Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  Hops wagged his tail as if in agreement and proceeded to return to his favorite sandal. Maybe he had imprinted on it.

  She cocked her head. “What’s a basenji?”

  “A dog breed known for jumping. I’ve helped my friend Maisie a lot at her dog shelter. It’s given me a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of dog breeds.”

  He glanced down at the carboy, and she did the same, groaning a little.

  “It’s ruined, isn’t it? We have no way of knowing if there’s any dog hair in there. Maybe I’m cursed when it comes to beer.” She set the cap down on the counter, as if resigning herself to the fact that the beer wasn’t worth capping. Although he knew she’d said the thing about the curse as a joke, there’d been enough actual defeat in her voice for him to realize part of her meant it.

  He leaned toward the counter and started the drumroll again.

  “None of that,” he said. “The drumroll insists you do the honors. There’s no denying the drumroll.”

  A smile crept back onto her face as she plugged the cap in and set up the tubing.

  “But what if there’s hair in it?” she persisted.

  “Then you and I and probably Jack will be the only ones to ever try it. Either that, or it will prove to be the magic ingredient we want to put in all our beers.”

  She grinned at that. “In that case, I think I have a name for it.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, taking a step closer, telling himself he was doing it to check on the seal but knowing better.

  “I hereby declare this beer Hair of Hops.” She laughed, that nice warm laugh of hers, and he joined in.

  He let himself touch her arm again but stopped short of leaning in like he wanted to. Like he thought maybe she wanted him to. If—no, when—the time came, he wanted her to meet him halfway. “Now, what do you say we celebrate by eating some of the cinnamon rolls Aunt Dottie left this morning and drinking someone else’s beer? We can figure out what ingredients we’ll need for the cider and a couple of other experiments.”

  “We could have been eating cinnamon rolls this whole time?” she asked with a smile. “What were you thinking?”

  * * *

  As they sat there scheming over cinnamon rolls and beer, a feeling of contentment rolled over River. It felt right. All of it. The new direction they were discussing, the relaunch of the brand, and…this. Sitting here with Georgie in his home, talking and laughing with her like they’d known each other for their whole lives instead of a couple of days. When he thought of all the time he’d spent not knowing her, he felt almost robbed.

  “Hops is humping your sandal again,” she said, jarring him from his thoughts.

  “Of course he is. When I bring him back to Maisie, he’ll miss that sandal more than he misses me.”

  Her brows knitted together a little, her concentration look. “Are you sure you want to bring him back? He kind of seems like he fits. And we are naming a beer after him. Maybe he can be our Buchanan mascot.”

  He smiled a little, liking the thought of seeing Hops on a T-shirt—it would surely be better than their current selection—but he shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, although it hasn’t stopped Maisie from trying. She thinks everyone needs a dog, or three. Soul companions, she calls them.”

  “Have you fostered for her before?”

  “No, but I’ve kept a couple of dogs here overnight in emergencies.” He glanced over at Hops and couldn’t help but laugh. The little guy was really going at it. “I guess something about this one just clicked.”

  “You said you helped Maisie at the shelter before. Was that what you were doing before you started at Big Catch?”

  It felt a little like cold water had been splashed on him. He didn’t like thinking of those days. The Lost Days, he thought of them.

  “Sort of,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t have much…direction back then. Maisie helped me. She’s a good friend. She actually started the shelter from the ground up. Her parents passed away and left her the property and some money. She’s always known what she wanted to do.”

  Unlike him.

  “That’s pretty amazing,” Georgie said. “I wish I could say the same.”

  He laughed and shoved his beer back a little. “Really? You strike me as the kind of woman who knows what she wants.”

  His comment hung between them for a moment, heavy with possibilities, and he saw a flash of something in her eyes. Finally, she said, “Wanting something isn’t the same thing as going for it. Sometimes you can’t.” She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing a little. “You know, my dad had always told us kids he’d finance us if we had a good start-up idea. So after I graduated business school, I spent weeks putting together my proposal for Moon Goddess. I had a whole hour-long presentation planned. Do you know how much of it he listened to before refusing me?”

  He reached across the table and put his hand over hers, needing to touch her, to comfort her. “I can tell from the look in your eyes it wasn’t long.”

  Which made him want to pummel the stuck-up asshole for being too blind to see his own daughter.

  “Seventy seconds. That’s how long he gave me. He said it would never work, that he was ashamed his daughter would ask for help with something like feminine products. He thought it was a disgrace to the family name.” She looked at her hand, that little crease appearing between her eyebrows, but she didn’t pull away. “He gave Lee a job as soon as he graduated. I was never offered one. I’ve never had an interest in real estate, but for a while that was what I thought I wanted. Or I guess I wanted him to want it. But Georgie Buchanan stopped being his replacement son the second he got a real one.”

  “Well, you showed him,” River said, because she had, and then some. “If Mr. Big Britches was such a good businessman, shouldn’t he have recognized a multimillion-dollar opportunity when he saw one?”

