The Secret (Butler Ranch Book 3)

by Heather Slade

  Maybe he’d stick around until she got there, and then find a reason to leave after he had a chance to see her smile, and maybe get close enough to breathe in the scent of her. She smelled as good as she looked, like sunshine, and fresh herbs, and grape vines.

  “What’re you drinkin’?” Mad asked.

  “What’s open?”

  Maddox rattled off a list of wines Peyton and Alex were pouring tonight. “I’ll have a glass of the Hoffman Pinot.”

  “Yum,” Alex said, sneaking up behind him. “Me too, Mad-man.”

  Naughton looked behind Alex, where Bradley stood.

  “Would you like a glass?” Alex asked her.

  “Sure. That sounds good. Thanks.”

  She had the same look that a deer in someone’s headlights would probably have. Naughton didn’t know for sure; he’d never seen a deer almost get run over by a car. She looked terrified, though, and it was his fault.

  Alex went farther into the tasting room, leaving Bradley standing near him in the hallway. When he stood to offer her his seat, she took a step back, bumped into the wall behind her, and smacked her head.

  “Ow,” she groaned.

  “Be careful. Here, have a seat.” Naughton moved so she could take the stool he’d been sitting on.

  “That’s okay. I’ll just…” Bradley looked left and right, as though she was looking for a place to escape, but the tasting room was packed.

  “Sit down.”

  “Sorry,” she said when she brushed against him as they shifted places.

  “What for?”

  Bradley shook her head and looked away.

  Did all men make her this skittish, or was it just him? He had warned her to stay away from him, although now, he had no intention of letting her.

  “Here you go.” Alex came back with two glasses of wine and handed them both to Naughton. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go wrestle Peyton away from your brother.”

  When Naughton handed the glass to Bradley, he let his fingers brush against hers. “Unlike you, I’m not sorry,” he murmured. “At least not for touching you.”

  “Naughton, I have a—”

  “Here she is.” Alex stepped in front of Naughton. “Peyton, this is Bradley. Bradley, meet Peyton.”

  Naughton watched as Peyton and Bradley exchanged pleasantries, wondering what she’d wanted to tell him before Alex interrupted her.

  “Peyton, you remember the Deveux family, right? From Mumm? Well, Bradley here has been dating Trey—for how long did you say?”

  When Bradley answered, she looked everywhere but at him. “On and off for a while.”

  Naughton leaned forward. “What’s a while?”

  “Four years, isn’t that what you said, Bradley?” Alex nudged Naughton with her elbow. “He’s meeting her here later.”

  Bradley nodded, looking more like a deer in headlights than she had earlier.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met him…anyway, it’s so nice to meet you.” Peyton ran her hand over her stomach, and Bradley jumped off the stool.

  “I’m sorry, you should sit. I can stand.”

  Peyton smiled. “I was on my way out front anyway. It’s so much less crowded out there. Alex, why don’t we all move?”

  Naughton watched Bradley follow Alex and Peyton outside. Maybe he should leave now, before the boyfriend arrived, and save himself the discomfort he knew he’d feel when he saw another man’s hands on her.

  At Stave in Cambria. Meet me here? Bradley texted Trey, realizing he was probably getting close.

  Almost at JV.

  You’re about 30 from here then.

  “Everything okay?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, I just forgot to text Trey. He’s almost at Jenson.” It would be just like him to stop in and try to engage her aunt and uncle in conversation, maybe even pretend he didn’t know she wasn’t there. She hated to put them in that position, knowing they weren’t fond of Trey.

  “You don’t look very happy.”

  “It’s just that he’s driven all the way down from Napa. Asking him to drive another thirty minutes…”

  “What did he say?”

  Bradley looked at her phone. “He hasn’t answered.”

  It was another one of those little things he did that irritated her. If he could use voice-texting to answer that he was almost at Jenson, why couldn’t he respond, saying that he’d meet her at Stave? He’d tell her it was assumed, and she’d counter that it was assumed until it wasn’t.

  Naughton finished his glass of wine and had another when he decided not to wait around to see the boyfriend. The name sounded familiar, but then a lot of vineyard owners from Napa had been contacting him lately.

