His Summer Bride: Becoming Dr Bellini's Bride / Summer Seaside Wedding / Wedding in Darling Downs. Abigail Gordon
was so much like a caress. It only fogged her brain and left her confused and distracted.
He led the way through the house, a pretty French château-style building that had steeply pitched roofs and round towers with turrets. Painted white, it was a gem set in the middle of the Carmel Valley, and Katie fell in love with it on sight.
The gardens were exquisitely landscaped, with trees and shrubs in full bloom so that there was a mass of colour all around. Nestled among the various arbours and flowering trees there was an elevated hardwood deck, and Nick started to head towards it.
‘From up here on the deck you can see the vineyard in all its glory. It’s a great vantage point,’ he said, mounting the wooden stairs and walking over to the balustrade.
Katie followed him and turned to gaze at the distant Carmel Valley Mountains. ‘I didn’t realise that you had so much land,’ she murmured. ‘Are all those vines yours, or do those slopes belong to another vineyard… my father’s, perhaps?’
Nick followed the direction of her gaze. ‘They’re ours. Your father’s land is a little further to the west. We’ve terraced the slopes here in order to grow certain types of grapes, and then we have more vines spread along the valley floor. We’re incredibly lucky in this area because there’s such a long season. The grapes ripen slowly and that helps to intensify the flavour.’
She nodded, trying to take it all in. In the far distance, the verdant slopes of the ever-present Santa Lucia range added to the sense of lush, rich farmland all around. ‘It looks heavenly,’ she murmured, ‘like an Eden where everything is in harmony and the fruit is bursting off the vines.’
He smiled. ‘At least, that’s how we hope it will be. A good year will produce a premium vintage, but we can’t rely on that. If we get too much rain at the wrong time it can cause all kinds of problems, like mould, rot or mildew. Then again, the weather one season can be too hot and another too cool. It all helps to produce a variety of flavours and different qualities of wine.’
‘So you can’t simply sit back and leave things to nature?’
He laughed. ‘I wish! But, no, definitely not…we have to take steps to compensate for adverse conditions.’ He laid an arm around her, his hand splaying out over her shoulder and sending a thrill of heat to course through her veins. ‘Over the years my family has put a huge amount of effort into building up a reputation for producing quality wines… and it all came about because of my great-great-grandfather’s drive and ambition.’
She was thoughtful for a moment. ‘He certainly managed to pick out a piece of prime land. He must have been an astute man—and I dare say a wealthy one, too.’
Nick shook his head. ‘His family were immigrants, dirt poor, and they had to scrape a living for themselves. They came out here hoping for a better life, but it was a struggle, and I think Joseph, my great-great-grandfather, made up his mind that he would carve a path for himself, come what may. He worked at all kinds of jobs, day and night, determined to earn as much money as possible. He was thrifty, too, and put aside a good part of his earnings until, after about fifteen years or so, he had saved enough money to buy this vineyard.’
‘That was a huge accomplishment.’
He nodded. ‘It was. But the hardest bit was turning the vineyard around. When he first took it over they were producing inexpensive table wines, but Joseph had other ideas. He had a certain vision and he wanted to make big changes. Quality was everything to him and even though people told him he was making a big mistake, he went ahead with his plans to produce grapes that would provide superior wines. Then he had to convince the buyers that this was a product they wanted, and it all took tremendous hard work and a lot of money.’
He frowned. ‘Over the years, when wine consumption declined and harvests were poor, the vineyard suffered losses that could have ruined everything for us. That’s why my grandfather had to sell off a third of the land… the piece that Jack owns now. He needed the money to go on running things in keeping with Joseph’s ideals.’
‘And now you want it back,’ Katie said flatly. ‘That’s why you’ve been asking my father to sign papers that will turn the ownership over to you once more.’ She looked at him directly. ‘He should have his solicitor look them over before he does anything, shouldn’t he? I think I should get in touch with the law firm that deals with his affairs.’ It was a subtle warning, designed to let him know that she wasn’t going to stand by and see her father put under pressure. ‘Only, like I said before, I don’t think he’s in any fit state to deal with these kinds of problems just now, do you?’
Her expression was faintly belligerent, her jaw tilted, and Nick’s gaze flicked over her, taking it all in. ‘I was just telling you the history of the place, that’s all,’ he said in an even tone. ‘I don’t want to get into an argument with you.’
She backed down a little. After all, she was on his territory, she was a guest here, and this was perhaps the wrong time and place to thrash out their differences.
‘I’m just concerned for my father,’ she said.
‘I know that, and I respect you for it.’ He studied her thoughtfully. ‘But if you really care about him, you would probably do well to persuade him that his life would be easier if he were to offload the worries of the business onto us. That way he could relax and enjoy his remaining years.’
She stiffened. ‘I think you’re mistaken if you believe I’ll do your deal for you.’ She sent him a flinty stare. ‘I haven’t had many weeks to get to know him, but it’s been long enough for me to begin to care what happens to him. I didn’t know what it was to have a father until now, and I’ve started to realise that it’s something precious. I never imagined I would feel this way, about him or his land—so I’m not likely to suggest that he changes anything.’
She threw him a quick glance. ‘I expect you’re equally protective of your parents—more so, in fact.’
He nodded. ‘I’m not criticising you in any way.It’s natural that you should want to protect Jack’s interests… but I’m sure he’s astute enough to recognise a good deal when he sees one, and ours is far above anything he would get on the open market. Instead of trying to shield him, you could show him that it’s the sensible route to follow.’
‘I don’t think so. I think you and your father need to back off.’ She hesitated as a thought struck her. ‘I don’t believe you’ve ever mentioned your mother…’
‘No.’ His eyes were briefly troubled. ‘She passed away some years ago…it was a virus, a nasty one that attacked her heart. The doctors did everything they could, but it wasn’t enough to save her. I think she was already weak from a chest infection that laid her low.’ He looked at Katie. ‘I loved her dearly. She was a wonderful woman.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Katie pressed her lips together in a moment of regret. ‘That must have been hard for all of you—your brother and your father.’
He nodded. ‘Alex—my brother—was in Canada when he heard she was ill, but he came back as soon as he found out. At least we were all able to be with her at the end, and that makes it a little easier for us to bear.’
He moved away from the deck rail, becoming brisk and ready for action as though he wanted to shake off such sombre thoughts. ‘Shall we go over to the winery? I said I’d take you on a tour after all.’
‘Yes, I think maybe we should.’ She followed him down the steps, saying, ‘I was expecting some of your family to be here today—your father, maybe, or your brother.’
He shook his head. ‘My father had to go into town, and Alex is in Los Angeles on business. I told him all about you, and I know he wants to meet you.’
Katie wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Why would he have spoken to his brother about her? Unless, of course, he’d simply confided in his brother that a new girl had wandered in on his horizon… but perhaps she was misjudging him. It could be that her father was the factor