St. Helena Vineyard Series: Plumb Crazy About You Read online

  “Sorry to bother you. We think their dog is in here.”

  She ran wine-stained fingers through her greying hair. “Can’t imagine how that happened. We were out a couple of hours ago to punch down the cap on the cabernet we crushed two days ago, but didn’t see or hear a dog. But then, both doors into the barn were open and we’ve got hay stacked inside.”

  The lock snapped and she pulled it out of its ring. When the door opened an excited dog leaped onto Cassie.

  “Don’t jump.” She attached the leash and handed dog and leash back to Nick. Bending down to rub the dog’s ears, she made soothing noises, then asked Nick to take him to the Jeep. After checking the barn for any special cleanups, she and Nick took Jax home.

  “You’re pretty handy to have around.” He poured her a cup of hot tea and rummaged around the cupboard for sugar. Exhausted from his jaunt, the dog was sleeping peacefully on a mat in the corner of the kitchen.

  “That’s me. Service with a smile.” She lifted the cup and swallowed the fragrant brew. It warmed her, but not as much as his smile did. God she had it bad. This guy was gorgeous and the way his gaze lingered on her legs made her want to squeeze them together to ease the little ache further up.

  “Do you want to come out here for dinner tonight? I make a mean lasagna.”

  It was so tempting. Maybe she could afford to reward herself for going home early last night. She wanted him to kiss her again, to take her in his arms and rub all the places on her body that ached for his touch.

  Mac’s house phone rang.

  He leaned over and kissed her nose. “I have to get that. I alerted the animal shelter about my missing housemate. I’ll tell them he’s home.”

  She leaned back, dreaming about all the places besides her nose she wanted him to kiss, letting her nerve endings sizzle in anticipation. His cell phone pinged with a message. She got up and leaned over the counter next to the coffee pot. It was a text from someone named Ally, telling Nick she missed him. When was he coming home?

  She frowned as hurt flooded her senses and crushed her hopes.

  You are a prime fool, Cassie Larkin.

  Ally sounded like a girlfriend.

  She picked up her purse and let herself out the back door.

  Chapter Seven

  The sun, hidden behind thick clouds, cast a dark light over the twenty-acre parcel. Cassie looked at Nick through the scope and signaled him to use the plumb line to be sure the rod was vertical. Something was off. She hoped Mac’s equipment didn’t need another tune up.

  He dangled the plumb bob from the end of a string and lined up the rod. It seemed old fashioned in this time of super expensive and ultra sensitive survey equipment but they had to use what Mac had.

  When they began the survey she was the one who was off. Her worry about Vickie was still at the back of her mind, but she had to let it go. She might or might not hear back from her sister, but if she hadn’t given her the money she would have worried more. She wouldn’t, however, do it again. Not without an explanation.

  She and Nick were almost through. They’d tramped through thick brush and rocks for over a week and had covered most of the acreage. Topographic maps with this detail identified every tree, bush and boulder. It was tedious and time consuming. But Nick had been a trooper, letting her take the lead in her area of expertise, while back in the office he worked on the design.

  Design was his favorite part of engineering and her least favorite. They made a good team, even though Mac would soon be back to take over. She’d know then if she would be packing her bags or changing the proprietor’s name on the stationery.

  Her hand wobbled and she lost her focus.

  Nick picked up a large rock and threw it out of the way like it was a bag of packing popcorn. How could a man who spent half his life at a desk have such beautiful muscles? Not that she’d run her hands down his arms, like she’d wanted to. She stayed as far away as possible, no easy feat in an office as small as theirs.

  Whenever Nick was near, sensual awareness rattled her senses. She was edgy and didn’t know what to do about it. Working closely all week had intensified the feeling. They should have finished what they’d started at Mac’s, but every time Nick suggested a drink or dinner out, she’d shied away, remembering the text she’d seen on his phone.

  He’d said he wouldn’t have a girlfriend when he got back home, but the text said otherwise.

  Why do you have to second-guess everything?

