by Sara Orwig
“What’s that?” he asked, looking up at her.
“Our sales of Caroline Chardonnay set a record last month. On top of that, our 2000 Merlot won a silver medal from the California Wine and Food magazine.”
“That’s excellent, Mercedes! You should have announced that to everyone.”
“I’ve seen the others and already told them. You were the last to hear.”
Eli stood. “You’re doing a great job.”
“We’re all doing a first-rate job,” she said. “Our family is a mutual admiration society, but there’s reason for it.”
“Do me a favor. You think about this will and grandfather’s will. Spencer stole all that from Mom. She’s happy, but that land is rightfully hers.”
“I’ll think about it, but none of us want to make Mom unhappy. It’s not worth doing that.”
“I know,” Eli said, raking his fingers through his hair. His thoughts jumped to Lara and this evening.
At the thought of seeing Lara again, his pulse began to beat faster. The memories of their only lusty night escalated his eagerness to be with her. He remembered the moment at the funeral reception when he had turned and looked into her light-brown eyes and sparks had jumped between them. Together they shared a volatile chemistry that sent his temperature rocketing just thinking about her.
Thank heaven he’d found her! This time he wanted to learn more about her. He wanted to take her to his bed, but he knew in order to spend more time with her, he needed to slow down.
During the afternoon Lara went through the chores of the day as if she were a robot. The only thing on her mind was Eli. When it was finally time to dress, she rushed to her room.
She bathed and pulled on a deep-purple, sleeveless cotton sheath that she and Franci had selected. With care, she pinned a silver rose on her dress. She wound her hair up on either side of her head and let the back fall freely. As she put pins in her hair, she remembered Eli taking them out slowly, sensually, building the mounting tension in her.
Just the sight of him today had turned her insides to jelly. But she reminded herself that she was only going to spend the evening with him—nothing more.
When she headed downstairs to get her car, Franci and her mother were waiting at the servants’ entrance. “You look great. Knock him dead,” Franci said.
“Well, that would make for an interesting evening,” Lara remarked dryly. “Franci, I don’t have any place in my life for Eli. Even if I did, I’d only be risking a broken heart.”
“Lara, don’t be so cautious,” her mother urged. “The man is obviously interested in you.”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll see you two later.”
She left and as she went to her car she said softly to herself, “If I let myself be with this man, it would just be a matter of time until my heart would be in a million, tiny pieces.”
She left to drive into Napa. It was a cool June evening, but she barely noticed the weather. All the way to town, her anticipation grew. She knew she shouldn’t be seeing Eli and she shouldn’t be looking forward to it so eagerly, but she did. “This is the last time we’ll go out, Eli Ashton,” she said softly, promising herself to guard her heart against the onslaught of his attention.
A fine lot of shielding her heart she had done this morning, finally yielding to his persistence about seeing her again.
When she parked in front of the restaurant, she watched him get out of his sports car and come forward to greet her. Just the sight of him made her pulse leap. To her surprise, he was in a charcoal sport coat, a pale-blue shirt that was open at the throat and gray slacks. She was thankful she had picked the deep-purple dress and her high-heeled purple sandals.
Eli Ashton—forceful, sexy, her undoing. She had heard Trace and Spencer talk about Louret wines. Now she could understand why Louret produced such premier wines. She had been the target of Eli’s dogged determination. Applied to wine making his care and attention gently encouraged the winery’s success. But with her, his attention was seductive and hot.
His gaze wandered languidly over her. Approval glowed in his emerald eyes as he reached out to take her hand. When his strong fingers closed around hers, she inhaled. How was she going to resist him when his slightest touch set her quivering?
“Come on. I have a surprise,” Eli said. “You can leave your car here, and we’ll come back to get it.”
Curious she tilted her head. “You’re not going to tell me ahead of time?”
He shook his head. “No. Let me surprise you,” he said.
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Six
H e held the door open on the passenger side of his car, and Lara slid inside, buckling up and watching him as he walked around the car, remembering too clearly the first time she was with him.
He backed out and turned to leave the parking lot, driving to a nearby airfield to a waiting plane.
“I chartered a plane. We’re flying to San Francisco for dinner and dancing.”
“It sounds grand,” she admitted. At the thought of dancing in his arms, she suddenly realized withstanding his appeal might just become even more difficult.
They entered the sleek white plane and were seated in comfortable window seats with a small table between them. A pretty blond, female attendant, dressed in gray slacks and a white blouse, moved around the cabin for a few minutes and then buckled up as soon as she had closed the door. When the plane taxied down the runway, Lara gazed out the window, but she was more aware of the man only a few feet from her.
As they took off, she inhaled, almost pressing her nose against the glass. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, glancing back at him to find him watching her with a faint smile.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I’ve never flown before,” she admitted, once again aware of the chasm between his lifestyle and hers.
“Then that makes it all the better that I can do this with you for the first time. Especially if you like it.”
As they circled over Napa and then headed south, she gazed out the window with fascination. “It’s gorgeous! And we’re going so fast!” Embarrassed, she turned back to him. “I sound like a child.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
As soon as the plane had reached cruising altitude, the attendant brought them glasses of Chardonnay.
