Page 23 of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers 1)

“Noah. I can’t tell you how nice it is to walk in and see you standing there.”

When she reached me and held out her hands, I took them in mine and gave them a light squeeze. “It’s been a long time.”

“Too long,” she said, and moved in beside me, slipping her arm through the crook of my elbow. “I know you didn’t get to really take in the place yesterday—too many people watching you. How about we go and sit out on the back deck? It’s a beautiful day, and it offers such a lovely view of the vineyards.”

I nodded and patted her hand, letting her lead the way, and when we stepped out onto the deck, the sight that greeted me was breathtaking.

With spring now in full season, the first buds were beginning to appear on the vines. It was known as “bud break,” and it turned the bare, dormant vines into a thing of beauty, as the cover crop—which was a vibrant mustard color—blanketed the grounds between the vine rows. It went on and on for as far as the eye could see, and under the bright rays of the sun, the fields looked golden.

“It’s beautiful,” I said in a reverent tone, as we stopped by the rail and looked out at the property.

“It is. It’s my favorite time of the year. Although it makes your brother kind of a bear.”

I chuckled, knowing just how stressful bud break could be, especially for the vineyard manager. It was one of the most precarious times for the crop. It could either make or break you for the season, because one night below freezing and all of those new shoots could sustain irreversible damage. That meant long nights monitoring the weather, and often having to implement strategies like giant fans as loud as airplanes to save the fragile harvest.

I knew firsthand the strain and pressure that could put on a person. It was enough to even make Ryan foul-tempered.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” I said as I looked down at her. “Are there are any other helpful hints you need to tell me before I start working here?”

Mom gasped, and then she quickly covered her mouth. “Do you mean it?”

“I do. It’s not going to be easy, though. I’m going to have to get in contact with Sergio and work out how I can make this happen. But there’s no way I’m going to hand this place over to the town. It’s yours, Mom. And if I have to stay here for a year and work the place to make that happen, then I’ll stay.”

“Oh, Noah.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight, and when she began to shake, I knew she was crying. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry he did this to you again. Disrupting your life like this.”

So was I, but it wasn’t her fault. “Don’t you be sorry. That’s on him. Let’s just get everything squared away so the year can begin. I want a smooth season, and that’s going to start with me getting the lay of the land.”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded. “You’re right. Of course. Where do you think we should start?”

I turned around and faced the main building behind us. “You said there was a staff meeting this afternoon?”

“Yes. I was just going to let them all know that they didn’t need to worry about their jobs with Harry being gone. That’s all.”

“Okay. Well, that’s a good place to start.” I thought about Laurel and what a shock she was about to get when she found out I was her boss. But there was nothing I could do about that now, and it wasn’t as though I’d really had a choice.

“Why don’t I show you where your father’s—well, your office will be, and I can run through the staff and who works what.”

“That sounds good. Is Ryan here? It might be helpful to bring him in on all of this.”

“He is, yes. Let me call down to him and have him meet us.”

“Sounds good. You lead, I’ll follow.”

With a final look at the vineyards I’d just agreed to take on, I followed Mom inside and wondered what in the hell Harry had just gotten me into.

10

Laurel

“DID YOU HEAR? Apparently Harry sold the place to some bigwig family from out of town, and that’s what this afternoon’s meeting is for, to introduce them.”

“No way. Why would he do that? Emily and Ryan work here. It’s their family’s business. He’s not gonna just sell it out from under them.”

“Umm, we did work for the same guy, right? Harry was an ass—”

The gossipy whisperings from two of my servers ceased as I pushed through the door to the kitchen, and when Amy and Miles saw who it was, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

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