Feels Like Home

by Beth Andrews

  “I was your wife.”

  Aidan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Was being the operative word.”

  Her heart pounded so hard, Yvonne was sure he could see it fluttering the ruffles on her shirt. “Wife being the important one. I just want to make sure we can work together.”

  “You really don’t know why my mother hired you, do you?”

  Suddenly uneasy, she kept any hint of it out of her tone as she said, “She hired me to plan her wedding. And because the Diamond Dust needs someone to help coordinate events.”

  “First of all, we only decided to start hosting events Sunday night—and before you start counting, that was only three days ago. And, out of all the events coordinators in the South, she hired you. It never occurred to you to wonder why?”

  Yvonne brushed a piece of dog hair off her skirt. “She needed someone with experience. Someone willing to relocate—”

  “She hired you,” he said flatly, “because she thinks if we work together, if you’re back in Jewell, you’ll get back in my life. She hired you because she wants us to get back together.”

  Dear Reader,

  I firmly believe in second chances. Maybe that’s why I love reunion stories so much. Going along on the journey with two people who’ve drifted apart only to find their way together again always leaves me with a smile and a sense of closure—it’s as if things have finally turned out the way they were meant to.

  That’s how I feel about Feels Like Home. Though Aidan and Yvonne have been divorced for many years, they were meant to be together. Unfortunately, bringing them back together wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped!

  If you’ve read either A Marine for Christmas or The Prodigal Son you know Aidan is stubborn, bossy and a bit arrogant. So, of course, getting him to realize he’d made his fair share of mistakes during his short-lived marriage wasn’t easy. But it was so worth it.

  I try to make sure my characters earn their happy ending, that they grow and change as a result of the conflicts in the story. But mostly, I want them to become their best selves by loving, and receiving love from, the person they were meant to be with.

  Though both Aidan and Yvonne have changed since she walked out on him years ago, the past is right there, between them every step of the way. Only when they’re able to see the other in the present, only when they’re able to forgive, can they move on to the future.

  I can’t believe it’s time to say goodbye to The Diamond Dust and the Sheppards. I had a great time getting to know these characters and writing their stories, and I hope you enjoyed reading them, as well.

  I love to hear from readers. Please visit my website, www.bethandrews.net, or write to me at P.O. Box 714, Bradford, PA 16701.

  Beth Andrews

  Feels Like Home

  Beth Andrews

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Romance Writers of America RITA® Award Winner Beth Andrews lives in Northwestern Pennsylvania with her husband and two teenage daughters. During the course of writing her Diamond Dust trilogy, she purchased copious amounts of wine, purely for research purposes. When not drinking…er…researching she can be found in the passenger seat of her SUV gripping the dashboard, slamming her foot on a nonexistent brake and praying fervently. Or, in other words, teaching her older daughter to drive. She still counts the days until her son returns from college—mainly because he already knows how to drive. Learn more about Beth and her books by visiting her website, www.BethAndrews.net.

  Books by Beth Andrews

  HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

  1496—NOT WITHOUT HER FAMILY

  1556—A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST

  1591—HIS SECRET AGENDA

  1634—DO YOU TAKE THIS COP?

  1670—A MARINE FOR CHRISTMAS

  1707—THE PRODIGAL SON

  This book is dedicated to all whose lives have

  been touched by cancer. And to the men and

  women who devote their lives to finding a cure.

  Acknowledgments

  My sincere gratitude to Mitzi Batterson of James

  River Cellars Winery in Glen Allen, VA.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  OH, DEAR LORD, what had she gotten herself into?

  A cool breeze blew Yvonne Delisle’s hair into her eyes and she impatiently tucked it behind her ear as she stared up at the ancient carriage house. Her career as a wedding consultant, the sixteen years she’d spent on the pageant circuit and, most importantly, being the only child of Savannah social royalty Richard and Elaine Delisle, had all taught her one very important fact.

  Appearances counted.

  Especially when it came to weddings. So why on earth retired senator Allen Wallace and vineyard owner Diane Sheppard would want to have theirs in this particular building was beyond her. The wood siding was weathered and mottled, ranging from a dull gray to deep tan. Shingles were sliding off the steeply pitched roof. What glass was left in the windows was scratched beyond repair, and the left side of the overhang above the double carriage doors dropped precariously.

  She tucked her cold fingers into the short pockets of her fitted jacket. Then again, it wasn’t up to her to decide where her couples got married. If it was, the Shields-Larson wedding never would’ve taken place at a dairy farm—complete with mooing cows and the pungent smell of manure.

  No, she thought as she crossed to the building’s wooden door, the tall heels of her black pumps wobbling on the gravel drive. Her job was to make sure the bride got exactly what she wanted. Whether the wedding took place at a church, the beach or a carriage house that looked as if it should be condemned.

  She hoped it didn’t fall down while she was inside.

