by Joleen James
He reached for her, but she sidestepped him.
"Now do you believe that this is a personal attack against me?" She crouched down, touching the black paint. The paint came off on her fingers. "It's still wet." She glanced around wildly. "Whoever did this is probably still nearby. Oh, God, Kaiden."
"Go," Nico said. "I'll check on Maria and meet you back here."
With a nod she ran for her house.
Nico sprinted for the cottage, relieved to find Maria sound asleep. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, waking Maria. Used to the nightly shift from the cottage to Whitney House, Maria barely woke up as he placed her in the golf cart and drove her to the main house. He got her inside and settled her on the couch.
He met Danielle at the bottom of the stairs.
"Maria?" she asked in a whisper.
"On the couch."
She nodded.
He motioned her to follow him into the kitchen and closed the door behind them.
"Kaiden and Lola are both asleep," she said, keeping her voice low. "Who would do something like this?"
Again, Nico wondered about Kaiden. The boy had the most to gain, apart from himself, if Danielle left. Kaiden could have easily slipped out the front door, painted the words, then slipped back into bed. He longed to voice his opinion, but one look at Danielle's frazzled appearance and he kept his mouth shut.
Danielle sat at the kitchen table, her head in her hands.
"I'm calling the sheriff." Nico placed the call, his eyes never leaving Danielle. More than anything he wanted to pick up where they left off in the garden. He wanted to comfort her, hold her, and kiss her fears away. She was scared. The person sending the warnings was succeeding, giving her one more reason to go, and while he wanted her to leave, he didn't want her to leave out of fear.
"I think we need a stiff drink while we wait for the sheriff to arrive," he said.
She glanced up at him. "There's wine."
He grinned. "No, wine isn't what I had in mind. We need something stronger." He went to Phillip's office to the liquor cabinet, returning with brandy. Back in the kitchen, he snagged two glasses and poured a splash in each.
"To one heck of a day." He raised his glass.
Danielle raised her glass and they clinked together, before each of them downed their brandy in a single gulp.
The brandy warmed all the way down, landing in the pit of Nico's stomach. "Better?"
"Yes."
"Try not to worry." He moved behind her. His hands closed over her shoulders, massaging them. "You're in knots."
"You would be too if someone wanted you gone." Danielle moaned as his fingers dug into her muscles. "Boy, that feels good."
He wanted to make her feel good, even in the middle of all the upheaval. Nico's fingers worked her shoulders, her arms, her upper back, then moved up and feathered into her hair to massage her scalp. Her exotic floral scent filled his senses, making him forget about the vandalism, making him forget everything but her. He was two seconds from yanking her out of the chair and carrying her to the bedroom when he heard the sound of an approaching car.
"The sheriff's here," he said.
She twisted her head around to see him better.
"Damn it, Danielle, don't look at me like that."
Her tongue came out to wet her lips. Nico reached down and pulled her out of the chair to him.
Unable to help himself, he kissed her again, hard and quick. Then with a groan of his own, he went to let the sheriff in.
Chapter Seven
For the first time in years, Nico overslept.
Sitting up, he noted the daylight coming in through the window in Phillip's office, then glanced at his watch. Seven a.m. Great. He was already behind after taking Maria into town for her appointment yesterday. He didn't need a late start to top it off.
He stood and stretched, wondering why the crew hadn't called his cell phone. Still dressed in his clothes from last night, he decided to run by the cottage and change before heading out. The second he left Phillip's office he smelled the coffee. His pot from three a.m. or was Lola up, brewing a fresh batch?
"Late night," Lola said when she spied him. Fully dressed, with her apron in place, she stood at the stove scrambling eggs, no doubt for Maria who sat at the table, looking as groggy as he felt.
"You know it." The sheriff's arrival had woken Lola last night. She'd been horrified to learn of the vandalism. Once the sheriff had taken the report, Nico had stayed up to clean the driveway, not wanting the kids to see the ugly words.
Nico smoothed Maria's tousled hair. "Hey, sweetheart."
