BONDED SOULS by Nina Pierce

BONDED SOULS by Nina Pierce

Prequel in the Shifting Bonds Series

After discovering her boyfriend is married, veterinarian Jayda Kynslan decides to give up on men. She has every intention of planting her feet firmly on the path of celibacy - right after one more night of shameless sex with a stranger. A vacation in Montana would certainly ease the pain of betrayal and offer her anonymity.

Police chief and wolf shifter council leader, Cole Takoda, needs a break from investigating the murders of shifters plaguing his town. When a beautiful stranger seduces him at the local tavern it's more than a tryst...it's uncontrollable desire. And Cole can't stand it. To top it off, their quickie becomes a revelation of shifter secrets and unfulfilled prophecies.

The discovery of a dead man in the forest behind Jayda's rented cabin thrusts her into a foreign world of animal shifters and murder and the man she thought was only a casual diversion seems to be the only one willing to hear her side of the story. Jayda's just not sure if Cole's going to take her to jail - or his bed.

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An Excerpt From: BONDED SOULS

Copyright © NINA PIERCE, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

Jayda Kynslan sauntered into the Whip and Bull Tavern, wanting only two things—a cold beer and a hot cock. The first, she hoped would ease the heavy ache in her chest. The second would be attached to a good-looking man who would replace the images of the jackass who’d broken her heart. This whole road trip to the high mountains of Montana had been a knee-jerk reaction to the asshole’s selfishness. Jayda shook her head, clearing away thoughts of the friggin’ pig of a manwhore. She didn’t want to go there tonight. This night was about getting a little buzz and a whole lot of sex.

Her first objective was only as far away as the bar across the room. But weaving her way through the handful of empty tables, her red cowboy boots tapping across the peanut shells strewn on the marred floor, Jayda realized finding someone to fulfill the second thing on her wish list wasn’t going to be as easy. She’d picked a bad night to go cruising for male flesh in a nearly empty bar that seemed to cater to the college crowd.

Plunking her voluptuous ass on one of the padded barstools, Jayda lifted her hand to the bartender. Some might consider Jayda overweight, but she liked to think of her size-sixteen frame as curving in all the right places. Why men would go for the little waifs with nothing to hold on to, like the petite blonde behind the bar, was beyond her understanding.

“A long neck. Something domestic. I’m not picky,” she said to the female bartender, who looked only slightly less bored than Jayda felt at the moment. Except for football season, which had already passed, she figured Monday nights, even in a cowboy town like Lonesome Fork, weren’t really big tavern nights for most people.

The bartender’s ponytail swayed as she set down the bottle, offered a glass, which Jayda refused, and slid over the bowl of peanuts. In a hurry to begin her vacation, Jayda hadn’t bothered to eat lunch before leaving the vet clinic. Anticipation had kept her driving through the Montana mountains and now her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t taken time to fix herself dinner before leaving the cabin either. Grabbing a handful of nuts, she broke open the shells and popped them in her mouth. She scanned the reflections of the patrons in the mirror behind the bar, searching for possible targets.

Tonight, Jayda decided, would be her last go-around with the opposite sex—unadulterated, uncomplicated coitus with a complete stranger. A nice memory to hold on to in the quiet of the night when she was alone in her bed. Jayda didn’t want to need a man. She was a successful veterinarian in a big practice. It should be enough.

After tonight, she’d spend the week in solitude at her friend’s mountain cabin, mending her shredded heart and planting her feet solidly on the path to celibacy. Obviously, two weeks drowning her sorrows with tears hadn’t helped. Men, Jayda had come to believe, were nothing but scumbags of trouble on the garbage heap of misery. The sooner she cleared them from her mind, the happier she’d be.

Jayda nervously toyed with the bangle bracelet at her wrist. She’d chosen this evening’s outfit to accent her best features. Her ass was swaddled in her favorite pair of worn jeans. A white cashmere sweater displayed her plentiful cleavage quite nicely. The clothes definitely announced, “I’m yours for the taking.”

