Page 29 of The Vineyard Crush

Lily opted to ignore my question in that singularly infuriating way children have mastered. Instead, she jutted out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

Cody, ever the more forthright of the two, pointed a grubby finger toward the main office. “Dad’s talking to the mean old lady.”

“Mean old lady?” I echoed with a frown. Surely he didn’t mean…?

“Uncle Ethan’s mom,” Cody clarified with a solemn nod.

Ah. Of course. My own mother. I bit back a snort at Cody’s unvarnished description. From the mouths of babes…

Lily tugged my arm again, distracting me. “She wouldn’t let us have the lollipop,” she whined petulantly.

Mommy dearest always had been a stickler about sugar before meals. I rolled my eyes toward the cloudless sky. “Yeah, Mom can be…strict sometimes.”

Understatement of the year. Elizabeth Harrison was a rigid disciplinarian cut from militaristic cloth. My brother Ethan and I had suffered through more than our fair share of her draconian rules growing up.

“Tell you what,” I said, pasting on a conspiratorial smile. “How about you two come with your favourite neighabour to her super-secret candy stash? I’ve got all kinds of lollipops and treats squirreled away.”

Twin faces lit up with devilish glee, previous grievances instantly forgotten. Some things simply transcended all rules and regulations - the siren call of sweets chief among them for the under-ten set.

“Race you there!” Cody took off at a sprint toward the villa, Scooby loping along happily behind him.

Lily was hot on his heels, kitten cradled protectively in her arms as she ran. “No fair, you got a head start!”

Laughing, I chased after them, my earlier wobbles of insecurity fading into the warm spring breeze.

Laughter bubbled up from my chest as Cody and Lily raced ahead, Scooby’s clumsy paws skidding on the terra cotta tiles. Just as I was about to catch up to the giggling pair, a figure emerged from the main office doorway.

My breath hitched at the sight of Ridge stalking out, brows knit in a fierce scowl. Even in a simple black henley and faded jeans, the man exuded an almost dangerous aura - like a panther coiled to strike. Tousled chestnut locks tumbled over his forehead, just begging for fingers to rake through the silken strands.

Get a grip, Emma.

“Why are you two running?” Ridge’s deep baritone sliced through the festive chaos, admonishing yet underpinned with a throat-catching husk.

Cody and Lily ground to an abrupt halt, exchanging wide-eyed looks full of mischievous glee rapidly morphing into sheepish contrition. In that instant, they were the picture of innocence - two cherubic angels without a care in the world. I fought back a snort. As if.

“We were just, uh…” Cody shuffled his feet, gaze darting away from his father’s withering stare.

Ever the bold one, Lily stepped forward and craned her neck back to meet Ridge’s stormy emerald eyes. The afternoon sun gilded her riotous brown curls into a wild corona. “Emma said we could have candy from her secret stash!”

You little traitor. I shot her a playful glare that she answered with an unrepentant grin, baring the gap between her front teeth.

“Is that so?”

The words were soft, dangerous, and I felt them like a physical caress skating along my sensitive nerves. Ridge’s assessing gaze lasered into me, equal parts challenge and smoldering promise searing beneath the surface.

Don’t you dare blush. Don’t you dare…

Of course my cheeks blazed traitorously crimson in response. I offered up a feeble shrug, mouth suddenly dryer than the Napa valley at high noon.

“They…uh…they wanted a treat?”

Smooth, Emma. Real smooth.

The tiniest quirk tugged at the corner of Ridge’s lips - the bare ghost of a smile toying with my pulse. “That supposed to be a question or a statement, little flower?”

Two could play at this game. Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin in mock defiance. “Are you gonna tell on me to the sugar police, Cowboy?”

Cody dissolved into a fit of giggles at that, quickly muffled behind both hands as Ridge shot him a quelling look. One thick brow arched ever so slightly, wordlessly challenging me to go on.

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