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A Memory Away
Melinda Curtis
For better or worse, she's family nowDuffy Dufraine just found out he's going to be an uncle. Jessica Aguirre came to Harmony Valley in search of the father of her unborn child, which is by no means him. An accident may have damaged the expectant mom's memory, but he knows his twin is the man she's looking for. But Greg's gone, which leaves Duffy the only family Jess has. And he has to make things right. Offering her a temporary place to stay seems an ideal short-term solution. Until she stirs desires that make the embattled vineyard manager rethink his own long-term game plan. Is he ready to offer Jess and her baby a home to call their own—with him?
For better or worse, she’s family now
Duffy Dufraine just found out he’s going to be an uncle. Jessica Aguirre came to Harmony Valley in search of the father of her unborn child, which is by no means him. An accident may have damaged the expectant mom’s memory, but he knows his twin is the man she’s looking for. But Greg’s gone, which leaves Duffy the only family Jess has. And he has to make things right. Offering her a temporary place to stay seems an ideal short-term solution. Until she stirs desires that make the embattled vineyard manager rethink his own long-term game plan. Is he ready to offer Jess and her baby a home to call their own—with him?
Jess rested her palm on her stomach.
“Did you hear that, Baby?” she asked. “Grandparents are in your future.”
For the first time, Duffy understood Jess. She had no parents. She didn’t want to let her child down as her mother had. What to him was a casual mention of his mother’s involvement was the promise of a special gift to her: family.
“I’m taking this pillow from the bed for me,” Duffy said carefully. “Don’t get any ideas.”
She blinked at him. But it wasn’t the I’m remembering something dazed look he’d seen her get every once in a while. Jess looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. As Duffy, not Greg’s mirror image.
That look touched something deep inside him, something that warmed and eased, something he’d kept locked away and refused to name.
Dear Reader (#ulink_4850fbd1-0e4f-527e-af08-a7da18e782ba),
Welcome to Harmony Valley!
Things aren’t as harmonious here as they once were. Jobs have dried up and almost everyone under the age of sixty has moved away in the past ten years, leaving the population...well...rather gray-haired and peaceful.
But things are changing since three hometown boys made good. They’ve returned home, started a winery, and now the economy is inching its way forward.
Jessica Aguirre has come to town, but not for a job. She’s looking for someone from her past, someone who might help her remember. When she sees a photo of Michael “Duffy” Dufraine in a local newspaper, she’s convinced he has the answers she’s seeking. Duffy is afraid he knows the answers, but Jessica won’t want to hear the truth.
I hope you enjoy Jessica and Duffy’s journey, as well as the other romances in the Harmony Valley series. I love to hear from readers. Check my website to learn about upcoming books, sign up for email book announcements (and I’ll send you a free sweet romantic comedy read), or chat with me on Facebook (MelindaCurtisAuthor (https://www.facebook.com/MelindaCurtisAuthor)) or Twitter (MelCurtisAuthor (https://twitter.com/MelCurtisAuthor)) to hear about my latest giveaways.
Melinda
MelindaCurtis.com (http://melindacurtis.net)
A Memory Away
Melinda Curtis
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Award-winning, USA TODAY bestselling author MELINDA CURTIS lives in California’s arid Central Valley with her husband, an ancient Labrador, a “Shorkie” princess and a cat who would be queen of them all. Their three kids are all in college (not in California) so you’re more likely to see posts regarding Melinda’s pets than her kids on social media (for which her progeny are thankful).
Melinda enjoys putting humor into her stories, because that’s how she approaches life. She writes sweet contemporary romances as Melinda Curtis (Brenda Novak says of Season of Change, “found a place on my keeper shelf”), and fun, steamy reads as Mel Curtis (Jayne Ann Krentz says of Cora Rules, “wonderfully entertaining”).
The premise of this story was born at a bar with senior editor Victoria Curran and polished from the brilliance of Kathryn Lye (thanks, ladies!). Margie Lawson challenged me to bring more quirk to Harmony Valley (thank you, Margie!). And Mr. Curtis literally kept me fed as I put the finishing touches on it (thanks for letting me have the “Follow your instincts” fortune cookie fortune, babe, even though that isn’t really a fortune).
Contents
Cover (#u12727141-9304-5e6a-aa1f-6ce4a820df7f)
Back Cover Text (#u48e7b040-ab3f-53e7-834e-096c06732258)
Introduction (#u54d59cd7-91ec-5696-b2dd-777148ddaa78)
Dear Reader (#uf70bf21d-30b1-57bb-a7c0-eb6db860bf23)
Title Page (#u1ee7f450-d069-50be-ba07-b2f980481e72)
About the Author (#u3d52cb2d-9231-59f9-a6bd-10ca1eabcaa9)
Dedication (#u2e57e68f-b6c1-58da-ba28-4c2eea617f43)
CHAPTER ONE (#ue29439d1-080e-54a0-8d16-c69c1ca404ad)
CHAPTER TWO (#u11d7a9fa-20a6-59d4-9a0c-545e655b7397)
CHAPTER THREE (#uf08bc1fe-4591-5aa6-9000-ccbb79c6c59d)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ufbe0b2d7-b5f9-502f-9100-1547aa631b85)
CHAPTER FIVE (#ud8699992-f7af-5dda-a401-804377c887e3)
CHAPTER SIX (#u4da41c5a-d282-5e3f-9073-887e520fa94e)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#u3a45b725-ed4e-5e3b-8d40-6cece0c34e68)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_8226f66a-3d52-5fce-b94c-bd6f683c33c8)
DID HE LOVE ME?