She hadn’t wanted to mess with the corkscrew curls of her hair while traveling the ninety minutes from her condo in Blackfish Springs to the cabin in Lonesome Fork, so Jayda had pulled the whole mess into a long French braid. The thick tail of black curled over her shoulder and draped invitingly over her left breast.

Unable to make out faces in the murky light of the tavern, Jayda gave up on her sly inspection of the clientele and kicked the stool a half turn. Leaning one elbow on the padded edge of the bar, she casually sipped her beer, assessing her chances of getting laid.

A rowdy group of young men, barely old enough to drink, sat at a booth, flicking a paper football between them. A few others spilled onto the tables next to them. Most likely students from the state university at the base of Coppertip Mountain. Though their youthful stamina would be a definite plus, Jayda thought a more experienced man would leave her with more satisfying memories. A sigh puffed out her cheeks, and she turned the stool back to the bartender.

“Quiet tonight,” she said.

“Give it another thirty minutes.” The bartender flicked her head toward the door leading to the back room of the tavern. “Monday’s the mechanical bull competition. They’ll start filtering in here soon enough.” The woman swirled a couple of beer steins in some homemade rig for cleaning glasses and set them next to the sink. “Not from around here?” She turned the statement into a question.

“That obvious?” Jayda casually shelled a few peanuts, adding the husks to her neat pile on the bar. “I grew up in New York City, but now I’m living in Blackfish Springs. Even after four years in the foothills of Montana, I can’t seem to lose the city accent.”

The bartender smiled. “Lonesome Fork’s a small town. I know most everyone coming and going. Accent’s not that obvious.” The bartender used her cloth to wipe the bar and push the peanut shells to the floor. “Part of the Whip and Bull’s ambiance,” she said, almost as an apology. “What brings you to Lonesome Fork?”

“A man.” Jayda immediately regretted the words. It didn’t help that the cobalt eyes staring back at her grew wide with surprise. Jayda’s hand shook with her head, wiping away the confusion. “That came out wrong.” She took a long pull of her beer, trying to wash down the embarrassment. “What I mean is…I’m not looking for a man. I just broke up with my boyfriend and I’ve come here for a vacation to get my head on straight.”

Tension eased out of the bartender’s shoulders and she smiled and nodded. “I’m Becca.” She wiped her hand down the small apron around her waist before extending it to Jayda. “Nice to meet you…”

Jayda shook her hand, relaxing into the female kinship of understanding. “Jayda. Jayda Kynslan.”

“Well, Jayda, Jayda Kynslan, welcome to Lonesome Fork.” Becca leaned in conspiratorially. “I guarantee the fresh mountain air smells a hell of a lot better than testosterone.”

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DIVINE DECEPTION by Nina Pierce

RIPE AND READY

An Anthology Featuring Stories by Nina Pierce, Mardi Ballou, Kat Alexis and Alexis Canto

Obtaining his life's dream may very well destroy hers...

DIVINE DECEPTION Deception by Nina Pierce

Nicholas is returning to the family vineyard after nearly a decade away. A quick trip to the lawyer to collect the trust fund that's rightfully his and he can wash his hands of the alcoholic father who disowned him years ago. A romp or two with the cellarmaster's assistant shouldn't complicate things.

Francesca has given her heart and soul to Mill Tavern Vineyards, working tirelessly in its wine cellars. Now the greedy son of her stepfather is coming home to take it all from her. Manipulating her way into the playboy's bed may be the only way to save her home.

But hot sex quickly becomes an affair of the heart as Francesca and Nick get tangled in lies and deceit trying to discover the truth behind the failing vineyard.

Other stories include PERFECT PEAR by Mardi Ballou, BERRY BLISS by Kat Alexis, and RIPE FOR LOVE by Alexis Canto.

