Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  While she’d hoped to be alone, to have some time to think everything over before she met her siblings for the breakfast she’d arranged by text after storming out of the lawyer’s office, she’d been surprisingly glad to see River, and not just because he looked better in worn jeans and a T-shirt than he had in his ill-fitting suit. She wanted to know the man who’d inspired her grandfather to give him that watch.

  “I can go down with you. I might as well take a look. Beau invited me to stay with him when I came to town a few weeks ago, but I didn’t want to be any trouble. I’ve only seen a bit of the house.”

  He started to say something, then stopped. “Yeah. It might be a good idea to introduce you to Beau’s world.”

  She was about to ask what he meant by that, but he’d already turned around and started down the dimly lit stairs. She followed him, and he called over his shoulder, “Be sure to close the door or Jezebel might come down.”

  “And that would be a bad thing?” What was she thinking? If she left it open, the cat might descend into the basement, looking for her portal to hell.

  She shut the door, making the staircase even darker. The smell of yeast hit her nose, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten for hours.

  “I think the light bulb’s burnt out,” River said. “I’ll change it before I go.”

  “And here I was about to ask if you were a serial killer luring me down to your killing room, but the light bulb offer has me second-guessing.”

  “No self-respecting serial killer would offer to change a light bulb,” River joked. “Not very intimidating.”

  Georgie reached the bottom of the steps and came to a halt when she saw a worktable covered with multiple glass bottles the size of watercooler jugs filled halfway full with pinkish liquid. It looked like a homegrown science experiment.

  “Grandpa Beau wasn’t making meth down here, was he?”

  River chuckled. “No, it was a beer competition.”

  “Really? I thought he made beer at the brewery. He showed me the tanks and everything.”

  “This was a competition between me, Beau, and Finn.”

  “Who’s Finn?”

  His smile faltered, making her regret asking. “My partner.” He shook his head, and when he spoke again his tone was darker, angrier. “My boss. Or used to be.”

  He walked past the table toward a fridge so old it looked like it had come from the set of a period piece, but he didn’t open it, instead looking in a cabinet above it.

  “No wine, dusty or otherwise. I take it you’re not a beer drinker?” He closed the door and turned to face her.

  She scrunched up her nose. “I haven’t had beer since I went to a kegger in high school. I suppose I should be ashamed to admit to that, my situation being what it is. Beau did offer when I visited, but he didn’t seem to mind too much when I declined.”

  He snorted, but his eyes lit up with mischievousness. “Then I guess tonight’s your lucky night.”

  Georgie couldn’t help laughing. It sounded like a pickup line, but she could tell that it wasn’t. River really was that excited about beer.

  “What kind of wine do you like?”

  “Whites—Pinot Grigio, Riesling.”

  He opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles. He popped off the metal tops and handed one to her. “Try this. It’s an amber. It’s what I was drinking before. A good entry-level beer.”

  When she took the bottle, her fingers brushed his, and she tried to ignore the flutters in her stomach. She remembered what it had felt like shaking hands with him earlier, his grip so strong around hers. What did he do to get those muscles? Something told her he didn’t belong to a CrossFit gym. River’s gaze held hers, and even though his face didn’t give much away, she thought she saw something in his eyes. Like maybe he felt that spark of attraction too.

  She lifted the bottle to her lips, but her attention was still on River and that little spark between them, and when the beer filled her mouth, the taste caught her by surprise. She started to cough, spewing a mouthful of the brew on his chest and face.

  He instinctively leaned backward, and she reached for him in horror. “Oh! I’m so sorry!”

  A grin spread over his face. “If you didn’t like it, you could have just said so.”

  Even though she was still horrified, laughter burst from her throat. When was the last time she’d had a good laugh, let alone with a man she found attractive? Her last boyfriend had been far too serious. He never would have teased her, and he would have had a heart attack if he’d gone longer than six weeks without a haircut, let alone allowed it to grow as long as River’s.

  He grabbed a kitchen towel from the worktable and wiped his face.

  “River, I’m so sorry.”

  He laughed again. “Try it again, only this time sip it slowly.” He took a couple of steps toward the refrigerator. “And I’ll stand back here.”

  Georgie laughed despite her mortification, then took a sip of the beer.

  “What do you taste?” he asked, the task of cleaning himself up seemingly forgotten as he watched her.

  “It’s sweeter than I expected. And a bit citrusy.” She took another sip, a bigger one this time. “And maybe a hint of caramel?”

  “Come on,” River said, gesturing toward the stairs. “It’s a nice night. Let’s go sit on the porch.”

  She cast a glance at the glass jugs. “You said that was a competition?”

  “And an experiment,” he said, tossing the towel on the workbench. “Beau and I used to come up with new flavors in small batches like this, but you’ll never see this particular one on a line,” he said with a chuckle. “I doubt the special ingredients would fly.”

  Georgie had heard of people brewing beer in their basements, but it hadn’t occurred to her that Beau or anyone else who ran a brewery might do so. It seemed so old school.

  “So how does this work?” she asked, gesturing to the table.

  Surprise filled his eyes. “You really want to know?”

