She glanced around when she heard the knock at the door. “Yes?”
“I have a delivery for you, Ms. Russell.”
Donnay felt relieved it was Janice, their housekeeper, and not her mother or grandmother. No doubt they would have questions about the loan. It had been three days since she’d told them they had been approved and she had yet to act on it and they had to be wondering why. As far as they were concerned the loan was the only hope for the winery’s survival.
“Come on in, Janice.”
Janice walked in carrying a huge vase of red roses that was almost larger than she was. In her late fifties, she was a tiny thing, barely five feet, weighing a little over a hundred pounds. She and her family had worked in one capacity or another at Russell Vineyards for years.
“What on earth,” Donnay exclaimed, immediately crossing the room to relieve Janice of the megasize delivery.
The older woman smiled. “They just arrived for you. Aren’t they gorgeous?”
Donnay smiled. Yes, they were, and it wasn’t hard to figure out who had sent them. “Yes, they are nice,” she said, pulling off the card and then making space for the vase on the table that faced the window.
“Well, I need to get back downstairs and prepare Ms. Ruth’s and Ms. Catherine’s breakfast.”
As soon as the door closed behind Janice, Donnay pulled open the card that simply read: Thinking of you. Spencer.
Donnay rolled her eyes. In other words, he was sending her a reminder that her time was running out and he expected her decision in the time frame he had given. But when she glanced over at the roses, she had to admit he’d given her a very beautiful reminder.
She remembered the words Spencer had spoken two nights ago, and he was right. She had to decide, in ten hours or less, if she would be worse off with him in her life than she would be without him in it.
* * *
Spencer pulled his BlackBerry out of his jacket to check stock market results after noticing Daniel Russell had drifted off to sleep. He could vividly recall sitting at his own grandfather’s hospital bedside years ago.
Scott Westmoreland’s death from lung cancer had been hard on the Westmorelands since he had been the rock of the family. All of his grandsons, and at the time the one lone granddaughter, Delaney, had learned something from him that would carry them through life to face the many challenges and hardships.
As he placed the BlackBerry back in his jacket, he glanced back over at Chardonnay’s grandfather. Yesterday, the two had talked and Daniel had asked if he would return today to shave him and he had. Also yesterday, the man had been a lot more talkative. He had shared with him all his hopes and dreams for the winery and had apologetically told Spencer that he regretted they wouldn’t be selling the vineyard to him after all, but that they felt strongly that it should remain in the Russell family. His words had let Spencer know Chardonnay had yet to tell her family about his offer. He didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one. But a part of him was confident she would end up doing the right thing—which would be to marry him.
Suddenly he became aware that someone was watching him. He glanced up and felt a tantalizing throb in his gut when he saw it was Chardonnay. At that very instant it seemed that he couldn’t breathe. She was standing in the doorway to the hospital room staring at him. Her eyes weren’t glaring or shooting daggers at him. They were just staring. He was certain she was wondering why he was there, and before she could ask, he stood and beckoned her to follow him into the hall so they could speak privately and not disturb her grandfather.
“I dropped by this morning to shave him,” Spencer said as soon as they had stepped into the hall.
She nodded. “I know. Mom told me that he asked you to do it yesterday. Any one of us could have done it for him but I guess it’s a man’s thing.” She then smiled sheepishly and said, “Or it could be that the last time we shaved him we left him with quite a few cuts and nicks.”
“Ouch.” His response made her laugh and Spencer found himself relaxing somewhat…as well as taking the time to notice her outfit. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a light blue pullover sweater. Both looked good on her and the light blue brought out the color of her eyes in a pretty way.
“Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
When a moment passed and they didn’t say anything, she said, “We need to talk, Spencer. I’ve made my decision but I don’t want to go into it here.”
He met her gaze. “Okay. Let’s have dinner tonight.”
“All right, but not at your place again.”
He started to argue, to tell her she was in no position to make decisions, but then thought better of it. Dinner tonight would be about decisions—hers—and he wanted to know which ones she had made no matter where they dined.
“And I prefer meeting you someplace. Don’t waste your time sending a car for me because I won’t get in it,” she added curtly.
He nodded. “Okay, I won’t be sending a car for you. I’m coming to pick you up myself and I do expect you to get in.”
He saw her stiffen, her jaw set tight. “I’ll be there to pick you up at five,” he said.
She glanced down at the floor where she was tapping her foot. Probably counting to ten to hold back her anger, he thought. She had a tendency to dislike him giving her orders. “Are we on this evening for dinner at five, Chardonnay?” he asked, deciding to make sure they were on the same page.
She glanced back up at him. Her gaze was made of stone. “Do I have a choice?”
“No.”
He said it quickly and unerringly.
“I have a request to make of you,” she said, and from the look in her eyes he knew he wouldn’t like it.
“What?”