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Excerpt
"from Divine Deception"

Having Nick present while she visited with Joseph wasn't really in her plans. Frankie had tried to talk Nick into taking the motorcycle to the hospital later in the morning but Margaret had come running down the granite steps swinging a picnic basket as Frankie was climbing into the truck. She handed it to Nick with two quick kisses on his cheeks and stood watching as he climbed into the passenger side of the cab and they pulled from the driveway.

Now they were headed into town, the midmorning sun hanging in an azure sky, its rays dancing on Seneca Lake. Normally Frankie would have loved a day like this but the cab seemed claustrophobic with Nick Gradin's surly attitude sitting between them.

"It's not my fault you didn't know who I was," she said quietly.

Turning to her, he cocked a skeptical eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You knew your father had a stepdaughter."

"And a child bride," Nick remarked coldly. "I expected my stepsister to have pigtails and braces. Not…" His hand motioned up and down her torso.

"Well, you didn't seem to mind the package yesterday."

"Yesterday I thought you were Joseph's assistant."

"Funny, yesterday I thought you were a womanizing pig of a manwhore." She shot him a patronizing smile. "Guess one of us was right."

He frowned. "If you'll recall, I wasn't the one who came on to you in the field."

"As I recall, it was you who was ready for action in the wine cellar."

"I was simply reading the signals you were sending out."

"Then you have a faulty GPS."

"My wiring is just fine thank you."

"I suppose you think it is, with all the woman you have tumbling into your posh Philadelphia bed."

"Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, as if you don't know."

"I have no idea what you're…oh, this is stupid. Pull over here." Nick motioned to a dirt road that led to a small alcove near the lake.

She'd been parking there once in high school.

"I'm not going to see Joseph until we clear this up and can at least be civil to each other," he said.

Frankie acquiesced. He was right. It wouldn't do Joseph any good to have them bickering in front of him. She turned the truck into the trees, their pumpkin and gold leaves floating passively on the gentle breeze. They bumped down the dirt tracks, the center lane overgrown with the dried weeds of summer. Frankie felt as if she was entering the lion's mouth. Anger surrounded Nick like the cloud of dust trailing behind them. She had no idea why he was so pissed when she'd only spoken the truth.

Shoving the truck in park and shutting off the engine, Frankie stared out over the lake. Its cobalt surface rippled at the gentle touch of the fall breeze. Maybe this was the perfect place to help Nick see things her way. Though she hadn't exactly started the conversation off in the right direction, maybe she could try again. "I think—"

As if he hadn't heard her, Nick got out and slammed the door. Pacing in front of the truck, he pulled at his bottom lip, an angry scowl furrowing his brows. What the hell was his problem? Frankie got out and stalked after him. "For someone who wants to talk, you're damn rude, you know that, Gradin?"

He grabbed her and pressed her against the front of truck, the solid planes of his chest trapping her. "I don't know what my father told you about me but I do not—I repeat, do not—have a rotating door on my bedroom. There is no harem of beauties waiting for me in Philly. When I choose to sleep with a woman I like there to be a little chemistry between me and the lady." His mouth came down hungrily on hers, his taste already familiar. When his tongue ran the seam of her lips, she had no choice but to open to his assault. Fisting his hand in her hair, Nick controlled the breath-stealing tempo while his other hand surrounded her breast, squeezing the sensitive flesh. Warm shocks of want shot straight to her pussy. Frankie's hands seized the soft chambray of his shirt, her heart racing in her ears. Nick broke from her as abruptly as he began. "And there's no denying our chemistry, Francesca."

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INVITATION TO ECSTASY by Nina Pierce

INVITATION TO ECSTASY by Nina Pierce

XTC Resorts Book 2

A woman unwilling to trust...

Sara Lancaster isn't sure accepting her invitation to a BDSM weekend at XTC Resort is a good idea - though she does have something to prove. Months of abuse at the hand of her former Master have taken their toll. Now, two years later, Sara believes she's ready to embrace her submissive side once again and enjoy the carnal pleasures of a younger Dom.

A man testing his limits...

