Picture This

by T. M. Cromer

  Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Marina Adair. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original St. Helena Vineyard Series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Marina Adair, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Contents

  Title Page

  Letter From Marina Adair

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  A Note From The Author

  Picture This

  T.M. CROMER

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the St. Helena Vineyard’s Kindle World, where romance is waiting to be uncorked and authors from around the globe are invited to share their own stories of love and happily ever after. Set in the heart of wine country, this quaint town and its cast of quirky characters were the inspiration behind my St Helena Vineyard series, and the Hallmark Channel movie, AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD. I want to thank these incredible authors for spending time in St. Helena, and all of you readers who are adventurous enough to take the journey with us.

  I hope you enjoy your time here as much as we have.

  Warmly,

  Marina Adair

  DEDICATION

  To Marina Adair:

  Thank you for taking a chance on me

  and allowing me to be part of your

  St. Helena Vineyard writing world.

  Chapter 1

  Hope Fiore reached over and snagged a fry from her brother’s plate.

  “Dammit, Hope! I offered to buy. Order your own,” Val groused. He had a phobia about anyone touching his food. Which, of course, compelled her to steal another one. His frustrated sigh made her laugh. “Here. It’s all yours.”

  She accepted the plate he shoved her way. “You’re so easy.”

  “Whatever. Next time I’m ordering two plates.”

  As she squirted the ketchup in a swirly pattern, she caught him checking his watch for the third time in fifteen minutes. “Got a hot date?”

  “No!”

  He flushed when he said it, so she didn’t believe him. “Who is she?”

  “Leave it alone.”

  “Ah.”

  “Ah what?”

  “You only get moody over one woman. Ashley Reynolds. She coming back to town?” His furious glare didn’t deter her. She grinned around another mouthful of fries. “I take it by your pissed off face that she is. And soon, unless I miss my guess. Poor Val.”

  It didn’t take him long to realize she wasn’t as surprised by the news as she should have been. She saw the moment it registered. “You knew!”

  The accusation in his dark coffee eyes bothered her. Yes, she knew, but Hope needed Ashley for photo and commercial shoots scheduled at their family’s vineyard, starting this Friday.

  “Dammit, Hope!” he swore for the second time in as many minutes. “How could you not tell me?”

  “Because you would have taken off, and I need you here.” Her voice held only a hint of apology. The truth was that Fiore family members were expected to step up to the plate where their family’s business was concerned, and Valentino Fiore was no exception. It didn’t matter that the woman in question had crushed his heart. Hope gulped down a third of her beer before saying. “Mama wanted her for the new catalog shoot.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?”

  “She wants you to partner her in the pictures and in all the commercials spots we’re filming.”

  “Fuck. No. There’s no way in hell I’m going to get within ten feet of that succubus.”

  Hope shot a nervous glance around the Spigot bar. A few of the locals were expressing too much interest in their conversation. “Butt out,” she mouthed. She’d never been afraid to give people a piece of her mind.

  “Val—”

  “No, Hope. I’m not doing it. I’m waiting for Bella to pick me up. We’re heading to San Francisco for a long weekend.” He pointed a finger in her direction to emphasize the point. “This is my first vacation in two years. I’m going.”

  “Actually, you’re not. Bella isn’t coming.” Hope popped another fry in her mouth and refused to meet his furious gaze. “While you were in the bathroom, I sent her a text from your phone, telling her you were cancelling.”

  His large palm slapped the table top, making their dishes dance. “Do you know how long it took me to get Bella to go out with me? Do you?” His voice rose, and the surrounding silence was deafening. Too many nosy-ass people in this town. “I had to convince her I was over Ashley. A thought that you put in her head when you told her I wasn’t. This was supposed to be the weekend. The weekend, Hope.”

  “Bella’s not for you, Val. Give it up. I don’t want the two of you to hook up because then I would lose my best friend when you broke her heart. As it is, she isn’t happy I hired Ashley and asked her to come back.”

  “Who the hell says I would’ve broken her heart? Can I not even explore other options in this God forsaken town?”

  “Keep your voice down. You’re drawing a crowd,” she warned.

  “Like I could give a sh—”

  “Hello, Val.”

  There she hovered, a foot behind Val, the woman who’d destroyed her brother’s spirit six years before. Ashley appeared fresh and beautiful, as always. Hope noted her brother had frozen, mid-action, beer arrested halfway to his mouth. Anguish flashed before he carefully blanked his expression. To this day, Hope still hadn’t discovered the circumstances surrounding what went down between the two of them. One moment they were in each other’s pockets, completely inseparable, and the next, Ashley was gone, leaving her brother a cold, bitter man.

  That her brother let Hope clasp his hand and squeezed hers in return said a lot about the state of his emotions. She would have come up with something to fill the awkward gap, but a dream of a man strolled up to place his hand on Ashley’s shoulder.

