by Violet Duke
Her smile vanished, however, as she heard the message in its entirety:
“...I got a voicemail from Noah the other day. Something about a winery...”
Oh god.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“YOU’RE ACTUALLY considering my winery idea?!”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not screeching in my ear out of joy, Dani?”
“Because I’m not!” Dani all but yelled into the phone. Noah remained silent while she tried to calm down. “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought you’d dismissed my idea as financially unsound. You didn’t even contact Connor about it.”
“On the contrary, it’s a very good idea, Dani. One that will be very lucrative for Cactus Creek. And the reason I didn’t bother Connor with it was because the man was barely getting any sleep at home with the newborn. I wasn’t tasking him things I could very easily do on my own. And the more research I did, the more I saw the extreme potential in your proposal.”
Strange how the words she’d been hoping to hear out of Noah’s mouth at one point now made her sick to her stomach. “But I pitched it to you months ago. Why now?”
“You do realize this is an entire business we’re talking about here right? Two businesses, if you include Luke’s. I needed time to research, study the investment potential, weigh the pros and cons. And that was around the actual work I do on a daily basis. You didn’t think my response to your proposal would happen overnight, did you?”
Actually, she had. Sheepish now, she sounded almost childlike when she asked, “Okay, but why did you contact Derek about it before talking to me?”
His patient sigh sounded anything but. “Because I’d yet to hear from your brother at all about this even though he is the proposed vintner. His wines are good, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s cut out to run his own winery. I wasn’t going to proceed one step further without talking to all the players involved in this proposed deal.”
Damn, his logic was taking the wind out of her sails.
“Noah, I’m sorry, but I’ve wasted your time. I just don’t want to go through with it.”
She swore he was silently counting to ten.
“I’m disappointed you feel that way. It’s a solid plan. Is there anything I can do or say for you to reconsider? I’d like very much to help you make your brother’s dream a reality.”
The man fought dirty. “You’d back this plan at the expense of one of your tenants who’s done nothing wrong?”
“Yes.”
This time, she was the one counting in her head…the number of synonyms for bastard.
“Look, Dani, I know you and half the town think I’m an ass, but really, I’m the one who’s been keeping things from changing all these years. I own seventy-five percent of the town commercial real estate even though they’re downright lousy investments. Of all my business dealings, my properties in Cactus Creek are by far the most money draining.” His voice softened a bit. “Still, I’ve been steadily buying up the lots to try and keep things how it’s always been, the Cactus Creek we all grew up in.” He cleared his throat abruptly. “But I can’t do that forever.”
Dani was stunned. “Noah, I had no idea.”
“Clearly.” Though she knew it wasn’t possible, Noah sounded almost…wounded. “By following through with your winery idea, yes, Luke would lose out on the space, but based on my research, the presence of a winery would bring in a new customer base that could attract more traffic to the town as a whole. Further, if you and Derek take over the lease for the amount you said you were willing to pay in your voicemail, I could keep from increasing the monthly lease of three older businesses who desperately need the help—Gavin’s breakfast diner, Dan and Barb’s grocery store, and Libby’s ice cream shoppe. All three of those businesses were there from when we were kids, Dani. Do you really want to see them have to close their doors?”
No. She didn’t. Still. “Noah, I can’t do this to Luke. I won’t.”
“Fine.” His voice hardened over the phone line. “Then I’ll bring in another winery that will. After your little tirade in my father’s office, I called a few friends in the wine business. They took one look at my building blueprints and told me how ideal it is for a winery because of the layout and the cellar. Location was another big selling feature. Ironically, even if it isn’t tied to Ocotillos directly, any winery sitting next to a successful brewpub like yours would apparently do well. And thanks to your little throwdown with Luke, Cactus Creek has sparked a lot of interest. I now have two wineries interested in purchasing the building outright and a third who wants to lease, but is willing to pay far more than what Luke is currently paying monthly.” He paused for a beat before adding coolly, “Just like you were willing to.”
She winced at the reminder. Damn, damn, damn. She’d really screwed this up.
“I’m really not the monster here,” he said, his voice gentling in response to her defeated silence. “Like I said, it’s business. Right now, Luke’s building is a hot commodity that, frankly, will do the whole town some good. Even if I didn’t sell, and instead leased the space out to that last winery, in addition to the three businesses I mentioned, we could help two more— Kim’s adult novelty shop, and Jilly’s world music school. Kim, who grew up here like us, and Jilly, who needs the steady income to help pay for the nursing care her mother needs.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “So yes, I do think Luke would be an innocent victim here but if given a chance to sacrifice one to save five, I’ll take it.”
“Noah, please,” pleaded Dani quietly. “You can’t do this to Luke. He loves it here. There has to be another way. By what you’ve explained, you care deeply about all your tenants. So why can’t you help Luke out just a little here?”
“I have been helping him out. I’ve been sending a lot of corporate referrals his way. Not to mention the extremely reasonable loan I gave him that few others would even entertain.”
Dani did a double take. “I didn’t know you gave him a loan.” His new equipment.
