Page 25 of A Vineyard for Two

‘A bit hard not to. He’s put us in a bit of a predicament.’

‘I think it’s more of an opportunity than a predicament.’

‘What? Are you serious about wanting to keep it?’ Harper said, turning to stare at him in astonishment. The thought was preposterous. There was no way they could run Mathers Vineyard together. They were barely on talking terms as it was.

‘Harper, I was in as much shock as you when I heard the news. It’s still a shock. But why would you object to it?’

‘Owning a property; a business together.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s just not going to work. Anyway, the solicitor said that if I reject it, then you don’t get it either. Therefore, the only way I can see this having a logical resolution is we keep it for the minimum required term, then sell it and split the profit.’

She saw him grip the steering wheel, but he didn’t take his eyes off the road.

‘Selling didn’t enter my mind for one second,’ he said just as a thump followed by flattering distracted the conversation.

They were still on the New England Highway. Brookes pulled over to the side of the road and cursed under his breath.

‘What happened?’

‘Stay in the car.’

‘Be careful.’ She only imagined the truck drivers zooming past without care for the speed limit, especially at this time of night. At least it stopped an argument from erupting. It was clear they wanted two different things, and coming up with a solution was not going to be as simple as having a conversation. She should have guessed immediately that Brookes was never going to want to sell the property they’d inherited. She should have taken a different approach to broaching the subject, but now it was too late.

A few moments later, he knocked on her window. She rolled it down.

‘Punctured back tyre.’

‘How?’

‘Looks like it was done on purpose,’ Brookes said.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Someone punctured the tyre, Harper.’

‘You never struck me as the type to have enemies.’

‘Not by choice, anyway.’

Brookes had an energy around him that projected peace rather than violence. His demeanour was always kind and welcoming, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a dark side. He just hadn’t had a reason to show it.

‘Is there anything I can help with?’ Harper asked, sliding the window further down just as drops of rain started.

‘How’s the reception on your phone? I have SOS only.’

She checked her phone. ‘Me too.’

‘I’ve got a spare tyre in the back, but the conditions aren’t ideal,’ he said.

‘Maybe we can wave someone down.’

‘It’s about a half-hour walk back to mine. We can use the phone and get Zoe to pick you up.’

She hesitated. It was a better idea than just sitting on the side of the road.

‘What about your car?’

‘I’ll get Leo to give me a tow in the morning.’

‘Is it going to be okay here?’

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