“Promise me that you’ll keep your hands and lips to yourself tonight.”
He couldn’t help but smile at that one. “Does that mean I can’t kiss you…or touch you anywhere I want?” he asked as calmly as he could.
“Yes, that’s exactly what it means.”
He shrugged broad shoulders. “In that case I won’t make such a promise because I plan to kiss you, Chardonnay. I like kissing you, and as long as you kiss me back, letting me know you’re enjoying the kiss as much as I am, I see no reason to stop. And need I remind you that you initiated the last kiss we shared? I might have had my mouth in the right place at the right time, but it was you who made the first move.”
He hated reminding her of that, but she needed to hear it. She needed to know that he was fully aware each and every time she participated in their kiss. “But as far as touching you like I did before, unless you give me a reason to think you want me to touch you there, I won’t, since I’ve accomplished what I intended to do.”
She frowned. “Which was?”
“Claim it as mine.” Before she could open her mouth to deny his words, he said, “When your grandfather wakes, let him know I’ll be stopping by again tomorrow.”
“Why?” she asked when he was about to turn and leave.
He smiled. “Mainly because I like him. He reminds me a lot of my own grandfather and I was close to him. All his grandchildren were. He left a huge void in our lives when he died. He was a good man, and I believe your grandfather is a good man, as well.”
Deciding not to say anything else, he walked off toward the bank of elevators.
* * *
“Did your grandfather wake up and ask about me?”
Donnay turned from gazing out the car window to find Spencer looking over at her when he’d stopped at a traffic light. Just like he’d said, he had arrived exactly at five. She had been ready.
“Yes, and he seemed pleased that you would be returning tomorrow,” she said, not liking it but being totally honest. She could tell her gran
dfather liked Spencer. So did her mother and grandmother. “You never said where we’re going,” she decided to say when the car began moving again.
“Into San Francisco. There’s a nice restaurant I want to take you to. I think you’re going to like it.”
She was sure she would since it seemed that Spencer Westmoreland didn’t do anything half-measure.
“Tell me about this surgery the doctor wants your grandfather to have.”
She glanced over at him. “Who told you about it?” she asked, annoyed. It was family business and he wasn’t family.
“Your mother and grandmother. They seemed worried that it wouldn’t be covered by the insurance.”
She wished her family hadn’t taken Spencer into their confidence. But they didn’t know how he could use such information to his benefit. However, since they had done so, she figured she might as well level with him. “There’s a good chance it won’t be since it’s considered experimental.”
“And if they don’t, what’s your next option?”
She sighed deeply. Did he look at all solutions by way of options? “If the insurance company denies payment then we’ll pay for it out of our pockets. Either way, if Gramps needs that surgery then he’s going to have it.”
She knew Spencer was probably taking this all in and in doing so figured she had only one option open to her. The one he wanted her to take. He must be feeling pretty good knowing he had her family stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“You’re right,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Either way if your grandfather needs that surgery then he’s going to get it. I’ll take care of the cost, no matter what option you’ve decided to take.”
Donnay snatched her head around, thinking she had definitely not heard him correctly. He’d come to another traffic light and was looking at her. “Why would you do that?” she asked, barely getting the words out and staring at him wide-eyed.
“Would you believe because I’m a nice guy?” he asked.
“No. I think that you can be a nice guy but that usually you aren’t.”
He chuckled. “My family would be the first to disagree with you. The personal side of me is nice all the time, but oftentimes, I have to take on another persona when I’m negotiating business. It comes with the territory. In that arena, nice guys finish last, and I like being first.”
She believed him. “I don’t want you to think the Russells are a charity case that need your handout, Spencer.”
“I appreciate you telling me that, Chardonnay,” he said, and she easily picked up the edge in his voice. “But the truth remains, charity case or not, your family needs my financial assistance and I’m willing to give it either way. Do you have a problem with that?”
Saying she did would, in essence, be the same as biting off her nose to spite her face, and she was too smart to do that. There was such a thing as family pride, but then there was also such a thing as knowing when to exercise good common sense. “No, I don’t have a problem with it. Thank you for making the offer.”
“You’re welcome. And now it seems that we’ve arrived at our destination.”
* * *
A frown darkened Spencer’s brow as he watched Chardonnay finish the last of her dessert. What he’d told her in the car was true in most circumstances, but he was finding himself being a rather nice guy in his business dealings with her. Case in point, he hadn’t immediately asked for her decision the moment the two of them had sat down to dinner. Nor had he inquired as to what it was over dinner. Instead he had engaged her in conversation about other things, things he normally didn’t give a damn about, like who was messing around with whom in Hollywood or which rapper had offended Bill O’Reilly or vice versa.
Now he couldn’t put off asking any longer, nor did he intend to. “So what have you decided, Chardonnay?”