  “Well…yeah. If I’m going to help run a brewery, I guess I should know how it works.”

  His jaw dropped and he blinked. “You’re not selling?”

  She shrugged in an attempt to look nonchalant. “I haven’t decided yet, but if I—I mean we—keep it, will we have to do this?”

  He grinned. “No… I mean, you can if you want, but you don’t have to. Finn is capable of making beer, but he’s not good enough to create really interesting and layered flavors. That’s where I came in.” Some of his easygoing attitude faded.

  “And Finn was your old boss?”

  He took a long pull from his bottle—his first, she realized—then said, “Yep.”

  Obviously, he didn’t want to talk about it, and although she was curious about what had happened, she didn’t know him well enough to pry. She really needed some levity, at least for tonight. She suspected he did too.

  “So you create beer recipes?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied the bottles and tried to put it all together. “This is a test kitchen like you see on those Bon Appétit videos.”

  His brow shot up. “I don’t know what those are, but yeah.” His back straightened. “This was Beau’s testing ground.”

  “And where is yours?”

  He took another drink, then said, “At Big Catch. We had our own testing area.” He flashed her a tight smile. “A testing kitchen, but I work on some at home too.”

  Georgie resisted the urge to ask him what had happened. “You said Finn used to be your boss. Where are you now?”

  He sucked in a breath and turned his attention to the table. “I’m currently exploring my options.” When he looked at her again, she saw a flash of pain in his dark eyes, but he covered it with a grimace. “Let’s head out to the porch. I’m getting a little claustrophobic down here.”

  He headed toward the steps but waited for her to go up first. When she reached the top of the stairs, she gingerly cracked the door open to make sure the cat wasn�
�t about to pounce on her. Jezebel was still on top of the cabinet, surveying her kingdom, a good ten feet away, although she let out a little hiss to tell Georgie she was watching her.

  Georgie hurried across the kitchen to the door leading to the porch, where she and her grandfather had sat and talked less than a month ago. It was hard to believe so much could change in such a short time. She sat in the same wicker chair with the faded and flattened cushion and waited for River to take the seat next to her.

  He hesitated before he lowered himself into it, then gave her an awkward grimace. “This was Beau’s chair.”

  “Oh.” She sat up. “Would you rather not sit there?”

  “No,” he said, sitting back gingerly as though still getting used to the idea. “So…” He let his voice trail off, then said, “So you’re considering keeping the brewery. Before I left the meeting, your family seemed adamant about getting rid of it.”

  “Yeah, call me crazy, but I’m thinking about it.” She took a tentative sip of the beer, and the flavor slid over her tongue more easily than before.

  River was right; it tasted rich and malty, and about a million times better than the light beer she’d had at that college party.

  “Beau called me last month to congratulate me on the sale of my company.” She turned to him. “I don’t even know how he found out. We weren’t close, and truth be told, neither one of us had ever contacted the other before. We only saw him when we were kids. But he was so gracious and complimentary. He knew that I’d started it from nothing and helped revolutionize feminine hygiene products, and he wasn’t even embarrassed by it, not like my father.” She took a sip of the beer. “He asked what I planned to do next, and when I told him I was still figuring it out, he invited me to come visit for a few days. So I did. I’m guessing he changed his will after that.”

  “He never mentioned his plans to me specifically,” River said, his gaze on the patchy grass in the backyard as he sipped from his bottle. “I knew he was getting older, but I’ll admit I didn’t want to think about it. I was surprised when I was invited to the will reading. I’d presumed everything would go to your father.”

  “All of us did.” She took another pull, enjoying the taste more and more. “But my visit with him was special, and I talked to him on the phone after I got back to Boston.” Tears stung her eyes. “He was encouraging me to relocate to Asheville. He told me the city was booming and there were plenty of opportunities here for an entrepreneur.” She paused. “I think he just wanted a relationship with me, and call me crazy, but I was starting to consider moving.”

  In a few weeks’ time, Beau had given her the love, support, and attention she’d always wanted from her father, and the prospect of having him so close had been enticing. But now he was gone and she found herself rudderless again—a businesswoman without a business, or even the inspiration for one—not that she would admit any of that to River.

  “The brewery meant something to him,” she said quietly. “And he meant something to me, albeit belatedly. I can’t help thinking that he wanted me to do it. Maybe he was hoping it would bring my sister and my brothers together too.”

  She turned to face him, surprised that he was watching her with so much intensity. So much…hope.

  “I think you’re right,” he finally said.

  They were silent for several long seconds before Georgie said, “Obviously, you know Beau through your great aunt.”

  His mouth tipped up with the hint of a smile, and Georgie wondered if some memory had popped into his head.

  “I met Beau when I was thirteen. I came to stay with Aunt Dottie and never left. Beau’s the one who taught me how to brew beer and encouraged me to perfect my craft.” He grinned. “I was making beer before I could even drive a car.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that legal?”

  Laughing, he took another pull from his bottle. “Probably not, but in fairness to Beau, I wasn’t really drinking it. Just sampling. And Aunt Dottie being Aunt Dottie…well, let’s just say she didn’t put up a fuss. In fact, she encouraged it. Believe it or not, it helped me stay out of trouble.”

