Alex paced outside the guesthouse. The night was clear and cool. There was a forecast of rain, but he didn’t believe it. Not that it mattered one way or the other. Rain, snow, sleet, weather wasn’t his problem. Paige was.
He didn’t understand her. He’d stayed because…because. He swore. He didn’t know why. Because leaving hadn’t felt right. Because they’d had unfinished business. Or so he’d thought. But in the past couple of days, she’d acted as if he didn’t exist. Or matter. If he lived to be a thousand he would never understand women. Why did they have to be so damn complicated?
He turned and stared at the front door. He could talk to her. That was something women really seemed to like. Talking. Endless talking.
But about what? She was going to want to ask a bunch of questions, and he didn’t have the answers. She was like that. Tricky. Sly. Beautiful.
He stared up at the stars and thought about how she moved and the sound of her laughter. That in all the years they’d been apart, he’d never forgotten her or wanted anyone the way he’d wanted her.
Alex swore under his breath and walked into the guesthouse. He headed directly for Paige’s bedroom and opened the door without knocking.
She lay on her bed, reading. Her hair was mussed, her face free of makeup. The tank top she wore over pj bottoms looked thin and worn. Not the least bit sexy-but that didn’t stop him from wanting her.
They stared at each other. Neither spoke. Paige put down her book, then slid down on the bed and smiled.
That’s all it took. One smile.
Even as he jerked off his T-shirt, he moved toward her. He reached for her as she reached for him, and then he was in her arms. She felt soft and feminine and so familiar that he ached inside. Their mouths locked in a deep, hungry kiss. It had been so long, he thought as need rocketed through him. Too long.
Even as their tongues tangled and brushed and circled, they tore at each other’s clothes. He needed her naked-he had to touch her or die.
There were no gentle preliminaries, no murmured words, no light touches. Just reaching and getting naked and kissing. And then she was on her back and he was between her legs. She stared at him, her green eyes dark with passion.
“I want you,” she breathed.
“I’ve missed you,” he told her, right before he claimed her.
Tessa sat alone in the dark. Her room was quiet, even with the window open. Moonlight allowed her to see the vineyard and nearly to the ocean. Hints of salt air mingled with the heavy fragrance of the ripening grapes.
The chardonnay harvest had begun. Soon the machinery in the pressing room would clank to life, and the cycle would begin again.
Across from her chair stood the big, empty bed where she and Lorenzo had slept for so many years. She’d avoided it, spending her nights dozing in her chair. But tonight she felt differently. More at peace.
“Are you here?” she asked the quiet darkness. “Lorenzo?”
As she asked the question, she smiled. Even if her husband could reach her from the great beyond, he was just stubborn enough to refuse to speak to her.
“I miss you, Lorenzo,” she whispered. “So much.”
There was no response.
Tessa stood and made her way to the bed. As she lay down on the cool sheets, she waited for the knot of fear and panic that had driven her from this bed the first night after he died. It didn’t come. Instead she felt somehow safe and comforted. And a slight dipping of the mattress, as if someone had joined her.
No one had, of course. When she turned to look, she was still alone. But not so lonely anymore.
Four hours later, Darcy was asleep, but Joe couldn’t relax enough to stay in bed. He dressed and quietly left her room. Instead of returning to his own, he walked out of the house and into the night.
The sky was clear, the moon nearly full. He walked into the vineyards, brushing against the heavy grapes.
The leaves were dry from lack of rain, but dry, warm conditions were supposed to be good for harvesting. Or was it less sun and no-
He shook his head. None of it mattered, he told himself. He was leaving on Monday and he wasn’t coming back for a long time. He had SEAL teams to get ready. Plans had to be made, training implemented. There was a whole world outside of the vineyard, and he intended to be a part of it.
“Anywhere but here,” he murmured into the night.
But even as he spoke the words, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Brenna’s baby was due anytime now. How would she hire a manager before she gave birth? What about Marco and Colleen? They were sticking around to help when they really wanted to be on the road, selling the wines. There was the harvest, the pressing, the bottling. So many responsibilities and he-
“No!” he roared, glaring up at the heavens. “I don’t know where you are, Lorenzo, but you couldn’t make me care before and you can’t make me care now. I’m not staying. This isn’t where I belong. I’ve never belonged here. I don’t blame you for this-it’s simply the truth. Not here.”
His words drifted into the night. There was no response, and he felt a little foolish after his outburst. Yelling at ghosts wasn’t going to accomplish anything.
He turned to walk back to the house, only to pause. There was something…
He inhaled deeply and realized what it was.
Smoke.
20
She’d barely thrown back the covers when Mia burst into her room.
“It’s a fire,” Mia yelled. “There’s a fire in the vineyards.”
Fire? How could that happen? Sure it had been dry, but what on earth could start a fire in the middle of grapevines?
Rather than consider an answer, she grabbed clothes and pulled them on. Lauren ran into her room.
“What’s going on?” her sister asked.
“A fire in the vineyard. Get dressed. We’ll go downstairs and see if we can help.”
In a matter of a couple of minutes, everyone had assembled in the kitchen. The emergency siren had been turned off, but there was still a sense of urgency.
Grandma Tessa was already making coffee. Joe paced back and forth, talking to Marco in a low voice and making notes on a pad of paper. Marco left the kitchen and Joe glanced at everyone else.
“There’s a fire in the east field. I can’t tell how big it is, but it’s spreading fast. Everything is just dry enough to burn. The fire department is on its way. They’re sending three companies, and at dawn we’ll get air support.”
“What about Brenna?” Darcy asked. “She’ll want to know.”
Joe nodded. “I’ve already spoken with Nic, and they’re on their way.”
“A fire,” Ian said. “Wow. Do you know how it started? There hasn’t been any lightning, has there? I didn’t think you got a lot of lightning in this part of the country. Maybe some homeless guy smoking or something. Could a match have started the fire? Or a downed electrical wire. Only why would it be down. There are-”
Joe, Colleen, Marco, and Mia all turned to Ian.
“Shut up,” they said together.
Ian took a step back. “Sorry. I was just trying to help.”
“Help silently,” Joe said.
The back door opened and Alex and Paige raced inside. “You know about the fire, right?” Alex asked.
Joe nodded. Marco returned. He had several rolled sheets of paper in his hands.
“Maps,” Joe said. “We need to help the fire department find the best places to fight the fire.”