  “Did I, though?” she asked, looking up to meet his eyes. “I’m not going to lie, River. I wanted him to grovel at my feet. My therapist would probably have something to say about it, but I sent him the article about the sale. He never acknowledged it. Still hasn’t. I’m a joke to him, and he treats Adalia even worse. The only reason he ever took any notice of us was because my mother insisted. After she died, we were beneath his notice. And Jack…”

  “And Jack was always beneath his notice. It’s none of my business, but do you still see your father? I mean, outside of the will reading.”

  Her expression held not a little bit of bitterness when she nodded. “He summons us sometimes. For family photo ops, that kind of thing, and we usually spend the holidays at the family house. I always tell myself it’s just to see my brother and sister, and because my mother would want it that way, but a part of me always hopes it will be different. Even though I’m old enough to know better. I don’t know if he’s ever talked to Jack at all. As far as I know, he hasn’t.”

  Because she’d told him something private about herself, something he doubted she shared with many people, he found himself wanting to do the same.

  “I understand Jack a little. Or at least I think I do. I never knew my father either.”

  She shifted her hand, and for a moment, he thought she was pulling away, but instead she turned it around and wove her fingers through his. Her grip was firm and assured, and it felt like a lifeline.

  “Oh?” she said, giving him the opportunity to talk but not insisting on it.

  He squeezed her hand back. “I still don’t. I don’t know who he was or where he was from, but I suspect he might be Chilean. My mother was traveling through Chile before I was born.”

  “Is that a picture of your mother on the mantel?” She winced a little after she said it, like she couldn’t believe she’d asked him, or maybe she was just mortified that she’d called herself out for snooping.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I can’t seem to get rid of it. Funny, isn’t it, how you can still care about someone after they’ve treated you like you’re nothing?” />
  “No,” she said, “it’s not funny at all. But you, River Reeves, are not nothing.”

  And then she leaned across the table and kissed him.

  Chapter 17

  Georgie hadn’t meant to kiss him, but everything had been too perfect. Making beer, River’s eagerness to teach her, and his affection for the puppy. The way he’d opened up after she’d spilled her embarrassing truth about her father, something she’d told no one in so much detail. Her head told her that this couldn’t happen, but her heart…oh, her heart. Her heart was smitten with him—no, more than that, it was enamored. Those eyes of his seemed to see the real her through the put-together image she tried so hard to maintain—not Georgie Buchanan, businesswoman, but Georgie the woman, who wanted to love and be loved. But it was more than that. Her heart recognized that River was a truly good man—loyal, trustworthy, fun. He had a way of taking a bad situation and making it better. So her heart rebelled, and for the first time in her thirty-three years, she let it take the lead, reason be damned.

  Her lips pressed lightly to his—the kiss a question for him to answer. She was technically his boss, and he might think this was as bad of an idea as her head insisted, only he didn’t pull away. He leaned closer, only an inch or two as his hand lightly cupped her cheek.

  Her body was alive, but the tenderness of his touch, as if she was something precious to treasure, drew her to him like a magnet.

  Wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, she tugged him closer and deepened the kiss, and he eagerly accepted the invitation, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

  But then her stomach grumbled, and River pulled back with a grin. “It is pretty late. We should probably think about something for dinner other than cinnamon rolls.”

  Damn her stomach. She leaned back in her chair, realizing her hips were sore from leaning into the table. It wasn’t very romantic leaning across the kitchen table to kiss him, yet the happiness on River’s face made it clear he didn’t have a problem with it.

  “How about we order pizza?” he asked, already getting up to grab his phone from the kitchen counter.

  “Yeah,” she said, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, her head already swooping in for damage control.

  “Do you have a preference for toppings?” he asked.

  She got up and grimaced as she turned to face him. “Maybe we should just call it a night. It’s been a pretty long day.”

  Disappointment flickered over his face, but it was quickly replaced by understanding. “Of course, Georgie, but you’re still staying at the hotel, right? Unless you were planning on getting room service, why don’t we move to the sofa and talk or watch Netflix, or whatever you want to do to unwind before the pizza gets here?”

  She had to admit that sounded ten times better than being alone at the hotel, but if she stayed…she was worried where that kiss would lead.

  When she hesitated, he added, “I don’t know if you’re having second thoughts about what just happened, but I’m okay with whatever direction you want to take. If you want to pretend that kiss never happened, I won’t deny that I’ll be disappointed, but I also understand and promise to respect your decision. And if you decide it wasn’t a mistake, I want you to know I won’t pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.”

  Releasing a sigh, she wondered how he could be so perfect. Her mouth twisted into a playful grin as her resolve weakened. “Surely you have some flaws, River Reeves. You’re much too perfect for a mortal man.”

  He laughed and stepped toward her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body, yet he didn’t reach for her. “So it’s my flaws you’re after?”

  “It might be nice to know there are a few,” she said, resisting the urge to lift her hand and run it through his dark hair.

  “Okay,” he said, shifting his weight and moving a fraction of an inch closer while keeping his eyes on hers. His gaze dipped to her lips, and she stifled the urge to moan. “I squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle. Um…” He rubbed his chin as his gaze darted to the puppy sleeping on top of the sandal before shifting back to her face. “Sometimes I wait too long to fill up the gas tank in my car.”