Derek Thomas has lost belief in his abilities as a Master. Accepting an invitation for Dom training could be exactly what he needs to regain his self-confidence. Challenged with an experienced older woman, he soon realizes wielding a flogger isn't always enough to break down the emotional walls and heal a damaged submissive.

Two people with something to prove...

Sara and Derek sizzle with sexual heat the moment they step into the dungeon. The mind blowing sex and physical pain may satisfy their bodies, but wounded hearts and broken spirits just may require something even more intimate - their hearts.

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By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.

An Excerpt From: INVITATION TO ECSTASY

Copyright © NINA PIERCE, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One



Sara Lancaster had definitely made the wrong decision.

Less than twenty-four hours ago she was sure this weekend was just what she needed. Eight hours ago, excitement had fluttered in her stomach as she’d left Boston, overjoyed to accept the invitation. Hell, just two hours ago she’d been giddy with anticipation as she’d collected her bags at the Key West airport and caught a taxi to the boat landing.

But her tiny apartment and the bungalow where she currently stood weren’t merely thousands of miles apart—a whole world separated the comfortable life she’d finally made for herself and the fantasy she was standing in.

What the hell had she been thinking?

Sara was fooling herself. Life didn’t offer people second chances. No one understood that better than her. The fates dealt crappy cards and a person either played them to the best of their ability or they folded and left everything to chance. Sara had tried it both ways and neither method had netted her anything but heartache and pain.

And a person could live with pain.

But heartache? Heartache ripped at the soul, leaving gaping holes of emptiness that nothing could fill—not even pain.

The tropical breeze lifted her hair and she absently brushed it out of her face. The salty aroma of the ocean curled around her nose, bringing back memories she’d stored away and tried to forget. Toying with the gold and sapphire choker in her hands, she let the tides of the past flow over her. Tears welled unbidden, distorting the sugar-white sand and turquoise ocean spread out before her. Sara thought she’d gotten beyond it all, but the memories expanded and crashed over the walls of her heart. Misery rushed in but still left her feeling hollow and alone.

Yes, this really had been a bad decision.

A knock at her door pulled her from her morose thoughts.

“I’m coming.” She swiped her hand across her cheeks, trying to brush away the sadness as she rushed off the veranda and back through the sliding glass doors and into her room. She threw the choker on the end table next to the sitting area, nearly tripping over the overflowing suitcase she’d yet to completely unpack.

Inhaling a steadying breath, she forced a smile and opened the door. Her guest didn’t wait for a welcome. Burly arms swept her off her feet into a bear hug and swung her out the door.

“Sara!” A deep laugh rolled over her, soothing away the misery of a moment ago. “I knew you couldn’t avoid me forever.”

Despite the sorrow clogging her throat, a nasally laugh escaped. The big man set her back on her feet, his huge frame towering over her as they stood toe to toe on the stone path outside her bungalow.

“Ethan Jacobs.” Her palm curved around his strong jaw and he breathed deep, as if he could inhale her presence. “I’ve missed you, dear friend.” Tears stung the back of her eyes. She shouldn’t have stayed away so long.

He stooped to look her in the eyes. “Hey, those had better be tears of overwhelming happiness at seeing me again.”

Her mouth curved in the semblance of a smile. “I thought I was ready…” She paused, knowing that Ethan, of all people, understood without her having to explain her trepidation.

“Has it really been three years?” he asked quietly, steering their conversation to a more comfortable topic. “I feel like you were here yesterday. You look as young as the day we first met.”

Though she worked out regularly, thirty-seven years of gravity were working hard to sink the parts of her body Sara was trying to keep afloat. No doubt the long travel day accentuated the crow’s feet scratching at the corners of her eyes. She definitely wasn’t a college coed anymore, but she appreciated his flattery nonetheless. “You’re a liar, Ethan Jacobs. But thank you.” She ran her hand over the white polo sleeve that barely contained the muscular curve of his biceps. “You, on the other hand, look better than ever. I guess managing the resort has treated you well.”

