Page 76 of Something Old

ChapterTwenty-Six

Ethan finished consulting with his winemaker and his farm manager, scheduling the remaining harvest and the winter strategy. The two men left his office, leaving him to the quiet. He swiveled the chair and looked out over the grape fields, waiting for the sense of peace and rightness to settle on him. He’d been waiting over two weeks for it, but it eluded him. Hermitage Vines had lulled him into a false sense of happiness when he’d first left Houston, but that had been purely a casting off his troubles from Houston. No, his current state had nothing to do with his past and everything to do with him and Delaney Winters. Damn her.

His body tightened, remembering their last night together, the last time he felt whole. Even during their bridal party dance, when he was furious with her and in pain, he wanted to hold her tight and never let her go and convince her to stay with him forever. But he didn’t always get what he wanted, and she had slipped away during the reception and he hadn’t seen her since.

Since returning to the vineyard, he had thrown himself into his work, but, like in Houston, work wasn’t his salvation, not this time. He pushed away from the desk and headed out to the open barn area, once the center of his expansion plans. His father had promised funding, but Ethan had refused. He would do it on his own, find his own way. It might take a little longer, but he could do it.

He sat on a stool next to the tasting bar and swiveled around, taking in the space. A noise from the barn door made him turn. The sun streamed in through the open door, outlining a slender figure.

His stomach clenched as recognition flooded.

Was she a mirage? What was she doing here?

* * *

Delaney second-guessed herself the entire drive down to Hermitage. Once her decision had been made, it all happened so fast. Her boss had accepted her notice, not thrilled, especially considering her promotion, but he probably was relieved to not be in the middle between her and his board. Her Aunt Trudy was a whiz at organization and had their condo bagged, tagged, and cleared in no time. Much of their furniture had been sold, but some pieces were put in storage for whenever Delaney settled and sent for it. She had all her possessions in her car and she really hoped she wouldn’t have to turn around.

She walked into the barn, the place that had played a significant role in her daydreams over the past several weeks—options for events, how they could fix it up for a store, plans for the future. She had done research on what worked with vineyards. Stores were always popular, along with weekly events, wine tastings and social events like weddings. She’d grown up planning events and knew people would love that space once they cleaned it out and spruced it up a bit.

If Ethan allowed her to stay.

And the man himself sat on a bar stool, watching her with an inscrutable expression.

Her body suddenly wouldn’t work, feet locked to the ground, planted like one of Ethan’s vines. She met his gaze firmly, dropped her bag on the ground, and said the first thing that came to mind.

“Is the opening for an event planner still available?”

He pushed off the bar and walked a few steps into the space, shielding his eyes from the sun. “That position has been temporarily suspended for the season.”

His cool tone struck ice into her heart, but she soldiered on. This time, she would lay everything on the table and see what happened. “Sorry to hear that. I have a resume and references and everything.”

“You’ve been misled.”

She forced her feet to move and walked into the space, letting her eyes adjust to the darker space. His face was shadowed, and not just by the dimly lit room. His face had the stubble of a blond beard, a few days’ growth that looked unbearably sexy on him. But his eyes caught her attention, ice blue and closed to her, freezing her out of any further shot at him.

“I noticed you’ve done a lot of harvesting.”

“One of our red varieties, the muscadine white. A recent addition in the past couple of years. We’re hoping this will be the year to bottle them. Most of the harvesting is actually done and we’re prepping for next year.” He cut his words off, as if regretting sharing as much as he had.

She tried another tact. “So, I heard you quit working with your father.”

“I was fired.” He took a deep breath. “Why are you here, Delaney?”

She stepped closer, inhaling his scent of dirt, musk, and Ethan. “I was hoping I could apply for your open position. I’m currently unemployed.”

He didn’t move. “I only have openings for harvesters. I doubt you’d want something like that.”

He turned on his heel and started back toward his office. Her hand on his arm stopped him flat.

“Ethan, do you hate me that much?”

He whirled around, her hand falling to her side. “How could you walk away again? No, I’m not doing this again.” He held up his hands as if warding her off. “I can’t go through this again.”

“I made a mistake. Twice. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I thought I was doing the right thing for you.”

He stepped back and crossed his arms. “I know what my father told you. How could you believe him and not trust me?”

She turned and walked a few steps away. It was time to lay it all on the line, expose everything and hope she gained the reward. “I didn’t want to see you resent and hate me like so many other people. My name is poison in Houston. Even five years later, as that article proves.”

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