Once Tasted: A Silver Creek Novel Read online

  Once Tasted is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Ballantine Books eBook Edition

  Copyright © 2014 by Laura Moore

  Excerpt from Once Touched by Laura Moore copyright © 2014 by Laura Moore

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.

  BALLANTINE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

  This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Once Touched by Laura Moore. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

  ISBN: 978-0-345-53700-3

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-345-53701-0

  Cover design: Lynn Andreozzi

  Cover photograph: George Kerrigan

  www.ballantinebooks.com

  v3.1

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Other Books by This Author

  Excerpt from Once Touched

  REID KNOWLES LOVED life’s finer pleasures: the feel of a warm, enthusiastic woman moving against him, and the rush of a powerful horse carrying him over the fields in a ground-eating run. Today he was enjoying another: a dawn ride on his Harley, its engine roaring beneath him as he took Route 1’s serpentine curves. He’d chosen the coastal route for the simple reason that it was beautiful. The salty bite to the California wind against his face felt great after the weeks he’d spent in the sauna that was South Carolina in early summer.

  That he was presently enjoying only item number three on his list of pleasures didn’t bother him at all, not when every mile flying beneath his wheels brought him closer to numbers one and two. Acacia, California, had some exceptionally pretty women living in it, and his home, Silver Creek Ranch, had some of the finest Quarter Horses to be found anywhere. In just a few hours, he’d be riding his own, Sirrus, a nine-year-old gelding he’d trained since birth.

  No, he had no complaints at all. Life was good. And if there were moments when he recognized that maybe everything in it came to him a little too easily, well, this wasn’t one of them.

  He was happy.

  With a grin into the morning wind, he dropped down a gear on the throttle and leaned into the next curve.

  Oh, damn, he must be back.

  Mia Bodell didn’t need to be a modern-day Sherlock Holmes to guess who’d put the dreamy expression on Tracy Crofta’s face at Spillin’ the Beans. The barista fairly floated over the wide-planked, unvarnished floors as she took Mia’s order, humming to the hissing of the steamer as she prepared her triple-shot latte.

  There were other signs, too.

  Tracy wasn’t the only blissed-out female in the coffee shop. Betty Shales, who was sixty if she was a day, wore a beatific smile. Stationed behind the cash register, she stopped patting her gray dreadlocks only long enough to take Mia’s money.

  But in case Mia had suffered temporary blindness and failed to notice the women’s joyous glow, she’d have had to be wearing earplugs to miss the trills of laughter and excited chatter when, latte in hand, she walked in to the post office—which also housed the local bank, general store, and luncheonette.

  Not many towns could boast of having a post office where you could not only pick up your mail but also cash your checks, order a stack of buttermilk pancakes or a burger, pick up a loaf of bread and a bottle of Tide, and get your daily dose of the latest local happenings, too. The post office–general store–luncheonette wasn’t just Acacia’s hub. It was Gossip Central.

  Mia wasn’t big on gossip. She’d been the butt of it too often. But as she inserted her key into the metal mailbox and retrieved the mail, dropping half of it into the recycling bin and tucking the rest of it—bills, bills, and more bills—under her arm, the air around her buzzed. Reid Knowles’s name reverberated from all corners of the interior.

  There was no escaping it.

  The scent of freshly baked goods filled the spacious interior—another reason why the post office was such a popular place. Knowing how much her uncle Thomas loved the luncheonette’s blueberry muffins, Mia got in line. And since no good deed went unpunished, she spent the next few minutes breathing in the aroma of melted butter, flour, and sugar while listening to Maebeth Krohner and Nancy Del Ray, who were working the morning shift at the luncheonette, sing Reid Knowles’s praises.

  “Mm-hmm, yeah, he got back today and dropped in to say hi.” Nancy’s voice held a wealth of satisfaction. Nancy had two small children and was five years older than Reid, but that didn’t stop the divorcée from tracking his comings and goings with the breathlessness of a tween at a One Direction concert.

  “Dang.” Maebeth shook her head. “I knew I didn’t need to fold the clothes sitting in the dryer this morning. I’d have seen Reid otherwise. Was he looking as fine as ever?”

  Thirty and single, Maebeth made no bones about how much she liked Reid—really liked Reid. In this she was not alone.

  “Could you doubt it? The man rode his motorcycle all the way from South Carolina. He came in here looking windblown and scruffy,” Nancy replied.

  “Oh Lord.” Maebeth made a show of fanning herself.

  It was nine A.M.; the luncheonette was busy and would stay that way until around two o’clock. Yet even as the two women dropped slices of multigrain bread into the toaster, set plates filled with steaming scrambled eggs and hash browns in front of hungry customers, and deposited stacks of dirty plates and empty coffee cups into a partially filled black rubber tub, their conversation didn’t skip a beat.

  “Such a bummer I missed him,” Maebeth repeated dolefully. “You think he’ll be at The Drop tonight?”

  “I expect so,” Nancy said.

  “His being back sure will liven up the place.”

