Best Man for the Bridesmaid

But the memory of his father and Maria squeezed into his mind. Something told him that his father was starting to live again, step-by-step. He was happy for him, but that wasn’t possible for Stefano. It was different.

Stefano had driven his wife from the house in the middle of the night with his unwillingness to compromise—his unwillingness to see that his wife was not the same woman he thought he’d married. Or that he’d only seen what he’d wanted to see when they’d said their vows. Either way, they’d both become disillusioned.

Her last words to him ran through his mind. The man I thought I loved doesn’t exist. He was a man I made up in my mind. We don’t belong together. We never did.

“Are you busy?”

The sound of Jules’s voice had him turning to find her standing in the doorway of the winery office. “What are you doing here?”

Her eyes widened at his unintentionally brusque tone. “I wanted to know if you’d have time to run into the city tomorrow. But don’t worry about it. I’ll find another ride.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s my responsibility to get you around.” He hadn’t meant to be so rough with her. He was frustrated with himself, not with her.

“I don’t want to put you out. With you being busy, I can get there on the train.”

In truth, he didn’t have that much to do. This wasn’t their busy time, and his father was moving around the vineyard like a man half his age. If it was because of Maria, he would be the first to admit that love suited his father. “I said I’d take you.”

“Fine.” She turned to walk away.

Guilt gnawed at him. He couldn’t let her leave with things so tense between them. He couldn’t stand the thought of her hating him. After all, they were going to be family.

He jumped to his feet and took off after her. “Hey, I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I know I’ve been a bother. Always getting in the way—”

“No, you haven’t. You haven’t done a thing wrong.” He didn’t want this cold indifference to drag on. “I know I’ve been tough to live with lately. Let me make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to bother.”

“But I want to.”

“I don’t know.” She wrung her hands together. “What do you have in mind?”

He thought back to what she’d said about wanting a family and a menagerie of animals. He couldn’t help her with the family, but there were animals at the vineyard. “How would you feel about a horseback ride around the grounds?”

She worried her bottom lip. “But I’ve never been on a horse before.”

“I’ll teach you.”

Her eyes lit up. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Does this mean you agree?”

“I suppose.”

Was that a hint of a smile pulling at her very tempting lips? He sure hoped so.

He suddenly found himself anxious to show her the ropes. Jules could be a lot of fun—when she wasn’t upset with him. She had a way of making him smile, and it’d been a long time since he’d done that. The guy he used to be—the one who used to talk smoothly with the women and make them smile—now seemed like a stranger to him. Maybe it was time he brushed up on his skills. After all, there was no reason to make Jules miserable. She hadn’t done anything wrong except get involved with him.

And how could things go astray while taking a horseback ride? After all, they’d be on separate horses. It wasn’t like he would have a chance to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Her lips wouldn’t be right there in front of him, ripe for the picking.

He squelched the titillating thoughts. He had to see Jules like he saw other women. He couldn’t keep lusting after her. Her future was in New York.

* * *

Jules was proud of herself.

After some coaching from Stefano and the patience of a mild-mannered horse, she was feeling at ease as Stefano guided her around the vineyard. The place was even bigger than she’d imagined. Acres and acres of vines stretched out in every direction. Stefano regaled her with stories of his family’s history on the land and how they’d been able to expand onto neighboring lands.

She really enjoyed listening to him talk. She wasn’t so sure if it was the honeyed tones of his voice or the entertaining twist he put on the tales—each story bigger and more outrageous than the last. He got her to laugh, and it felt good. It was as if a dark cloud had rolled away, letting the warm sunshine rain down on them.

They stopped on a distant hillside overlooking the villa. She wished that she’d brought her camera. This was a scene worthy of being on the back of a postcard. On the other side it should read: heaven.