“Lara, this time while we’re together, I’m going to learn something about you,” Eli said.
“I lead the most ordinary life,” she said, turning back to him. “I’m a maid at the Ashton Estate and I’m going to law school again in the fall. There you’ve got it.”
He leaned forward, tracing his fingers along her cheek. “You look gorgeous tonight,” he said. “Is this an antique pin?”
“Thank you,” she replied, conscious of his light caress. “Yes. This one was my grandmother’s.”
“How did you get to the Ashton Estate? You said your mother is head housekeeper.”
“She’s been with them fifteen years, now, so I was eleven when she got the job with them. My father died from a heart attack the year before she went to work for the Ashtons.”
“Sorry about your loss. Other than what Spencer put you through, do you like working there?”
“It’s fine. The rest of the family are pleasant, and I have friends on the staff.”
“I’m glad I went for the reading of the will or I never would have remet you. I didn’t expect to ever be back at the estate—at least not for a long time.”
“I’m here tonight, but only—” His fingers on her lips stopped her in midsentence.
“Wait,” he commanded. “And no more of that nonsense that we can’t see each other because you’re a maid and I’m a winemaker. Or that I’m my father’s son.”
“You’re forceful, Eli. You go after what you want. I told you that the first night we were together.”
“I’ve had to be forceful. Spencer walked out on us when I was eight years old. The night he left, I overheard him tell my mother that he
didn’t want any part of us. He agreed to child support, but that’s the only way he’s ever acknowledged our existence. He called us brats.”
“How dreadful!”
“That was Spencer,” Eli said with a shrug. “When he came out of the library, I tried to hit him for leaving us, and he slapped me hard,” Eli said, resentment creeping into his voice.
Lara’s heart clenched and she reached out to squeeze his hand. When her fingers closed around his, Eli’s dark eyebrows arched. “That was a long time ago and the hurt has diminished with the years. He left us with the vineyard that had belonged to my grandmother. My mother was alone with four little children and she didn’t know how she was going to deal with any of it, but she did.”
“What a frightening time for all of you!”
“Thank heavens for Dad—Lucas. To me he’s Dad. He started teaching Mom the winery business. He gave me jobs, just simple things when I was eight, but I was tall for my age and before long, I got some muscles.”
In spite of knowing that she shouldn’t be finding reasons to like him, Lara couldn’t help seeing the honorable side to Eli, who had done all he could for his family and helped build Louret Vineyards into a fine boutique winery. “I’ve heard Trace and Spencer talk about Louret on occasion—a few times I even heard Walker talking about it to them. It infuriated Spencer that the Louret Vineyards had better wine than Ashton Estate.”
“I’m glad,” Eli said harshly, gazing past her. “Maybe that’s why I go after what I want. I’ve had to for so long, and it’s gotten to be a habit. At first it was sheer survival—trying to help my mother any way I could. But later, when I was older, with Dad and my younger brother, Cole, our wine beat Spencer’s. He never acknowledged our accomplishments.”
“He was envious and seething. I know he was determined to develop better wines.”
“So I heard. I know he hired Alexandre Dupree who is a noted winemaker. A premier winery takes a lot of work and attention to small details. Our whole family is involved in our business. My sister Mercedes has increased sales with her marketing. My baby sister, Jillian, has been a super worker. She’s studied viticulture and enology at U.C. Davis. Just recently she revamped our tasting room, which has been her big project. When I was a kid, I wanted to make everything right for my mother. I guess I still do,” he said, and a faraway look filled his eyes until Lara wondered if he had even forgotten her presence.
She held his hand and knew that beneath his capability and his sophistication, he still hurt, and she saw how wrong she had been to lump him with Spencer. Although far too bossy and harsh, Eli was an admirable person.
His attention returned to her and his anger vanished. “If it means anything to you, I’ve never told anyone outside the family that before. Our family is pretty close-knit. We have tiffs, but they’re superficial. We’ve had to pull together for too many years.”
“That’s wonderful, Eli.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No. I’m the only one so I feel a responsibility for my mother.”
“She’s got a good job and an elegant place to live. Is her health all right?”
“Yes. For years she’s had to do Spencer and Lilah Ashton’s bidding. She’s earned a rest and time to do what she likes. I want to get her out of there. That’s my goal and the reason why this isn’t such a great idea tonight. I don’t want to get entangled.”
He leaned closer until he was inches away while he slid his fingers over her collar. “I wouldn’t want to divert you from your goals. I just want to enjoy some time with you.”
She smiled at him. “That’s comforting to know.”
The attendant appeared again with a snack tray, and Lara declined. Eli shook his head and declined having any also. Why did she always lose her appetite when she was with him? Lara wondered. Why couldn’t she see Eli as an ordinary man?
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said. Distracting her, he ran his fingers down her bare arm and then moved his hand to her knee. She inhaled and met his gaze.