  With a quick prayer, she unlocked the door and stepped in. The smell hit her first—wet wood, motor oil and dust. Then she realized that even though the morning sunlight filtered through the dirty windows, it was colder inside than out. Leaving the door open, she flipped on the light switches. Several bare bulbs hanging from low-lying rafters flickered to life.

  At least it was big enough to accommodate several hundred guests. Or it would be once it was cleared out. The place was packed with cardboard boxes, plastic tubs, shovels, rakes and other implements, wine barrels ranging from short and squat to one that reached her shoulder, old tools and large glass jars on a three-tiered wooden shelf.

  Eyes narrowed, she turned in a slow circle and imagined the space as it could be. It had high ceilings, wide-planked floors and two exposed-brick walls. With some cleaning—okay, a lot of cleaning—a few coats of paint and new windows, it could be charming. In a rustic sort of way.

  Maybe, just maybe, this could work.

  She dug her BlackBerry from her purse and started to pace, kicking up dust as she typed in notes.

  Candles. Dozens and dozens of white candles of all shapes and sizes. Miniature white lights strung along the rafters. Turning, she walked back to the door. She wasn’t due to meet with Diane until this afternoon, so didn’t know if the woman had already chosen a color scheme or not, but Yvonne was thinking chocolate-brown and bright green. Or better yet, brown and robin’s egg blue.

  She could incorporate the wine barrels into the decor. Use corks as name card holders. This wasn’t just the setting of Diane Sheppard’s second wedding after all; the Diamond Dust was her winery. A huge part
of her life. Yvonne put her phone away, hung her purse on the handlebars of a faded red Huffy bike and set out to see what else she could find of use.

  Twenty minutes later she’d accumulated several glass bottles, a wooden shutter she had no idea how she’d ever use but hadn’t been able to pass up and some wide picture frames. And then she saw it. The inspiration for the head table’s centerpiece—an antique lantern.

  Now all she had to do was get to it. Easier said than done, as it was on top of some sort of workbench behind at least three feet of junk. Grabbing the arms of a hideous velvet high-backed chair, she pulled. Nothing happened. Not only was this the ugliest chair she’d ever had the misfortune of seeing, it was also the heaviest.

  She slid her snug skirt up a few inches, bent and adjusted her grip on the chair.

  “Excuse me.” She froze. That deep, oh-so-familiar voice. A voice that, even after all these years of trying to get him out of her head, Yvonne still heard in her dreams. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  The nape of her neck prickled. She didn’t have to turn to know that Aidan Sheppard stood behind her, getting a good look at her rear. She straightened quickly, swayed a little before regaining her balance.

  “Hello, Aidan,” she said, praying he didn’t notice the slight tremor in her voice. She smoothed her skirt back down to just above her knees, then turned. “How are you?”

  He looked older, of course. She’d expected that. What she hadn’t expected was her reaction to him. Her mixed emotions. He was so tall and lean and…male. Unshaven, his face was sharper, the angles more pronounced. His shoulders broader in his sweaty, white T-shirt.

  But his eyes were the same, a light blue with enough green in them to make it seem as if they were ever changing. For so long, she’d tried to be the woman he saw with those eyes. Until she realized she’d much rather be loved for herself.

  “What are you doing here?” he repeated.

  “I was trying to move this.” She indicated the chair. “I saw that lantern and—”

  “And you thought you’d take it?”

  She pursed her lips. “To use as a centerpiece,” she clarified.

  He looked pointedly at the other items she’d collected. “And you couldn’t find a lantern—or any of this other stuff—in Charleston?”

  “I’m sure I could. But I’m not in Charleston, am I?”

  “Which brings me back to my original question.”

  “I wanted to check out the building, see what I have to work…” His words sank in. She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He raised one eyebrow. “What are you doing in Jewell? Why are you on my family’s property?”

  Surely Diane—Mrs. Sheppard—wouldn’t keep something this…big, important, awkward…from her son. Would she? “Didn’t your mother tell you?”

  “Obviously not.”

  Yvonne forced herself not to stare at his bare legs. He must be getting cold in those running shorts. “She hired me.”

  Thanks to her parents’ tutelage in presenting an unruffled facade in any given situation, there was no way he could sense her nervousness. Her uncertainty.

  “To work at the Diamond Dust,” she added when he said nothing.

  “Is that so?” he murmured. “In what capacity?”

  “She… I…” Yvonne licked her suddenly dry lips. She tugged at the bottom of her jacket. “I’m an events coordinator.”

  He just stared.

  Maybe her mother had been right and this was a mistake. A huge one. Maybe Yvonne shouldn’t have come here.

  Shouldn’t have thought—hoped—Aidan would forgive her.

  “You’re an events coordinator,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes. My specialty is weddings.”

  “Weddings,” he repeated in a monotone. “Putting that business degree to good use, I see.”

  Ducking her head so he couldn’t see that his dig had hit home, she shoved the chair a few more inches to get behind it. His was a familiar set-down, one she’d heard often enough from her parents. One she knew better than to respond to.

