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“No, thank you. . . . I’ll try next week.”
Sheila replaced the receiver and tried to think clearly. Why hadn’t he called? All of his questions and interest in the winery seemed to have passed with the one night she had shared with him. A flush rose in her cheeks as she considered the fact that the interest he had shown in the winery was probably little more than polite concern displayed as part of his seduction; a seduction that had trapped her completely. Unfortunately, it looked as if her entire trip to Seattle had been a waste. Not only had she lost precious time in her battle to save the winery, but she had also been played for a fool. Willingly she had begun to give her heart to a man who considered her only a passing interest that had faded with the dawn.
“What’s for dinner?” Emily asked as she breezed into the kitchen and grabbed a cookie from the jar.
“Beef stroganoff,” Sheila replied.
“That all?”
“No. I’m making a spinach salad, and if you don’t demolish them all before dinner, we’ll have cookies for dessert.”
Emily, who was beginning to reach into the cookie jar again, quickly withdrew her hand. “I can take a hint,” she mumbled.
“Good. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. I’ll call you when it’s time to come in.”
Emily hesitated and rubbed her fingers in distracted circles on the countertop. Sheila had begun to put water on the stove for boiling the noodles, but she stopped, noticing instead the droop in Emily’s slim shoulders. “Is something wrong?”
Emily’s head snapped up, and she took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go to Daddy’s place this summer,” she announced.
“Oh, sure you do,” Sheila said with a smile. “You love being with Daddy.”
“No, I don’t.” Emily’s slim arms crossed defiantly over her small chest. “And . . . I bet he doesn’t want me to come.”
“That’s ridiculous. Your father loves you very much.”
“Will you come with me?”
Sheila turned from the stove and faced her daughter. “If you want me to, I’ll take you to Spokane, but you know that your dad likes to come and get you himself.”
“You mean you’re not going to stay with me?”
“I can’t, honey; you know that.”
“But maybe if you call Daddy and tell him you don’t want me to go, he might understand.”
“Emily, what brought all of this on?” Sheila asked, placing her arm over Emily’s shoulders.
The young girl shrugged. “I just don’t want to go.”
“Why don’t you think about it for a couple of weeks? You’re still going to be here for a little while longer. Let’s see how it goes and then we’ll make a decision—okay?”
Emily’s downcast eyes lifted to look out the kitchen window. “I think someone’s coming.”
Sheila turned her attention to the open window and the sound of a car’s rapidly approaching engine. “You’re right,” she agreed, trying to focus on the sporty vehicle winding its way up the long gravel drive. As the silver car crested the final hill, Sheila felt her breath catch in her throat. The car belonged to Noah.
She was both ecstatic and filled with dread. Noah must have come here with his answer about the winery.
Chapter Seven
The lump in Sheila’s throat swelled as she watched Noah’s car approach.
“Who’s that?” Emily asked, squinting into the sunset and straining to get a better view of the silver vehicle as she looked through the window. Noah braked the Volvo to a halt and got out of the car. He looked tired and hot. He was wearing tan corduroy pants and a loosely knit ivory sweater. The sleeves were pushed up over his forearms to display tanned skin and tight muscles. His dark hair was slightly windblown from the drive, and the shadow of his beard was visible against his olive skin. His mouth, set in a firm, hard line, tightened as the other passenger in the car said something that caught his attention. Sheila felt her pulse begin to race at the sight of him. No other man had ever affected her so deeply.
“Mom?” Emily asked, catching Sheila’s attention. “Do you know that guy?”
Sheila managed a frail smile for her daughter. “I’m sorry, Em,” she replied, realizing that she had ignored Emily’s previous question. “Yes, I know him. His name is Noah Wilder, and he’s in charge of the company that owns most of the winery.”
“A big shot, huh?”