He looked at her with an intensity that made her feel desirable and pretty. It also made her tingle. Her nipples tightened, pushing against her lacy bra and purple dress. Heat coiled low in her while memories of Eli’s strong, naked body tormented her. Silently she once again vowed to avoid repeating their night of lust. She intended to resist him and hold fast to her resolution to shun complications. Especially six-foot, sexy complications.
“I was wondering about your daily life. Tell me about your winery,” she said.
“You’ll have to come see it. It’s not big, but I think it’s attractive. Jillian has done a bang-up job renovating the tasting room. We’ve had a lot of tourists for this early in summer.”
“I think everyone is getting a large number of tourists,” Lara said. “I’ve heard Trace and Paige talking about the numbers.”
A few minutes later the attendant returned to take their glasses while the pilot announced that they were beginning their descent into San Francisco. The sun was setting in the west, but Lara could see the Bay.
“It’s beautiful!” she gasped, wondering how many flights she would have to take to become as blasé about flying as Eli.
She watched until they touched down and sat back, smiling at him. “That was incredible!”
“You’re easy to please, but then, the first flight is usually memorable and fascinating.”
“How old were you when you had your first flight?”
He shook his head. “Probably about seven when some of us flew to Chicago. Spencer was giving a speech to a group of bankers on the future of investment banking and Cole and I got to go along, but the girls were too young and had to stay home.”
“Do you remember the flight?”
“Not particularly. I remember wrestling with Cole until we both were in trouble. Here we are,” he announced as the plane taxied to a stop.
They left the plane and hurried to a waiting black limo that whisked them downtown to one of the tallest buildings in the city. They took an elevator to a restaurant on the top floor. They followed the maître d’ through an elegant room decorated with a thick red carpet, paneled walls and muted lighting. Across the room from their window table a piano player sang and couples were already dancing.
The white linen cloth held a flickering candle and a vase of deep red roses, and the window offered them a panoramic view of the city. It was dusk and lights were winking.
With Eli life was enchanting and seductive. As he discussed the wine with the waiter, she enjoyed watching Eli. His brown hair was short, combed in place. Candlelight highlighted his prominent cheekbones, throwing the planes of his cheeks in shadow. There was a craggy, rugged look to him that his personality matched, yet he was appealing and sexy.
They ordered wine and steaks, but just like their last dinner together, there was too much to talk about, and their wine and the juicy steaks were barely touched.
“Who do you think Spencer’s murderer is?” she asked, and Eli shrugged.
“Who knows? I imagine there are a lot of people who hated him.”
“The authorities questioned everyone at the estate. I suppose they questioned all of your family.”
He nodded. “Briefly two detectives were out. I was working almost all night the night Spencer was shot and I have another worker with me so I had an alibi, if you’re wondering and are too polite to ask.”
“No!” She felt her cheeks flush and was sorry she had brought up the subject. “I don’t think you killed him. You’re not a murderer.”
“You sound so sure,” he said, giving her a quizzical look.
“I think you’re a fine person, Eli,” she said, taking his hand. The moment she touched him, she saw a flicker in his eyes and she knew she was taunting a tiger again. He turned his hand to hold hers. “I imagine all your efforts are directed at Louret Vineyards,” she said, trying to get back on a less personal note.
“That’s the truth,” he said, while his thum
b ran back and forth across her knuckles. “I hope we have a predictable summer this year. Two years ago we had a great crop in spite of the roller-coaster summer weather, cool and wet and then hot and dry. In spite of it, I think we’ll have a terrific Cabernet that year. We had a superb one in 2000. It’s been aged in American and French oak for almost two years. We’ve got a Chardonnay that’s been aged on the yeast for six years and it’s going to be great.”
“In spite of living at the Estate, I don’t know anything about the vineyards or wine.”
“The vineyard is my life. My whole family’s actually. I think in the future, we’re going to have to get more into blended wines. It looks like they’ll be the fad.” Candlelight was reflected in his green eyes and he gave her a heated look as he continued to stroke her knuckles.
“Is that okay or something bad? You don’t sound happy,” she said, aware of the touch of his thumb. Her gaze lowered to his mouth. She drew a deep breath and tried to pay attention to what he was telling her when what she really wanted was to kiss him again.
“It’s new and I’m not as fond of blends. Jillian has a great background, and we can let her take charge of blends now that she has the tasting room finished.” He raised Lara’s hand to his lips to brush a kiss on her knuckles. “I want you to see our winery.”
“Maybe,” she said cautiously. He smiled at her, a knowing, satisfied smile as if he were certain she would capitulate and do what he wanted.
“Enough about Louret Vineyards. How many hours will you take in law school in the fall?” he asked.
“Twelve probably,” she answered, “since I’ll continue to work.”
“What kind of law are you interested in? Any specialty?”
“I like research. I don’t intend to be a trial lawyer and I’m not interested in criminal law. I find it depressing to go to the courthouse. Oil and gas law interests me.”
“Why is that?”
“I figure it’ll be easier to get a job with a large company. There should be plenty of business in California, and I’d like to live in a large city.”
“Good reasons. Too bad you don’t have your degree in dealing with wills,” he remarked dryly.