  He’d walked out the back door and was on his bike when he saw the red convertible Alfa Romeo Spider pull up and park.

  “Nice bike,” said the guy driving the car.

  Naughton nodded his head. “Nice car.”

  “My baby. Early sixties, had it restored myself. You?”

  Naughton wasn’t sure what the question was but didn’t care enough to ask.

  “You look familiar,” the man said.

  “Lived here my whole life,” Naughton muttered.

  “Trey Deveux, nice to meet you.”

  Instead of shaking the man’s extended hand, Naughton put on his helmet, climbed on his bike, and started it up. He was out of the parking lot before the boyfriend went inside.

  “Hey, Brad.” Trey walked up behind her, put his arm around her waist, and kissed her cheek.

  She tried to keep from stiffening under his touch or look to see if Naughton was anywhere near. Instead, she smiled. “Hi, Trey.”

  Bradley took his hand and led him to where Alex and Peyton waited with Maddox and Brodie.

  “This is Trey,” she said, and then stepped back as they shook hands and introduced themselves. Bradley looked behind her, and then in the direction of the tasting room.

  “He left,” Maddox said.

  “You startled me.”

  “And you didn’t deny you were looking for him.”

  “Who?” she smirked, but there wasn’t any point in lying. “Does he always leave without saying goodbye?” As soon as the words had traveled from her thoughts to out loud, she regretted saying them. Maybe he had said goodbye, just not to her.

  “No, that’s me.” Alex laughed.

  “Not anymore, baby.” Maddox wound his arm around Alex’s waist.

  Even though Trey was standing in front of her, talking to Brodie, Bradley still felt like a third wheel.

  “Be right back,” Maddox said before kissing Alex’s cheek again and going inside.

  When Alex whispered, “He’s a hottie,” Bradley watched Maddox walk away, wondering if Alex expected her to respond.

  “Not him, although he’s a hottie, too. Him.” Alex pointed at Trey.

  “Oh, right.” He was, although she no longer looked at him the same way she did when they’d first met. She’d gotten used to him, or maybe she knew the personality beneath the hotness too well. Trey was well aware that his good looks opened doors for him. He wanted everyone to like him and was happiest when he was the center of attention and the life of the party. Sometimes it was too much.

  Naughton, on the other hand, seemed completely unaware of his hotness. The man was comfortable enough in his own skin not to care what anyone else thought of him.

  “He’s bigger than life,” Alex commented, and Bradley nodded. “Easy to get caught up in.”

  “Yeah,” she murmured, not wanting to get started on how she sometimes felt invisible when she was with Trey.

  Maddox came back out to the patio with an unmarked bottle of wine and four glasses.

  “Got somethin’ I want you to try, baby.”

  One of the tasting room employees followed with another unmarked bottle and three more wine glasses.

  Maddox opened the bottle and winked at her. When he poured, she knew what it was. But where had he gotten it? One bottle would be
hard to get, but two?

  Maddox swirled the wine he’d just poured into his glass. “Surprised to see you this far south, Deveux. Don’t you have grapes to harvest?” He tilted the glass to its side, studied the hues, and spoke again before Trey had a chance to respond.

  “Five, six transitions of color, nice age on the edge, great legs. On the wine, that is.” Maddox smiled and glanced at Bradley’s legs. “Although yours aren’t bad either, Saint John.”

  Alex laughed. “What are you up to, Mad-man? You gonna pour for anyone else?”

  Instead of answering, Maddox handed Alex his glass. “Taste, sweetheart. Close your eyes and take a little trip to bliss. I’ll pour for everyone else in a minute.”

  Alex didn’t bother swirling but, instead, stuck her nose in the glass and took a deep breath. “Damn. What is this?”

  “Taste,” Maddox said, eyes twinkling.

  Alex closed hers, sipped, let the wine linger, swallowed. “Oh. My. God. What is this?”

  “I’ll let the winemaker tell you.” He looked straight at Bradley.

  “Brad—” Trey began, but Alex raised her hand.

  “No talking.”

  They watched Alex take another mouthful, chew on it a bit, and swallow.

