Before the Storm (Perfect Storm #5)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Grayson liked the quiet before a storm, especially when it came in the wee hours of morning, when everyone else was still asleep.

It gave him time to think and reflect without all the white noise that accompanied a very busy, prosperous working farm.

Although, he suspected if Stormy Weather Farm was merely a farm, it would be more peaceful.

However, this farm, which had originally been settled by his great-grandfather, who’d tended an apple orchard there, had stretched far beyond its humble roots.

Nowadays, the two-hundred-plus acres owned by his family consisted not only of a vineyard—the orchard was long gone—but also a winery, brewhouse, two tastings rooms that were open to the public, an event barn, a B&B—run by his parents—and a slew of rental cabins.

So yeah, there was a shit-ton of white noise from the workers in the field, the Gracemont locals and tourists who made their way up the mountain to sample their beer and wine, and primarily, from his large, boisterous family.

The Storms didn’t do anything quietly. Sometimes, Grayson wondered if he’d somehow been switched at birth. Not that he didn’t work as hard as his family, but because, unlike most of them, he valued silence and solitude.

Which was why the early morning was his favorite time of the day.

The vineyard sat in neat rows beneath the gray dawn sky. Ordinarily, the early light sparkled in the dew that clung to the vines. That was absent today, thanks to the dark storm clouds blocking out the sunrise. The air smelled like damp earth, oak barrels, and the faint sweetness of grapes.

He stood in the doorway of the winery, sipping black coffee and watching the clouds roll across the valley. Grayson had looked out across this same view, at this same time of day, every single day for well over a decade.

While the scenery changed with the seasons or the weather, and he always managed to see something new, the view remained the same and that comforted him.

If Grayson had his way, this mountain would always stay exactly like this.

Because God knew, lately, precious little else was remaining steady.

Grayson was one of seven brothers who lived and worked on the farm, alongside their parents and four female cousins. Or at least…that was how it had been.

Before his cousin Lucy had fallen in love with Joey and Miles and moved out of the state. Something unheard of in this family. Lucy was the first Storm in four generations to leave Gracemont.

After Lucy left, the family adjusted to the new norm, though they missed her like crazy, and things stabilized…

For a whole year.

Until his oldest brother, Levi, fell in love with a local woman, Kasi Mills, and moved off the mountain to help run her family’s farm, Lucky Penny.

Apparently, Lucy and Levi had merely been leading the charge, because in the course of the past year, his brothers Theo and Maverick and his cousin Mila had all succumbed to Cupid’s arrows, falling hard and fast.

And because his family didn’t do anything in half measures, none of them had been content to date for a few years, allowing their relationships to progress at a normal pace.

Nope. Every single one of them had claimed their true loves in record-breaking time.

At least Maverick, Theo, and Mila had all remained on the farm, moving into some of the cabins that they’d previously rented to visitors.

At this rate, his family wouldn’t have any cabins left to rent by the end of the year.

With the sun fully up, Grayson moved into the winery, refilling his coffee mug just as the sky opened up, beating the earth with a steady, comforting rain.

The weather would set them behind on the harvest, but he didn’t mind that so much because they needed the rain.

It had been a damn hot August, so he was grateful for the coming of fall.

Behind him, the familiar creak of the winery door broke the silence.

“Fucking rain,” Maverick grumbled, before adding, “Jesus, don’t you ever sleep in?”

Grayson didn’t bother to turn around. Maverick’s comment was basically his brother’s standard way of saying, “Good morning.”

“Don’t you ever stop bitching?” he tossed back.

Maverick wasn’t just his brother, he was his best friend and partner, the two of them serving as the farm’s vintners since they were teenagers.

They worked side by side in this winery sometimes six or seven days a week, depending on harvest time.

They’d begun immediately after high school graduation, apprenticing under their grandfather before taking over after his passing.

There wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t miss Granddaddy Lloyd.

Maverick snorted at Grayson’s retort, the sound easy and unbothered.

Grayson couldn’t help but roll his eyes. His brother’s smile was a permanent fixture these days. Ever since Ella, Maverick’s first and only love, had moved back to Gracemont, and the two discovered the spark between them had never died.

