Million-Dollar Marriage Merger

by Charlene Sands

  “No, I don’t love her.” He stood and looked his brother straight in the eyes, lowering his voice. “This goes no further.”

  Joe nodded.

  “I made David a promise to take care of Rena, the winery and…and their unborn child.”

  Joe pressed a finger to the bridge of his glasses, securing them in place. He contemplated a moment staring back at Tony then gave an understanding nod. “Got it. Rena knows nothing about this I suppose.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Are you seeing her?”

  Tony winced, thinking back on the excuses she’d given him. “I’ve tried several times since the funeral.”

  “Not cooperating is she?”

  “No.”

  “Can’t imagine why she doesn’t want to start up right where you left off twelve years ago,” Joe said, mockingly. “She picked up the pieces after you left her. It was a hard fall, Tony. I remember hearing all about it. When she fell for David, everyone thought it was the right move. They were happy for her. Sorry, but your name was mud around here for a long time. Then you started winning races and people forgot about the pain you caused Rena. Except Rena. She never forgot. She really loved David, and now he’s gone. You can’t blame her for hard feelings. She’s had it rough.”

  “I don’t blame her. But I will honor my promise to David.”

  Joe grinned. “I respect your determination, Tony. How are you going to charm a woman who clearly…”

  “Hates me?” Tony huffed out a breath. Unfortunately, what he had in mind didn’t require a multitude of charm.

  Just blackmail. He would give Rena what she wanted most in life. “I have a plan.”

  Joe shook his head. “You always do.”

  “It’s time I set that plan in action.”

  Two

  Rena looked in her closet as tears streamed down her face. It had been three weeks since the funeral, and David’s clothes—his shirts and pants, his jackets and sweatshirts—still hung just beside hers. She reached out to touch his favorite blue plaid shirt. Her fingers lingered a bit and an image appeared of sitting by a cozy fire cuddling up next to David and laying her head on the soft flannel, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She smiled at the memory, even through her tears. “What now, David?” she asked in the solitude of her bedroom.

  She was a thirty-one-year-old widow. She never would have believed it. Not when just weeks ago she’d planned on telling David her joyous news…that they were to become parents. She’d had it all planned. She’d silk-screened T-shirts that said, “I’m the Daddy” and another that said, “I’m the Mommy” and the third tiny T-shirt said, “And I’m the Boss.” She’d planned on giving David the set of them over his favorite dinner.

  She hadn’t gone to the doctor yet, relying solely on the pregnancy test she’d taken. She’d wanted David by her side when they heard the news officially. Now she’d be going to all of her appointments alone, facing an unknown future.

  The only bright spot in all this sadness was the child she carried. She loved her baby with all of her heart and vowed to protect it, doing whatever it took to make a good life for him or her.

  Rena closed the closet door unable to remove and discard David’s clothes as she’d planned. “I’m not ready to let go,” she whispered. She needed David’s things around her, to feel his presence and warmth surround her. It gave her a sense of peace, odd as that might seem.

  “Do you want me to help you with David’s things, Rena?” Solena Melendez’s voice broke into her thoughts. Rena turned to find her friend at the bedroom threshold, a concerned look on her face.

  Rena smiled sadly. Since David’s death, Solena made a point to check up on Rena every morning.

  “Solena, no. But thank you.” Solena and Raymond Melendez worked at Purple Fields—Solena in the wine-tasting room, Raymond overseeing the vineyards. They’d been loyal employees since Rena and David took over the winery after her parents’ deaths.

  “It will take time, Rena.”

  Rena understood that. She’d lost both of her parents. She knew the process of grieving. “I know.”

  “And when it’s time, I will help you.”

  She smiled and wiped away her tears. “I appreciate that.” She reached for Solena, and they embraced. Their relationship had grown over the years, and now Rena thought of Solena and Raymond as more than employees—they were dear friends. Friends whose salaries she may not be able to pay if she didn’t get this bank loan.

