“I was wrong earlier,” Blake said, amazed how she downplayed the number of sacrifices she made on behalf of her siblings. “You’re a saint.”
She laughed. “Hardly.”
It seemed as if her family didn’t hesitate to ask for all sorts of help. He considered how easy it would be for people to take advantage of her generous nature. Obviously Vicky had. He was beginning to understand why she’d be so reluctant to take on more responsibility with a family of her own.
“So who takes care of you?”
Her brows came together at his question. “I guess I do.”
Blake picked up her hand and carried it to his lips. Kissing her reverently, he declared, “You deserve someone who is willing to put you first.”
“I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” she admitted, tugging to free herself. “I’m compulsively drawn to people who need my help. It’s a pattern I’ve had no luck breaking. All my life I’ve taken care of my brothers and sisters. I don’t know how to do anything else.”
“That changes now.” Blake saw the sign for the Rosewood Winery and braked. “From this moment forward, I’m going to satisfy your every whim. It’s time you see what you’ve been missing.”
*
While the car rolled along a long driveway lined with neat rows of grapes that stretched endlessly in either direction, Blake’s promise reverberated in Bella’s mind. He was going to satisfy her every whim? Did he have any idea how incredibly tempted she was to let him do just that?
What would it be like to have Blake spoil her rotten? Just being with him brought her a joy she’d never known before. At the deepest level, his strength lulled her anxieties. Bella knew that if she stopped pushing him away, he would make her deliriously happy. But for how long? What he wanted for himself and for Drew was someone who would be completely dedicated to being a wife and a mother.
Long ago Bella had promised herself if she ever married it would be to someone who didn’t want to be tied down with kids. She wanted the freedom to travel, to be spontaneous, to not constantly worry about money. To put herself first.
The way Blake’s ex-wife had.
There were many things to criticize about Victoria’s behavior, but sometimes Bella envied the ex-model’s capacity for guilt-free self-indulgence. It would be nice to keep the money Blake was paying her instead of doling it out to her siblings. At the rate things were going back home, would her nest egg still be intact when it came time for the winter trip to the Caribbean?
“I need to warn you,” Blake said as he stopped the car in front of a house straight out of the Tuscan countryside. “If Sam starts talking about making wine, he will not stop unless you tell him to. I think I mentioned that he’s been obsessed with wine as long as I’ve known him. The same thing goes for growing grapes.”
“But we’re here to visit his winery.” Bella stepped out of the car and stretched. The drive had taken a little less than an hour, but their conversation hadn’t been an easy one and all her tension had sunk deep in her muscles. “Won’t he expect us to be interested in it?”
Before Blake could answer, the front door opened and a woman appeared. While Bella unfastened Drew’s car seat, the leggy redhead threw her arms around Blake.
“How wonderful to see you,” she cried. “And you brought Drew.”
“Julie, this is Bella.”
“What a pleasure to meet you,” Julie said.
Bella couldn’t help but like the woman’s energy. “Likewise.”
“Where’s Sam?” Blake asked as Julie coaxed a smile from a suddenly shy Drew.
“Do you really need to ask?” Julie hitched her head toward a group of buildings. “Why don’t you go say hello and tell him lunch will be served in fifteen minutes. Bella, Drew and I will go get acquainted.”
Julie led Bella around the house to a shady patio where several wicker chairs had been placed to take advantage of the views of the surrounding gardens and the acres of neatly planted grapes.
“I can’t get over how beautiful it is,” Bella exclaimed. “It looks just like the pictures I’ve seen of Italy. How big is your property?”
“About a hundred acres. Fifty-five of it is planted with grapes. The rest is pasture and my training facilities.”
“Blake mentioned you train horses. How long have you been doing that?”
“Professionally for about five years, but I grew up competing in dressage and eventing. It was Sam’s idea. I don’t know if Blake mentioned to you how obsessed my husband is about his wine.”