.” Being the owner of the wine shop, Tegan rarely drank. But tonight she’d had a few glasses and the wine made her a little tipsy. She picked up a blank pad of paper, ripped off a sheet and then tore it into strips. “It’s not like it’s a test, girls, don’t look so glum. Just try and think of a friend, co-worker, or relative whose single, bats for our team, and has all his front teeth. After karaoke night, I guess we need to add, no body parts in their freezer. Come on, it shouldn’t be that difficult.”

  “What if we pick a guy, you go out with him, and it’s a disaster?” Laura asked.

  “It’s just a list, it doesn’t mean that we have to marry the guy after the first date. We can’t hold each other responsible.”

  “Your last date was with Todd four months ago. But, we’ve all had a chain of failed romances that only tend to last a few months,” Becca complained, then slid another slice of cheese off the plate and paired it with a cracker. “Why did you come up with this idea all of a sudden?”

  “I have a big winery event coming up in a week and a half. I’ve spent the last two years going it alone.” Tegan swirled the dark cabernet in her glass. She didn’t want to admit that it also had to do with the fact she was lonely. She was tired of coming home to an empty house and sharing her day with her dog. He was a good listener, but it wasn’t the same. “I want to have someone lined up to take me. You know, pick me up at my door, drive me there, and offer his arm when we walk in… all that girly stuff I usually don’t care about.”

  “Makes total sense to me,” Becca said with a sigh. “Being single stinks when there’s a social event.”

  “My mom and dad are heading back to town for the Wine in Washington dinner. They’ll be here in a few days. For the past two years, instead of enjoying the dinner, dad spends the evening trying to match me with every guy there. It makes my hair curl. I want to be in charge of my own man-picking or at least avoid another rotten year of Dad’s ‘fix Tegan up with Mr. Right.’”

  “I thought of someone. I’ll go first.” Chloe snatched a strip of paper and a pen. “There’s this guy I met at the Desert Wind Winery. He’s really friendly. He’s not my type, but I think he’s single. None of you know him, so you’ll have to take my word for it.” She dropped the paper in the basket.

  Tegan thought of her pick. She’d been thinking about this all day. It was difficult to think of someone who could be a good fit for her friends. She had it narrowed down to three, but Roy Tyson beat out her other choices.

  She straightened the strip of paper on a magazine on her lap and jotted down his name. Folding it in half, she dropped it in the basket.

  After all the wo
men wrote down their choices, Tegan shook the basket. “Who wants to go first? Let’s wait until all of us have a piece of paper and then we’ll open them at the same time. That way, if one of us gets the name we put down, then we can draw again.”

  The others nodded in agreement and each selected a name.

  “Okay, on the count of three, open them. One. Two. Three.” Tegan unfolded the paper and said, “I chose Richard.”

  “Yeah!” Chloe clapped here hands. “That was my choice. You guys are going to be great together. I’ll see him tomorrow and tell him that I’m sending you out to Desert Wind Winery to meet him. I’ll make up some story so it doesn’t seem like the setup it is.”

  “I have Tanner Chase,” Becca said. “I met him at a Rotary function. Isn’t he a firefighter?”

  “Indeed he is.” Laura grinned. “We went out on a date a few months ago. It didn’t progress past a first kiss, but we’ve stayed friends and we hang out and go bowling or to a movie. He’s a nice guy too.”

  “I picked Roy Tyson,” Chloe said. “Who’s he?”

  “I’ve known him for over twenty years, we grew up together. He lived just down the street,” Tegan said. “He runs Roy’s Pet Rescues, and he owns his own home. I think of him as a second big brother, so I can’t look at him romantically, but I’ve heard other women say he’s cute. He told me he wanted to find someone special in his life. Maybe you might just fit the bill.” She winked and Chloe blushed.

  “I doubt that. But it would be fun to go on a date,” Chloe said and she stuffed more cheese and crackers in her mouth.

  “Who’d you pick Laura?”

  “Travis Jerome.”

  “Oh, that was my pick.” Becca said, “He’s a really great guy too. He moved back to Vine Grove about six months ago. He moved here from Seattle… he’s looking for work right now, but he’ll find something soon. He’s really friendly and nice.”

  Tegan lifted her glass. “Here’s to new adventures. That’s what life’s about. This may work, or it may not, but hey, at least we tried.”

  They each took a drink of wine to seal the deal.

  Chapter Two

  Tegan yawned. She’d had a difficult time sleeping as she lay awake and thought about what she was going to say to Richard. How do you tactfully ask a guy out on a date? She had a completely new respect for men, it was tough. The hours at the shop ground by at a snail’s pace. Tegan tried to keep her mind from wandering in the last two hours as she listened to Mrs. Macintyre’s ‘family of horror’ stories.

  Tegan realized Vine Grove was like living in a glass house. Everyone knew everyone else’s business, or at least felt compelled to share their deep dark secrets. She was exhausted and wished her morning latte had been a triple shot.

  “Really? I can’t believe your daughter wants to marry a neo-Nazi from Idaho and join a biker gang,” Tegan replied. How were you supposed to answer a statement like that other than ask, “When’s the wedding?”

  “Well.” Mrs. Macintyre harrumphed. “I have Sheriff Brown looking into Axel’s past to find out if he has a criminal record or warrants. I’m hoping Brown does discover something, and I can persuade Suzie to call it off.” She sighed. “But then the baby wouldn’t have a father. I half expect my grandchild to come out pre-tattooed, just like Daddy.”

  Tegan knew her mouth had dropped open and forced it closed. Vine Grove wasn’t that small of a town, but right now, it sounded like they could host a Jerry Springer. She looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. “Is there anything else you need or can I ring this up for you?”

