Excerpt of Every Step She Takes by Jannine Gallant

Travis kept quiet until they’d left the yard with Wylie trailing along behind and entered the rows of grapes. Hard green balls hung from the vines. To his uneducated eye, the fruit had a lot of maturing to do before harvest.

“You okay?”

She glanced over at him. “Why do you ask?”

“Your niece looked like she’d been crying, and you were…tense.”

“Girl talk. Lark’s going through a rough period. I hope I helped her.”

“Is that why you came up here this weekend?”

She nodded. “Rachel’s worried about her daughter, and she knew I could offer some personal experience that would make Lark think twice before she does anything really stupid.”

He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “Obviously, that talk cost you plenty.”

“It brought back some old memories.”

Stopping, he turned to face her. Pain dimmed the clarity of her eyes. With his free hand, he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“You, Grace Hanover, are a giving person.”

“Lark reminds me of me.” She grimaced. “She reminds everyone of me. Anyway, I’m tough. I can take one for the team.”

“You aren’t tough at all. You just act like you are.”

“Not true. I had to be tough or curl up and die.” She stepped back and spread her arms wide. “See for yourself—still alive and kicking.”

Tanned, toned skin exposed by shorts and a tank top grabbed his attention and held tight. But it was the heart and spirit inside that knocked the breath out of him. He was in serious danger of falling for this woman. His only choices were to run like hell while he still had the chance or convince her their fragile relationship could withstand eight hundred miles of separation.

He squared his shoulders. He’d never been one to turn tail in the face of adversity. If Grace knocked him on his ass, he’d deal with it.

“Cat got your tongue?”

He smiled. “No, I was thinking.”

“Hope you didn’t strain a muscle.”

“Funny girl. Grace?”

The amusement slipped from her face. “What?”

“I’ve told you before, if you ever want to talk, I’ll listen.”

“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure I’ve wallowed in enough emotion for one day.”

“The offer stands.”

She nodded, stepped forward and kissed him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before he could deepen the kiss, she slid out of his arms.

“I was going to show you around the vineyard. Let’s get moving.”

She reminded him of Wylie back on the trail in Alaska—skittish and afraid his newfound friends would turn on him. Slowly the dog had learned to trust. He’d be patient with Grace, give her the time she needed. No matter how damn frustrated he was in the meantime.

Wylie sniffed under the grape vines, butt in the air, tail wagging. After a moment, he moved on, nose held high to sniff the breeze, eyes bright and full of life.

Waiting for Grace would be worth it.