  “We have orders today,” Solena said, breaking their embrace. “I’ll make sure they go out on time.”

  “Orders are good,” Rena acknowledged with a nod of her head. Thankfully, Solena reminded her daily that she had a winery to run. Purple Fields was small but well-respected, and they’d been holding their own until a slowing economy and bigger wineries started shoving them out. Smaller vintners weren’t able to compete and sustain the same degree of losses as the more established ones.

  “I have an appointment at the bank today.” Though Rena held out little hope, she had to try. She needed a loan to make her payroll this month and next. She was due a small amount from David’s life insurance policy, and that money would pay for her doctor bills and whatever was left over would go in trust for her child’s future. No one knew about the child she carried as yet, and she’d planned to keep it that way for the time being. She’d not told a soul. Not even Solena.

  “I will pray for good news,” Solena said.

  “So will I,” Rena said.

  Rena lingered a bit after Solena left her room, putting a little makeup on a face that had seen too many tears. With dark circles beneath her eyes, no amount of makeup could hide her despair. Her grief would be evident, yet she had enough pride to want to appear in control of her emotions when she met Mr. Zelinski at the bank. Bankers were wary of desperation. Rena understood that and prepared herself with facts and figures she hoped would prove that Purple Fields was holding its own and worth the risk of a loan.

  Rena walked down the stone hallway and made it to the living room when a knock sounded at her door. “Who could that be?” she muttered, taking up her purse and the file folder for her bank appointment and tucking it under her arm.

  She opened the door to Tony Carlino. More than surprised, Rena blinked. “Tony? What are you doing here?”

  He cast her a grim smile. “You wouldn’t return my phone calls.”

  “There’s a reason for that. I don’t care to talk to you.”

  “Maybe not,” Tony said. “But I have to talk to you.”

  Rena took in a steady breath and calmed her nerves. Just the sight of Tony brought bad memories. She’d gotten over him once and had moved on with her life. She certainly didn’t want anything to do with him now. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

  Tony glanced inside her home. He’d been here before many years ago, but she certainly didn’t want to invite him in. She’d never minded that she’d come from humble beginnings and that her family home was cozy and rustic, where the Carlino mansion had four wings of stately elegance, two dozen rooms, Italian marble and ancestral artwork that went back a few generations.

  “What I have to say can’t be said on your doorstep, Rena.”

  Rena glanced at her watch. “I’m on my way out. I don’t have time to talk to you.”

  “Then have dinner with me tonight.”

  “Dinner?” Rena had to focus hard not to wrinkle her face. “No, I won’t have dinner with you.”

  Tony let go an exasperated sigh. “I don’t remember you being so difficult.”

  She hadn’t been when she’d first met Tony at the age of sixteen. She’d taken one look at him and had fallen in love. They’d been friends first, Rena keeping her secret that she’d fallen hard for a Carlino. Tony had a smile that lit up her heart, and when they laughed together, Rena thought she’d died and gone to heaven. It had been painful holding in her feelings, not letting on that she loved him. It didn’t help matters that Santo Carlino
was trying to run her parents out of business.

  “You don’t know me anymore, Tony.” Rena lifted her chin. “If this is about easing your conscience about David, you’re wasting your time.”

  Tony’s face tightened. His dark eyes grew cold. He stared at her for a moment, then as if gathering all his patience, he took a deep breath. “I haven’t got a guilty conscience, Rena. But what I have to say is about David.”

  Rena glanced at her watch again. It wouldn’t do to be late for her appointment, yet he’d caught her curiosity. “What about David?”

  “Have dinner with me and I’ll tell you.”

  Pressed for time and jittery about her bank appointment, Rena relented. “Fine, I’ll have dinner with you.”

  “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  “Okay, now at the risk of being rude, I really have to leave.”

