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The winding road leading throughout the winery allowed me to catch amazing glimpses of the enormity of the operations. I even spent time exploring the production facilities, taking a few pictures to boost the marketing campaign I already had in my mind. The last stop would be the tasting and dining rooms. There was a scheduled tasting later in the evening that I planned on attending.
While I’d enjoyed every minute of the few hours that I’d spent getting to know the winery, I was eager to spend time formulating the marketing campaign already established in my mind.
I also wanted to try to delve into the hidden secrets the winery obviously held.
As I drove by the stables on my way to the villa, the sight of several horses in the corral drew my attention as it had before. I should stay far away, just like I’d been warned, but I found it so difficult. I adored horses, although I hadn’t ridden one in years. Maybe one day I could convince Joshua to allow me to do so. I allowed the Jeep to idle before cutting the engine. Star remained in close proximity, her beautiful mane shimmering in the sunlight.
“Stay away. Don’t do it, girl,” I whispered as I stared into the rearview mirror. I knew better than to poke the beast. Then why was I climbing out, heading toward the fence?
Joshua noticed me immediately, walking away from the horses and in my direction. His grin was the same as before, although the shiner he wore on his right eye pissed me off even more. “Well, howdy,” he said, folding his arms across the top of the fence.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Perfect in fact.”
When I gave him an odd look, he laughed. “You don’t understand Mr. Wolfe at all.”
“No, I don’t.”
“He’s not a bad guy. He’s just been through some shit. I’ve worked with him long enough to know when his dark moods take over.”
“Why do you put up with it? That’s crazy. That’s criminal.”
Cocking his head, he kicked his cowboy boot against the bottom rail before looking off toward the mountains. “Take a look around you. This is as close to paradise as the majority of people will ever get. I’m paid damn well for what I do, a hell of a lot more than I would get doing any other job in California. That’s for certain. I love the work. I adore the people I work with. I have a great little house on the other side of the estate where I have a small barn of my own for my two horses. So, I deal with Mr. Wolfe’s moods. So what?”
I was taken aback by his carefree attitude. “What happened to him? What really happened? No one wants to open up about why he’s such an asshole.”
“As I told you before. That’s a story for the man himself to tell you.”
“But you were here,” I pushed.
His face clouded, the cowboy finally issuing a slight nod. “I was here. Sometimes I wished I hadn’t been. The tragedy affected everyone at the winery. You need to let it go, Aspen. You can’t fix what happened nor can you change Mr. Wolfe. I wish you could.”
I studied Star as she romped with the other horses, able to tell the barn was relatively new. When the horse noticed me, whinnying then jerking her head up and down and approaching us, a shiver raced down my spine. “She’s just so beautiful.”
“She is. If you ride, I’d love to take you on a scenic tour of the winery sometime.” His grin was infectious.
“On Star?”
Once again, a shadow fell across his face. “No one can ride Star. She’s off limits.”
“Does Montgomery?”
He stroked her mane then pressed the side of his head against her face. “Mr. Wolfe is no longer into riding. He used to spend hours almost every day checking out the production line and every single vineyard. That was a long time ago.”
We both heard a powerful engine in close proximity. Joshua reacted instantly, shooing Star away then returning to the fence. I shifted my gaze toward the road, shaking my head from the sight of the sexy red Ferrari. Maybe a photograph of the powerful man sitting in the driver’s seat would be good for affluent wine drinkers. I had a feeling that Montgomery would actually like the suggestion.
When I heard the sound of another vehicle approaching quickly, I walked closer to the road. The thunderous noise wasn’t just coming from the engine but from the vehicle’s radio as well. The truck skidded to a stop, both men jumping out of their vehicles. Within seconds, it was easy to see an argument had ensued, Montgomery’s voice heard loud and clear over the din of the music.
“You need to stop doing this. I’m not giving you anything else,” Montgomery hissed.
The other man inched closer, shoving his hands against Montgomery.
“Ah, shit. Another round. Don’t get involved in that,” Joshua said, half under his breath.
“What does another round mean?”
The cowboy pulled me away and out of sight, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me, Aspen. Some things are better left alone.”
