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Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.Say You’re Mine (Heron’s Landing Book 1)Published by Blue Violet Press LLCSeattle, WashingtonCopyright © 2016, 2020 by Iris MorlandCover design by Qamber DesignsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.Published 2020.First edition published 2016 under the title Seduce Me Sweetly (Heron’s Landing Book 1). Second edition 2020.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Author’s Note
Dear Readers,Before you begin Adam and Joy’s story, please know that Say You’re Mine was previously published under the title Seduce Me Sweetly. This second edition has been lightly edited and changed to better fit the overall feel of the rest of my catalogue.All my best,Iris
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 1
Joy McGuire glanced down at her chipped manicure and sighed. She had a feeling this was going to be an omen for the rest of her week.The movers weren’t even close to arriving in Heron’s Landing, and Joy had had to sleep on a few blankets and a jacket for a pillow the night prior. Her back aching and her neck sore, she could’ve cheerfully murdered someone when she’d gotten a call that the movers were lost—again—and they wouldn’t be in town until later that evening.It was nine o’clock AM. At least she’d driven with the majority of her clothes and toiletries, so she could put on clean underwear and wash her face. She just hoped she’d be able to sleep in a bed tonight, otherwise she was sorely tempted to book a room in the one inn this town of two hundred and fifty people hosted.Heron’s Landing was a far cry from Chicago: tiny and quintessentially Midwestern, it had a single main street with no more than a dozen shops and restaurants, while its main feature was a vineyard on the nort
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 2
Walking the rows of his family’s vineyard, River’s Bend, Adam felt the world on his shoulders. He passed between the rows, the sun beating down overhead. Where had this warmth and dryness been when they’d needed it? Now, though, it was too late: the amount of buds that should’ve been on the vines was fewer even than last year. Fewer buds meant fewer grapes, and without grapes, little wine could result.Adam wiped his brow. The humidity was creeping up already, despite it being early morning. It would probably reach close to one hundred degrees, as was common in the middle of June. Mosquitoes buzzed about, but he hardly noticed them. He probably should’ve doused himself in bug spray before coming out, but what were a few mosquito bites? He was used to them by now. Any Missouri country boy was used to bugs biting and buzzing and flying about.At any rate, the bugs weren’t the problem. His sad grape crop was—the extensive rains of March and April had devastated the vines, causing a lot
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 3
Joy had needed a project. She had a few clients she still wrote for long-distance, but she wanted to sink her teeth into something here in Heron’s Landing. That was why she’d come, wasn’t it? To get to know a new town and new people? The town wasn’t hustling and moving as quickly as Chicago. In fact, it moved about quickly as an elderly turtle swimming through mud. But that didn’t stop her from looking around for stories.Drumming her fingers on the arm of her couch—the movers had finally arrived that morning—Joy brainstormed for a few hours. Perhaps she could interview the owner of Trudy’s? Or maybe Mike in the general store downstairs had something worth writing about? She pursed her lips, thinking.Of course, there was always the vineyard, River’s Bend. It was the jewel of Heron’s Landing, but that seemed cliché. Plus, it was five miles from her apartment, and she really didn’t want to drive that gravel road to get out there. The day had already edged into one-hundred-degree terri
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 4
“It’s so nice of you to join us,” Julia Danvers said as she kissed Adam’s cheek. “We haven’t seen you in ages.”They’d actually seen him…well, two weeks ago? Three? Adam couldn’t remember, and guilt coiled in his gut. His parents only lived a few miles from his own house, but sometimes it felt like they lived on the other side of the country when he got swamped with working at River’s Bend. And his mom was extremely talented at letting him know when he’d stayed away for too long.“He just didn’t feel like eating another Hot Pocket for dinner,” Grace said. She laughed at her brother’s expression. “You know I’m right—you eat the same as an eighteen-year-old freshman in college.”“Can it, Squirt,” Adam growled. “Or I’m going to tell Mom and Dad about the Merlot Incident of 2013.”Grace blushed bright red.“What Merlot Incident? What in the world are you talking about?” Carl Danvers asked as he entered the dining room, slapping a newspaper against his thigh. The patriarch of the Danve