  “You ready to call it a day, oh wise one.” His lopsided smile always made her stomach do little leaps, landing a little further down.

  She nodded. “We can save the well area for tomorrow. I’ll come out myself if you want to keep working on the specs.”

  “Not a chance.”

  She could have done this whole survey herself, but honored her promise. Nick made sure she stuck the first aid kit into her backpack in case Grandpa Snake had siblings.

  The old dilapidated well house was now a woodpile. Nick had felled it with a sledgehammer the day before. They’d made a note for the owner to have the well reconditioned and tested. Some of the older ones were shallow and sucked mud during a drought. The town’s reservoir also had a mud problem this time of year. Rain was forecast, but it hadn’t yet fallen.

  A cold breeze out of the northwest scattered golden leaves from the vineyard next door. The entire valley was breathtakingly beautiful this time of year, but soon the canes would be bare of both fruit and leaves until spring when tiny buds would pop out again.

  Cassie slanted a glance at Nick. His tool belt hung low on slim hips, about where his pants rested. He’d left his flannel shirt in the truck bed. He said he liked to work in tee shirts. Hiking up and down hills made him hot. He was hot all right and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

  She gave in to an impulse. “You up for a beer at the Spigot? I’ll buy.” She shouldn’t consort with the enemy but heck, she still didn’t know if his hat was black or white. Logic told her if he contracted with firms like Odyssey, he was the real deal…a contract engineer helping out an old friend.

  “You asking me out on a date?” His eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “Thought you might be thirsty.”

  “Let’s go, but I’ll buy. You bought the steaks and that incredible wine last week.”

  “I was repaying a debt.”

  “Right.”

  Her lips were still singed by his kisses.

  They unloaded the gear at the office, washed off the dust of the day, and walked over to the Spigot. It was noisy, dark, and crowded with tourists, but a tiny table opened in the corner and Cassie grabbed it while Nick bought the beers.

  A couple of people nodded to her. One raised her eyebrows when Nick sat down. Cassie smiled and sipped her beer.

  “Who’s that?” He lifted his head and gestured in the woman’s direction.

  “Abby DeLuca. She owns Ryo Wines.”

  “You seem to know a lot of people.”

  She shook her head and gazed right into those baby blues. “I live here Nick. This is my home. I plan to stay here ‘til I die.”

  “That’s a pretty long time. Things happen. Change happens.”

  “In my case it’s all positive.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sure you know Mac is retiring at the end of the year? I plan to buy him out.”

  His hand crept over hers. A troubled expression marred his features. “Cassie… there’s something you should know.”

  An older man in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat sidled up to their table. He thwacked Nick on the back and leaned into his face.

  “Nick Sebastian, I thought it was you. How the hell are you and how’s your old man? Haven’t seen him since the alumni banquet two years ago.” His gaze shifted. “And who’s this?”

  “Cassie Larkin this is Benjamin Grant, an associate of my father’s.”

  She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you visiting St. Helena?”

  “My wife and I are doing the
wine country weekend thing.” He turned back to Nick. “I heard about Jonah. How’s your father taking it?”

  “We’re all adjusting Ben.”

  “Jonah was a good man and a good engineer. Sorry to hear he’s gone.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll let you two get back to your beer. Give my condolences to your father when you see him. Maybe we can catch up sometime.”

  They shook hands and the visitor went back to his table. Nick’s hands were clenched and his jaw was tight. A shadow had dropped over him.

  He got up. “Let’s go.”

  “We just got here.”

  “Come on.” He tugged her arm and pulled her out of the bar. Cassie wasn’t sure what prompted their hurried departure, but Nick was acting weird.

  She tamped down her disappointment and made a snap decision. “Want to see where I hang out when I’m not at work?”

  “Sure.”

  She hesitated, then laced her fingers through his and headed home.

  ***

  Cassie’s hand was warm and firm and she was blessedly silent as they walked a few blocks into a neighborhood of Victorians. They stopped in front of a two-story with a curved porch.

