When I Fall in Love (3 page)

He captured the glorious sight, and then committed it to memory.

“What are you doing?” She said over the roar of the water. “Don’t point that at me. You’re here for the river.”

“That’s gorgeous, too.” He strode to her side and took in the view. A fisherman in waders was fly fishing upstream, and downstream the river seemed nearly completely blocked by boulders. “It’s amazing.”

She took a deep breath and then sighed. “I come here a lot. It’s calming. After what I’m about to go through tonight, I needed this.”

“I know it’s none of my business, but you keep talking about something going on tonight.” Mason snapped more shots of the trees, the trail, and April gracefully in the middle of it. “Would it help to talk about it?”

“My parents are having a vow renewal at StoneMill Winery. I’m supposed to be a sort of bridesmaid. My sister, too. It’s this big stressful thing. About fifty people are coming, mostly family.”

Now he understood the rejection at Rick’s big red truck. “And you’re upset because your boyfriend can’t go.”

She spun around. He nearly ran into her. “What makes you think I have a boyfriend?”

“The guy…the truck in front of the inn.”

“Rick?” She seemed to force out a giggle. “We’re friends. He was supposed to be my date tonight so my Grams didn’t freak out that I came solo.”

“He sure wasn’t looking at you like a friend.”

It wasn’t until she smirked that Mason realized how jealous that sounded. Maybe he was jealous. Maybe he wished he could stay in Blue Lake a little longer, see where the roads took him, and if any of them led into April’s arms.

“Yeah, well, we tried that once and it didn’t work out.” Getting closer to the river, she stepped from one boulder to another, and then finally sat on a large one, her feet kicked out in front of her. “Do you have a girlfriend, Mason?”

Man, he liked the sound of his name on her lips.

“I wouldn’t be here if I did.” He sat beside her, crossing his ankles to match hers.

“But you have to leave tonight.” Her gaze focused on the river. “Right?”

“Yeah, I’ve already checked out.”

“Hmm.”

They sat for awhile, talking about their previous relationships and what they wanted for the future. Mason was shocked to discover they had a ton in common. More than other girls he’d dated and loved. He took more than fifty shots, most of them suggested by April. A hawk circling overhead, its wings outstretched. The fisherman’s line as it swooped through the air. He sneaked in a couple of her profile, too, or the long stretch of her arm as she pointed out something downstream.

He couldn’t stop pointing his camera April’s direction. She was a magnet—one of the most beautiful sights he’d seen in the Sierras in years.

“We should get back,” she said finally, checking out the angle of the sun in the sky. “I still have to get ready for tonight, and pick up my uncle on the way to the party.”

“Sure,” he said, though he didn’t want their time together to end.

As they drove back into Blue Lake and she directed him toward a white house with blue shutters a few turns off Main Street, Mason wondered why he couldn’t accompany her to the vow renewal. He could head down the mountain afterward. And hey, maybe while he was at the vineyard, April could show him the vista point she’d mentioned.

He pulled up at the curb, and she turned to him. “Thanks for this afternoon,” she said, hand to handle. “It was really great meeting you. I wish you the best of luck, and maybe if you find yourself in Blue Lake again, we can meet up for dinner or something.”

Well, hell, he wasn’t about to invite himself to her parents’ shindig.

“That sounds good.” His voice sounded weird. Oddly soft. Guess this was it. “It was a pleasure meeting you, April.”

She got out quickly, without a single glance his way. Hands on the wheel, Mason watched her walk up the steps to her house. Something about the way they’d just parted ways didn’t sit right with him. He exited and circled the Jeep, jogging a few paces to catch up to her. She’d already trudged the few steps to her door.

“Hey, April.”

She spun around at his voice. “Yeah?”

Was that a hopeful gleam in her eye? “I was thinking maybe you could show me the view at StoneMill Winery that you were talking about.”

“Now?” She descended to the bottom stair.

“Well not exactly now, but later tonight. Maybe after your parent’s ceremony.”

She smiled, and he had the urge to pull her into his arms.

“What then, Mason?” She tilted her head, and a long swoop of silky black hair fell over her shoulder. What a vision she was. She sighed and said, “You’ll dance with me beneath the stars, kiss me goodnight on my porch, and then put Blue Lake in your rearview mirror.”

