by J. H. Croix
“Hey, sweetie.” I tried to rub his chin with my knee since my hands were full. “Eloise is going to feed you tonight,” I said conversationally as I kept walking with him meandering along beside me. In another moment, he was distracted and veered over when he saw Tinker Bell munching on some lettuce.
I’d learned from Gram how important it was to simply plant things for the sole purpose of the goats eating them. Otherwise, they destroyed everything you had. The latest goats we had weren’t the first, but Jasper and Tinker Bell loved what most goats loved. They would eat anything and everything, so they needed things to keep them happy. They loved lettuce, so we planted lettuce for them every year.
Using my shoulder, I pushed through the back door into the kitchen. Eloise was bustling around and brushed the back of her wrist over her forehead to push a lock of curly gray hair out of her eyes.
“Hey, girl,” she called. “I think we’re just about ready. If you want to do your magic out front, I’ll take care of the animals before I clock out for tonight. Do you have anyone helping you tonight?”
I set the tray on the counter and gave my hands a shake. “No. Jasper said he wanted to help, and I figured that would be enough. Have you seen him?”
“Just a bit ago. He’s awfully easy on the eyes, don’t you think?”
Eloise just wouldn’t quit with trying to get a rise out of me about Jasper. “I have eyes,” I quipped in return, turning away and hoping she didn’t notice the flush I felt creeping up my cheeks.
“He’s got eyes too,” she said. “They’re usually stuck on you.”
My head whipped around so fast, I was surprised I didn’t give myself whiplash.
Eloise grinned. “I knew it. You do think he’s cute, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. I can’t do anything about it.”
My mind whispered, “You already kissed him, and just last night, he had his fingers buried inside of you while you came all over them.”
I could ignore that stupidity.
“It seems he’s trying to help, and I hope you’re letting him,” she said, her eyes sobering.
“He’s trying to make sure I’ll agree to let him sell his half.” Worry struck me so hard it felt as if I was choking. This kind of anxiety was like a whirling dervish in my chest, and it scared me.
“Hon, you have been carrying this all by yourself since your Gram died. It’s a lot of work. Even if he wants to sell, it’s not gonna do any harm to have his help cleaning up the financial mess. You never talk about it, but you and I both know your grandma was not totally sharp during her last few years. You can still love her and acknowledge that,” she said, her tone soothing.
My shoulders sagged, and I turned and leaned my hips against the counter. I curled my hands around the edge, and the cool surface slightly settled me. “I know. I don’t like to talk about it because there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Eloise stopped in front of me, her eyes sympathetic. “You have done an incredible job with the flowers and the winery. In fact, you’re running it tighter than your grandmother ever did at her best. Organization was never her strong suit. You are magic with the flowers. You’re going to keep winning awards for the wines here, and no one is going to forget that. Let Jasper help you with the finances. It’s not about brains, hon. Just about having the patience and the time to plow through all the old stuff your grandmother left behind.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I eyed her. “I know. I’m letting him. I’ve given him free rein of everything. I just hope he doesn’t use what he finds to screw me over. He’s not exactly warm and fuzzy.”
The moment I spoke, I felt a twinge of guilt for that comment. Grumpy, sexy qualities aside, when I’d burst into tears yesterday, Jasper had comforted me. He wasn’t an asshole, and I knew it.
As if she could read my mind, Eloise said, “He’s not an asshole. He’s just a sexy kind of uptight British businessman. You do your thing and let him do his. It just might work out. Now, I gotta go.” She looked out the kitchen window. “Oh God, Jasper and Tinker Bell are headed over to the flowers.”
Eloise was off, dust kicking out from her shoes as she raced out the door with me right behind her.
“Damn, this is a good wine,” Chance said in his usual magnanimous and enthusiastic fashion.
Aubrey caught my eye and smiled. Chance had one arm around her waist and a glass of our latest award-winning wine in his other hand. It was one of the sweet reds, my personal favorite type of wine.
The wine tasting was crowded with people bustling all around. Jasper had turned out to be more helpful than expected. He stayed on top of serving wine, and I handled the orders. He might not have done much customer service before, but his charming smile and British accent had the ladies flocking over to him. We’d already beat our record for sales in a single evening.
Aubrey cast a teasing glance toward Jasper. He was currently in the middle of a conversation with three women. They appeared to be vying for his attention while he appeared coolly unaffected. “Jasper’s the toast of the evening,” she commented.
“If it sells wine, it works for me,” I replied, entirely truthfully. “I hope Pixy is enjoying his playdate,” I offered to Chance when I noticed him looking out the back window toward where Pixy was currently frolicking with Tinker Bell and Jasper.
Chance grinned. “Of course, he is. At home, he just has humans. You should run a goat daycare,” he suggested.
Aubrey burst out laughing. “Babe, that’s ridiculous.”
At that moment, Jasper, remarkably free from female attention, paused beside us. “Need any refills?” His eyes scanned our glasses.
“I’ll take one,” I replied.
“I think we’re all set,” Aubrey said. “We need to get going soon.”