Jessica Aguirre didn’t know if he loved her. She didn’t know if he knew her.
She stood on a gravel drive in the midst of a vineyard in Harmony Valley. Heart pounding. Head pounding.
Did he love me?
The man in the photograph would tell her.
Jess clutched a newspaper photo, and stared at the group of men and women in front of a two-story farmhouse with a vintage weather vane. There was a man in the back row on the left. He was the one.
She recognized him right away. Recognized dark hair with a curl at his temple. Recognized a straight, no-nonsense nose. Recognized caramel-colored eyes. Those eyes. If only she could remember...
What if it wasn’t him? What if this was a dead end? What if...?
Jess drew a steadying breath against the panic rising in her chest and lifted her gaze to the well-looked-after farmhouse. The day the picture had been taken there’d been big fluffy clouds in the sky above the cupola. Today the sky was clear and blue. The late January air was crazy cold, stinging Jessica’s toes in her sneakers.
The slender woman who’d greeted Jess on this Monday morning hurried down the front porch steps. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. Come inside the tasting room.” Christine was the winemaker for the newly opened Harmony Valley Vineyards, which was headquartered in the farmhouse, the subject of the newspaper article, and where he worked. Christine’s carefree smile told Jess the woman had never lost a moment, a day or weeks from her past. “We have all the amenities inside—hot tea, a bathroom and a place to sit down.”
“I don’t want to be any trouble.” Jessica resisted glancing at the clipping again. Would her unannounced appearance be welcome? Or create mayhem?
“It’s no trouble. You’re no trouble.” Christine had the kind of smile that invited you to relax, to open up, to be part of the family. “Come inside. It’s cold out here.”
It was cold. Jessica’s jacket wouldn’t zip up anymore. And family...
In no time, Jessica was sitting at a table cradling a cup of hot tea. The tasting room was elegant in a simple way that fit the farmhouse. Dark wood, intimate tables for two, out-of-Jessica’s-price-range granite slabs on bar tops. But the room was oddly empty.
“Where’s the wine?”
Christine followed the direction of Jessica’s curious gaze to the bare shelves behind the bar. “Barrel aging. I’ll be blending some for limited release soon. But most of our harvest will age another year.”
“Aging wine is all about patiently waiting, isn’t it? Even when you don’t know how it will turn out.” Jessica had become good at biding her time. “Making wine is like waiting for bread dough to rise.” Or babies to be born.
“Exactly.” With a contented sigh, Christine’s gaze lingered on the room as if seeing it filled with bottles of her making.
Outside, the wind whistled past, drawing Jessica to the window in time to see a muddy gray truck pull into the gravel drive.
“There he is.” Christine gave Jessica’s shoulder a sisterly squeeze, and then headed toward the door. “I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”
Did he love me?
A man got out of the truck. Dark hair. Straight nose. Familiar eyes.
It’s him.
She leaned forward, peering through the paned glass, her heart sailing toward him, over ever-hopeful waves of roses and rainbows.
Jess didn’t usually let herself dream. But now...today...him...
And yet...
He wore a burgundy vest jacket that clashed with a red long-sleeve T-shirt. Worn blue jeans. A black baseball cap.
Instead, she saw him in a fine wool suit. Black, always black. A navy shirt of the softest cotton. A silk tie in a geometric pattern. Shiny Italian loafers...
He took the stairs two at a time, work boots ringing on wood.
Jessica’s heart sank as certainly as if someone had drilled holes in the boat carrying her hopeful emotions. Clouds blocked the sun. The rainbow disappeared. Unwilling to sink, Jess clung to joy. To the idea of him.
He entered without a flourish or an energetic greeting. He entered without the smile that teased the corners of her memory. He entered and took stock of the room, the situation, her.
Their eyes met. His were the same color, same shape, so heart-achingly familiar.
It was the cool assessment in them that threw her off. Not a smile, not a brow quirk, not an eye crinkle.
He came forward. “I’m Michael Dufraine, but everyone calls me Duffy.”
His name didn’t ring true.
Had he lied to her?
She couldn’t speak, could barely remember her name.
The wind shook the panes. The house creaked and groaned.
He smiled. A polite smile, a distant smile, an I-don’t-know-you smile.
Disappointment overwhelmed her. Jess resisted the urge to dissolve into a pity puddle on the floor.
“And you are...?” He extended his hand.
On autopilot, she reached for him. Their palms touched.
Jessica’s vision blurred and she gripped his hand tighter as clips of memory assailed her—his deep laughter, him offering her a bite of chocolate cheesecake, his citrusy cologne as he leaned in to kiss her.
