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“Oooookay.” William cut Duncan off and glanced sideways at the kids. “You two are excused.”
The kids thundered up the stairs in the foyer, a cookie in each hand. Nathan returned with a laptop and settled back down in his chair. “This is officially the least I’ve ever knownabout someone I’m about to offer a job.” He opened the laptop and slid on reading glasses.
“Honestly, this has happened really fast,” Rowan said, sitting up straighter in her chair. “I’m not actually prepared either.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’tprepared,” he clarified. “Three months ago, this family lived in several different cities and ran a successful, stable contracting business. Ma and Dad’s house had been paid off for fifteen years. They burned most of their retirement savings on a down payment for a new mortgage here.” Nathan cut his eyes over to William, who nodded. “Somehow, Maren and I agreed to uproot our family from our comfortable, boring middle-class life in Philly to run the business operations for this winery and bed-and-breakfast—neither of which, I should add—actually exist yet. Preparation is relative.”
“I haven’t committed to anything, I hope that was made clear.” Rowan looked to Harrison. He’d pushed his chair back from the table to cross an ankle over his knee. Watching.
Nathan folded his hands at his waist. “What wedohave, at this point, is a vineyard, and grounds that desperately need some professional attention. We need to know what grapes are out there. We need a workload forecast, expansion feasibility analysis. Staffing needs. Help us understand what these vines are capable of. What grape varieties we could plant here in the future. Dad says he wants to grow fresh produce for his kitchen.” He paused, then went for the kill. “It’s a worthy job—Dr. McKinnon.”
DoctorMcKinnon. A little thrill ran up the back of her neck. Damn it. Temperance must have prompted him to say it.
“Isn’t all this something you should have considered before buying the place?” she asked.
“We did. That’s why you’re here.”
“Don’t you think you should cast a wider net?” she asked.
“We have. We already have two other applicants. But your résumé is the standout, by far.”
“Temperance told you I wasn’t the one who submitted that résumé, right?”
Maren chimed in. “She told me, then I told them.”
Nathan removed his glasses and sat them on the table. “I think you’re looking for any excuse not to do this, and I’m curious as hell why.”
Ouch.
Truthfully? She wanted it. The challenge of it, the beauty of this land, the things she could learn. Rowan wasoverwhelmedwith the wanting of it.
But there was also the matter of wanting Harrison Brady.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. She wanted to remind him it wasn’t polite to stare.
Academia had been her true north for nearly a decade. Steadfast, straightforward, sterile. Unlike Sybil and Noah, science and nature dealt in objective truths, and they were incapable of letting her down. At least, that’s what she’d thought until Martin Clutterbuck sabotaged her progress with his asinine laziness. But she could recover, damn it. Shewouldrecover. She always did.
After Noah, she’d immersed herself in academics the same way others invested in relationships. Every aced exam, every accolade from a colleague, every time she mastered a new concept; they were her equivalent of comforting hugs and lingering kisses from a lover. The only other things she’d needed were Frankie and Temperance’s unwavering friendship, and the occasional no-strings hookup.
Rowan McKinnon was her own fortress. But something about Harrison Brady made her want to lower the gates, and that made it difficult to tease apart the motivations of her subconscious—and her sex drive—from reality.
If she diverted from the course she’d set with her career, and her life went to hell, she’d be entirely to blame.
Nathan pressed on. “At least give us some pointers for how to judge the other applicants. We’re building without a blueprint, here. You spent a few hours out there today. Anything we should know?”
Rowan was thankful for a redirection to something she could talk about objectively. “Oh. I’m almost certain a big part of that west block is diseased and needs to be ripped out.”
Everyone blinked back at her.
“Well, shit,” William said.
“Language,” said Gianna.
“How do you know?” Nathan asked.
“She has a Ph.D. in botany, asshole,” Duncan said.
Gianna growled,“Language.”