“That’s odd.” Surprise tinted his tone. “The whole reason why Luke called me for the loan was because you blabbed about my helping Lia out a few years back.”
For some mysterious reason, Dani felt hurt Luke hadn’t told her that he’d gone to Noah for a loan. A double standard considering this exact conversation she was in with Noah now, but still. Hearing something this big secondhand just made her frustration…erupt. “So let me get this straight. You give the guy a loan that would bury him in debt if he didn’t come through and then you pull his shop out from under him? Our whole town is just one big Monopoly game to you isn’t it? Don’t pretend like you’re the town’s goddamn fairy godfather. You’re just doing this to make more twenties to wipe your ass with!”
She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth, instantly feeling worse than pond scum. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Noah. I didn’t mean any of that, I swear.” Dani knew Noah had worked damn hard for everything he had. And he was always fair. Nothing she had just accused him of could be further from the truth. “I don’t even know why I said it.”
“You’ve changed,” he said quietly, simply. A touch sympathetically.
An awkward moment stretched out over the phone line. She didn’t have a reply.
He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘the real Dobson curse’ under his breath before producing a deep sigh. “The best I can do is offer a compromise. The wineries who want to buy aren’t necessarily putting forth multi-million-dollar deals so, if Luke can match the doubled monthly lease the third winery is willing to pay, I’ll keep him on instead.”
She didn’t see how that would be possible, not if Luke was already having finance issues. Regardless, it was something.
“And Dani,” added Noah quietly, “I was already planning on giving him a one-year deferred payment extension on his loan. I’m not without a heart.”
“Noah, I swear I didn’t mean what I said earlier. Lia’s abso
lutely right about you. You’re one of the good ones. I’m really sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
He simply grunted in response. “I’ll call Luke tomorrow and present the situation. Do you want me to explain to him how you and I reached this compromise?
Dani felt a cold sweat break out over her skin at the thought of Luke hearing Noah mention her part in any of this. Really, this was all her fault…
“No, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring me up at all when you talk to him.”
* * * * *
QUINN STUDIED Rylan warily, listening to his seemingly innocent question with supreme skepticism. After that great family Valentine weekend he’d planned, Quinn had absolutely no idea what was going in their relationship. If they even had one. She’d yet to even see second base with the man, and lately, he’d been keeping them both firmly planted in the dugout.
Today, however, the man was a walking suggestive comment.
She still couldn’t believe this steamy-eyed man sitting before her was the same knight in shining armor who’d shown up at her home last night armed with dinner for five. Yesterday afternoon, her sister Jodi had called to explain she needed to stay late at work exactly five minutes before Jodi’s usual sitter had dropped Quinn’s twin nieces off on her doorstep.
The girls had called out, “Hi, Aunty Quinn,” and gave her two sets of cherubic smiles Quinn knew better than to trust. While she loved her nieces to pieces, they were two more crazy preschoolers to watch and make dinner for, and she was out of groceries she couldn’t go out and get because she only had one booster seat in her car. So, Quinn had immediately called Luke for back-up. When he hadn’t answered, shortly after the kids had decided to let the dog in and ride him like a horse, Quinn called Rylan.
She’d been desperate for help—that’s all she’d ever admit to on the matter.
A half hour later, Rylan swooped in and placed groceries on the counter along with a kiss on her lips in a honey-I’m-home way before she even got out a hello. Then, unjustly, it took him only a second to round up the kids and get them to sit still for a Candy Land battle while she cooked dinner. They ate together at the table, talking all the while about playground politics and current preschool events. Afterward, he played Wii with the girls while she gave Cooper a bath, and then he read them all a story until her sister came to pick the girls up.
The whole thing could’ve been scripted for a family vehicle commercial.
At the end of the night, when she’d let her guard down enough to try and ‘thank him’ properly for coming to her rescue, he’d hopped off the couch and somehow talked her into letting him spend the morning with her in the shop today. Then with a chaste kiss goodnight, he left…taking with him all hopes of the first good night she would’ve had in years. And if what she’d felt prominently through his jeans had been any indication, it could’ve been really good.
The man was so odd.
And now he was asking her odd questions.
“So you’re saying a spa package isn’t something you’d enjoy?” pressed Rylan as he filled another bag of chocolate bonbons and passed it to Quinn for ribbon tying.
Though even the words ‘spa package’ were a temptation to all her tired muscles, Quinn shook her head and reached in to remove the excess bonbons from the bag he’d just overfilled. His eyeballing the task was annoying her to no end. While she vigilantly calculated everything, he calculated nothing...and not just when it came to chocolates. “Why are you asking anyway? You couldn’t have entered the random romance challenge because of our conflict of interest.”
He raised a brow. “Are you saying we’re in a relationship, sugar plum?”
“What? No! And for the last time, stop calling me that!”
“Can’t. You can call yourself the Wicked Witch of the West all you want, but ever since you told me how you danced ballet in high school, I see you and get wicked Sugar Plum Fairy fantasies instead.” His slow grin turned seductive. “Want me to show you how well we dance?”