“Hey, what do you think of a goat daycare?” Chance asked Jasper.
To Jasper’s credit, his lips barely twitched as his alert gaze flicked from Chance to me. “I suppose that could be an interesting business venture if there were enough pet goats who needed daycare,” he offered in his crisp tone.
Chance nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose. Pixy loves coming to see Jasper and Tinker Bell.”
Another woman approached Jasper, and he lifted his finger, letting me know he’d be back with a fresh glass of wine for me. I didn’t need to be waited on, though, so I made my way over to the bar myself, sliding behind it and refilling my glass while also helping a few customers.
The night passed quickly, as did every night when we had a wine-tasting event. I enjoyed a bit more of our latest batch of wine than usual. I vaguely recalled Jasper steadying me when I stumbled as I climbed upstairs to go to bed. I didn’t remember anything else, so I was surprised when I woke during the night to find myself in a T-shirt and underwear and tucked in my bed.
My head was already working up to a rager of a headache, and my bladder was nagging me about my need to get out of bed even though I didn’t want to. Rolling my head to the side, I saw that the digital clock on the table beside my bed read 3:07 a.m. There was no sense in trying to sleep through until morning without going to the bathroom.
I groaned and put my hands to my forehead when I sat up. I knew I’d had a little too much to drink last night. Jasper kept my nerves unsettled, yet I couldn’t really blame him. It was my response to him, and I just couldn’t seem to get it under control.
Moving gingerly, I tiptoed out of my bedroom and took care of business in the bathroom. When I flicked on the light to search for some ibuprofen, I was surprised to see a glass of water with two ibuprofen tablets sitting on the counter with a note beside it.
I predict you’ll have a headache. This is for when you get up. – J
Did he have to be so thoughtful? It was hard to reconcile his cool, polite manner with a man who had pretty much blown my mind and dragged my body into meltdown territory, only to end it all by saying, “Now, we have work to do.”
I was no dummy, so I took the ibuprofen and f
inished the glass of water before making my way back to bed, hoping I didn’t say anything stupid last night.
When I woke two hours later—my body familiar with what time I usually got up despite my potential hangover—I was surprised to discover my clothes neatly folded and laid on the chair on top of my dresser. My cheeks got hot because I wondered if Jasper had undressed me. Dear God. I needed to remember not to let myself enjoy any of my favorite wines while he was here.
Chapter Seventeen
Jasper
I studiously tried not to notice the way the sun glinted on Anna’s strawberry blond hair. She was outside doing something in the flower field. I tried even harder not to notice how cute she looked in her overalls. Apparently, I had a bit of a thing for overalls. Well, a thing for me as long as Anna was wearing them. I wanted her to wear them every day, preferably with one of her cute little tank tops.
I looked back down at the desk. I had devised a system for getting through the haphazardly organized files from Anna’s grandmother, so I didn’t have much left. While I’d discovered no miracles yet, I had filled in some of the blanks. Eloise had also confirmed that Anna’s grandmother had definitely not been at her sharpest the last few years. From what I could piece together, she’d been behind with personal bills in addition to the business. Whether it was pride or something else, she didn’t use any of the money from my grandfather to help with her personal bills. It snowballed over time, so she’d started taking out more and more from the business to try to save the house. In the end, it all left Anna in a messy situation when her grandmother died.
When my phone rang, and I looked down to see my solicitor’s phone number on the screen, I answered immediately. “Hello.”
“Jasper, thought I would check in and see how things are going in California. Any thoughts about your plans?” Benjamin asked.
I opened my mouth to tell him that, of course, I still intended to persuade Anna to agree to let me sell, but then I hesitated. That hesitation revealed more than I wanted to contemplate about myself. “I’m still getting up to speed on everything, and I’ve got a full three weeks left here.”
“Ah, I see. All right, then. Please do keep me informed so I can make sure to prepare any paperwork necessary in a timely manner.”
“Absolutely. I’m curious about something.”
“I’m not sure if I can help, but what is it?”
“What do you know about the nature of my grandfather’s relationship with Hannah Lennon?”
There was a beat of silence before he replied, “Simply that he knew her for many years. He considered her a friend. She did not ask for his assistance, by the way. He had me checking in on things. When he learned she was struggling and looking into selling the winery, he intervened immediately.”
“Hmm. That’s all you know?” I prompted.
“That’s it. I thought you should know Anna Lennon emailed me to confirm the details related to the will and the business. I confirmed them for her.”
That didn’t surprise me. “Ah, I see. I’d imagine she would. It’s not a typical arrangement.”
“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
“Not at the moment, but thank you. I’ll reach out as soon as I know my plans.”
After I ended the call, I leaned back in my chair and ran a hand through my hair. I’d thought I would come to California and discover that my co-owner was just as anxious to be rid of me as I was to be rid of the business. I’d expected to discover my co-owner wanted to sweep my inconvenient appearance out of her life. I hadn’t even figured on even staying out the month.
