But I just did.
Truly frightening.
“So…” Ashley clears her throat. “Where do you sleep?”
“Anywhere, really. See that small shed over there?” I point to the small structure built from wood.
“Yeah.”
“I keep supplies there. A sleeping bag. A tent. Water and other stuff.”
“It’s no coincidence that your shed is close to the Syrah, is it?”
“No, it isn’t.”
She rubs her shoulders. “I guess I should get back to the house.”
I pull the key fob out of my pocket. “Here you go. Bessie’s clutch is a little feisty. Just ease up and she’ll be okay.”
She smiles. “Bessie?”
“Uncle Ry names all his cars. He always has, so I decided to name mine.”
“I get it. But Bessie?”
“What the hell’s wrong with Bessie?”
“I don’t know. Sounds like a cow’s name.”
I can’t help it. I smile. “It was. We had a breeding cow on the ranch named Bessie when I was a kid. I was distraught when she died.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s the circle of life. You learn all about that growing up on a ranch.”
She nods. “Well, I guess I’ll go now.”
“I can walk you to the truck.”
“Thanks.”
We walk in silence until we’re close enough for Ashley to click open the door lock.
I abruptly grab the key fob from her. “I’ll drive you.”
“But…the Syrah.”
“Will still be here in an hour when I return.”
“Really, I can handle your clutch.”
I don’t doubt it. Ashley strikes me as the kind of woman who can handle just about anything.
And anyone, including most men.
“Dee would never forgive me if you had any trouble.” I open the passenger door for her and help her climb in.
My words are true. My sister would me mad as hell if Ashley ended up stranded somewhere on the ranch. Heck, she doesn’t even know where she’s going.
What was I thinking, offering to let her drive herself back to the main house?
I’m such a loner that sometimes I don’t consider the consequences of my actions on other people.
I hop into the driver’s seat and turn on the engine.
“Really, I could have handled it,” she says.
“I know, but you don’t know where you’re going.”
“I have a phone and GPS.”
True. She’d be fine. But I don’t want to leave her alone. Not on her first night. It wouldn’t be a nice thing to do. I may be a loner with shitty people skills, but I’m still a good person.
Lurking in the back of my mind, though, is the semi-painful truth.
I don’t want to leave her yet.
I can’t invite her to stay the night in the Syrah vineyard with me. No one—other than Dad, when I was a young teen—has ever spent the night with me here.
So I just can’t.
Even though, in the back of my mind trying to hide, is the knowledge that I want to.
And that pisses me off.
Chapter Thirteen
Ashley
After a silent drive, Dale pulls into the driveway next to the main house. Night has fallen completely now, and I stare at the black sky when I get out of the car.
Stars!
So many stars!
The light of the harvest moon is bright, but still the stars shine. It’s never like this at home. I live close to LA, and the city lights and the smog cover most of the night sky.
“I’ll take you inside.”
I jerk slightly. Dale stands beside me, his voice coating me in the dark-red warmth. I was so entranced by the stars, I didn’t hear him get out of the car.
“I can’t stop looking,” I say.
“You should see the night sky from the vineyards,” he replies. “Makes this look like nothing.”
“If only we’d stayed a little longer.” I sigh. “It must be heaven out there.”
“Maybe not heaven,” he says, “but the next closest thing.”
I wrinkle my forehead. What an odd thing to say. I don’t question him, though. Maybe another time. I’ve gotten all I can out of Dale Steel tonight. Not nearly as much as I want, but I have three months to figure him out.
I’m not used to working so slowly with a man, but Dale will be worth it.
He walks me to the door and opens it.
“Hey, you’re back,” Diana says from the big country kitchen. “How were the vineyards?”
“Gorgeous,” I say. “The crop looks amazing.”
“That’s what Dale and Uncle Ry keep saying,” she says, laughing. “Not that I’d know a grape from a marble.”
“You like the end result,” Dale says dryly.
“True. My bro here is a master.” She gives Dale a hug.
And God, I’m envious. To be embraced in those strong arms… Our brief kiss surges into my mind—his firm lips on mine, his velvet tongue.
Damn. An arrow shoots between my legs. Luckily I brought my vibrator to Colorado. Tonight I’ll be putting it to good use.
Dale hugs Diana back. A brotherly hug, of course, but it shows me that he does have genuine affection for her and the rest of his family.
Does he love them as much as he loves his Syrah vines? He looks at Dee with affection, a sparkle in his green eyes. Is it the same sparkle I saw when he looked upon the vineyards?