Page 39 of A Vineyard for Two

‘Yeah,’ she said as he helped her up. ‘This was nice, thanks.’

‘We might have to make a run for it.’

The rain clouds drew closer. When the rain hit, she’d rather be off the rock and at least walking on the trails. One slip up here could end disastrously.

They made their way down the boulder, trying to avoid the rain while not slipping down and over the edge. When Harper’s feet finally touched the soil on the trail, she had to admit that she was relieved, and they hurried along the trail back towards the car, and just as they reached the parking lot, the rain hit; first a drizzle and then the sky opened up and the rain came bucketing down.

Running for it, they made it to the car just as the first strikes of lightning hit. Brookes pulled out two towels from the backseat and handed her one.

‘Always prepared.’ She took it smiling and wiped her face and arms, then wrapped the towel around her just as more thunder roared nearby.

‘That could have ended differently.’

‘It was fun, though.’ Fun and irresponsible. But she couldn’t remember the last time she did either. When had the spontaneity disappeared from her life? Sometimes, the most enjoyable things couldn’t be planned. They just happened, and when she’d been with Brookes, that had always been the case. It was an adventure where both of them said yes to anything.

‘We should probably wait this out a little bit. The storms rarely last long, but I don’t want to be driving in this weather, and this is the safest place we can be right now.’

She sat back and closed her eyes, listening to the rain tap on the roof of the car. The storm moved closer and the thunder following the lightning strikes approached. Her heart beat faster and she was afraid to open her eyes because she knew Brookes was staring at her.

Harper turned her head slightly to the right, her eyes still closed. In between the thuds of rain, she heard his breathing and shifting in his seat. When she finally opened her eyes, his face was inches away from hers. His eyes were like pools of dark chocolate that she could spend endless hours swimming in. She remembered the days and nights when they’d lie in bed or on the couch or even like this in the car and just look into each other’s eyes. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they didn’t, but the eye contact never broke.

She should have turned away, sat up and told him to drive back to the inn, but instead she leaned into him at the same time he did. Their lips touched, gently at first, then pressed harder against one another. His hands reached her cheek, behind her ears and through her hair as he pulled her closer to him until their chests were pressing against each other, the handbrake the only thing in between them. His lips tasted just like she’d remembered. The familiarity returned immediately. Her body relaxed under his touch as his tongue explored her mouth. It was new and familiar at the same time, like the past six years of separation had never happened.

She hesitated. He must have sensed it. ‘Get out of your head, Harper.’

She always did that. Ruined a moment by overthinking it. She kissed him back, fighting the thoughts of reason and logic. This was a bad idea. It didn’t matter how good it felt. Kissing Brookes right now, in his car, with the raindrops and thunder around them, was a terrible idea. It would only add to the complication. So why did it have to feel so good, so perfect, so right?

Harper pulled away, pushing her seat up. ‘It looks like the worst of the rain has passed. We should make our way back.’

He sighed beside her and inclined his seat before starting the engine without saying a word. The taste of him remained on her lips on the silent drive all the way back. There’d be another eight days of working side by side, and the temptation growing with each passing moment.

NINETEEN

When Brookes dropped Harper off at the house, Georgia and Zoe were standing at the window. He smiled and waved at them. They waved back, making no attempt to hide their curiosity.

‘Want to put on a show?’ Brookes asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘I don’t want to put any ideas in anyone’s head.’ She opened the door and got out.

When the door closed, he gripped the steering wheel and cursed before turning the car around. He drove away slowly, watching in the rear-view mirror as she walked up the veranda stairs. He was annoyed at himself, and annoyed at Harper. He’d wanted to kiss her since she first got back. He also wanted to tell her to go back to the city and get out of his head. Clearly, his feelings over the years hadn’t dissolved, and ever since she’d come back to town, they’d only grown stronger. At least now he knew that just maybe the feelings were reciprocated. Kissing him the way she did proved she wanted it as much as he had. He never considered the day would end with a kiss in the car in the thunderstorm, he had only hoped to reintroduce her to what she had been missing, the things she had once upon a time truly cherished — the wild, nature, and the great outdoors, the promiscuous moments on the granite, the ease of everything that they were.

Whatever happened to that girl?

The taste of her lingered on his lips. Her natural flavour mixed with her strawberry lip balm made for a delicious combination. He wanted her even more than he’d led himself to believe. It didn’t just hurt in his groin; it made his heart ache. God, he was pathetic. He needed to do something to keep his mind off Harper. He laughed at the thought. Not thinking about her was growing impossible with each day that she was in town, and instead of staying away from her, they’d been thrown into a situation that required them to spend every day together. What was he hoping to achieve? That she would change her mind? That she’d want to keep Mathers Vineyard, stay and run it with him after they’d hosted the Christmas in July event? Yeah, he wanted that. He couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted anything more. But Harper was stubborn, and more often than not, she didn’t know what was good for her. He saw it in her eyes. She missed this place, this life, no matter how much she enjoyed the city. Since coming back, in the short space of time, she had lit up. But he wasn’t going to tell her that. He wasn’t going to force her to do something she thought she didn’t want. Harper would have to come to that realisation herself. Sure, he could nudge her a little, show her what she was missing out, but the ultimate decision was going to have to be hers to make, and hers alone.

Instead of the inn, Brookes headed back to his house. Opening the front door, he called out for Rover. The dog was at his feet before he crossed the threshold, sniffing him and nudging his leg with his snout. Brookes knelt and patted the dog, scratching him behind the ears and across his back. ‘You need a run, boy. Me too.’

He should have been tired after the trek and the morning working on the inn, but he had more energy that he needed to burn off, and nothing would work better than a run with Rover. He checked the radar that the storm wasn’t circling back, then quickly changed, locked up the house, and with Rover in front, headed to the back of the property and onto the wet bush trails. Running, he focused on one foot in front of the other, with Rover just a few metres ahead. Thoughts drifted in and out, mostly of Harper, some of Mathers Vineyard and all the things he wanted to do with it. He thought about the past, and his life with Harper before she had left. Her departure had been so sudden, it had caught him off guard and even to this day, he still didn’t know the real reason. Career? Change? Someone else? That had bothered him for a while that he had gone to the city to look for her. He’d watched from afar, but there had been nothing to suggest that there was someone else. Maybe she had just not wanted him. The kiss today told him otherwise. She kissed him with as much passion as he felt. That couldn’t be faked.

He increased his speed, hoping the focus on the movement would allow the thoughts of Harper to disappear, and it worked for a moment or two, but it didn’t matter what he did, his thoughts always drifted back to her.

By the time they returned to the house, both he and Rover were spent. The dog ran straight for the water bowl. Brookes went inside and grabbed the jug from the fridge and poured a full glass, drank it, then poured another.

He showered, changed, grabbed a banana and hard-boiled egg from the fridge, then refilled Rover’s bowl and gave him a bone to chew. His dinner would come later.

Shit. He realised he’d promised to meet Leo for a drink at the tavern that afternoon. They needed to talk about the plans for the business, plans he’d forgotten about since finding out about Mathers Vineyard and Harper returning to town. He needed to refocus. At least the run had made his mind clearer.

Checking his watch, he found he only had about half an hour. Brookes changed again into a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, grabbed his jacket and keys, patted Rover, and dropped him another treat just in case he’d be late. He left him in the fenced off area of the backyard where he could rest on his daybed and take care of the property.

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