her.
“Good night, Joey,” Becca said, standing there looking into Joey’s eyes. She brushed her lips softly against Joey’s. Sweet. Romantic. Perfect.
“Good night.”
The early November moon that bathed them in enough light to see by hung steady and strong in the sky overhead as Joey excused herself into the house. As she closed the door and leaned back against it, her fingertips hovered over her lips, still holding on to the wonderful sensation.
“This could be tricky,” she whispered to the quiet living room.
Chapter Nine
With Sky frolicking like a puppy in the corral with his old buddies, Becca sipped from the fresh apple cider Stephen had not only poured for her but apparently crafted himself from apples grown on the property. These guys were like two amazing Martha Stewarts dressed as pinup cowboys, and she was keeping them forever.
“Of course we know Joey,” Monty said. “The whole town knows her. She’s like everyone’s second daughter around here. We used to be understandably jealous until we realized she was also likable.”
“Joey?” Stephen joined them in the outdoor seating arrangement overlooking the Moon and Stars Ranch. “She’s a blue-eyed spark plug, that girl. I once saw her convince Missy Jean Tomlinson to come down twenty whole dollars on the oatmeal cookie and spirit gift basket she was selling at Waffle Fest just by batting her eyes and saying please.”
Becca nodded. “I’d knock twenty off for those eyes, too. Have you ever seen her talk about wine?” She slid to the edge of her chair. “It’s my absolute favorite thing she does. Her entire face lights up and the knowledge she imparts and the words she uses tell me how intelligent she is.” She shook her head. “I’m way beyond a crush and have no time to do anything about it because of the resort’s demands, and it’s maddening.”
“The opening sucking up your time?” Monty asked. He reached for the bottle of rosé they’d left to chill in a metal bucket and set to opening it for all of them. A good chaser to the cider. It was nippy out, but beautiful and sunny, making the rosé a perfect choice. She imagined Joey might think so, too.
“Yes,” Becca told him. “The Jade itself is ready and waiting for the big day. The staff is in the final stages of training. Corporate sent some of our best managers to facilitate, but I’ve been running around making sure all the smaller details are in place for them. The vendor situation has been a nightmare because, let’s be honest, we’re a bit of a drive from Portland.” She shook her head as the details of her week came back to her. “So now we’re counting the hours until our first guest checks in, with events happening on the grounds all week to promote the big day. I don’t know when I’ll have time to sleep much less find a way to lay eyes on Joey until she’s scheduled to come by, but it’s all I really want to do.”
Monty sipped and considered. “Might force you to go slower anyway.”
Becca felt the sides of her mouth tug. “I suppose there’s nothing wrong with slow in the long run.” She watched Sky leap and run in the corral, charging one direction and then changing course and going the opposite way. “Is it crazy that I don’t seem to have the capacity to?” She turned back around and faced them. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone that I was this attracted to but at the same time liked so much as a person.”
“It’s like looking in a mirror,” Monty said, and then grinned at Stephen, who blew him a kiss.
Becca kept going. “I really appreciate how fired up she gets in protecting a vineyard that’s been in her family for years. I also like that being confrontational seems to take her wildly outside of her comfort zone, which tells me she’s kind-hearted. I think a lot about the way she expresses herself and how she uses her hands with such flourish to illustrate a point.”
“Do you also think about her naked?” Stephen asked. Monty swatted him and passed him a look. “What?” Stephen looked back at him. “It’s not like I do, but it’s a strong litmus test for Becca’s plight, which is fraught.”
Monty stared at him. “You’ve been using fraught in too many sentences lately.”
“Because I, too, am fraught with delight about the word,” Stephen replied.
Becca laughed. The more she got to know these two, the more they let their