She smiled at him, sipping her juice. "How come you're not at work?"
"I'm getting ready to head out now."
Lola exchanged a worried look with him before she set plates of eggs and toast in front of them.
Nico forked up some eggs. "Thanks for breakfast."
Maria had no idea he'd spent the night in Phillip's office, and he had no intention of enlightening her. He didn't want her to worry. He already had his hands full with Danielle.
He couldn't help but suspect Kaiden, even if Danielle didn't buy his theory. One other possibility was Peter. He wanted Danielle to sell. If she stayed it would be harder for him to get cash out of her. Yet, the pranks were childish. It made it hard for him to believe Peter was behind the scare tactics.
Nico finished his eggs. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Can I go with you?" Maria asked, her voice eager.
"You mean into the vineyard?"
"Yes. I could help you prune."
Nico smiled. She looked so hopeful, so excited to be with him. He didn't want to disappoint her. "It's hotter than Hades out there, little gal. You'll bake."
"I don't care," she said stubbornly, her chin jutting out.
"Well -- " Nico lost his train of thought when Danielle walked into the kitchen.
Dressed to go to the office, she wore a pretty yellow sleeveless dress and strappy sandals with skinny little heels. Sexy. Definitely sexy. She'd pulled her hair up into some kind of twist at the back of her head. She looked fresh, but not well rested, the dark circles under her eyes giving away the fact she hadn't slept well.
"Morning, everyone," she said as she helped herself to some coffee.
She didn't make eye contact with him, and he wondered why. Was she afraid he'd see too much in her eyes? No matter how much they wanted to deny the attraction between them, the chemistry was there. Danielle felt something for him, of that he was certain. The way she'd kissed him last night betrayed her true feelings.
"You okay?" he asked her, the question forcing her to look at him. The spark in her eyes lit the fire low in his gut. Oh, man, he wanted to kiss her again.
"Fine." She blew on her coffee, the gesture strangely erotic. "I didn't sleep well, but I'll make it."
"I slept too well," Nico told her. "I'm running late."
"You're kidding?" She smiled. "Wow, and here I thought you were perfect."
"Sit and have breakfast with us," he said, wanting to be with her a while longer.
She slid into the chair opposite him. "How're you this morning, Maria?" Danielle focused her attention on his daughter.
"Good." Maria pursed her lips together.
"Maria's been asking Nico if he'd take her into the vineyard with him today," Lola interjected.
"Really? Do you do that often?" she asked Maria.
"Sometimes."
"It's too hot today," Nico said, his coffee mug between his hands.
"Please, Daddy," Maria whined.
Nico gave her an indulgent smile, unable to deny her. Soon her mother would be back and he'd be relegated to weekend visits.
"Okay," he said, giving in. "Get dressed."
Maria's smile lit up the room. She took off like a rocket.
"That's nice," Danielle said with warmth. "It's great she wants to spend time with you. I'll bet if I begged Kaiden I couldn't get him to go to the office with me."
"S
he won't last long," Nico said with a grin. "It's too darn hot. She'll wilt like a cut rose left too long in the sun."
Danielle gave a low laugh. "I know that feeling."
Lola set a bowl of granola in front of Danielle. "Eat."
"Thanks." Danielle spooned up the sweet, crunchy cereal, taking a bite. "This is great."
"Eat it all," Lola admonished with a shake of her finger. "You're too skinny. I'm going to toss a load of wash in." She left the kitchen, the door swinging shut after her.
"Thanks for staying last night," Danielle said.
"My pleasure." Nico reached across the table, his fingers covering hers. "Everything will be all right."
"Will it?" Worry filled her bright green eyes. "I need to stay here ninety days to inherit, but am I placing my son in some kind of twisted danger?"
Her worry bled straight into him, feeding his need to protect her, her son, all of them. He hated that she worried, that the pranks were upsetting her. Today he'd put everyone on red-alert.
Maria burst into the kitchen, fully dressed, Lola trailing her, hairbrush in hand.