  With a quick nod of agreement, Tony left and Rena breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t think about seeing him later and breaking bread with him. She’d seen the determined look on his face and knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Frankly, she didn’t have time to argue. The bank appointment was all she could focus on. “One hurdle at a time.” She mumbled David’s favorite words of encouragement every time they’d faced a challenge.

  She had more important things to worry about than having dinner with Tony Carlino.

  Tony drove out of the Purple Fields gates and turned right driving along the roads that would lead him to the Carlino estate. Vineyards on both sides of the highway spread across the valley rising up hills and down slopes, covering the land in a blanket of green.

  He’d only been home about three months, and he still felt disoriented, unsure of his place here in Napa. He’d come home because his father had been ill. And now, as the oldest son, he had to assume responsibility for the business working alongside his two brothers. His father had expected as much from him.

  The timing had been right for his return. He’d made his mark on NASCAR and had enjoyed every minute of his career until a crash and injury took him off the racing circuit. Perhaps it had been an omen to quit, but it wasn’t until his father’s passing that Tony realized he’d had no choice but to leave the racing world behind. Somewhat.

  He still had endorsement deals with various companies, and that could be an advantage to Carlino Wines. The Carlino name meant success, and people identified with that. Yet Tony’s life had changed so drastically in such a short span of time, and now he planned on taking on a new responsibility with a wife and child.

  Was he ready for that?

  He questioned that reality now. His vow to David never far from his mind, Tony admitted, if only to himself, that Rena had been right about one thing. If he hadn’t come home and rekindled their friendship, David would still be alive today.

  Tony approached the Carlino estate and pressed the remote that opened the wide iron gates. He parked the car in front of the garage house and exited. He met up with Joe in the driveway, his brother ever the optimist wearing a smile and horn-rimmed glasses, slapped him on the back. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  He had, in a way. Visions of David’s tragic death played in his head ever since he’d driven away from Purple Fields.

  It had been a glorious afternoon in Napa, the temperatures in the low seventies with fresh sunshine warm in the air—a day that made you glad to be alive. Tony remembered thinking that, right before he witnessed David’s crash.

  Before he knew it, he was riding beside David in the ambulance.

  “I think she’s pregnant,” David whispered, struggling to get the words out.

  “Shh. Hang on, David. Please. Save your strength.”

  Tony’s plea didn’t register with David. He continued, his voice so low that Tony had to bend over to hear him.

  “She won’t drink,” he’d confessed, and Tony immediately understood. Vintners drank wine like others drank water.

  David’s coherent pleas gave Tony hope, though he appeared so weak. So fragile.

  “Tony,” he’d implored.

  “I’m here.” He knew whatever David had to say must be important.

  “Don’t leave her alone. She deserves a good life. Promise me you’ll take care of her. And our baby.”

  “I promise, David. I’ll take care of Rena,” Tony whispered, looking deep into David’s fading eyes.

  “Marry her,” David said, grasping Tony’s hand. “Promise me that, too.”

  And Tony hadn’t hesitated. He squeezed David’s hand. “I’ll marry her.”

  David gave the slightest tip of a nod and closed his eyes. “Tell her I love her.”

  “Hang on, David. She’s coming. You can tell her yourself.”

  Frantic, Rena rushed up to David the minute they’d reached the hospital. They’d had time together, spoke their last words and Tony hung back giving them privacy. When David let go, Rena cried out. Her deafening sobs for David shook Tony and reached deep into his soul. He’d never seen a woman fall apart like that.

  Tony shifted back to the present and looked at his brother with a shake of his head. “I saw Rena today.”

  Joe wrinkled his nose and gave an understanding nod. “Which explains the haunted look in your eyes. Thinking of David, too?” he asked with genuine concern.

  “Yeah, he’s never far from my mind. I’m the race car driver. I’m the one taking risks, yet he was the one to die in a crash.”