“The dancing and kissing part sounds like a good plan.” Heart beating out of his chest, Mason took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “Doesn’t it?”

“It does, but…” She blinked quickly, her gaze shifting to their entwined hands. “…you’re leaving.”

He got the message loud and clear. She wasn’t interested in having something short-term. She was looking for her one-and-only, and a photographer who moseyed from town to town didn’t mesh with someone who was rooted somewhere like Blue Lake.

“You’re looking for someone who’ll stay,” he said, almost to himself.

“I am.” She squeezed his hand. “But this was nice—
you
were nice.”

She leaned in, kissed him lightly on the cheek, and then left him standing in her front yard.

Chapter Three

April dressed in the blue silk dress her mother had picked for her Bridal Party Part Deux. She twisted her hair up, leaving a couple of loose tendrils hanging down her back and in front of her ears. She squished her feet into a pair of black heels and drove to pick up Uncle Jed from his hotel.

She tried not to think about Mason as she cruised through town, but her thoughts revolved around him. They’d gotten strawberries
there
. He’d brushed against her
there
. She’d wanted him to kiss her
there
…and
there
. Geez, this could go on all night.

Thankfully, Rhonda’s B&B came into view quickly. It was a two-story cottage south of Main Street, with red shutters and a swinging gate out front. Uncle Jed was sitting on the curb, and waved when she drove by.

“Hey Uncle Jed!” she said as he plopped into her car. “How have you been?”

“I’m old, I’m tired, and I’m cold,” he said, grumbling as he yanked on his seatbelt. “What kind of car is this? It’s cramped. There’s barely room for my cane!”

“It’s an Audi.”

“When I was young, they had what was called American Muscle. You’re too young to remember that.”

“I remember,” she said on a sigh. “I used to drive a Mustang in high school, remember?”

“That’s right.” He craned his neck around to glare at her. “You went spinning through my yard in the snowstorm of ‘65 and tore up my rose beds.”

She gripped the wheel hard. “I wasn’t born until the ‘80’s, Uncle Jed.”

“You remember the car, but not the damage.” He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped into the seat. “Kids these days. Don’t take responsibility for nothin’.”

Taking a series of deep breaths, April drove south on Highway 4 toward StoneMill and stepped on it. They reached the entrance to the winery in fifteen minutes flat, even though it should’ve taken twice that. She simply couldn’t handle thirty minutes in the car with Uncle Grump.

As they entered the winery, April couldn’t take her eyes off the amount of vines surrounding them. There were so many branches rolling over the hills behind the property, covering the hills in green as far as the eye could see. Roses were planted at the end of every row, and a gravel driveway led the way to a huge main house and a handful of outbuildings. Lucy, the owner of StoneMill and April’s longtime friend, greeted them at the main building. April gave her the menus and order of event pamphlets she’d picked up from Blue Lake Inn and waited for someone to pick up Uncle Jed. He was still hollering something about Chevy being superior to Ford when April’s second cousin came to escort him out back. April nodded to Lucy in thanks and took a deep breath.

She’d shown up to the ceremony stag. Grams was going to croak. Maybe she could say that her date was showing up late. Yeah, that might buy her some time.

Here goes nothing.

She strode around the building, staring at the rows of white tables and chairs covered with pale blue linens. White roses seemed to be part of the theme, as they were in vases on every table and petals littered the floor. Tiny white lights hung from the main building and stretched over the tables to a few posts on the backside of the grass clearing. And across the way, a large gazebo had been transformed into a bar. The layout was beautiful, perfect for a vow renewal ceremony.

A glass of Cabernet was calling April’s name.

“April!”

Nope, that wasn’t the wine, darn it.

She turned, and embraced her friend in a tight hug. “Rachael!”

“You came! Where’s the hunk you were dragging around today?”

“Shh,” April said. “Cool it before someone hears you and gets the wrong idea.”

“When you stopped by the inn you said he was waiting for you out front. I sort of assumed that meant he’d be bringing you here tonight.”

“He’s going home.” She searched the tables for Grams. “It’s better this way.”