  She chuckled.

  “And I’m not a fan of making my bed.” He shrugged. “No one ever sees my bed, so what’s the point?” Then, as though realizing what he’d said, his cheeks flushed with the tiniest amount of pink.

  The urge to reach up and kiss him again was strong, but she resisted as she tried to wear a mock-serious face. “Those all sound like deal breakers to me.”

  He shrugged, his eyes still playful, but his gaze was fully on her mouth now.

  She took a step back. “So, that pizza. Veggie or something with meat?”

  “Lady’s choice,” he said, rubbing a hand over the top of his head. “I can pull up the menu for my favorite pizza place and let you pick.”

  She shook her head. “Get your favorite. Surprise me.”

  He started to place the order and she headed to the bathroom. When she emerged, he was picking up the now-awake puppy and heading for the door. “Another bathroom run.”

  “I can’t believe he hasn’t made a mess yet,” she said.

  Grabbing the leash off the table, he said, “Don’t jinx it.”

  After he went outside, she grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter and checked for any missed calls or messages. There were multiple emails she could ignore, but Lee had sent her a text.

  Dad’s furious with you about the brewery and wants you to present a full business plan within forty-eight hours.

  What? Her father didn’t own Buchanan Brewery, yet he thought he was going to tell her how to run it? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. She could only imagine how he’d react if he found out that the man who would inherit the brewery if she failed was now their brewmaster. And that they were becoming romantically involved.

  What was she thinking? Whatever this was that she’d started between them was a terrible, terrible idea. Wasn’t it?

  She was scowling when River returned, the puppy trotting next to him as big as he pleased. River took one look at her and some of the happiness dimmed from his eyes.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, squatting down to unleash the dog but keeping his gaze on her.

  She offered him a weak smile. “Yeah.”

  “I got a text that the pizza will be here in about ten minutes.” He walked toward her, never taking his gaze off her. “Georgie, I know something’s wrong. If it’s about our kiss…”

  She shook her head and held up her phone before lowering it to her side. “Lee texted me. He said Dad expects me to present him with a business proposal within forty-eight hours.”

  He started to say something, then seemed to think better of it and stopped.

  “Go ahead,” she said, hating that her father had blighted this too. “Say what you’re thinking.”

  He slowly shook his head as he reached for her upper arms. Holding her gently, bolstering her, he said, “You don’t need anyone else giving their opinion about your life. You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman, Georgie Buchanan. You don’t need me telling you what to do.”

  She stared up at him, her mouth parted in surprise, and then she smiled, blinking back tears. How many times had she longed for someone to tell her that very thing?

  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace, and she was surprised at the rightness of being in his arms. How she seemed to fit perfectly. This man was giving her a glimpse into a life filled with love and respect, but she also knew if her brother or father caught wind that she was seeing River, they’d make her life hell. Actually, both of her brothers would flip.

  Jack was the nail in the coffin sealing her decision. Things were already shaky between her and Jack, not to mention River and Jack. If Jack found out they had a relationship, she’d lose all of his trust and respect.

  Pressing her cheek to his chest, she let herself close her eyes for a moment. If they weren’t work
ing together, perhaps it would have been different, but maybe not. She knew from starting Moon Goddess how much time, energy, and effort it took to get a business off the ground. It had killed her relationship at the time. So it probably wouldn’t have been fair to start something with River anyway, knowing that their time would be limited, because one thing was for certain—River wasn’t the guy you had a fling with. He was the guy you planned a future with.

  She leaned back and looked up at him. “We can’t do this, River.”

  He studied her face. “I told you, Georgie. It’s your call. I won’t pressure you.”

  “But you don’t agree,” she said softly, almost hoping he’d try to change her mind.

  He hesitated, then said, “What I think is currently irrelevant. What matters is what you think. You’re the owner of Buchanan Brewery now, or at least one-fourth owner. It’s your business, your rules. If you think it would be a conflict of interest for us to start something, I understand.”

  “I like you, River. I really like you—”

  “I know,” he said with a sad smile. “And I like you too. But we can still be friends, right? We had fun this afternoon and evening. As friends.”

  She nodded. Maybe just staying friends would ease this ache in her chest. At least she’d have some part of him. “Yeah. Friends.”

  He gave her the sweetest smile, and she felt like crying, but she knew this was for the best.

  “You have no idea how much I wish…” she whispered. Then she let her heart have its way before she locked it up again. Reaching up on tiptoes, she kissed him again, capturing his face between her hands.

  He didn’t hold back this time, instead slipping his arm around her back and pulling her flush to his chest. The first kiss had been a kiss of discovery and hope, but this was a kiss of desperation.

  River took over, proving she hadn’t imagined the chemistry they’d shared. In fact, she’d barely opened the tap. His mouth captured hers, his lips and teeth and tongue setting her body ablaze with a passion she’d never felt before and had only read about in romance novels. He was showing her the tip of the iceberg of what he could offer her, and she wanted more, Buchanan Brewery be damned.