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 5
Two weeks after arriving in Heron’s Landing, Joy fulfilled her promise to Grace and invited her over for a full-on girls’ night. It included manicures, cocktails, and a variety of chick flicks—10 Things I Hate About You for Joy, and Sleepless in Seattle for Grace. Joy also tossed in a few random contenders to spice things up—Terminator 2 and Rocky—mostly so she could tell people that girls’ nights didn’t mean they could only talk about boys and boy-related issues. Always important to pass the Bechdel Test in real life.Pulling out the red polish to begin work on her nails, Joy squinted as she started on her left hand. Sadly, Dana the stylist was on maternity leave for the foreseeable future and didn’t want to inhale nail polish fumes right now, so Joy was stuck doing her own manicures for now. Which was fine, but she wasn’t talented enough to paint tiny flowers on her own nails, so they inevitably seemed rather plain in comparison to what she was used to.Oh, the sacrifices she made
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 6
Adam had hoped that the sunshine of the past few weeks would hold up until the harvest. But on a Monday morning in early July, he awoke to claps of thunder. Getting out of bed, he opened the blinds to see torrential rain falling like bullets from the sky. Hail pinged the roof, and a bolt of lightning burst across the sky.The rain continued all day. It stopped for a bit in the evening, but started up again by Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, it had rained so hard that flash flood warnings had been issued across the state, and the river was about to flood from its banks. There was so much water that the unpaved roads around Heron’s Landing—and there were plenty of them—turned to mud, and many of its citizens had to stay home or walk to their destination, as any vehicle would get stuck the moment it was put in drive.By Wednesday afternoon, the sun had come out, but Adam knew it was too late. Going into the fields with Jaime and a few others of his staff, they all saw how the rain had de
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Also by Iris Morland
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
Grace peeled the potatoes with such force that more than one poor spud was a mere nub of its former self. Quickly tossing the offending potatoes in the trash so her mother wouldn’t see, she forced herself to peel only the brown peels.I’m not freaking out. I’m not freaking out. I’m. Not. Freaking. Out.“Grace, do you know where the potholder is?” her mother Julia asked.Grace jumped, the peeler clattering into the sink.“Goodness, you’re so on edge today!” Julia plucked the potholder from around her daughter, giving Grace a concerned look. “Are you okay?”“I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind.” Grace turned and began peeling, slowly and without destroying the potato in hand.Julia didn’t say anything, but Grace could feel her mother’s gaze on the back of her neck.“Well, let me know if you need any help.”Grace had been like this since Adam had so helpfully told her that they’d be having a guest for Thanksgiving: none other than Jaime himself. Of course he was coming for Thanks
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Epilogue
Joy couldn’t help but smile as she sat outside at Sadie and Robert’s wedding reception a week before Thanksgiving. After the ceremony, which had been held overlooking the river at the vineyard, the wedding party had walked a few yards to the reception. A large tent had been set up across the green, and the fall leaves provided a fairy-tale like backdrop. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold despite it being November.Initially, Joy hadn’t been sure she even wanted to attend Sadie’s wedding, given what had happened at Trudy’s. But Sadie herself had come to Joy’s place to apologize and invite her personally. That had been the general tenor of Joy’s return to Heron’s Landing: lots of apologies, even more meals sent as apologies, and a true attempt by the locals to get back on her good side.It felt good, she had to admit, to have people realize they were wrong about her after all. Especially Adam. She smiled wider. He’d worked especially hard to show how sorry he was.“What are you smiling abou
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 18