No need. Her mind could vividly replay every cataclysmic tongue tango they’d ever had. She took a wary step back. “What is with you? I practically threw myself at you last night and you said you wanted to help me work today. Now here we are working and you’re being…” She huffed out an exasperated breath. “You know what? Clearly, you don’t know what you want, and I don’t like being strung along. So why don’t we just agree to be friends and nothing more. That’ll put an end to all the questions and the mixed signals once and for all.”
A flash of emotion burned in his eyes before he said in a low, clear voice, “Trust me, Quinn, I know what I want. You and I both know it’s more than just a good time on your sofa.”
She blushed red hot and he immediately turned the heat back down.
“Stop thinking so much,” he murmured, pulling her slowly into his arms. She went willingly. “Let’s get back to my sexy Sugar Plum Fairy fantasies of you instead. Just so you know, I was having trouble picturing the costume—it’s been years since I’ve seen The Nutcracker—so I had to take liberties with it.” He nuzzled her neck gently. “If I’m being totally honest, the costume my mind conjured up consisted of nothing more than you with a snowflake scepter and a smile.”
She struggled not to chuckle. “You’re such a perv. And FYI, the snowflake scepter is from Candy Land, genius, not The Nutcracker.”
“Candy Land?” he played dumb. “Wasn’t she the ruler of the Land of Sweets?”
A giggle was building in her belly. “That’s the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker.”
“Exactly. The one who dances in the snowflakes for Clara—”
“Stop! You’re mixing all the characters up!” she laughed. Now she really regretted telling him she’d taken ballet lessons until she was a teen, and how badly she’d wanted to be chosen as the Sugar Plum Fairy in her final ballet winter recital before she stopped.
“I just love it when you laugh like that, sugar.” He sipped kisses along her jawline. “It happens so rarely.” His lips curved up sexily and moved to her ear.
“Wow, calling me a grouch—you really know how to flatter a woman.” Quinn was more amused than insulted, partly because she heard it all the time, but mostly because it was hard to get upset at any words being used like a feather against her skin.
“Your trigger-happy witchiness is not exactly a national secret.” He upgraded his nuzzling to nibbling. “I think that’s why seeing you laugh or smile is what does it for me.”
Now what was ‘it’ and how did ‘it’ do it for him? Quinn was barely following what he was saying. He could’ve been singing the alphabet song right now and she’d still want to rub up against him like a cat in heat. But she didn’t.
Barely.
He slipped a button of her blouse free from its buttonhole—a methodically chosen one located right above her navel so his thumb could now take advantage and graze the warm skin there. “Every time you laugh, I can’t help but wonder how it would feel to tickle you till you’re breathless while you’re gripped like a glove around me.” Another well-chosen button was set free, opening her blouse just enough to reveal the scalloped edges of her lacy bra.
Her eyes dilated until there was only a thin blue ring around her dark pupils. “You’re impossible,” she managed to breathe, though thinking was still far behind.
“Are you saying you want me to stop?”
She made an inarticulate sound of muffled pleasure when he pressed a kiss to the center of her bra, his tongue teasing a sliver of skin beneath it. “Yes?” she bluffed.
Rylan sighed and looked up at her. “Man, you really are a nutcracker.”
That did it. She started laughing uncontrollably, her emotions having gone completely bonkers.
His eyes flared with heat. “I warned you...”
Oh dear lord, her laughter really did turn him on. She ducked past him and his tempting I-want-you-now expression to the other side of the display counter. Which had no exit. “Rylan, you do know the
storefront is not made of one-way glass, right?”
At the telling blush of…fascination over her own observation, he grinned.
He continued to stalk her. Until her back bumped into the wall. End of the road.
“Look.” She tried for stern but failed miserably as the situation continued to evade her control. “Just because Luke is at his home kitchen this morning doesn’t mean he won’t stop by here,” she lied. “And bring-your-sex-to-work day really is a holiday reserved for business owners like Dani and Luke—that company perk is most assuredly not in employee contracts.”
A twitch of humor tipped his lips.
“Plus, I need to have all this chocolate packaging done before we open in an hour,” she added primly, proud of her ability to continue reasoning despite her imagination having gone on the attack with images of Rylan stripped him down to nothing…her atop the nearest counter…
And that’s when her brain lost all control of the helm.
Pirated thoughts of the dirtiest variety soon had her noting the optimal butt-level height of the counters. They really did look to have a sturdy foundation...
Rylan muttered a silent oath. “You’re killing me. Stop looking at the counters like that. It’s plenty strong to do everything you’re fantasizing. You really want to take a run at the scenario those pretty eyes of yours are begging for? Me taking you right here?”
Damn him. And damn her eyes for being portals to her mind, or whatever part of her body was currently in control.
“Sugar, I think it’s time you tell me what you want,” he sighed gruffly. “A no-tomorrows quickie on the counter or the whole package with me?” Stopping a few inches in front of her, he cupped her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “Personally, I want you to pick the whole package,” he whispered against her lips. “Do you know that if I had been allowed to enter Luke’s Random Acts of Romance challenge, I would’ve had a hundred entries in mind? All for you.”
