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“I didn’t care about the vineyard beyond how it served my purpose. But I care about it now.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s yours, and I’m trying to be less of an idiot.”
They weren’t words that he’d rehearsed. As he watched her roam the lands, he realized why she’d needed it before. It was more than just her home. It was her sanctuary, a place where she could think. The idea that it might be taken away from her scared her.
He’d ensured that it would always be there, but he’d kept it from her, too, when he’d told her not to be involved in running it.
A slow smile spread over her face. “You’re not that big of an idiot.”
“You’re lying to me, and I appreciate it.” He nodded his head toward the rest of her property. “My tour?”
“Okay. Our land is actually three times as big as what you see planted with vines. It’s just not developed. The house actually sits on a separate property and wasn’t part of the sale. My grandmother wanted to always have a home where she could look out over the fields.”
“She got lucky. Someone could have bought it and razed it to the ground.” That’s what Mikal had said he should do. The vineyard wasn’t especially profitable. There was so much more that could be done with the land.
Unwrapping the muffin, she took a bite and started to walk. “True. I want to keep this part, the original vineyard, but expand the vines in the acreage to the right. Then work on the winery buildings. Fermentation center. Bottling and storage. On the other side, the cellar and wine tasting. I don’t expect the wine tasting to bring in much business, so just a small space for now. Maybe big enough for groups of twelve.”
“I like it. Marketing it for tourism would take away some of its charm.” He smiled down at her. “I like this place.”
“I wouldn’t think it would be your style. Too rough and dirty.”
At that, all he could do was throw back his head and laugh. “I deserved that, I suppose. What were you planning on doing with the rest of your day?”
She put a hand on her stomach. “I hadn’t planned much, but I think I need a nap.”
Rest was good. He wanted her to take care of herself. “May I join you?”
“You want to nap too?”
He wanted her in his arms, but now wasn’t the time to tell her so. “I think I do.”
After a moment, she nodded. “I want another muffin first.”
“I think I can find one for you.”
* * *
He stayed for a week, not once asking Aubrey to return or wanting more than to just stroll in the fields with her and nap with her when she got tired. The fog that had settled into her brain since she’d returned started to clear.
Still, he didn’t say what he was doing there or what he wanted from her. It wasn’t like him to just stop what he was doing, even more rare that he had spent a whole week on vacation with her.
She was surprised that he’d stayed as long as he had, and even more amazed that not once, when they were together, had he glanced at his phone.
It was sweet, but it made her jumpy. Why didn’t he just tell her what he wanted from her?
Maybe it was time she quit waiting and just asked.
Instead of walking the vineyards, she headed to what used to be a greenhouse. The path leading to it was long overgrown, but her own footsteps over the years kept it manageable. Corners of the stepping stones still stuck up from the dirt, and a thin layer of leaves and weeds covered the area.
It wasn’t until she walked over the crest to the ruins below that she realized she wasn’t alone.
“Hello,” Jarah said politely as he looked up. “Your grandmother said this was one of your favorite places. I just wanted to take a look. I tried not to disturb anything.”
Her grandmother clearly liked him. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. As she stepped carefully down the rocks and roots of the hill, he hurried to meet her and take her hand. When she was safely at the bottom, she pulled away. “It’s a ruined building. What do you think you might have disturbed?”
“Oh, I don’t know. The energy of this place.”