  “Cab, Cab Franc.” She took another mouthful and swallowed. “Merlot, Petit Verdot, and what? I can’t figure it out.” Maddox reached behind him to pour more wine from the unmarked bottle.

  “Dang, girl,” she moaned. “If you made this, Maddox needs to quadruple your salary, because no matter what he’s paying you, it’ll never be enough. This wine is priceless.”

  Alex sipped, closed her eyes again, and then opened them and looked at Bradley. “I’m rarely stumped, girlfriend. There’s something I’m missing.”

  “What’s this? Alex Avila is giving up?” Maddox stood behind her and put his arms around her waist, mirroring Brodie’s hold on Peyton. “Not even a guess?”

  “Give me a minute.”

  “Vintage?” Peyton asked, rubbing her hand over Brodie’s, and looking as though she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

  Alex tilted the glass and studied the color transitions the same way Maddox had. “That part’s easy. Gotta be a two-thousand and seven.”

  Bradley smiled and nodded.

  “Tell her what it is. It’s Jenson, right?” Trey nudged Bradley.

  Alex glared at him. “When I want Bradley to tell me, I’ll say so, Three.” She took another sip.

  Only knowing Trey didn’t find it funny kept Bradley from snickering. Three. She loved it.

  “It isn’t Carménère.”

  Bradley smiled and nodded again.

  Alex looked at Maddox. “What am I missing?”

  Maddox shrugged. “This is your superpower, Al. Not mine.”

  Maddox studied Alex, his eyes full of pride and such pleasure. Brodie’s fingers were woven with Peyton’s, and when she leaned back and closed her eyes, Brodie kissed the side of her face and closed his eyes too. She couldn’t imagine ever being loved as much as Alex and Peyton were.

  “Tastes like a Meritage blend,” Alex commented.

  Bradley laughed when everyone else did.

  “As if she’s going to take that bait, sweetheart.”

  Alex smirked at Maddox, and then looked at Bradley. “I’m stumped.”

  Maddox turned to Brodie and held out his hand. Brodie put a folded bill in it, but Bradley couldn’t see what denomination it was.

  “You bet against me, Mad-man?” Alex slugged him.

  “I’ve tasted the wine, Brodie hasn’t.”

  Alex set the glass on the table.

  “Is it yours? Tell them what it is,” Trey nudged.

  “I told you before, Three, when I’m ready for her to tell me, I’ll say so. This is my game, in my tasting room, by the way. You don’t make the rules here, Mumm-man.” Alex was smiling, but her tone was anything but.

  “Do you want me to tell you?” Bradley whispered to Alex, who didn’t answer right away.

  “Nope. I’m loving the mystery. Congratulations by the way, not for besting me, but for making a truly remarkable wine.”

  “Thank you,” Bradley murmured and looked away, unaccustomed to such praise or to being the center of attention.

  “Is this why you went after her, Mad?” Alex asked.

  Maddox nodded.

  “Getting late, Brad.” Trey wove his fingers through hers. She hated the nickname, and he knew it, but his grasp was tight enough that she couldn’t pull her hand away without anyone noticing.

  “You aren’t leaving already. Are you crazy? Do you know what tonight is?”

  Trey sighed. “I give up. What’s tonight?”

  “It’s our night to officially welcome Bradley Saint John to Butler Ranch, Three. Where are you staying, by the way? Not at Jenson, am I right?”

  “It’s okay,” Bradley began. “It’s been a long day.”

  Maddox spoke up. “It isn’t okay. What it is, is tradition. Don’t know what it’s like up in your part of the world, Trey, but down here, we take our harvest traditions very seriously. We’re superstitious that way.”

  “Trey’s exhausted from the drive, and I—” Bradley said again.

  “I’ll give you a ride back to Jenson.” Bradley hadn’t seen Naughton come back out to the patio.

  “You’re the guy with the bike,” the boyfriend turned to Naughton, who nodded. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  “This is my brother, Naughton,” Maddox spoke up.

  Trey’s eyes opened wider. “Naughton Butler?”