  Nancy nodded in agreement. “Mom’s already offered to take the kids tonight so I can slip into my boogie shoes.”

  Mia was tempted to roll her eyes at the women’s preoccupation with Reid Knowles and his limitless appeal. She refrained, reminding herself about casting stones.

  Taking a fortifying sip of her latte, which somehow she’d forgotten she was holding while she listened to Nancy and Maebeth, Mia focused her attention on the couple ahead of her, who’d stepped forward to pay. Both wore stu
rdy walking shoes. A folded map was tucked into the back pocket of the man’s chinos.

  Tourists, Mia decided. Since they weren’t in jeans and cowboy boots, they probably weren’t staying at the Knowleses’ guest ranch, Silver Creek. There were plenty of other things to do in Acacia, though, such as hiking along the state preserve’s trails, kayaking on Silver Lake, or touring the local vineyards. Spotting the Wine Spectator sticking out of the woman’s canvas tote, she had her answer. Vineyard hopping was on the couple’s agenda.

  Although less renowned for its vineyards than Napa and Sonoma, Mendocino County produced some terrific wines. The carefully selected Dijon and Pommard clones, soil, and microclimate made the Pinot Noirs Mia and her uncle crafted rank among them.

  Another vintner might have tapped either wife or husband on the shoulder and suggested a stroll over to Good Grapes on Laurel Street, where they could pick up the Bodell Family Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir. It was delicious and a steal at sixteen dollars. She wished, too, she could have invited them to drive out to the vineyard for a tasting, but her dream of opening a tasting room had yet to materialize.

  Besides, while Mia knew wine, she had no talent for self-promotion. Peddling her family’s products in front of Nancy and Maebeth, who didn’t have a shy bone between them, would only compound her embarrassment. It was all too easy to imagine their expressions at her awkward attempt at a sales pitch.

  So she waited in silence while Nancy rang up the couple’s items. Transaction complete, they moved aside. Pinning a smile on her face, Mia stepped in front of the register.

  Nancy’s expression changed from openly friendly to something more reserved. “Hi, Mia.”

  “Good morning, Nancy. I’d like a blueberry muffin, please.” She also wanted to get the hell out of there. Maebeth had been in the same grade as her cousin, Jay, and so knew the stories, which meant that Nancy had heard every one of them, too. Certain tales didn’t have an expiration date on piquancy.

  But even if she wasn’t convinced that both Maebeth and Nancy knew the filth Jay loved to spread about her and her mother, Mia would have felt uncomfortable with the two women who partied their free evenings away at The Drop or at the night spots in Napa. Hers were more often spent in front of the computer, entering moisture, pH, and nutrient levels for the different blocks of their vineyard. Then there was her new pastime of choice: fretting about the distracted look in her uncle’s eyes. Something about Thomas had changed over the last few weeks. Was he sick? Was it money again?

  “You came just in time. They’re still warm.” Nancy grabbed a brown paper bag from the stack on the counter and shook it open. Lifting the wire-mesh dome off the platter, she picked up the tongs. “It’s for Thomas?”

  The tongs hovered in the air. Mia nodded. “Yes.”

  At her answer, Nancy swooped down and plucked the largest of the batch off the white platter. “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s fine,” she said brightly, firmly.

  “Your uncle is such a doll. You tell him to come on down for breakfast. We’ll make blueberry pancakes to go with his blueberry muffin.”

  “Heck, we’ll put blueberries in anything he wants,” Maebeth offered as she picked up two orders of scrambled eggs and home fries for a table.

  Everyone at the luncheonette knew Thomas loved blueberries, and they knew why. They’d been Aunt Ellen’s favorite fruit. She’d died fourteen years ago, but Thomas never missed an opportunity to order something with blueberries.

  Mia’s smile lost its stiffness. “I’ll tell him,” she promised. It’d be fun to watch him gobble down a stack of gold and purple pancakes drowning in maple syrup and butter.

  Nancy passed her the paper bag. “Can I get you anything, Mia? A lemon–raspberry muffin? A pecan roll?”

  Her hips couldn’t afford either. “No thanks, I grabbed a latte.”

  Nancy looked at the cup with undisguised envy. “I keep telling Charlie to get one of those espresso machines for here, too, but he doesn’t want those java junkies over at Spillin’ the Beans to go out of business.” Charlie Haynes owned both the luncheonette and the building that housed Spillin’ the Beans. Diversifying was the name of the game in this economy.

  Mia tucked the mail more securely beneath her elbow, ready to say goodbye, just as Maebeth returned with an order. She gave it to Lou behind the grill and then turned to Mia.

  “So, did you hear? Reid Knowles is back from South Carolina.”

  Leaving now would be too obvious, she thought with an inward sigh. “Yes, I caught you and Nancy saying as much.”

  Maebeth didn’t notice her dry-as-dust tone. “You are so lucky to live next door to Silver Creek. I swear, if I were in your shoes, I’d be walking over to the ranch every day.”

  Nancy snorted. “More like every hour.”