  “Yes, well, plans change,” she said, moving aside a box of record albums. “But you already know that, don’t you?”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, she cringed. She wasn’t here to antagonize him. She was here to do a job.

  But Aidan he didn’t seem angry that she’d reminded him of his own forgotten plans. In fact, he now seemed indifferent…to the cold and to her.

  She wanted to throw her shoe at him. Or that damn lantern. If she ever reached it.

  “Since you seem surprised to find out your mother hired me,” Yvonne said, setting a tarnished brass table lamp on the chair, “I suppose she also didn’t mention that I’ll be staying here, as well.”

  “Tell me you mean here as in the town of Jewell.”

  “At the cottage. It seemed more…convenient…than trying to find a place in town.”

  “We wouldn’t want you to be inconvenienced now, would we?”

  “I offered to pay rent,” she assured him. “But your mother said it was empty, and included lodging as part of my fee.” She met his eyes unflinchingly. “I wouldn’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of Diane’s generosity.”

  “One thing I never worry about is my mother being taken advantage of.”

  Yvonne would have smiled, if he wasn’t looking at her so coldly. “No. Of course not. Diane’s very…capable.” Capable. Confident. Intimidating. Almost as intimidating as her own mother.

  Yvonne leaned against the hard edge of the counter and reached for the lantern. Her fingertips grazed the metal base. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I don’t suppose you could…?”

  “No.”

  His refusal surprised her. He’d never refused her anything before. But that was then, she reminded herself.

  She searched the area and spied a blue metal toolbox halfway under the bench. Kneeling, she wrestled it forward. “Do you…are you living here as well?” she asked, straightening. “At the Diamond Dust, I mean.”

  Generations of Sheppards had lived at the historic plantation.

  Aidan didn’t jump in to tease her out of her nerves. Smooth things over. He simply crossed his arms. “No.”

  He certainly was getting good at using that one word with her. How was he not freezing in his running gear?

  She turned her back to him and quickly pulled her skirt halfway up her thighs. Her face was so hot, she expected her hair to catch on fire. She stepped onto the toolbox, grabbed the lantern and stepped back down.

  And yanked her skirt back into place.

  “So you’re still at the house?” she asked, the lantern clutched to her chest.

  The bungalow with vaulted ceilings and bright, airy rooms.

  Their house.

  “What I can’t help but wonder,” he said, “is what made you or my mother think that you working here would be a good idea.”

  “I can’t speak for your mother…” Even if she could, she wouldn’t dare. “But I wanted a change. A challenge.”

  And God knew getting the carriage house ready for a wedding in just over a month certainly qualified.

  “Got tired of hosting fundraisers and attending luncheons at the country club?” he asked, as if they were discussing nothing more important—or interesting—than a round of golf.

  Her grip on the lantern tightened. The corner of it dug into her ribs. He’d always treated her as if she was delicate. Someone best suited to look pretty on his arm. To be charming and sweet, and agree with him. To stand back and let him handle everything.

  As her parents had taught her.

  Just, she could admit—if only to herself—as she’d let him believe.

  But she wasn’t that person anymore.

  “Actually,” she said, “I’ve been working for World Class Weddings for the past five years.” And from the blank look he gave her, he had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s a wedding planning service
in Charleston. One of the best.”

  The sun streamed through the doorway, haloing Aidan in soft light. “And you decided to give that up to come work here?”

  “I’m not giving anything up.” Which was one of the reasons she’d ultimately decided to accept Diane’s offer. “I’m excited to be here. To help build the special events side of your business from the start.” And then she’d go back to her job, back to her friends in Charleston.

  “Unfortunately,” Aidan said—how she hated his sarcasm— “I don’t share your enthusiasm.”

  “My enthusiasm for…?”

  “Any of it.” His T-shirt pulled snug against his shoulders as his hands fisted beneath his crossed arms. “The winery hosting events, and mainly, you being anywhere near my family’s business.”

  Though she told herself his opinions, his likes and dislikes, didn’t matter to her, not anymore, she was disappointed. “Oh. Well, maybe in time—”

  “Time isn’t going to change my mind. And even if it could, it wouldn’t matter, because you won’t be here.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Let me make it clear to you, then,” he said flatly. “You’re fired.”

  YVONNE BLINKED. Blinked again. But when she spoke, her voice was as precise, as unfailingly polite, as always. “You can’t fire me.”

  Aidan wanted to throw that damn chair through a window. “I can’t?” He smiled.

  She hesitated, confusion clouding her brown eyes. “No. I have a contract.”

  “A contract with the Diamond Dust?”

  “Of course.” Yvonne tilted her head so that her blond hair fell over her shoulder. He didn’t doubt the move was practiced. Just as rehearsed as her placid expression and condescending tone. “Would you care to see it?”

  Though his mother owned the business, Aidan was the one in charge. All contracts went through him first. Everything to do with what he still called his father’s winery—which, in a matter of months, would be his winery—went through Aidan first. “I can’t think of anything I’d like more.” Except throwing her off his property for good.