  “People die every day in car accidents.” Then Joe caught himself. He didn’t have a cruel bone in his body. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound callous, but you didn’t encourage him to get behind the wheel. And it was an accident.”

  “I wish Rena felt that way. It would make what I have to do a whole lot easier.”

  “So, it didn’t go well today?”

  Tony shrugged. “She blew me off, but not before I made a dinner date with her.”

  “That’s a start. It should get easier now.”

  Tony scratched his chin, the stubble grating his fingers. “Doubtful. Rena is as proud as she is stubborn.”

  “I hear you, Tony. I’ve learned my lesson with the opposite sex. No more relationships for me.”

  Tony looked his brother in the eye. “Sheila really did a number on you, didn’t she?”

  Joe lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “I’m over it.”

  Tony believed him, noting the firm set of his jaw and his cool air of confidence, despite his casual shrug. Joe’s gorgeous New York assistant had played him, using her charms to snare him into an engagement. But the minute a wealthier man had shown interest in her, she’d dumped Joe for greener pastures and married a man who was twice her age. Joe had been burned, and he wasn’t going near the fire any time soon.

  “I’m on my way to the downtown office,” he said, changing the subject. “Good luck with Rena tonight.”

  “Thanks. And Joe, keep this quiet.” It wouldn’t do for news to get out that Tony was dating his friend’s new widow.

  “I’ve got your back, bro.”

  Rena parked her car outside her home, her hands frozen on the steering wheel as she looked with numbing silence at the house in desperate need of paint and a roof that had seen better days. Her garden had been neglected lately, the grounds and outer buildings weren’t what they once were. But the vineyards beyond, whose budding grapes were the mainstay of her legacy, had the best terroir in the vicinity. Their merlot and cabernet wines won awards from the combination of good weather, soil and minerals. The vineyards had never let her down. “All I have left are those vines,” she mumbled, her voice shaky. “What am I going to do?”

  The news from Mr. Zelinski wasn’t good. She hadn’t known the lengths David had gone to in order to keep them in business until she’d pressed the banker to be brutally honest. She saw regret in his eyes and sympathy cross his features and knew of his reluctance to tell her the ultimate truth. Both the Fairfield and Montgomery families were part of the tightly knit Napa community and had been personal
friends of the banker. She assumed it was out of respect for her mourning that he hadn’t been knocking at her door demanding his money.

  The grim news she received shook what little hope she had left. Not only couldn’t she qualify for a loan but David had taken out a home equity line of credit to keep them going these past few months. Until that loan was repaid and her credit restored, she couldn’t even think about asking for additional help from the bank.

  She owed more money than she originally thought.

  Tears welled in her eyes as the hopelessness of her situation enveloped her. From across the driveway, out among the vines she spotted Raymond checking the leaves, making sure the grapes were healthy.

  A sob escaped. She knew what she had to do, and it hurt to even think it. She couldn’t pay Solena and Raymond. She’d barely scraped up enough money to give them their last month’s salary. She’d let her other employees go, but hoped she could keep her friends on. Now, it was clear she had to let them go as well.

  Her heart breaking, Rena bounded out of the car and ran up the steps to her house, tears spilling down her cheeks. She couldn’t face losing them, not after losing David so abruptly. Everything around her was changing too fast.

  Yet she couldn’t expect Solena and Raymond to stay. She knew they’d have no trouble finding employment at another vineyard. Both were efficient, dedicated and knew as much about winemaking as she did. Selfishly, she wanted to keep them close, to have them work the land and be here when she needed them. Rena had sad facts to face, and she didn’t know if she was up to the challenge.

  Slamming the door shut, she strode to her bedroom, wiping at tears that continued to fall. She tossed her files and purse aside, kicking off her shoes as she flopped down on her bed. She lay looking up at the ceiling, search ing her mind for a way to keep her business afloat. What avenues had she missed? Who could she turn to for help? Finally, after a half hour of torturous thought, she came up with the only solution that made sense. She had no other option.