  The air rushed from Hope’s lungs, and she floundered like a fish out of water. Definitely a new sensation for her. She’d never been out of control a second in her life. Breathing became difficult, and a warmth flooded her body. What in the world was going on? How does one man have that effect? The poet within woke from her lifelong nap to start writing a lame tribute to his beauty. Being that she really was no poet, all that came to mind was “wow, I want to lick him all over.”

  Apparently it didn’t stop at her mind but came out of her mouth - if the gasps and shouts of laughter directed at her were any indication. She thought she might pass out from the blood rush. Hope couldn’t remember ever being so embarrassed in her life. In fact, before that moment, she would have swore it was impossible to embarrass herself. Now, she knew differently.

  Since it was too much to hope for that the earth would open and swallow her whole, she tried to muddle through. Blasé. That was it. She needed to come up with something to show she was cool and only joking. However, because she was locked onto his chiseled features, no chance of breaking free of his invisible hold, that possibility was slim to none.

  When he grinned, she near fainted. The black dots on the edge of her vision were closing in fast. Had it not been for Val’s tightening on her hand, she would have been a goner. She jerked back, upending her beer. The icy drink soaking through her jeans snapped her out of her hypnotic state.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake!” Not qui
ck enough to stop the deluge of liquid, she threw her arms up in frustration. Her brother’s snort of laughter angered her. “Et tu, Brute?”

  “Sorry, sis. I’ve never seen…” Val gestured up and down. “Good to know you’re as human as the rest of us.”

  “Bite me,” she snarled, taking the proffered towels from someone to her left. She lifted her head to offer a thank you. There, in place of who she’d assumed was the waitress, was him. Her throat closed around the words, only allowing a strangled cry to escape.

  In fairness, the man made a valiant effort to hide his amusement. She sat, transfixed by his twitching lips and the flash of white teeth she glimpsed beyond. He opened his mouth to speak, but from the corner of her eye she noticed Nora Kincaid, town gossip, with her smart phone aimed in her direction, ready for action.

  “Oh, hell no! What is she even doing here?” Her words startled him and caused him to take an involuntary step back. “Excuse me, I have to go beat an old woman to death.”

  He had the nerve to catch her arm, halting her progress in chasing after that damned busybody. He leaned in to murmur, “How are you going to lick me all over if you’re stuck behind bars?”

  Hormones and emotions all over the place, Hope socked him in the gut and stormed out the door. Let her brother clean up her mess for a change. She was going home to shower off the beer stench and hide in bed for the next century, or two.

  Royce Anderson bent double, trying to catch his breath. Damn, the woman could pack a punch. Yet, he couldn’t be mad. Basically he’d asked for it. To tease a female in a heightened state of anger was foolish. He straightened and grinned. Her words had snapped him out of the trance he’d been sucked into upon seeing her face. He’d been so caught by those sparkling chocolate eyes of hers that he’d been struck dumb. Luckily, she’d been the one to garner all the attention with her comment. They’d been on the same wavelength though, because his brain leapt right to needing to taste her.

  He moved to watch her stalk away. A car honked when she crossed in front. Her middle finger answered the aggressive driver. Royce found himself grinning again. A quick visual check on Ashley showed her to be absorbed in everything Val Fiore. With a shrug, Royce took off after the firebrand who’d captured his interest.

  Catching up and keeping pace was easier said than done. Her long legs ate up the sidewalk. Damn, the woman had a sexy stride. He became so lost in the motion of her ass swinging side to side that he’d forgotten to pay attention to where he was going.

  “Look out!”

  It all went down in slow motion. His dream girl slowly spun back in his direction, her eyes widened in horror, and he had exactly one second to question why before the sound of tires attempting to stop registered. Rough hands jerked him back, and the momentum sent him crashing into the brick exterior wall of the closest business. The arm he raised to protect himself let out a sickening snap.

  He sank down to the pavement, back against the wall, and cradled his wrist. A whole host of swear words poured out of his mouth causing gasps from the more conservative onlookers.

  “Kiss your mama with that mouth?”

  And there she was, squatting down in front of him, palms resting lightly on his knees. He didn’t want to go so far as to claim love at first sight, but he wasn’t going to rule it out either. “No, but I want to kiss you with it.”

  “I see I’m not the only one prone to blurting inappropriate comments at inappropriate moments,” she teased and ran gentle fingers along his forearm and wrist, probing the bones there. His hiss had her looking grim. “I’m no expert, but I think you might have broken something. Come on, lover boy, I’ll take you to the ER for an X-ray.”

  “What about your pants?” Stupid to be concerned with her wet clothing when the pain was finally registering. He suspected when the nurse asked him his discomfort level, he’d be pointing to the crying face on the chart.

  “My brother is on duty. I’ll steal a pair of his scrubs,” she said, using his good arm to pull him to his feet and steady him.

  “Do I get to watch you change?”

  “Only if you’re a good boy and do exactly what the doctor says,” she quipped. “Now stop being pervy. Care to explain to me why you were following me, and why you felt the need to step out in front of a speeding car?”