  “You own this?”

  She laughed. “I wish. It’s a Queen Anne with a tower, now divided and converted into apartments. Didn’t you take a class in architecture at whatever school you went to?”

  “Stanford.”

  “Oh.” She dropped his hand and moved on ahead. The door was unlocked and they entered an old-fashioned parlor with period furniture. He followed her up the stairs and through a door marked with a large number two. “Home sweet home. Sit while I get us another beer since you rudely took me away before I finished mine.”

  He shouldn’t have dragged Cassie out of the bar, but the need to escape had been sudden and overwhelming. He sat on an overstuffed couch and looked around.

  The sofa dominated the small room. Bookshelves and a tiny desk lined one wall. Another had been plumbed and wired for a sink, two-burner stove, and refrigerator. A tiny alcove with a love seat now had a table in front of it.

  She handed him the beer and sat down beside him. “This was a sitting room. The bedroom and tiny bathroom are through the door. It’s a bit cramped, but I don’t need much space.” She speared him with her glance. “Who’s Jonah?”

  He let air fill his lungs, then expelled it slowly, willing his shoulders to relax. “My brother. He…he died in Afghanistan six months ago.” The cushions wobbled and arms came around his back and his chest and a warm body snuggled into his shoulder. “Oh Nick, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  He adjusted his body so their thighs touched and his chin rested on the top of her head. Cassie didn’t ask questions or make conversation. She held him and it felt so damn good. She was like one of those empaths on the old Star Trek series, someone who seemed to know when you needed comfort and how it should be given.

  The silence in the room grew and he found himself talking, words he should have spoken a long time ago, sharing memories. She pulled back and tucked her legs under her on the opposite side of the couch, quietly sipping her beer, her big brown eyes full of interest and compassion.

  “Jonah was my protector, my idol, the guy who showed me how to be better than I was and then challenged me to live up to his expectations. We backpacked in the Rockies and rafted in the Grand Canyon. He taught me how to sail and fish in the ocean.” He chuckled at a particular memory he knew Cassie would love. “He made me volunteer at a homeless shelter. I was such a fastidious brat, sneering at the worn clothes and the stench of the streets. I came out of the experience understanding poverty, homelessness, and real despair. It changed me as Jonah knew it would.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “They divorced when I was little and we lived with Dad. I don’t see Mother very often. She lives in Italy. Dad, he’s a piece of work. Controlling, bull-headed, driven…and he cannot stop talking about Jonah. I had to get away.” He watched Cassie digest the information.

  For reasons he couldn’t understand, he wanted to talk. And he did, for a good hour. When he was through, Cassie was still there.

  The silence of the room heightened the intimacy of its two occupants. Nick saw Cassie put down the bottle and blink a few times. He imagined her mind scrolling through words, sorting those she wanted to use. Because Cassie always had an opinion and it was usually worth hearing.

  “There’s a lot of hurt in you, Nick, but it seems like there’s hurt in your father, too. Some people mask their grief by pretending the loved one is still there. They do it by talking about them, reliving every detail of their life.” A tight smile came and went.

  “Have you ever considered he might be reaching out to you? Maybe he wants you to help him with his grief. Maybe he can’t accept it until you acknowledge your brother’s passing, until you tell him Jonah is gone.”

  She reached over and laced her fingers through his. “You had a loving brother who cared about you. I have a sister who cares only for herself. And yet you and I are alike, running away from our families instead of helping them to understand us. Maybe it’s time we both took care of that.”

  He sighed. He’d never looked at his situation closely. He’d reacted. Maybe there was some truth to her words.

  “Sometimes I think I don’t know my father at all.”

  She nodded. “So you came to Mac.”

  “Yeah.”

  He stopped and looked at Cassie, curled up in her corner. Her gaze never left his and her pretty face wore a serious expression. He squeezed her hand and let it go. “What about you, Cass? What brought you to St. Helena?”