Rachael stuck out her hip and gave April her classic
yeah right
smile. “You better practice that speech if you want someone to believe it.”

April rolled her eyes and took a few steps closer to the bar. “Have you seen my mom?”

“No, I think she’s still inside.”

The wine would have to wait.

Once through the doors of the main building, it took April two whole seconds to spot her mother. They were about the same size with the same color hair and the same pale skin, only tonight her mom was dressed in an off-white satin dress with a beaded train attached to the back.

“Mom,” April said, catching her breath. “Look at you. You’re lovely.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” Her mother enveloped her in a warm hug. “You’re here,” she said, her voice revealing the smile that April couldn’t see. “You’re all here. Now everything’s perfect.”

“Where’s dad?”

She shooed her hand in front of her face. “Last I saw he was getting a whiskey from the bar. Have you seen your grandmother?”

“No, actually,” April said.

And she wasn’t particularly looking forward to it.

“Wait until you see what she’s wearing.” Her mother took her by the hand. “She’s—oh, God, there she is.
Look
.”

April spun, and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. While everyone else was wearing black, white, or a light shade of blue, Grams was wearing bright, shimmering gold. As in,
Elvis
gold. The dress dipped in front—not low enough to reveal anything, thank God—and the bottom dragged the floor, covering her feet. Her dyed-dark hair was pulled into a 60’s style beehive and she was wearing enough gold jewelry to make Snoop Dogg give her the nod of doggy-dog approval.

“She looks…” How best to put it? “…dressed for the Oscars.”

“No, April,” her mom said, embracing her shoulder, “she looks like the Oscar itself.”

She was right on the money.

“April!” Grams said, sashaying to their sides. “So good to see you dear. How do I look?”

“Show stopping, Grams. Absolutely show stopping.”

Grams smiled ear to ear as April dragged her into a hug. Her grandma was probably losing her mind, along with her fashion sense, but she was one April’s favorite people. If only she would butt out of her love life…

“Where’s your date, honey?” Grams looked over her shoulder, searching the crowd. “Where’s Rick? I want to give that cutie-patootie a hug.”

Crunch time.

“Grams, I have to tell you something...” She swallowed hard as her grandma’s expression fell. How could she break such a heart of gold that was, um, covered in gold? “…Rick isn’t coming.”

Her uni-brow formed a serious V. Mom backed away as if Grams was going to throw down. “What do you mean he’s not coming. Why the heavens not?”

“Because she’s asked me to be her date instead,” Mason said from behind her.

April’s heart danced as she laid eyes on Mason dressed in a black suit and tie. He held three white roses and extended one to each of the Cassidy women.

Oh, he was smooth.

And she was totally intrigued.

“I’m Constance Cassidy,” Grams said, extending her hand for Mason to kiss the back.

Smiling, he planted a light kiss on her knuckles and handed her one of the roses. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Mason Henry. Congratulations, Mrs. Cassidy,” he said, handing a rose to April’s mother. “This one’s for you.”

“Well aren’t you sweet?” She winked at April as she said, “You can call me Joyce.”

“Great to meet you both.”

He handed April the third rose. “Do you think I could talk to for a second?”

“The ceremony’s about to start.” She paused. “Can you wait until after, or do you have to go?”

“Of course he’ll wait.” Grams shoved her arm through his. “In the meantime, I’ve got a job for you, sweetheart,” she said, patting his hand. “You’re going to escort the prettiest lady in this place to her seat.”

April and her mom laughed, shaking their heads as the ceremony started and a glittering Grams was shown to her seat by a hunky out-of-towner.

***

Mason waited until the ceremony was over and April finished with her daughterly duties before approaching her.

“How about that dance?” he asked, palming the small of her back.

She didn’t even flinch from his touch. Instead, she seemed to warm and melt against him. “One dance won’t hurt.”

He led her to the dance floor as Sugarland’s “Stay” blared over the DJ’s sound system. Wrapping his arms around her waist felt so right that Mason almost forgot he’d met April five days ago. It felt like he’d known her forever. He tugged her tightly against him and spun her in slow circles, amidst her dancing friends and family.