In all honesty, I hadn’t counted on any of this. My worst-case scenario involved me staying here—as required by the terms of my grandfather’s will—and biding my time.
I certainly hadn’t expected to arrive and get knocked off balance by a girl whose penchant for overalls was ruining me by the day. I definitely hadn’t counted on finding myself wanting to dig into the finances and straighten out the mess left behind by her grandmother. I absolutely hadn’t counted on wanting Anna. Bloody hell, the girl had set up house inside my brain. I didn’t think I could evict her.
Every effort I made at trying to gain control of the situation felt like trying to catch dust in the air. Every motion only chased my control further away.
Two days had passed since I lost my mind and watched Anna fly apart on my lap. She was making me feel half crazy. I was clearly going bonkers. For her.
Case in point: the other night after the wine tasting. She was tipsy, very tipsy. She tried to kiss me. Again. I’d never in my life considered myself the virtuous one when it came to women making passes at me, yet there I was, being virtuous.
I’d carefully set her back, ignoring how sexy she looked when she actually pouted. I’d even had to walk her upstairs and get her into bed. The temptation of Anna yanking her clothes off in front of me and revealing the freckles scattered like stardust on her skin was a temptation beyond all reason. I hadn’t given in. Oh, no. As I said, I was virtuous.
I found a T-shirt in the top drawer of her dresser and carefully covered up her gorgeous, plump, and bouncy breasts and then tucked her under the covers. Blessedly, she’d started snoring within seconds.
Shaking my thoughts off that hot vision, I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hand. Anna had let me move the desk, so it offered the wide view of the fields. I hadn’t been thinking of her when I asked about that, but at that moment, she was front and center in my view. She wore a woven straw hat to shade the bright sunshine with her strawberry curls escaping. It was a whimsical touch to go with her overalls and purple polka-dotted rubber boots with a matching purple tank top.
Even from this distance, I felt the buzz of desire fizzing in my veins. When she was physically close, the air felt filled with sparks, all of them colliding together and creating more energy. At some point, I would lose control, and there would be an explosion.
I forced my attention away from her and dug back into the files. Only moments later, I stumbled across a major find. Restless, I stood from the desk, contemplating when I should tell Anna what I discovered.
Her grandmother had apparently forgotten about an investment account set up by her husband who passed away years before she did. It was chock-full of money. If she’d hired a forensic accountant after her grandmother died, they might’ve found this. As it was, that happened to be my specialty.
It spoke volumes that I hesitated to tell her. With this money, she could buy me out. Then I would have an excuse to leave sooner.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself.
When I stepped into the guest bedroom, I laughed when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Out of pure habit, I’d dressed as if I were working today. I wasn’t wearing a suit, but I had put on a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. It was ridiculous, really.
I changed quickly into jeans and a faded navy-blue T-shirt. Then I made my way downstairs. When I poked my head into the back room where the magic wine making happened, I found Eloise hard at work. She was putting new bottles of wine in a rack. They had a system that organized the wine by type and year. It was meticulously organized, in contrast to the financial records.
Eloise straightened, casting me a wide smile as she approached. “Well, hello there, Jasper. What brings you down here this afternoon?”
“Just checking on things. Do you happen to know what Anna’s working on today?”
Eloise studied me for a moment, and I didn’t miss the subtle, knowing glint contained in her gaze. “The flowers. When she’s stressed, that’s what she does. It helps that there’s always something to do, even if it’s just weeding. She also said she was going to get some honey from the beehives.”
“Pardon me?”
Eloise grinned. “Honey. From the beehives. Don’t worry, she’ll put on her bee outfit.”
“Where are the bees?”
Eloise waved vaguely toward the flower fields. “Out towa
rd the back. She keeps flowers that bees love planted near their hives so they stay happy.”
“Interesting.”
“You seem to find Anna quite interesting,” she offered with another grin.
I elected to ignore that observation. “Good day, Eloise.” I nodded and then strode outside, intending to find Anna and see just what getting honey from the bees entailed.
Chapter Eighteen
Anna
“Hey there,” I murmured as I reached into the beehive. “Are you taking good care of your queen?”
Of course, I had absolutely no freaking clue if the bees were listening to me. Much less if they understood the English language. Rather arrogant of us humans to think insects and other creatures could speak our language. That said, I hoped they could sense my intent, which was to do no harm.
My vision wasn’t too great through the clear plastic section over my face since I wore the bee suit. Peering inside, I carefully removed the honey frame. This hive was my healthiest hive yet. It had now survived two winters.
I placed the frame in a wheelbarrow where I also had some plants to take to the greenhouse. I checked on a few other things for the hive and then stepped back. The bees buzzed around me but dispersed as I moved away from the hive with the wheelbarrow. I pushed back the hood on my bee suit. As soon as I turned around, I discovered Jasper only about ten feet away. His eyes were laughing.
I felt myself blushing. I generally felt like a country bumpkin around him, and now I was in my bee suit, which was the very opposite of sexy. Somehow, even in jeans and a T-shirt, he exuded a cool elegance.
