Come the Vintage

Her situation was impossible, Ryan realized, more impossible than even Alain could imagine.

Pierre Ferrier had bound his daughter to his French partner, demanding they marry or forfeit the vineyards to a rival. Penniless and alone, Ryan had agreed to the cold bargain, leaving England for the remote valley of Bellaise. Respect offered little comfort between two unwilling strangers, and she bristled against his grim authority.

In the rambling stone farmhouse, Alain worked the cellars by day and retreated to his study when dusk settled over the vines. Every courteous word carried an undertone of mockery, and she flinched from his brooding gaze.

What had he said? "We are married, Ryan. I suggest we attempt to salvage something from the wreck." But friendship was something she and Alain could never share, and she shrank from his pity.

If all he could offer was friendship for appearances' sake, there was no future for either of them.

• Marriage of Convenience: To keep the Ferrier estate from falling into the hands of rival grower Gaston Aubert, Ryan must bind herself to a hardened forty-year-old widower who claims he wants nothing from her but a sensible business arrangement.
• Forced Proximity: Sharing an isolated stone house through a biting winter, the two clash over domestic independence and unyielding pride while struggling to ignore the intense physical awareness flaring between them.
• Small Town Setting: Watchful neighbours and local gossip scrutinise the newlyweds in the close-knit village of Bellaise, especially when the arrival of an English schoolteacher stirs Alain's fierce possessiveness.
• Slow Burn: Behind Alain's brooding silence lie old family scars and a bitter past, but every reluctant touch and stolen glance chips away at the cold barriers keeping them apart.
• Also by This Author: Fruto del amor, Un heredero inesperado and Le piège du désir.