Chapter 1
Claire Amherst breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled in the driveway of her childhood home. It had been years since she’d been back to Romance. The pretty little town, surrounded by rolling hills, was about forty miles from Portland. She’d left Oregon to go to college in New York, never thinking that it would become her home. But as soon as she got the position at Doggie Town Daycare, she knew she was where she was supposed to be. It might not be the highest paying job, or even related to her psychology major, but she loved animals and had become quite an expert on French bulldogs. The owners at Doggie Town were great too. Mason and Riley had become like family. They’d been all in favor of her taking time off to help her cousin, Brent, at his animal rescue booth at the Romance town festival. They’d even agreed to let her take the company van and bring back to Doggie Town any animals that weren’t placed during the event.
Growing up, Brent had been more like an older brother than a cousin. Their love of animals had bonded them at a really young age, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that they’d both wound up working with them. She was anxious to see Brent, but it would have to wait until morning. The more than three thousand mile drive had taken its toll on her. Although, she’d stopped along the way numerous times, it still was exhausting, and all she wanted right now was a home cooked meal and a comfortable bed. She grabbed her suitcase out of the back of the van, and before she’d even knocked on the front door of the cozy three bedroom ranch style house, it swung open.
Gracie, her older sister, stood there with a wide smile on her pretty face. “Claire, it’s been forever. Come on in.” As soon as she stepped inside, Gracie grabbed a strand of her hair. “You’re not a redhead anymore. I loved your fiery locks.”
Claire laughed. “You didn’t have to live with them for twenty-eight years. Besides, look,” she said picking up a chunk of her sister’s shoulder length dark brown hair and holding it up to her own, “we’re practically the same color now. There’ll be no more disbelieving that we’re sisters.”
Gracie shook her head, and they each dropped the strands of hair they’d been holding. “You must be exhausted,” she said. “I can’t believe you made that trip all by yourself. But then, you always were an adventurer. Nothing scared you.” She wrapped her arms around Claire, kissed her cheek, and then took the suitcase from her hand. “You must want to freshen up.”
She led the way down the hall to what used to be Claire’s room, but was now a guest room. Gracie placed the suitcase at the foot of the old canopy bed, and a flood of memories came whooshing back. Claire had spent countless nights there, doing homework or yacking with friends on the phone. The bed was the one piece of furniture that Claire had asked her sister to hang onto when she purchased the house from their parents after they retired to Arizona. The damp rainy Oregon weather had become too much for their dad, causing his arthritis to become unbearable.
“If you don’t mind,” Claire said getting down on her knees to unzip her suitcase, “I’d like to take a quick shower before we catch up.”
“Not at all. That’ll give me a chance to throw a salad together to go with the beef stew. I used Mom’s recipe. The one that you loved.”
“Sounds wonderful. I’ll only be about fifteen minutes.”
“Take your time. It’s just us girls. Zak and Henry really wanted to be here this week, but summer camp was booked ages ago, and since Henry’s scout leader, he had to go too.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. I was really looking forward to seeing them. But a week with my sis is pretty great, so I can’t complain.” The decision to take this trip had been a last minute one. When Brent had mentioned that he needed help at the festival on Saturday and wasn’t even sure if he could continue taking in more animals because money was so tight and their care so expensive, she’d immediately offered her services. Luckily, Mason was on board with Doggie Town taking in as many animals as needed, and she’d found out about the festival with just enough time for her to make the cross country trip. She’d packed her bag and was on the road later that day, dropping Gracie a text to let her know that she was coming. She did the same thing with three of her college friends who were sprinkled across the country. It had worked out well. The problem would be going back with a van full of dogs. But Mason had generously offered to fly out someone who could share the driving with her. His generosity was a big reason she loved her job so much.
After Gracie left, Claire rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a pair of faded jeans and an oversized sweat shirt, then she headed into the bathroom. The shower helped relax her tired muscles and by the time she was done, she actually felt human again.
As she headed toward the kitchen, the mouthwatering smell coming from it made her realize once again how hungry she was. The table was set and Gracie was at the stove ladling the stew into a big ceramic bowl.
“Anything I can do to help?” Claire asked, taking a popover off the cookie sheet on the counter and ripping a piece off of it.
“Nope. Just take a seat at the table. Everything’s ready.”
