Free Somebody Like You (Starlight Hill Series Book 2) by Heatherly Bell Page A

Tuscan gold walls, and the balcony leading to a breathtaking view of the vineyards below.
    Speaking of breathtaking, Scott pointed towards Billy before he turned and walked back outside. Billy, the picture of concentration, had a pencil over one ear and was measuring some sheetrock. His long shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, displaying cords of muscles. A tool belt hung low on his blue jeans. For now, she would excuse the turned-around baseball cap on his head.
    This ex-ball player made one fine construction worker.
    Brooke cleared her throat. “Ahem.”
    Billy turned, the concentration shifting into a smile which took over his entire face. “Hey.”
    Brooke swallowed. “I’m here to check out the grapes.”
    He set down his pencil and shrugged off his tool belt. “Does that mean you’re considering my offer?”
    “That’s what it means.” She’d be an idiot not to consider it, and she might be a lot of things but idiot was not one of them.
    “That’s great, Brooke. Just great.”
    “Well. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
    “Right. Come this way.”
    She followed him to the balcony, trying to avert her eyes from his fine ass. How pathetic would it be if someone caught her staring at his ass?
    “Quite a view, isn’t it?” Billy asked.
    Oh dang, busted. Wait. Was he now complimenting his own ass? Aha! He was every bit the conceited jock.
    It took her a minute to realize Billy was talking about the vineyard, as he reached the balcony. “It’s one hundred and fifty acres.”
    “I know.”
    Prime California real estate. A large manor house with a banquet room, kitchen, large wine bar. Living quarters in the back. She wondered what it would be like to survey the land below and realize it was all yours. She could only guess: pretty freaking awesome.
    She caught a sight below which startled her. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but an old man is sitting there in a lawn chair. Right along the first row.”
    “Yep. That’s Pop.” He turned to her like that should explain everything.
    “Why is he sitting among m—” Brooke corrected herself, because she was about to call them her grapes. “Your grapes?”
    “You don’t remember my grandfather, Frank McIntire? It’s a long story, but he’s a big part of this enterprise. It was his idea, actually. He’s always wanted to own a vineyard. As a young man, he used to occasionally work the fields. He had a small vineyard in his backyard in Saratoga before he retired.”
    Brooke blinked. She happened to know that the Bay Area was replete with do-it-yourself wine connoisseurs. She just didn’t know that Frank McIntire was one of them. “Oh, good. But this is a little different.”
    “That’s why you’re here.” Billy smiled again, something she wished he wouldn’t do quite so often. Something went limp inside her .
    “Right. Let’s take a look at those grapes.”
    Together they made their way down the hilly rows and rows of vines, Billy always leading, and never failing to look behind him and offer her his hand. She didn’t take his hand once, but it didn’t seem to faze him.
    The grapes on the Chardonnay row looked good. Great, even. Same with the Pinot and the Cabernet rows, though they were as ready and ripe as they’d ever be. Billy explained that the bank had seen their value, and made sure to take care with their upkeep. Smart, and something she’d have expected.
    “Everything looks fine here,” Brooke said as she turned to follow Billy back down a hill. She lost her footing and fell right into Billy’s rock-hard chest with a smack.
    She noticed he didn’t waste any time steadying her, putting large hands around her waist. “Okay?” he asked.
    ‘Okay’ was a relative term. She wasn’t okay with the fact that his touch had sent a small shiver down her spine, and the way he gazed at her with hot eyes wasn’t helping the situation, either. “I’m not usually such a klutz.”
    “Too bad. I’m thinking all I need is