  Maebeth shrugged off the teasing. “My ma told me a woman should never skip a chance to enjoy the finer things in life. I think most any woman would agree that Reid might very well be one of the finest. Am I right, Mia?”

  “Actually, he’s not my type.”

  Maebeth’s plucked brows rose. “Really?” she drawled. “My memory must be going.”

  A blush crawled over Mia’s cheeks.

  “Honey, it’s all right to admit it. That man is every woman’s type,” Maebeth said.

  Nancy laughed in agreement.

  With some effort, Mia smiled and injected a light tone into her voice. “I guess I’ll be the odd man out and leave him to your enjoyment, then.”

  “Real generous of you.” Maebeth’s gaze swept over her. Mia knew she was taking in her thick and wildly frizzy hair—hair that Mia, at twenty-seven, still hadn’t found styling products capable of taming—her oversize button-down shirt, comfortably baggy linen trousers, and canvas sneakers. Maebeth wasn’t overly catty, but her satisfied smile spoke volumes. No woman who looked and dressed like Mia stood a chance at competing for Reid’s attention.

  True enough. What Maebeth didn’t realize was that Mia could strap on a bra to make Madonna envious, squeeze herself into a skintight mini, and jam her feet into punishing dominatrix shoes, and Reid still wouldn’t notice her.

  He would look right through her like he always did, as if she were Saran wrap.

  It was true. She, Mia Bodell, had the dubious distinction of being the only female that Reid Knowles, modern-day Don Juan, couldn’t bother to check out, let alone flirt with.

  Not that she cared.

  It wasn’t as if she wanted Reid’s attention. She wanted more than a too-handsome-for-his-own-good cowboy. She wanted a man who was steady, dependable. Responsible.

  “You off to work?” Maebeth asked.

  “Yes. The grapes need inspecting.” She’d be watching over them like a mother hen until the harvest.

  “Things are hopping over in your neck of the woods. Reid said the guest ranch is at full occupancy,” Nancy said.

  No surprise there.

  “And have you heard about the cowgirls’ weekend they’re holding at Silver Creek?” Maebeth asked.

  “Um, no, I haven’t—”

  “It sounds like such a blast.” Maebeth’s tone turned wistful. She leaned her hip against the counter, ignoring the customers waiting. “Quinn told me about it. There’ll be trail riding—natch—and tons of cowgirl stuff like roping and barrel racing. They’ll be offering spa treatments, too—Ava Day and her assistants from the salon are going over on Saturday. At night there’ll be entertainment, along with barbecues and karaoke. Nancy and I wanted to sign up—because how often can you go on a fun-filled, luxury vacation five miles from home? But Quinn said they’re booked.”

  Quinn was Reid’s younger sister and one of the women Mia liked best in town. By tacit agreement, Reid’s name was rarely mentioned when she and Mia got together.

  “Silver Creek Ranch sure is doing a booming business,” Nancy observed. “The Knowleses really know what they’re doing.”

  Mia flinched inwardly. What Nancy left unsaid was painfully
obvious: The Bodells might be the Knowleses’ closest neighbors, but in terms of financial success, they were worlds apart.

  Even in this tough economy, Silver Creek Ranch was thriving. And it wasn’t simply the guest-lodging part of the ranch that was turning a profit. A few weeks ago Mia had been in Wright’s, the hardware store, to buy some hoses, and had overheard two local farmers discussing how smart the Knowleses had been to keep their Angus cattle grazing this summer rather than sending them off to the spring sales. They were on track to fetch a good price at market.

  Mia wished she and her uncle Thomas had half the Knowleses’ success. Of course, were that the case, they’d have to triple their efforts to prevent Jay from skimming off the profits to support an L.A. lifestyle that would make even an A-list celebrity blush.

  The women were still discussing the upcoming event. “Maebeth and I are going to try to convince Reid to offer another cowgirls’ weekend later in the fall. Great idea, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not sure honing my cowgirl skills would help me. Grapes don’t run, so I hardly need to learn how to toss a rope.”

  Maebeth straightened. “We’re not talking usefulness, we’re talking fun! Doing something outside the box!”

  Mia was pretty sure attending a cowgirls’ weekend would be the furthest thing from fun and the closest thing to torture she’d ever find in Acacia. She didn’t do the whole “hanging with the girlfriends” thing. She’d always been shy and, since high school, self-conscious. Other women seemed equipped with so much more protective armor. Thanks to years of Jay’s cruel taunts, Mia’s was riddled with chinks.

  Her years at college and the graduate program she’d enrolled in at UC Davis had been easier. There she wasn’t a bull’s-eye for Jay’s spite. But upon receiving her degrees, Mia had come back to Acacia, to the only family she had and the only home she knew.

  A small town, Acacia possessed all the virtues and vices—long memories being among them—inherent in that life. Though things were easier now that Jay was gone, Mia was still reclusive. While she enjoyed the occasional get-together with friends like Quinn or with other vintners, the idea of a weekend surrounded by boisterous women living out their cowgirl dreams held scant appeal.