Claire devoured the popover in seconds. “I wish I were more like you. Everything you do is perfect. Your house is spotless. You’re a great cook.” She let out a sigh. “I can barely boil water. My apartment is a mess. And I’m the biggest klutz. I could go on and on, but you’re fully aware of my shortcomings.”
Gracie set the bowl of stew on the table, then set down a salad plate for each of them. “I hate when you put yourself down,” she said taking a seat beside her sister. “You have so many great qualities, Claire, I just wish you wouldn’t keep them hidden.”
“Hmmm, such as?” she asked, helping herself to the stew.
“You’re great at math. I can’t even put together a budget. And you have a knack for seeing behind a person’s words.”
“My degree has helped with that,” she said, before taking a bite.
“You’re incredible with animals. Especially, French bulldogs. You’ve got an unbelievable understanding of the breed.”
“And you were prom queen, while I was class geek.” Clair laughed. “We really couldn’t be any more opposite. Maybe that’s why we always got along so well and there wasn’t any sibling rivalry. We were never the others competition.”
“I hadn’t ever looked at it that way before. But you may be right.” Gracie got up and took a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator. “How could I forget this?” she asked placing it on the table. As she took two glasses out of the cabinet, the doorbell rang. She shrugged her shoulders. “Probably just some kids selling candy bars for school. I’ll be right back.”
Claire had just poured them each a glass of wine, when Gracie reappeared. But she wasn’t alone. Next to her was a hot looking guy with tawny colored hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a scruffy beard that made him even sexier. The muscles rippling beneath his tee shirt left no doubt that he had six pack abs. Claire ran her fingers through her bangs, then tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Julian Barnett hadn’t changed a bit physically, but was he still an arrogant jerk? And why was he in her sister’s house?
“Look who’s here, Claire,” Gracie said with a wide smile as she ushered him into the kitchen. “You remember Julian, don’t you?”
How could she forget? He’d been in her Algebra class at Romance Valley High, and whenever he had the chance, he’d made fun of her. It was either her hair, or her freckles, or the fact that she was always dropping her books. Her eyes locked with his. “Sure, I remember you,” she said flatly.
His eyes raked over her boldly, stopping longest on her hair. “If Gracie hadn’t said you were here, I never would’ve known it was you.”
“Amazing what hair color can do,” Claire replied.
His full mouth curved up into a smile. “It’s not just the hair. It’s everything.”
“I’m assuming it’s for the better.”
“You were always cute, but now… Well, you look really good.” To her amazement, his cheeks colored.
“Thanks.” Claire took a big gulp of her wine, and she noticed he glanced at the bottle’s label.
“I’m going to have to make sure that you’re well stocked in Barnett wine, Gracie, now that Henry’s part of the family.”
Claire’s eyes opened wide. “Henry works for you?”
“He hasn’t officially started yet. That’s next month. But he’s been doing some freelance marketing stuff on the side. I thought I’d go over some ideas I had for ads. I didn’t realize he’d already left for camp.”
“No problem,” Gracie said. “And since you’re here, won’t you join us for dinner? I’ve got enough stew for an army.”
Claire’s stomach clenched tight, and she prayed he’d refuse, but to her horror, he pulled
up a chair and sat across from her. “Would you care for a glass?” She lifted the wine bottle.
“Sure. I need to taste my competition.”
Gracie took another glass out of the cabinet, along with a dinner plate and set them in front of him. After that, Claire filled up his glass.
“How long are you in Romance for?” he asked before taking a sip.
“About a week.”
“She’s helping our cousin, Brent, at the Finding Forever Animal Rescue booth at the fall festival on Saturday. She’s great with animals,” Gracie piped in.
Claire rolled her eyes.
“I’ll have to stop over and say hello. Barnett Wines has a booth there too.”
Great! Of course, they have a booth at the festival, being the oldest and largest winery in Romance. That was partly why he was so full of himself. Not only was Julian extremely good looking, but he was rich too. He could have anything he wanted, and that included women.
“Help yourself to some stew,” Gracie said, handing Julian the ladle.
He put a scoop on his plate. “I’ve already eaten, but this looks too good to pass up. I haven’t made stew in ages. I may have to steal the recipe from you.”
Claire took another gulp of her wine. “You cook?”
A faint light twinkled in the depths of his blue eyes. “Being a bachelor, it’s either that, fast food, or starve, and seeing as I’m not a fan of fast food, I was forced to learn to cook. And I like to think I’m pretty good at it, although I have to admit, I’m no competition for your sister.”