Nico let go of Danielle's fingers.
Danielle gave Maria the once over. "Wow, that was fast."
Nico eyed Maria. Her blouse was buttoned up wrong. Even her pants were slightly askew, the zipper twisted to the left. Her shoes were untied.
"I didn't want you to wait," Maria said to Nico.
Lola pushed Maria into a chair. "Let me comb that wild mane of yours."
"But Dad's ready to go," Maria protested.
"I'm not going to have you running around the vineyard, looking like something the cat dragged in." Lola began brushing Maria's long, dark hair.
Danielle finished her granola, an amused smile on her face. "I should get going."
"Let me give you a lift to the office." Nico stood. To Maria, he said, "Let Lola fix your hair. I'll run Danielle over to the office, then swing by to get you. You've got plenty of time to get ready. Okay?"
"I'm almost ready," Maria said, sounding desperate. "Wait for me."
"I'll be right back, cutie." Nico planted a kiss on her forehead. "Ready, Danielle?"
"Yes, thanks." She rose. "See you both later."
Nico escorted her out the door into the already warm morning air. Happy to have Danielle to himself for a couple of minutes, he helped her into the golf cart.
"Mind if we stop by my place first so I can change?"
"Sure," she said. "You get it, right? I don't think Maria wanted me to leave with you."
"What?" Nico started the cart, driving down the path to his cottage.
"I think she's jealous," Danielle said. "Any chance she's hoping for a reconciliation between you and Liz?"
Nico mulled over the possibility. "Maybe, but Liz is involved with someone else. Maria knows that." They were in front of the cottage now. "I'll just be a few minutes. Come in with me."
"Hmmm," Danielle said with a skeptical smile. "That's okay. I can wait here."
"Chicken?" Nico asked, hoping she'd meet the challenge he offered.
"Definitely."
He grinned. "Okay, I'll let you get away with that for now, but only because I'm late, and you might be right about Maria."
Running inside, he changed his clothes in record time. He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and was back in the cart in less than five minutes.
"Better?" he said when he noticed Danielle watching him.
"I don't know. I kind of like you wild and messy."
"Do you?" he asked, and unable to resist her, he leaned toward her, wanting to steal a kiss.
"Nico, don't," she said, but the breathy way she protested told him she wanted to kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss her. "This isn't real."
He captured her mouth, one hand cupping her cheek, holding her close. Her taste filled him, made him want more.
"Dad!"
They broke apart. Maria stood at the edge of the driveway in front of Whitney House, her hands on her hips.
"We better go," Danielle said with a smile. "Maria's waiting and she's not happy."
"I can see that." Nico frowned. "She's like a little general this morning." He started the cart. They rumbled down the path, and picked Maria up. The drive to the offices was short and silent.
Once there, Danielle said, "Bye you two; have a wonderful day."
"Thanks," Nico said. "It's been pretty great already."
For a second their eyes met and held, and in that second Nico saw the promise of something more than a kiss.
And, man, did he want to collect on that promise, no matter the consequences.
***
Three a.m.
Danielle rolled over with a groan. No, she couldn't do it. She couldn't get up. She pulled the covers over her head, willing her mind to go blank. She hovered on the edge of sleep when the hum of the golf cart pulled her up and out of bed.
Nico was coming for her.
When he'd suggested yesterday that she work with him in the vineyard again, the idea seemed good, but now in the middle of the night she wondered what she'd been thinking.
Being out in the vineyard had done something to her soul. She couldn't pinpoint one thing; instead, being with the grapes was everything. The scents, the stunning visual hit, even the physical work all excited her in a way she'd never been excited before. For the first time in a long time her divorce wasn't the total focus of her day and she liked that.
Ignoring the voice in her head that told her to stay in bed, Danielle tugged on a pair of khaki shorts and a white polo shirt with the Whitney logo. She pulled her hair into a French twist, securing the mass with a gold barrette. Finishing with socks and sneakers, she made her way to the kitchen.