“It’s a rough gig, living here in paradise with beautiful men and women running around half naked.” He shrugged. “But hey, someone’s got to do it, and I’m willing to take one for the team.”

“Very noble of you.”

“I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”

“You are that, Ethan.” She laughed and invited him into her bungalow. The initial punch of seeing him had worn off, leaving only the comfortable friendship that had developed over too many bottles of wine, late dinners and life lessons. It had been the last that had solidified their bond.

“I was pleased you accepted my invitation, Sara.” Ethan settled in one of the leather chairs in the corner of the room. “I debated whether to even send it.”

She’d known this conversation would be coming, and she tried to ignore the dread knotting cold and hard in her gut. “It’s hard to say no to you, Ethan.” Sara reminded herself it was all part of the healing processes and no one could help her over this final barrier better than Ethan. Needing to keep busy, she grabbed two bottles of water from the mini-fridge and handed one to him before settling in an identical chair across from him. “Though it was a little bit of a shock to find it mixed in so innocently with the sale flyers and electric bill after so many years.” She laughed.

“I figured it was time. You’ve been in Chicago a couple of times in the last few months, I figured you were working your way back into the scene,” he said. Casually tipping back the bottle, he took a long pull, his eyes never leaving hers.

The water bottle froze halfway to her mouth before she dropped her hand to her lap in stunned disbelief. Water sloshed onto her bare thigh, but she barely noticed the chill. What the hell? With just a simple sentence, Ethan turned their happy reunion into something ugly. The feelings she’d been working to dismiss steamrolled over her heart, keeping her from replying. Hell, at the moment, she couldn’t even swallow her fear and incredulity. He’d spoken the words so nonchalantly, but they implied something she didn’t want to contemplate.

Leaning forward, he braced his forearms on his knees, his eyes turning to deep pools of ebony. “It’s a small world we live in, Sara. You didn’t think after all that happened I wouldn’t be watching over you?”

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LOVE'S BOUNTY by Nina Pierce

LOVE'S BOUNTY by Nina Pierce

Tilling Passions Book 2

A woman determined to protect her heart...

Landscaping in Delmont, Maine hasn't been DEIRDRE TILLING's only passion. Up until two months ago, it had included a live-in lover. Jilted for the third time in as many years, Deirdre's decided to give up on love. With her feet firmly planted on the path of one night stands, she finds herself heating up the sheets with a dark haired stranger she met at her new employer's party. But one night with the man who is both sexy as hell and compassionate, may not be enough.

An agent hell bent on proving himself...

DEA agent, AYDEN SCOTT, has a lot to prove after a disastrous drug bust in Miami three years earlier that left a member of his team dead. Working undercover as lead investigator, he's determined to bring down an elusive drug cartel smuggling heroin into central Maine. He'll use any means necessary to complete his objective, including sleeping with the suspected drug Lord's landscaper, Deirdre. He just hadn't expected the feisty redhead to be so much more than long legs and dangerous curves.

One night neither of them can forget...

Deirdre and Ayden both thought one sexually explosive romp in the sack would be the end of their relationship. But Deirdre's arrest for heroin possession and her father's near-fatal heart attack prompts Ayden to confess his true identity. When Deirdre is kidnapped by the drug cartel and used as a pawn, Ayden is forced to choose between his heart and his mission. The question is...who will survive his decision?

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Excerpt:

The condo they entered was utilitarian, the living room furniture leather and heavy wood and very masculine. The whole first floor was visible from the front door where she stood frozen, too flustered by her own audacity to move. Austin closed the door and stepped around her, heading to the other side of the condo and into the small kitchen area.

"Can I get you something to drink?" He ducked his head into the fridge, his jeans pulling snug across a nicely curved ass. "I don't have much. Coffee. Water. Wine." He stood up and looked at her. She almost giggled at the way he tilted his head to one side, sort of that lost puppy, take-me-home kind of look. His blue eyes mirrored her confusion.