  “Oh crap!” Royce spun around, looking for the good samaritan who’d saved him. “I didn’t thank…”

  “I recognized your savior. We can host a party in his honor later, if you’re so inclined.”

  “Sarcasm isn’t necessary.”

  “No? Hmm.”

  She put up a tough front, but Royce was of the mind to believe she was a marshmallow on the inside. He had to admit, if only to himself, he adored a ball-busting female. The edgy exchange, the challenging looks - it was as good as foreplay.

  Although, at this precise point in time, sex was the last thing on his mind. Added to the sharp pain, a throbbing had started. Sweat beaded his upper lip. He prayed he wouldn’t pass out in front of her. He’d never been great with pain management.

  “What’s your name?” Her question surprised him. Because it seemed like he’d known her forever, as if the span of ten minutes actual time had really been a lifetime, he stopped short. His puzzled frown appeared to cause her concern. Before he could clarify he hadn’t forgotten his name, she asked, “Did you hit your head?”

  Tension coated her words, and she plunged her hands into his hair searching for a bump or wound. He could have stopped her, but why? Her soft touch felt too good, and her lips were mere inches from his own. Gunmetal gray eyes met rich mocha. Time stopped. Breathing became labored for them both. As one they surged toward one another. Her body came in contact with his… and he promptly fainted.

  Chapter 2

  “Ohmygod!” Hope’s words were tame in comparison to the panic rolling upon her, but as her mystery man dropped like a stone, she was at a loss as to what to think, say or do. The man was pure chaos.

  She had the nine of nine-one-one typed in when a squad car pulled to the curb in front of her.

  Local deputy, Coby Adams, took charge. “What can you tell me about him, Hope?”

  “Not much. I just met him at the bar about fifteen minutes ago, if that.” She sat on the ground, cradling her handsome stranger’s head in her lap. She’d been able to break his fall, enough to protect his head from coming in contact with the cement.

  “You work fast,” Coby snickered.

  “Dude, seriously?”

  “Is he drunk? Which one of you smells like the brewery?”

  Hope watched him take vitals and waited for him to tell the dispatch to send an ambulance. “That would be me. I spilled my beer.”

  “You coming from the Spigot?”

  “Yeah, I was there with Val when this guy came in with Ashley.”

  “Why are you with him now?”

  As if he finally realized there might be something between her and this stranger, Coby pinned her with an accusing look. He couldn’t quite conceal the hint of jealousy. No matter how many times she told him no, he continued to ask her out. Probably if he hadn’t come across as so overbearing in his affections every time he approached her, she’d have accepted. As it was, it made her uncomfortable to witness that level of infatuation.

  “He followed me. We didn’t get to the why of it all before he passed out.”

  His baby blues studied her and dropped to her lips. “What about the kiss I witnessed?”

  “You witnessed nothing, Captain not-so-obvious. He was sweating from the pain, and I think the additional pain of me hitting his arm was what took him down.”

  “It was,” croaked her stranger. He grinned up at her. “But you were so going in for the kiss.”

  “Pfft, you keep telling yourself that.”

  The disbelief on both men’s faces had her squirming inside. She was an awful liar.

  Coby took charge. “Sir, what’s your name? Are you taking any medication? Besides your arm, are you in
any other pain?”

  “Royce Anderson. No and no.”

  The ambulance arrived with all the usual fanfare. The always curious residents of St. Helena gathered around. Hope ignored them and continued to stroke Royce’s soft, black hair until one of the paramedics told her she was going to need to let the patient go for them to take him to the hospital. Once again, she felt like a complete idiot.

  With his good arm, said patient reached up, grabbed her hand, and brought it to his lips. As he dropped a feather-light kiss on her knuckles, she sighed. Damn, the man had charm in spades.

  When he was secure in the back of the truck, their eyes connected over the crowd between them. He motioned for her to come. Like a mindless zombie, she complied and climbed up to sit next to the paramedic treating him.

  “I’ll just see you at the hospital then, huh?” Coby called. The door was shut, eliminating her need to answer.

  “You and the handsome cop are an item?”

  “Do you honestly believe, if I were dating Coby, I’d be kissing you on the street in the center of town?”

  “Ah, so you do admit you tried to kiss me.”

  “I admit that you tried to kiss me,” she countered, all haughty with her nose in the air.

  “Jesus, which one of you smells like a brewery?” The paramedic asked and waved a hand in an effort to dispel the unpleasant aroma of stale beer. “I’m getting a contact high.”

  “Shut it, Josh,” she ordered.

  Both men laughed at her blush. She’d forgotten he was in the vehicle with them. She wanted to smack herself on the forehead and get back to normal. Her equilibrium had taken a hit the second Royce had entered her sphere, and she was damned if she knew how to get it back.

  They arrived at St. Helena Memorial Hospital, and Royce was ushered to the imaging department first thing. Hope had no choice but to bide her time in the waiting room.

  “Hey! I heard you were here. What happened?” The caring voice belonged to her big brother Antonio. She jumped up to be wrapped in his warm embrace. “Why do you smell like a brew—”