A few weeks earlier…“These are your options: either you write a retraction and I don’t rat you out to the entire industry, or I rat you out to the entire industry and you lose face with pretty much any writer under the sun.”Joy watched as Jeremy scowled, his handsome face turning into something ugly and, she had to admit, a little comical. After she’d met with Regina, Joy had gathered as much information as she could regarding Regina’s allegation against Jeremy, including proof of plagiarism and various conversations with other writers who had it out for him for scalping their stories. But the plagiarism was the biggest card she had. He hadn’t full-on copied anyone, just a few sentences here and there. It had been subtle, and she wasn’t surprised he’d gotten away with it for so long. She just hoped Jeremy took it seriously enough that he’d do what she wanted.“And what’s your proof?” he finally asked, raising an eyebrow.Joy shoved a file toward him. He opened it with a scoff, bu
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 17
With October’s arrival came the most important part of the year for River’s Bend: harvest time. Adam had watched the grapes ripen into juicy, purple berries these two months. With the leaves changing to umber and scarlet, the grapes were ready to be picked.He walked among the rows of the vines, watching workers pluck the grapes by hand and tossing them into baskets and bins. Adam had a feeling they’d finish within a week, when normally it took twice as long, if not three times. He knew the harvest would be meager this year, with the excessive rain that had destroyed so many fragile buds in the spring. Bending down, he rifled through a basket, and he sighed when he saw how many of the grapes were unsuitable for wine-making.Adam already knew the projections, already knew how many grapes it took to make a bottle of wine, already knew that he’d be lucky to make it another year. He knew all of that, but he kept hoping against hope that they’d pull through.They had to. Because now the
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 16
“So, what, are you just going to hide for the next six months?”Joy sighed. “Do you have a better idea?”“I’m thinking you should get coffee with me and act like you did nothing wrong—which you did. Do nothing wrong, that is.”Grace’s matter-of-fact voice bolstered Joy’s depressed spirits a little, but that didn’t stop the proverbial storm clouds from gathering over her still. In a town as small as Heron’s Landing, news traveled fast, and everyone and their dog had read the exposé about Carolyn. Since Adam had accused Joy of writing it, now everyone else in the town believed she’d written it, as well. The only person who thought she was innocent was Grace.A week later, and things had only gotten worse. Joy barely left her apartment, afraid of the looks and whispers that accompanied her everywhere she went. She couldn’t even go into Mike’s downstairs without someone looking at her like she killed their firstborn.“I don’t really want coffee,” she said to Grace. “I just want to sle
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 15
Joy realized quickly that Jeremy had no intention of leaving soon and that if it weren’t illegal, she would’ve strangled him by the end of the first day of his coming to Heron’s Landing.She’d cajoled, she’d asked, she’d ordered, she’d done everything she could to get him to leave. But if Jeremy were talented at anything at all, it was being stubborn. And he’d gotten it into his brain that if he just stuck things out, Joy would finally surrender and they could be together again.Not a very romantic thought, but there it was. He wanted her so exhausted that she’d capitulate and then they could somehow be happy again.The first day, when Jeremy had shown up at Trudy’s and Adam had stalked off, Joy had almost abandoned Jeremy in the middle of Main Street to go after Adam. But she knew Jeremy: he’d find her, and if he couldn’t find her, he’d make life hell for everyone else in Heron’s Landing.As she sat with him at Trudy’s and he ordered a hamburger in a snide voice, she wondered how
Say You’re Mine: Heron’s Landing Book 1 Chapter 14
As Adam watched the blood drain from Joy’s face, he knew instantly who this man was. And at her softly murmured, “Jeremy,” his assumption was confirmed. Her ex—this was the guy who’d cheated on her? Adam had to restrain himself from grabbing the guy by the collar and punching him in the face. Instead, he curled his hand into a fist underneath the table.Jeremy looked like a guy who’d cheat on his fiancée. Tall, lean, his slacks and shirt perfectly ironed and his hair coiffed just so, he looked like he’d cry if you told him he shoes were ugly. Adam hated him on sight.“Jeremy, what are you…? What are you doing here?” The blood was coming back into Joy’s face, but now slashes of red bloomed on her cheeks. Adam could feel her tapping her foot underneath the table.“I was just in the neighborhood…” Jeremy laughed, fiddling with his collar a little. “I came to see you, Jo-Jo. Why else would I be here in—what is this place called? Heron’s Nesting?”“Heron’s Landing,” Adam said gruffly.
