Page 41 of Shelter from the Storm

Gretchen had accidentally happened upon it this week when she walked over to the B&B to ask Mom a quick catering question. Ninety minutes later, Theo had been ready to send out a search party when a tipsy Gretchen returned, apologizing profusely, even as Theo laughed.

“Mom does love her porch time. I swear she purposely finds something worthy of celebrating every day of her life, simply so she can open a bottle of wine.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad way to live,” Gretchen said.

Theo hadn’t really thought about it, but he realized she had a point. “You’re right. It doesn’t. Did I ever tell you the story of how my parents met?”

Gretchen shook her head.

“They met at the town’s annual Fourth of July picnic. Mom was staying in Gracemont that summer with her great-aunt.”

“She’s not originally from here?” Gretchen asked.

“Nope. Like you, she’s a transplant. Dad took one look at her and fell madly in love. He asked her out for a date right then and there, and two weeks later, he proposed.”

“Two weeks?!” Gretchen was as astounded as everyone else he’d ever told this story to. “And she said yes?”

Theo chuckled. “Well, yeah. Obviously. Dad said he wanted to propose at the picnic, but figured he should get a ring first.”

“Wow.” She leaned back, shaking her head. “So it was love at first sight, huh?”

He’d caught Gretchen reading romance novels on her lunch break on more than one occasion, so he suspected—hoped—she was a fan of the concept.

“Yep. Dad swears it’s a real thing. Levi, however, believes in something a little different.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Love at first touch. Levi has known Kasi her whole life, but this summer, when the heat got to her one day, she passed out. Levi caught her—and he said it was like he’d been struck by lightning. He held her in his arms, and he just knew.” Theo forced a carefree grin, not wanting to give away the fact he’d experienced the same earth-shaking realization the second he shook Gretchen’s hand.

“Knew what?” she whispered.

“That she was his.”

“It must be nice to be so sure of your feelings like that,” she said.

“It took Levi a bit of work to convince Kasi his feelings were sincere.”

“Longer than two weeks?” Gretchen asked, clearly joking.

“Yep. Took Levi three whole weeks.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened when her joke backfired. “Sounds like you Storm men are relentless.”

Theo laughed, tempted to start showing her how relentless they were.

Firsthand.

“That we are. But I haven’t finished telling you about my parents. Because Mom tells their love story a little differently.”

“How so?”

“When Dad introduced himself, he also included the fact that his family owned and operated a winery. According to her, that was all she wrote.”

Gretchen laughed loudly, covering her mouth again.

Theo reached out before he could stop himself and pulled her hand down. “Don’t do that.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Do what?”

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