“When talent was being doled out, she got it all.” Claire shoved a chunk of beef into her mouth while her sister shot her a dirty look.
“And what did you get?” he asked, quirking a brow at her.
She finished chewing, then replied, “Snark and grit.”
An easy smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Those are fine qualities. I’m sure they serve you well. However, you must’ve developed them later in life because in school I remember you to be quite shy and timid.” His gaze locked with hers and held it.
“That’s because I didn’t want to waste any of my wit on boys like you,” she shot back smugly.
He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s that supposed to mean? Who are boys like me?”
“Self-centered ones, who care nothing about the feelings of others.” She’d waited years to tell Julian Barnett what she thought of him, but her words didn’t give her the satisfaction she’d thought they would. Instead, they made her feel petty and small. “Sorry. That was rude. I shouldn’t have said that,” she quickly added.
His expression stilled and grew serious. “No. I’m glad you did. If that’s how you feel, you should say it. I’m a huge proponent of telling it like it is. I just had no idea you felt that way.” He took another quick sip of wine, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then stood. “Thanks so much, Gracie, but I should get back to the winery. My desk is loaded with papers I need to go through. I’ll catch up with Henry when he’s back from camp.” Before leaving he shot Claire a narrowed, glinting glance. “Nice seeing you again. Good luck at the festival.”
“You too.”
Gracie jumped up, nearly knocking over her glass of wine. “I’ll see you out.”
“No, no. Finish your dinner. I’ll see myself out.”
Claire watched him walk away and waited for the front door to shut before saying anything to her sister, but Gracie spoke first.
“How could you treat him like that? That’s not like you. I’ve never heard you be intentionally mean before,” she said angrily.
Claire poured herself another glass of wine. “Do you really think I was mean? I admitted to being rude. Besides, Julian seemed okay with it. He even said he was glad I said what was on my mind.”
Gracie frowned. “I don’t believe that, and I know you don’t either. He was just trying to be polite.”
“That’d be a first.” Claire took a drink of her wine.
Gracie stared at her. “Do you really hate him that much?”
Claire set her glass down and shrugged. “I don’t know. I know boys tease girls. That’s just part of being a teenager, but there was something about the way Julian treated me in school that made me feel bad about myself. I’m not blaming all my insecurities on him. Don’t get me wrong. But he sure didn’t help.” She sucked in a deep breath and then blew it out. “Maybe it was the wine and the fact that I’m exhausted that made me speak my mind… But don’t worry, Gracie, I didn’t damage Julian’s ego. That thing is made of stone.”
Gracie’s expression was one of pained tolerance, and she quickly changed the subject to Zak and how well he was doing in school. For the rest of the meal, they kept the conversation light.
After the dish washer was loaded, Claire said, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. I’m beat.”
Gracie put her hands on Claire’s shoulders and stared at her hard. “You need to take off your armor. It must be awfully heavy. And who knows, you might even find love if you do.”
Claire stared back at her. “That’s the last thing on my mind. I’m perfectly happy with my life the way it is. I don’t need a guy messing it up. But I will take your words to heart. All this baggage is getting to be too much. Good night, sis.”
A little while later, while Claire lay in bed with her hands behind her head, she looked up at the ceiling and reflected over her life. She was happier in New York than she’d been in Romance. Maybe because she didn’t feel judged by the people at Doggie Town. They accepted her the way she was. And maybe because she wasn’t living in her sister’s shadow. Not that she was blaming Gracie for any of her issues…or that she was jealous of her. That wasn’t the case. Claire loved her sister dearly, but if she was being completely honest, it had been hard growing up as the ugly duckling. She’d died her hair, hoping it would help her to feel better about herself. And it did for a bit. Riley and her sister Taylor had jokingly told Claire it made her look sultry and mysterious. But then a few weeks later, all her old self-doubts had returned.
Claire wondered if she’d ever be comfortable with herself. Julian’s handsome face emerged in her mind’s eyes. Now that was someone with self-confidence. She couldn’t remember a time that he’d ever seemed unsure of anything. And she had to admit it had given her some satisfaction to hear him say that she looked good. Although, he probably said that to every woman he met. Still, it had confirmed that she’d outgrown her awkward, gawky stage, and that her change in hair color had earned her a second glance. Now she just needed to change her attitude about herself, and she just might be on her way to a happier life, no matter where she was, and that included Romance.