He watched as she lifted her head and her gray eyes stared at him. She placed her fork down then took a napkin and wiped her lips. They were lips he had thought about kissing all evening. Suddenly the room seemed to get silent as he tuned everything out to concentrate on one thing. Her decision.
She continued to look at him directly and he knew whatever she’d decided that he hadn’t made things easy for her. That had been deliberate on his part. But now, if her decision went the way he wanted, she wouldn’t have to think of anything hard again. He would guarantee it… Almost. There was still that question regarding her degree of loyalty. That was important to him and it was something he had to be certain that he had from her, no matter what.
“I’ve decided to marry you, Spencer.”
Her statement seared through him, made his heart squeeze tight and had blood pulsing rapidly through his veins. She bowed her head to resume eating and a frown gathered between his brows. Had she really meant it? His jaw tightened at the thought that she was playing with him.
“Chardonnay?”
“Yes?” She lifted her head again and for a long moment his eyes stared into hers. A deep desire to have her slowly replaced any irritating thought he’d had. She had been serious. She would marry him. For better or for worse. And she was accepting her fate of a loveless marriage. He gave a mental shrug, refusing to feel guilty. It was her decision.
“We need to make plans. I want the wedding to take place before Christmas.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s impossible. Christmas is less than three weeks from now.”
“I know. We had a Christmas wedding in the family last year when my cousin Chase married. In fact it was on Christmas Day. Everyone had to make arrangements to be away from their homes during the holidays to attend. At this late date some people may have already made other plans this year. I prefer having a private ceremony before Christmas, here in the valley with just our families.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s the rush?”
“I’m surprised you would ask me that, Chardonnay.” He knew she could read between the lines quite clearly and she proved it when her cheeks darkened.
“I guess you wouldn’t entertain the thought of us waiting to get to know each other a lot better before engaging in something so intimate,” she said softly.
“No, I wouldn’t,” he said quickly, deciding to once again make his position clear. “I want you, Chardonnay. I’ve never hidden that fact. And I want babies. Marrying you will give me all the things I want and you will benefit from the marriage, as well.”
A frown formed on her face. “And what will you tell your family about us? What am I supposed to tell mine?”
He picked up his wineglass to take a sip. “We’ll tell them we met and fell in love immediately. It will be a lie of course, but considering…”
She raised a brow. “And they’re supposed to believe it? Just like that?” she asked, snapping her fingers.
He leaned forward. “Yes, just like that,” he said, snapping his own fingers. He chuckled. “My mother won’t have a problem believing it since she’s a true romantic.”
He then straightened in his chair and said, “I’m flying out to L.A. for a few days to attend several prescheduled business meetings. When I get back I plan to move into your home, so make room.”
“What?” She looked incredulous.
“Now that you’ve given me your decision—one I will trust you to keep—work will begin on the winery immediately after I get back and I need to be around for that. If there’s not room for me at the main house, I’ll settle with living in one of the guest cottages. I’ll remain there until we marry.”
From her expression he could tell he was moving too fast for her, but he had no intentions of slowing down.
* * *
Donnay stood outside her mother’s bedroom door, trying to get a grip on her nerves. She had exchanged very few words with Spencer during the drive back home from the restaurant. Instead they preferre
d the silence since there had been very little left to be said.
Now she was to convince her family that she had miraculously fallen in love with him. Her grandparents might fall for that story but her mother would see through it. Taking in a deep breath, Donnay knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Donnay opened the door, stepped into the room and paused. Her mother was dressed to go out and she looked absolutely stunning. She couldn’t recall the last time her mother wore something out other than slacks and a blouse. Tonight she was wearing a dress Donnay had never seen before. The soft tobacco-brown fabric slithered down her mother’s curves.
“You’re going out, Mom?” Donnay asked, although the answer was obvious.
Her mother gave her an easy smile. “Yes. How do I look?”
“Beautiful.”
“That’s good. That friend I told you about who’s passing through, we’re meeting for dinner tonight.”
Donnay continued to look at her mom. “In that case I think you look too beautiful to be going out with an old girlfriend. You should be going on a date with a man.”
Her mother chuckled. “Haven’t we had this discussion before?”
“Yes, several times,” Donnay agreed, leaning against the closed door.
“And what have I always told you?” her mother asked.
She’d always told her that she could never love another man the way she’d loved her father and that she was content and didn’t need another man in her life, a man she could never love. Donnay wondered if that was the same for Spencer. Was there a woman out there whom he loved and that was the reason he could not love another?
“You’re worried about something, Donnay,” her mother said, breaking into her thoughts. “Come. Let’s sit and talk.” Her mother sat down on the bed.
With a deep sigh, Donnay crossed the room to take a seat beside her mother.
Dreams of Forever: Seduction, Westmoreland StyleSpencer's Forbidden Passion Page 23