"Deirdre, can I get you anything?"

Yeah, those luscious lips between my thighs. Deirdre shook her head. Coffee. She was here for a cup of coffee before she drove home. Nothing more. But her body was screaming for something else.

"Wine sounds nice."

"A New York Riesling or an Australian Pinot Noir?" Austin held up two bottles.

No, just coffee. She couldn't drive home with more alcohol in her system. It was rutting season and even this late at night the moose would be on the move. Her little Toyota truck was no match for one of those behemoths. "Whichever one is white," she said, wondering why she was letting her body make all the decisions.

Deirdre walked over to the stereo system, perusing the CDs haphazardly strewn about on the receiver. It was the only thing out of place in his condo.

"I have Mozart and Def Leopard and everything in between. Choose your poison." Austin's voice washed over her shoulder as he stepped up behind her. She could feel the heat of his chest against her back. Not the soft, round, plump feeling of a woman, but the steel power of a man. Heat shot through her veins, hitching her breath and pressing her nipples against her lace bra.

She took the glass he offered, moving to the couch and away from the intoxicating scent of his spicy cologne.

"Something quiet." she said. "After the loud bands at the party, it would be nice." Actually, she needed something to soothe her pulsing nerves. "You live here long?" Deirdre sipped the wine, grateful Austin's attention on the stereo kept him from seeing her shaking hand. What was she doing here?

"A few months. I have some business up and down the coast. When it's over I'll head back to Boston." He turned and lifted his glass of ice water. "Here's to enjoying the beautiful Maine autumn."

"You're not drinking?"

"Too many wild nights. I'm giving my liver a rest."

The quiet strains of piano music filled the room. She recognized the artist as one of her father's favorites. Immediately, her brooding thoughts turned to her family.

There had been so many nights in the last few months she'd sat with her father in the quiet of their home in town. She and her two sisters rotated nights, giving their mother a short reprieve from the hopelessness of growing old. Deidre couldn't count the number of times she'd played the CDs, hoping to give him strength and courage in the memory of who he once was. But it seemed he'd given up on life. Now, they all watched as his body withered its way to death.

"…Deirdre, yoo-hoo, you okay?" Austin was bent over, intently staring into her eyes, only inches from her nose.

"Sorry, Austin. Drifted off for a moment. What were you saying?"

"I was talking about my consulting firm, but obviously that put you to sleep." He sat on the leather couch, lacing his fingers through hers, pulling her down next to him. "Sit. Enjoy the wine and the music."

Though Deirdre had had only two one-night stands in her lifetime, one in college, and of course, Bobby, she could distinguish genuine interest from lust. It was concern she saw in the cobalt pools of Austin's eyes and the gentle curve of his mouth. She leaned against him seeking solace in the solid feeling of his body.

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BLIND LOVE by Nina Pierce

BLIND HER WITH BLISS by Nina Pierce

Tilling Passions Book 1

He's a shock jock looking to reform. She's an accountant hoping to cut loose. Can love open their eyes to forever?

Uptight CPA, JULIE TILLING is tired of doing the right thing. When her friend from high school dies and Julie is the only one who believes he didn’t commit suicide, she takes it upon herself to explore the circumstances surrounding his death. When the investigation takes her into a world of sexy nightclubs and a one night stand that has her heart melting, Julie finds a naughty side of herself she didn’t know existed.

DAMON COREY didn’t come to Maine to become a shock jock. But when his dream of becoming a concert pianist seems unobtainable, the radio station’s offer is too good to pass up. Unfortunately, the one night stands and empty relationships are getting old—that is until a mysterious brunette falls into his arms and wraps around his heart making him believe in love.

With their passion overheating and their sexual encounters exploding, Damon and Julie work to see beyond the masks that have protected them from the world. But will Damon’s enigmatic shock jock persona become Julie’s sexual undoing and reveal Damon as the missing piece that solves the puzzling questions surrounding her friend’s death?

