Entangled (A Tangle Valley Romance #1) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,2

in up the road. Keep us relevant.”

Joey shrugged and smiled into blue eyes she’d been lucky enough to inherit. She kissed his cheek again because she hadn’t expected him to concede so easily, and this felt like a victory. “That’s my thought exactly. We need to step up our game if they’re going to overshadow our rustic charm with their flash.”

“I wish to God they’d just stay outta Whisper Wall. Build a place closer to Portland where they’re better suited. Big hotels are for big cities.”

“I wish the same.” She patted his shoulder. “Gonna check back with you later this week about that restaurant. Be ready. Night. Thanks for dinner and the show.”

“Good night, sweet girl.”

As she walked home to her cottage, which was situated on the perimeter of the property not far from the Big House, Joey grinned at the progress she’d made. She’d always been ambitious when it came to Tangle Valley. She loved every inch of the vineyard and took great pride in her family’s wine, which had developed quite the regional following in Willamette Valley and beyond. Mostly thanks to Jack’s award-winning winemaking skills and Uncle Bobby’s ability to grow top-notch grapes in this Oregon climate. She hugged herself as she walked, taking in the gentle sway of the vines to her left.

Yes, she was bursting with ideas for Tangle Valley, but she could wait patiently until her dad was ready to hear her out and implement them. He was the kindest man she’d ever met and in many ways was her best friend, but he was measured and wanted to be able to hold something in his hands and turn it over for a while before he was comfortable with it. Joey just had to give him time.

“Hey, you. What’s going on?” she asked Uncle Bobby that next morning. As she headed across the property to the tasting room up front, she saw him standing stock-still and white as a sheet on the porch of the Big House. Wasn’t like him. He was a mover, a doer.

He shook his head, hand on the back of his neck. His eyes carried the worst kind of terror. “It’s Jack. I don’t…” He moved his hand from his neck until it covered his mouth. His face went red.

“What about Dad?” Joey asked as she climbed the steps. Her heart began to thud and her palms itched because by the look on Bobby’s face it was clear that something was very wrong. He shook his head. Things seemed to be playing out in slow motion, and it took forever for Bobby to speak.

“He’s gone, Jo.”

“What do you mean? Where did he go?” She looked around the back of the house for a glimpse of his truck, but part of her knew.

“I came by when he didn’t show up for work this morning. He’s always up and at it by seven, and I hadn’t seen him. Found him in his room, and, Jo…I don’t know what happened, but we lost him.”

“No, we didn’t,” she said, as if correcting him on a simple miscalculation. “We had our dinner. He played music.” She tried to push past her uncle to make her way into the house, but he caught her with one arm, intentionally halting her progress.

“I’m so sorry, JoJo.” He looked into her eyes this time, as tears pooled in his. Bobby never cried. Did that mean this was real? Everything felt numb and awful. “I don’t know how or why, but we lost him.”

“We did?” To her left she heard the awful wail of sirens approaching. Somehow the eerie shrill sound sent a shiver up her spine that snapped her into the unwanted reality. This was really happening. She wasn’t in the midst of a dream or an imagined fear or a hallucination. She’d lost her dad. Forever. Her mind stuttered, not fully grasping the meaning of the words or understanding that there was no way to fix this no matter what she did.

She blinked and turned just as the ambulance arrived in front of the Big House. The night before had been their last night together? No. She couldn’t accept it.

Her parent, her best friend, and she’d never see him again?

The medical examiner later confirmed what they’d all imagined happened. Jack Wilder had been struck with a fatal heart attack in his sleep at some point during the night, and there was nothing anyone could have done. Joey’s entire world crumbled, and for the next few days, she felt