Page 23 of Kisses Sweeter than Wine

She blinked like a dozen times. Her lips parted. Then she folded her arms and her face hardened. Much like her mother’s used to do when anyone confronted her on what was going on in that house. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“There are three people in this town who know the truth. Me. Weezer. And you. So don’t stand there and lie to me.” He took in a deep calming breath. “I’m sorry I’m coming off so angry, but this situation is dangerous for many reasons.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she stumbled backward onto the sofa. She rested her arm over her face and sobbed.

Shit. He hated it when he made any woman cry. Slowly, he eased himself onto the couch and pulled her to his chest.

She resisted his comfort, but for only a second.

“Let it out,” he whispered. “And then we’ll talk.”

Merlot had a meeting until eleven. He’d then asked if he could have a few hours off. Carter hadn’t asked why, but he knew Merlot wanted to see Talbot. He couldn’t blame his son for that, especially with the way she left the winery. But what concerned him was that Merlot had already commented on the resemblance. He suspected that kissing Talbot had sparked more of a recognition and it would only be a matter of time before his son put it together.

Carter couldn’t allow that to happen.

Even though deep down he really wanted it. If two people on this planet belonged together, it was Talbot and Merlot. Carter could feel their love the second he walked into the bottling room. It had been so palpable he’d wanted to shout her identity from the rooftop.

But if he’d done that, he’d be putting her and her son at risk.

He knew what kind of man Richard was. He would use his power and money to make Talbot’s life miserable.

Talbot sat up, wiping her tears away.

“I’m sorry I barked at you,” he said softly.

“It’s okay. I’d probably do the same if I were in your shoes.” She inhaled sharply, letting it out in a big swish. She used to do that all the time when she’d been a teenager and she’d come over to the house after her father had done something horrible and she felt the need to apologize for it. “I didn’t want anyone to find out it was me.”

“Then why did you come back?” Carter asked.

“I didn’t really have a choice.”

“I find that hard to believe. You’re not a kid anymore.”

“You don’t understand. The woman I work for has no idea about my past. No one does. I’ve never breathed a word of it. Trust me, I know the risks. So, when Claudia found out about her aunt’s mansion and asked me to come, I couldn’t say no.”

“Why not?”

“She’s like a second mother to me in many ways. She was there for me when my mom died. She took me in. Gave me a job. And when we lost ours with the hotel in Chicago, she told me I could come here, help her with the renovations, and then we’d be set up to do whatever we wanted.”

“Only, you can’t help her, thanks to Georgette’s requirements in her will.”

“Yeah, that put a little damper on things.” Talbot nodded. “But you see, I couldn’t tell Claudia about my connection to this town. I thought I’d be able to hide out, but just my luck. Merlot spills a Zinny drink all down my shirt on my first day here.”

“Perhaps going to Green Bean wasn’t the brightest of ideas.” Carter chuckled. “But this is a small town. You would have run into us eventually.”

“That doesn’t make any of this easier. Merlot is still as persistent as ever.”

“Only when it comes to you.” He patted her leg. “He hasn’t had much luck with dating over the years and this is the first time he’s got that spark. Kissing him was stupid.”

“He kissed me.”

“You could have stopped him,” Carter said. “But I get it. The two of you always had such a strong connection. It’s a bond that doesn’t break.”

“What am I going to do?”

“For starters, you can’t go to the wine tasting.”

She shook her head like a wet dog. “Claudia is expecting me to go. I can’t tell her no. She’ll wonder why. Lying doesn’t come naturally to me, except my identity. That has become second nature. But being back in this town is making it hard. I have to pretend to her that I don’t know anything about Candlewood Falls, or the people here. I’m already avoiding her and doing my best to stay in this house.”

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