To Tempt a Stallion by Deborah Fletcher Mello

Author:Deborah Fletcher Mello
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-12-14T19:34:33+00:00

Chapter 9

The weather that welcomed them back to Carmel-by-the-Sea left much to be desired, Rebecca thought. The cool Mediterranean climate often boasted overcast skies, the sun blocked by abundant clouds that were constantly drizzling. But this was different, an unexpected storm brewing off the Pacific coast stirring up high winds and cooler than normal temperatures. The rains were torrential, coming in sporadic waves and Rebecca found herself wishing they were back in Morocco or anywhere else but there.

She was parked in the lot for the Carmel Pine Cone, the town’s weekly newspaper. Covering local news, politics, arts and entertainment, opinions and real estate, it had a quaint small-town news feel and reached most of the city’s three thousand residents. Rebecca had dropped off the layout for the full page ad she’d purchased to announce the restaurant’s opening, making the submission deadline by mere minutes. Now, she had time to kill before she needed to be back at the restaurant to join Nathaniel. He had driven to Gilroy to meet with the owner of the local farm that his sister had recommended.

The rains suddenly eased, the darkness that had hung heavily just an hour earlier beginning to lift. Knowing she probably wouldn’t have another opportunity she pulled out of the parking lot and headed downtown. The one-square-mile village was in a league of its own. There were no streetlights or parking meters and the area had retained a picturesque, old-world feel.

The city regularly hosted delegations from other cities and towns looking to mimic what Carmel-by-the-Sea offered its residents. Every decision the town council made was about retaining the town’s character and enhancing its natural coastal beauty. New buildings had to be built around existing trees and new trees had to be planted in areas where they were deemed too meager.

When the town was initially developed, the businesses, cottages and houses had no street numbers. The artisans who built the first homes there had named them instead. Confounding the postal service, residents were unable to receive mail delivery to those individual addresses, instead having to pick up their mail from the post office. The practice continued, the post office becoming a local meeting place of sorts, and everyone seemed to know everyone else by name.

Rebecca had become attached to the town and its community. She had come to understand completely what Nathaniel found so fascinating about it. And although they had only briefly talked about her moving her life, and her business, there, she had doubts that she had yet to profess. She found an empty parking space, shifted her car into Park and disengaged the engine. She sat still for a moment, waiting out another downpour.

Rebecca was still awed by the fact that she was suddenly in a relationship after years of believing that she would never find anyone to love her the way she wanted to be loved. Dating had become a chore. Weeding the good guys from the massive barrel of bad guys had become an art form.

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