Nico leaned against the counter looking sexier than a man had a right to. Wearing a pair of navy cargo shorts and his customary polo shirt, green this time, he looked good enough to eat.
"Grab some breakfast," he said.
Danielle glanced away from him. He was so not the man for her. Controlling, opinionated -- just like her father. Why couldn't Nico be ugly? Suppressing a smile, Danielle snagged a bagel and cream cheese, a cup of coffee, and they left the house together.
Now that she was up, she had to admit she liked being awake in the middle of the night. There was a certain peace, almost like a velvet blanket thrown over the land. And the sounds: the frogs, the ducks, the whir of the sprinklers; all sounds seemed heightened at this hour.
Danielle munched on her bagel as they drove out. "Where are we going today?"
"Block 6. It's -- "
"On the south end of the property," she finished for him, licking cream cheese from her fingers.
"I'm impressed," he said with a grin.
"I've been studying the map of the vineyard," she admitted. "You grow merlot grapes there, right?"
"Right." Nico kept his attention on the path ahead. "I want to lift some of the weight from the vines. There's a storm coming."
"No way." She didn't believe it. A billion stars winked over-head in a cloudless sky.
"We have a mini weather center at the office. All signs point to a shift in pressure, bringing in moisture. I worry about too much moisture this time of year. Moisture can bring mildew and a host of other unpleasant problems. If we remove a lot of the leaves, the grapes will be exposed to the sun. They'll dry quicker, hopefully avoiding any problems with mold."
"Interesting." There was so much about this business she didn't know. Again, she wondered why her father had never included her. Feelings of low self-worth returned, strong, taking everything Danielle had to keep the destructive emotions buried. She deserved to know this vineyard, even if her interest was temporary.
"Admit it." Nico glanced at her. "You're intrigued by the place."
"A little, but that doesn't change things for me." She removed the lid from her cup and poured the last couple of drops of coffee outside the cart before setting the mug on the floor. "It's just a matter of time before Peter and I wind up in
court. I need to go back to the city. Kaiden needs his friends, his school, his life."
Nico nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
"I've been thinking a lot about the Whitney name, about what it would mean to let it die." She watched the vineyard roll by, row after row. Even in the darkness there was such a beauty to the place, a magic.
"You don't want that?" Nico asked.
"I'm not sure. Letting the name die would hurt my father." She turned to look at him. "But I don't think hurting my father will make me feel any better, even if he does deserve it."
"What did he do to you?" Nico stopped the cart and swiveled toward her, giving her his full attention. "How did he hurt you?"
Danielle turned away. She wanted to tell him and was a little surprised he was completely clueless. To her, the way her father had ignored her, his philandering and bullying ways had been obvious. "He wasn't an easy man to get along with. He fought with my mother all the time, mostly about the other women he slept with. And I don't mean arguing. I mean all out bashes, with dishes flying, obscenities batted back and forth. He said cruel things to her, and she said mean things to him. Their fights terrified me. After dealing with my mother, my father seemed to have little if any energy left over for me. His lack of interest in me hurt. I know it sounds silly, but I wanted his attention and never got it. Sometimes I wonder if my marriage failed because I tend to fight back, like my mother. One marriage was enough for me. I'm not going down that road again."
"I'm sorry," Nico said softly. "I had no idea. I never saw the two of you together much."
"I used to hide in my closet, covering my ears with my hands when they fought." She shivered at the memory. "Every once in a while, they'd pull me into their fights, use me as some kind of pawn. Those fights were the worst."
"The anger was between the two of them," Nico said. "They weren't angry at you."
"Maybe. I couldn't help but feel I was a colossal disappointment to my father. He wanted a son, not a blonde, silly, spoiled daughter."
"He never harmed you, not physically?"
"No. He was more subtle." Danielle said. "He'd get us trapped in the car, and they'd fight. He knew it terrified my mother if he accelerated, driving like a crazy man with me in the car. She'd scream at him to stop, but he'd only go faster.