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Excerpt:

Julie trudged across the parking lot into the floral shop at Tilling Garden and Plants. She ran her fingers through the thick strands of hair she’d meticulously straightened that morning. There was nothing left of the salon-sleek hairstyle save for a rusty mass of frizz. What a pain in the ass.

“I’m here,” she called out in unison with the bells jingling over the door. The scent of eucalyptus and jasmine filled her nose and she breathed deep, letting the calming aroma fill her.

“I’m out back.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Julie mumbled, winding her way through the displays of silk flowers and potted plants, past the empty front counter to the back work room.

“That’s a pretty outfit, Jules. Not everyone can wear grey. But it’s definitely a good color for you.” Her sister Meghan barely turned away from the assortment of roses scattered on her workbench.

Julie wasn’t sure that was a compliment, but she knew her younger sibling had intended it that way, so she took no offense. “Thanks.”

Younger by a year, Meghan looked radiant as always. Nothing ever looked good on Julie. Her sister’s chestnut curls were pulled back in an elaborate French twist with tiny wisps framing her pixie features. Meghan didn’t need to wear the makeup accenting her almond eyes and high cheekbones. Her flawless skin would have been beautiful without the subtle strokes of color. Unlike Julie who attempted to cover the smattering of freckles across her nose and thicken the sparse eyelashes she’d been blessed with.

“So what’s up with the frantic phone call, Meg?” Julie asked, leaning in to give her sister a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. “Nice bridal bouquet. Hard to believe you’ll be carrying your own soon.”

“I know. How cool is that? Just like Mum and Daddy.” Meghan held out her left hand. The three-quarter-carat marquis diamond caught the afternoon light shafting through the window and sent it dancing on the walls.

Julie tamped down the quick spike of envy. The fact that her sisters seemed to have all the luck in the love department while she continued to strike out certainly wasn’t their fault.

“Anyway, the phone call.” Meghan giggled, shrugging her shoulders. “I just can’t figure out the new filing system you set up in the office. I need the bill for the Harriman wedding tomorrow and Chelsea’s paycheck, but I couldn’t remember the combination to the safe. Then I had these invoices from the flower delivery. Those I just threw on top of the desk, along with the mail for the last couple of days.”

At least she had the grace to blush at her own shortcomings.

“It’s Friday, Jules. Peter and I have a date,” Meghan continued. “I knew you wouldn’t be busy. Could you be a peach and dig it all out for me? You’re so much better at all the organizational stuff.”

Exasperated, Julie bit her cheek to hold in a sigh. “Meg, the combination is the month and day of our parents’ anniversary. Simple. Four numbers.” Since Meghan wasn’t really listening to the details, Julie walked into the little office off the back room as she talked. “The invoices go in the basket on top of the desk marked ‘in’. And you could have sorted the mail to separate the junk from the bills,” Julie muttered the last observation. Two days’ worth of sale flyers and bills littered the otherwise immaculate desk.

“What?” Meghan hollered from the workbench.

“Never mind, I’ll do it. Like always,” Julie said to no one.

“Hello, anyone here?”

The backdoor slammed. Another two steps and her baby sister, Deirdre, would have seen Meghan. Julie rubbed at the annoyance pounding behind her temples.

“Jules is in the office,” Meghan replied.

Tilling Gardens and Plants had been the brainchild of her sisters. Open five years, her younger siblings had floundered financially for the first two. When Julie received her MBA with honors from Northeastern University in Boston, she’d had plans too big to fit into the rural town of Delmont. But her sisters’ not-so-subtle hints at bankruptcy had piled onto her already high level of guilt at leaving home. Add the weight of aging parents with declining health and it had become a burden she couldn’t ignore.

Returning to Delmont as their partner and business manager had ensured Julie would be close should her parents need her. Of course it didn’t hurt that the floral and landscaping business had flourished under her business guidance and was now supporting the three of them quite nicely. Still, the strains of her family obligations often stretched her patience to the point of breaking—like now.

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