  “I can’t believe I’ve been here this long. I’m so sorry to have kept you. I bet you want to go home.” Mrs. Macintyre rifled through her purse and then handed Tegan her debit card. She always bought twenty to thirty dollars’ worth of merchandise, Tegan couldn’t very well ask her to leave. That would be rude. When her father was the owner of the wine shop, he would make an excuse to close the store early and push Mrs. Macintyre out on the porch. Tegan fought to change the local’s unfriendly view of the shop. If a customer wasn’t a tourist, she needed to be polite to keep the locals coming in through the off season, even if that meant two hours of brain-sucking time with Mrs. Macintyre.

  The past twenty years when her parents owned the shop, they somehow got by with her dad’s grumpy persona and kept the place open. But with the wine business in Eastern Washington increasing by four hundred percent, the wine shop’s business boomed. Tiring of the grind, her parents gave her the shop and then retired to Arizona.

  “Thanks for always letting me come in and chitchat,” Mrs. Macintyre said as she tucked her debit card back in her orange vinyl purse. “I can’t really discuss family things with the ladies at bingo or church. They always have the opinion that Harold and I did something wrong while raising Suzie.” She looked like she was going to cry.

  “That’s not true,” Tegan said, and softened the tone of her voice, as she laid a hand on the woman’s arm. “I’ve been to your house a dozen times. You and Harold are great parents. Suzie always struck me as wanting adventure. She’s a grown woman and in love. Give her time to figure it out. Maybe Axel’s not that bad. There must be something she sees that’s positive about him?”

  “You never know where you’ll find love,” Mrs. Macintyre said and wiped her nose.

  Tegan nodded because she was out of advice. When it came to love, she had no idea what to say. She’d never been in love.

  She walked Mrs. Macintyre out the front door and turned the sign in the front window to Closed. She waited until the woman made it to her car, started the engine and pulled out of the lot. It was difficult to spend so much time with Mrs. Macintyre every week, but the woman sounded like she needed a friend, and Tegan, as she thought more about it, was glad she came to her for the support she needed. Everyone needs friends and some just weren’t as lucky to have the friends she had. Tegan’s support came from the women of the Tuesday Night Book Club who she now considered to be her best friends.

  That was golden.

  The ladies book club was a great idea, But whose dumb idea was this Love List anyway… oh yeah, hers. Chloe called her a few hours earlier and told Tegan that she’d made up a story to tell Richard about her needing to order a few cases of wine for the shop.

  Since this was her idea, she needed to follow though and not chicken out. Tegan wandered through the floor displays of Que Syrah Syrah that held everything from cute wine glass sets to scarves and earrings. She loved her shop. This was her ‘safe zone’, but leaving here and heading out to the Desert Wind Winery wasn’t. But, she’d put on a brave face, stop for more coffee and she might even put on lipstick.

  Chloe told her that Richard would be there until six. If she timed it right, she’d get there right before he left for the evening. She had an hour to think of what the heck she would say when she finally met him.

  Chapter Three

  Tegan turned off the main road and drove down the half-mile long gravel road that led to The Desert Wind Winery. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She told herself she was keeping time with the music on her MP3 player, but it was really from nerves.

  She’d thought of a bunch of ways to just come out and ask Richard about going to the wine function with her. “There’s this dinner next week and I was wondering if you have the evening free…” She put on what she hoped was a sweet smile. Tegan inspected her smile in the rear view mirror to see if there was lipstick on her teeth.

  When she looked back to the road, a flock of chickens appeared out of nowhere. Tegan cried out. To avoid hitting them, she cranked the wheel to the right and her car veered onto the gravel. She slammed her foot on the brakes and the rear tires fishtailed, before the car finally stuttered at an angle to a stop.

  She let out a sigh and tried to calm her thundering heart as she turned off the music and sat in silence. Finally, she put the car in gear and stepped on the gas. The tires spun, but she didn’t move forward.

  “Damn
,” she muttered. She rolled down the window, stuck her head out, and peered behind her. The driver’s side tire was stuck in loose dirt in a shallow ditch. She tried again and put the car in gear, but there was only a large plume of dust as the tires spun.

  She opened the door and stepped out. Surveying the tire, she could see that she was definitely immovable.

  Tegan ducked in the open driver’s side door to grab her cell. When she straightened, a tall man stood beside her. She let out a squeak of surprise. She hadn’t heard him approach.

  “Sorry, miss. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He pushed his cowboy hat to the back of his head. “I was trimming some vines in the orchard when I heard your car spin out on the gravel. I wanted to make sure everyone was alright,” the man said in a thick Australian accent.

  “I’m fine. I was trying to avoid the chickens in the middle of the road.”

  “They do have a tendency to get in the way.” He removed a handkerchief and wiped sweat from his brow before stuffing it in his pocket. “I’ve almost hit them a few times myself.”

  “Why are there chickens in the middle of a vineyard?” Tegan asked.

  “They’re free-range chickens.” He grinned and scratched his beard.

  “Obviously… though it still doesn’t make sense.” She looked down at the time on her phone. She was going to be late to meet Richard. “My car’s stuck, and I have an appointment at the winery. If you’ll excuse me, I need to call a tow truck.”

  “It will take an hour… maybe two, to get a tow truck out here.” He walked around checked the tire. “If you get in and hit the gas when I tell you, I’ll try to push and then lift the bumper.”

  “Do you think that will work?”

  “Why not? My chickens caused the problem.” He moved to the rear of the car. “Wait until I say ‘go’.”

  She got in. When he called out, she hit the accelerator. She felt the car shift and then pop onto the road.

  Tegan let out a sign of relief. She lowered her window. “Thanks for your help. That was much quicker than calling a tow truck.”

  “No worries,” he said.

  As she drove off, the farmer waved and then disappeared into the vineyard.