“Frankie!” she says with a smile. “Welcome. And who is this strapping young lad?”
Dante comes around the car and I introduce him as the owner of the vineyard. As Raya gives us a full walking tour of the farm’s growing operations, I explain to her and Dante about companion crops.
“We’re already growing mustard on the property to attract pollinators, just like everyone else in Napa,” Dante says.
“Exactly! Everyoneelsedoes it,” I say. “Which is why we should switch to hyssop.”
I throw out my arm, gesturing at the long, parallel rows of soft purple flowers that make up Raya’s hyssop field. The herb gives off a sweet, almost medicinal smell, but the bees love it.
“It’s a cash crop,” Raya chimes in. “Always in high demand.”
“You know what else?” I add, thinking out loud. “All those purple flowers would be a great destination for the Instagram tourists, too. And what about clover?”
“Attracts more bees than mustard,” Raya says with a nod. “And you can cut it and sell it for hay. I harvest my red clover twice in the summer and once in late fall. Only takes about half a week to dry and bale.”
“Wehaveto rotate the crop,” I urge Dante, my voice pitching higher with excitement. “If we do, it’ll help rejuvenate the soil. Our vines will bethriving.”
Back at the car, I notice Raya has a huge smile on her face. She probably doesn’t get many random visitors, not to mention ones as enthusiastic about her farming techniques as I am.
“Crop rotation really works,” she says. “I do the same thing with my sprouting fields.”
Dante looks skeptical. “How are all these new crops going to affect the grapes, though?”
“That’s what Abbott can be. Or part of it, at least. A testing ground. Give my plan five years, and Iguaranteethe Abbott vines will be outproducing yours of the same variety.”
My smile drops as I remember that there’s still a major complication to address.
“This is assuming we pay off Rico for his half-ownership of the Abbott compound,” I add. “I’m positive he’d prefer cash over having to actually battle for his rights to the property in court. He was bluffing when he said he wanted to try to get the winery up and running again.”
Dante’s expression turns steely. “Let’s not worry about that fly in the ointment just yet.” Turning to Raya, he spreads his hands. “What’ll we need for two acres of each crop?”
After arranging deliveries for next spring, we get back in the car and hit the road. I’m sad to leave our vacation behind, but it’s getting late so I tell Dante we can go home.
When we get back to Napa, Dante surprises me by pulling into my father’s place and driving out to the rolling vineyards. Then he has me show him where all the different fields would go. I’m happy to lay it out for him, taking into account the wind, water drainage, and sun angles in relation to planting our test crops. After I’m done, he gives me a slow nod.
“I think this just might work.”
I’m almost afraid to ask, but I give voice to my biggest fear. “What about Rico?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Dante says. “Trust me. Everything is going to be okay.”
Somehow, I believe him. “I do trust you.”
Smiling, he picks me up and swings me around in a circle, pulling me into a long kiss.
Then he sets me down and digs something out of his pocket. He holds it out to me. Looking closer, I realize he’s holding a ring—a beautiful old cut diamond with Art Deco swirls of platinum and emeralds around it. I go completely still, my heart caught in my throat.
“It belonged to my grandmother, and I’d like you to have it,” he says. “But it comes with one condition.” He cups my face between his hands. “You’d have to marry me again.”
I give a little shake of my head. I can’t believe this is happening. “It can’t just be about the land,” I say. “It includes Charlie and Livvie, too.”
He smiles. “I know the Abbott sisters are a package deal. And I’d be honored to have them as part of our family. Charlie is the best event planner we’ve ever hired, so she’ll have a job with Bellanti Vineyards as long as she wants one.”
“And Livvie, too,” I whisper, my voice choked up with emotion.
“Armani already located and purchased two of her horses so far. They’re being boarded in a stable across town.”
“Dante.” My jaw drops. I know for a fact that the purebred Friesians could only have been bought back at great cost to the Bellantis.