Grayson was seriously happy for Maverick, because there was a time when he’d worried his brother, jaded about romance after Ella broke his heart when they were just seventeen, would remain a commitment-phobe, playboy bachelor for the rest of his life.

Maverick strolled into the winery and straight to the coffeepot, looking a wee bit rough around the edges, something else that was becoming the new norm.

Jesus…was that a hickey on his neck?

“Late night?” Grayson deadpanned.

Maverick’s face split into a shit-eating grin. “You know it.”

Ella and Maverick seemed determined to make up for lost time in the bedroom, so it wasn’t unusual for his brother to show up to work late and disheveled, wearing the look of a man who was very, VERY satisfied.

Grayson wouldn’t know what that felt like.

He was currently in one hell of a slump.

It had been nearly three years since he’d had sex with a woman.

Mainly because that last one had turned out to be a bit of psychopath who’d left him basically traumatized, so he’d since avoided the dating apps.

Actually, he’d eschewed the whole damn dating scene.

Since then, it had just been him and his hand. So, Maverick’s smug grins and constant cheerful humming were starting to grate on Grayson’s nerves, despite his happiness for the man.

“You’re late again,” he complained, aware he was being contrary. He and Maverick didn’t keep set hours. This wasn’t a bank. Regardless, before Ella moved back, Maverick would join him for the occasional sunrise. That hadn’t happened in months, yet another change in the standard routine.

“You gotta be kidding me. It’s not even seven o’clock yet,” Maverick said, checking the time on his phone. “I figured you’d be pleased I managed to roll in before nine.”

Grayson scowled since his brother had a point.

Lately, Maverick had slowly started to shift his work time.

Mainly because Ella was not a morning person, and he was determined to match his working hours to hers.

Like the world would cease to spin if they weren’t together every single second they weren’t working.

Grayson took a sip of his coffee. “You used to be more consistent.”

“This isn’t a military operation, Gray. I’m still doing my job. I’m just starting a little later in the morning. It’s amazing how great sex can inspire a man to create delicious wine.”

Grayson snorted. “I wouldn’t know.”

Maverick slapped a hand to his shoulder. “Maybe if you left the house and actually ventured out into society, you could find a woman worth starting work late for.”

Grayson shook his head. “Even if I do get married, my daily routine will remain the same.”

Maverick laughed, letting him know what he thought of that pronouncement. “Bullshit,” he fake coughed. Then, his brother’s face sobered slightly. “What do you mean ‘if’?”

Grayson frowned. “I meant when,” he corrected, though he couldn’t help but wonder if that word had been misspoken, or if he’d finally reached a point in his life where he was starting to give up hope.

While Maverick had sworn off marriage for years, Grayson had lived his entire life certain that he wanted to settle down and have a family of his own one day.

However, after a few bad relationship experiences, followed by so many years without one, he was starting to wonder if happily ever after was even in the cards for him.

Gracemont, his hometown, was the quintessential American small town, which meant he knew pretty much every single available woman who lived there. Very few of them had caught his eye, and none had captured his heart.

He ventured to the window, glancing out over the vineyard. The rain had been little more than a brief burst, the storm blowing through quickly. He spotted Boone, the vineyard manager, in the distance, talking to several of the extra hands they’d hired as harvest season came upon them.

“Still pissed about the festival?” Maverick asked, leaning against the wall, facing him.

Grayson’s jaw tightened. “I’m not pissed.”

Maverick chuckled. “Tell that to your face.”

“It’s September, and I’m needed here. It was stupid for Nora to sign us up to work a wine festival during the heart of the harvest.”

“I work that same wine festival every year, Gray, and you know it. It’s great for business. Besides, it’s just a weekend.”

“One whole weekend.” Grayson was a homebody, so the idea of having to leave the farm at the ass-crack of dawn on a Saturday and drive four hours away to work a two-day wine festival sounded like his idea of hell on earth.

Ordinarily, Maverick handled the festivals as well as the special events they put on at their own wine-tasting room. Because Maverick had enough personality for twenty people and he loved crowds, meeting new people, and talking about the wine they created.

None of those boxes were checked as far as Grayson’s personality was concerned. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he hated people, but he certainly preferred to deal with them from a distance. A great big distance.