  “That’s right.” Naughton looked at Trey briefly, before his eyes settled on Bradley.

  “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.” Trey pulled a business card out of his wallet. When Naughton didn’t take it, Trey set it on the table in front of him.

  “You must know how sought after you are in Napa.”

  “What’s this?” Maddox clapped Naughton’s shoulder.

  “Your brother is quite elusive.”

  Maddox laughed. “Is that a fancy way of saying playing hard to get?”

  Naughton glared at his brother. “You gonna share that wine or let it sit in the bottle all night?” he asked instead.

  Maddox jumped up. “Shit, I almost forgot.”

  Alex opened the second bottle while Maddox poured from the first. She swirled and breathed in its aroma before pouring the remaining glasses.

  “Here you go, girlfriend.” Alex handed a very short pour to Peyton, and then stood next to Bradley.

  “She doesn’t have to—” Naughton heard Bradley whisper to Alex.

  “It isn’t that big of a deal. She just tastes and spits, although she wouldn’t taste if there were customers here.”

  Bradley nodded and peered at the crowd still lingering on the patio.

  “Only locals left,” Naughton muttered.

  “I’m pretty sure my mama drank a glass of wine with dinner every night when she was pregnant, and she gave birth to seven perfectly healthy children. It’s all about moderation. Hey, Mad-man, you want to handle the toast?”

  Maddox stood and raised his glass. “A toast to Bradley Saint John. Welcome to our family. May the wine we make together be at least half as good as the wine you made on your own.”

  “Hear, hear,” said Alex, and elbowed Naughton.

  Naughton raised his glass and watched Bradley. He caught only the slightest grin as her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, like a fine rosé.

  He studied the wine Maddox had poured. He swirled and stuck his nose in the glass, breathing in the aroma. As he took a drink, his eyes drifted closed. Alex hadn’t been blowing smoke; Bradley’s wine was damn good. When he opened them and found her watching him, he walked over to her.

  With his back to the rest of the group, he whispered, “Carignan and Cinsault,” and then took another sip. She didn’t need to respond, he knew exactly what else was in her blend.

  He turned around far enough to
see the boyfriend talking to Brodie, and then back to look in her eyes.

  “It’s incredible.”

  “Thank you.” He loved that, with him, she didn’t look away like she had when Alex had talked about her wine. Instead, her eyes never left his.

  “You and I are going to make amazing wine together, Bradley Saint John.”

  “What gave it away?”

  “Cardamom on the palate for the Cinsault. Carignan was tougher. A little rose petal on the nose, smoke and vanilla on the palate. But I cheated.”

  “You did? How?”

  “You gave it away today at the vineyard.”

  Bradley’s cheeks turned that perfect shade of pink he was quickly coming to crave. And then she smiled. “You were listening.”

  “I’m always listening, Bradley. Watching too.”

  “So…” The boyfriend approached and rested his hand on Naughton’s shoulder.

  When he shifted away from the man’s grasp and closer to Bradley, his arm grazed hers. Naughton could feel the tremor move from the place they’d touched, and flow throughout his body like an electrical current.

  “We need you in Napa.”

  “Can’t help ya.”

  “What’s bad for Napa is good for the Central Coast. That it?”

  “Trey!” Bradley gasped.

  The boyfriend ignored her. “Or did someone else get to you first? Whatever their offer was, we’ll double it.”

  Naughton shook his head. “Excuse me.”

  “Trey, what’s wrong with you?” he heard Bradley ask as he walked away.

  5

  “You were rude to him,” Bradley said as she waited for Trey to open her door.

  “Yeah? From my perspective, he was the rude one.”

  She shook her head and got in the car. It was too chilly on the coast to drive with the top down, but Trey insisted. “What’s the point of having a convertible if you don’t take advantage of it?” he’d say.

  He had just started the engine when Bradley’s phone pinged. Before she had the chance to dig it out, the back door of Stave flew open.

  “Fire at Butler Ranch!” someone yelled.

  Trey was about to back the car up when Maddox smacked his hand on the trunk. “Hold up—”

  Bradley jumped out of Trey’s car and ran over to where Alex was getting into her BMW.