  “Controlling parents. Not as bad as your dad sounds, but they won’t stay out of my life. I have a sister who’s two years younger. She’s a model who does runway shows for a designer in New York. She recently got a big contract from a cosmetics firm. She’s the family golden girl and I’m the disappointment, the one who was supposed to be the fourth generation to take over the family veterinary clinic. Only I have a deal-killing problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I get physically ill at the sight of blood.”

  Her lips twitched and curled up at the corners as laughter bubbled up from inside. Her laugh was loud and hearty, her hand over her mouth did nothing to stop it.

  It was contagious. A tickle started in his chest until he shook with laughter. He was not laughing at her situation. He couldn’t get the image of a vet with a blood fetish out of his head. He could see a client with a beloved pet watching while the vet fainted dead away.

  A very unladylike snort escaped those sexy lips and made him laugh harder. When they finally got themselves under control she jumped up and brought him a tissue, as if she knew when he got through laughing he might have tears in his eyes…tears he should have shed months ago.

  This gorgeous smart creature sitting opposite him knew exactly what he needed.

  “I guess we both have problems in the parent department.” She moved a little closer and patted his arm. “If you don’t mind I’m going to see if there might be a few leftovers in the refrigerator. I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

  She got up and wandered over to the sink, busying herself with her back turned, giving him some very needed privacy.

  He dabbed at his eyes and wandered into the bathroom. Had that dirt streak been on his cheek the whole time? He’d have to install a mirror over the sink in Plumb Crazy’s bathroom.

  His phone pinged. It was Ally. She’d gotten his message and was on her way to a new job in Chicago. Call her if he was ever in the area. Sorry things didn’t work out.

  At least one thing in his life had gone well. No recriminations. No guilt. Both of them on their way to getting what they want.

  Only his priorities might be changing.

  Chapter Eight

  “What’s all that?” He wandered out of the bathroom, feeling one hundred percent better.

 
“Three pieces of leftover pizza. Pepperoni. A single serving of leftover mac and cheese, but it isn’t very good cold. If you want it, I’ll nuke it. Two kinds of crackers, peanut butter, and an apple.”

  He caught her eye and winked. “Where’s the tofu? I thought you liked health food.”

  “Right.”

  He sat in the alcove and helped himself to one of the cold pizzas. She spread peanut butter on a handful of crackers and munched away.

  “Not much of a dinner,” he said. ”I’d be happy to take you out.”

  “I live on junk food. I’m not trying to hide it anymore.”

  He picked up the apple. “This is healthy.”

  She grabbed it. “So is the chocolate stash in my cupboard. Part of the vegetable food group, or maybe fruit.”

  They laughed again. She was so easy to be with. He didn’t want that to change.

  What will happen when Mac gives her the news?

  His shoulders slumped. The waiting was starting to bother him. He was an imposter, a fake hiding in a Trojan horse, waiting to spring out and dash all her dreams.

  “So how do you know Mac? I’ve been meaning to ask. How does he fit into your scenario?”

  An anvil landed in his gut. He put down the second piece of pizza he was about to inhale and took a deep breath. Rain started beating on the window.

  “He roomed with Dad in college and knows him better than he knows himself.”

  “Mac went to an engineering school back east. Is your dad an engineer, too?”

  “Yeah. Damian Sebastian. He owns Odyssey Engineering in LA.”

  She looked like she’d been sucker-punched and hell, that’s exactly what it would feel like to her. When the shock wore off she looked at him like he was a rat that just ran across her kitchen table.

  “Then Mac has known you forever.”

  She inched away, back to the sink where she ran water over a cutting board and the pizza plate. He tried to get them back to where they’d been, laughing and joking, but it wasn’t going to happen.

  Sliding out from behind the table, he got up and stood like a guy who’d knifed his best friend and didn’t know how to stop the bleeding. The minute he left she’d be on her laptop, checking out his net worth, finding out he had a job. And then there’d be another question. “If you’re the heir apparent to Odyssey, what the hell are you doing in St. Helena?”