  “Did you work for Beau when you got older?”

  “I knew my way around his operation, but I never did anything other than scut work at Buchanan. I guess you could say I wasn’t sure what I wanted back then.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and she saw her own uncertainty reflected back at her. “I ended up having a lot of jobs. But thanks to Beau, I learned how a brewery works, so when I got the opportunity to work with Finn, I was ready to land on my feet and take off running.” He shot her another glance. “We started with nothing and placed third at the Brewfest Competition in our third year.”

  “What’s the Brewfest Competition?”

  “It’s where you go to prove you’re somebody in the world of beer. Last year Big Catch placed first…and caught the eye of Bev Corp.” He said the corporation’s name with more than a hint of attitude.

  “Where did Buchanan place?”

  He grimaced. “They didn’t. They haven’t placed for years.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she moved on to her next burning question. “And who is Bev Corp?”

  A storm of emotion filled his eyes. “The devil.”

  Chapter 6

  Georgie looked taken aback, and well, okay, he had sounded a bit melodramatic.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “It’s the biggest beer company in the world,” he said, “and they like to buy craft breweries so they can put other craft breweries out of business. Nice trick, huh?”

  Her expression didn’t change, and it struck him that she’d just sold her company. Some big corporation had probably snapped it up, and they likely didn’t care about her vow to be eco-friendly.

  Okay, maybe he’d looked her up after her visit with Beau. Moon Goddess still had information about her up on their website. She’d started the operation out of the kitchen in her small apartment in Boston, and it had grown into a company she’d sold for five big ones.

  Menstrual cups, period panties, they were the kind of things that made most men cringe, but he admired her guts. She’d seen an opportunity to grow something—and she’d succeeded. Kind of like Beau when he’d opened Asheville’s first brewery years before the town became mainstream. No wonder the two had gotten along so well.

  Still, the kind of person who’d sold out once might sell out again. Maybe she was just trying to buff Buchanan Brewery up so she could find a better deal.

  But the thought refused to stick. He could tell meeting Beau had changed something for Georgie, just like it had for him. He could honor that. He would honor that.

  “Sorry, Georgie,” he said, reaching out to touch her arm before he realized what he was doing. Her skin was soft beneath his fingers in a way that made him want to keep his hand there—or maybe stroke her—but he forced himself to pull away. Her lips had parted a little, and he found himself telling her everything. “I didn’t mean you. I’m just pissed because of what happened with Finn. Tonight, after the will reading, he told me he’s selling to Bev Corp. He’s throwing away everything we built together for a paycheck, and he didn’t even talk to me about it first. He made it out to be like he was doing me some big favor, because they wanted to keep me on and throw some money at me too. But he knows how I feel about staying local.”

  “He told you tonight?” she asked, putting the emphasis on tonight. “That’s awful. He should have talked to you, first of all, and he definitely shouldn’t have landed this on you right after you lost Beau.”

  He noticed she hadn’t said anything about Finn’s decision to sell, but it would be rude to comment on it. She was being sweet, and he liked it.

  “Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.” He lifted his beer to clink it with hers, and realized it was empty. “How are you doing on beer?” he asked.

  She gave her bottle a little shake and looked at it in surprise. “Empty. You know, you were right.
It was pretty good. Do you have anything else we can try?”

  “About six or seven something elses come to mind,” he said with a grin. “I have what’s almost assuredly a bad idea, but I’m hoping you’ll like it.”

  * * *

  Beau had about a dozen tasting cups from various beer festivals, souvenirs he’d kept in the way people hoard things they like, and River had arranged them in two rows on the dining room table—one tasting cup each for each of the beers he’d picked out. A few fruity ones since she liked wine and cocktails, plus a lager, a gingerbread Christmas beer, and a chocolate cherry porter he’d made for Valentine’s Day. She’d never experienced everything that was possible with beer, so he’d figured he might as well offer a wide selection to show her.

  They’d made it through all of the fruity ones, which she’d liked more than the amber, plus the lager, which had made her scrunch her nose in a cute way, and the gingerbread. The chocolate cherry was the last one he’d chosen, and he did a drumroll on the table as she lifted it to her lips.

  She held it back from her mouth, laughing a little. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to make me laugh when I’m drinking, and this one’s going to end up on your shirt too.”

  “Maybe I want it to,” he said. “It might balance out the smell of the other one.”

  She made a face and then sipped it, and from the way she kept drinking, he knew they had another winner.

  “What do you taste?” he asked as she pulled it away from her lips, which glistened a little from the liquid.

  “Mmm. That one was maybe my favorite, even better than the peachy one. Chocolate and cherries but not too sweet.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he said, making a plus mark next to it in the little chart she’d made. Leave it to a businesswoman to carry around a notepad and pen in her purse. A monogrammed notepad.

  “Only one minus and five pluses,” he said. “Guess you like beer more than you thought.”

  She grinned at him, a wider, looser grin than earlier. “I guess maybe I do. Although you’re being a little generous with those plus signs. I said the mango sour was interesting. That was a nice way of saying I’m not going back for seconds.”