Under A Harvest Moon (28 page)

"Mrs. Rankin, hello. This is Miles Germaine from Germaine Cellars."

"Hello, Mr. Germaine. What can I do for you?"

He gave a warm, rich laugh. "It's what I can do for you Mrs. Rankin. I'd like to take you to dinner. I think the time has come for the two of us to meet."

"I'm not sure there'd be any point to us meeting." She picked up a pen, toying with it. "I wouldn't want to waste your time."

"Oh," he said with disappointment. "Have you decided to stay on?"

"I haven't made any final plans yet," she said, not wanting to let on that Nico was first in line to buy the vineyard.

"Then, please, hear me out," Miles said. "You won't be sorry."

"I'm out of the office the rest of this week," she hedged, thinking of her upcoming court date.

"Next week?"

"Why don't you call Gayle over at the main office and set up an appointment with her?" Danielle asked.

"Wonderful. I'm looking forward to meeting with you."

"Thank you," Danielle said. "Bye."

The line went dead. She hung up the phone.

And Danielle knew.

In her heart, she didn't really want to sell, yet Kaiden's wishes had to come first. Selling the place to Nico was the next best option. At least the vineyard would be in good hands, caring hands. Lola would have a home. The other employees would keep their jobs. Somewhere along the way she's lost her lust for getting top dollar. She didn't want to sell to Germaine Cellars.

Danielle wandered over to the window. The door to Nico's house was still shut.

Did Nico feel something for her, something real and not manufactured to keep her on his team? She wanted to make the right decision for all of them, but she didn't trust her instincts anymore. Nico wanted the vineyard; he'd made that clear from the beginning. If she stayed, would he leave? If so what would that say about their relationship? And she still hadn't given him the letter from her father. Would her father's words from the grave drive them both away?

It scared her to death to think that Nico might not want to stay on if she didn't sell to him, but she'd never know the truth unless she told him what was in her heart.

And that was something she just wasn't ready to do yet.

***

"So you say she's better?" Liz asked. She sat on Nico's couch, her long legs curled under her. Italy had agreed with her. She looked tan, fit, and more gorgeous than ever. "I've been so worried."

"Have you?" Nico asked, unable to keep the skepticism from his tone. He leaned back in the overstuffed chair. He had trouble believing that Liz worried about anyone besides Liz. They'd never agreed when it came to parenting, often arguing about what was best for Maria.

"Of course," she said. "Don't try and make me into a bad mother just because I wanted to have a little fun. Being married to you sucked all the fun right out of me. You are so serious all the time. I needed to find myself. Besides, I thought you liked having Maria all to yourself."

"I do." He loved having Maria with him, wanted to have her with him always. "We've had a great summer. She's growing up, becoming a young woman."

"Then what's the problem?" Liz asked as if he were an idiot.

"No problem." What was he doing? Why was he trying to bait her? Old habits died hard. He was going about this all wrong. He was supposed to be buttering her up, not alienating her. To buy the vineyard, he needed her cooperation.

"I have some news." Her tongue came out to wet her lips.

"Oh?"

She gave him a brilliant smile. "Christopher and I got married in Rome." She held her hand out, showing him the large diamond ring on her left hand.

Disbelief propelled him out of his chair. "You barely know him."

"I know." She retracted her hand, and for a moment he thought he saw indecision on her face. "It was completely impulsive. Too much wine. Too much fun. Then, boom, married. I'm not even sure if the ceremony was legal, but it doesn't matter. We're going to tie the knot here, just to be certain."

"Did you even think about Maria?" he asked. "She's finally getting back on track. Did you think about how she'll react to a stepfather she barely knows?"

"She'll adjust," Liz said. "You've always been so protective of her. Let her grow up."

"She's twelve."

She shifted, uncurling her legs, stretching them out in front of her. "I had a boyfriend when I was twelve."

"Maria isn't ready for a boyfriend." He struggled to keep his cool, when he felt so ready to blow.

"Whatever." She frowned. "I have one more surprise."

His gut ached. He didn't know if he could take anymore. "What?"

"We need to sell the house and cabin. I know you don't want that for Maria, but it's time. I'll be moving into Christopher's house."

"You're not taking my daughter there."

"Excuse me?" she said. "You don't own me, Nico. I'm Maria's mother."

"Maria needs stability."

"Then give it to her."

"Are you saying you want me to keep Maria?" he asked, a spark of hope returning.

"Just for a while, until Christopher and I have a chance to settle in."

"Done," he said without hesitation.

Liz gave him a cat-like smile. "Now where is my daughter? I'm dying to see her."

***

Danielle pushed through the door of the courthouse into the fresh air, the temporary parenting plan and order for custody in her hand. In two weeks, the hearing for permanent custody would take place, and her life could get back to normal, or as normal as it could be while her life was in limbo, her son was upset, not to mention the fact that Nico's ex-wife had come back.

Since Liz's return, she hadn't had more than a moment to see Nico. He'd tried to reassure her that everything was fine, that they'd talk after the hearing, but he'd looked guilty, as if he were keeping something from her, and that thought continued to weigh heavily on her mind. She hated feeling so suspicious when it came to men, but she couldn't help it.

To take her mind off Nico, she'd forced herself to focus on the hearing, on Peter, on the blatant lies he'd told. Her one moment of satisfaction had come when the judge had grilled Peter about his whereabouts for the past six months, questioning him about abandoning his family, leaving them to fend for themselves. Peter's glib answers had rusted his otherwise polished exterior, and the judge had easily picked him apart.

Winning today was only the first step, but it was a big one. The judge had clearly been on her side. Peter was in for a fight if he sued for full custody. As it stood right now, he had to abide by the temporary parenting plan.

In the plan, he had the right to see Kaiden every other weekend. Guidelines for each holiday were spelled out. The agreement was the best she could do for now. It protected Kaiden. She intended to sit down with Kaiden when she got home and go over the details, making sure that he understood everything.

Things were finally going her way, yet she couldn't shake the ominous feeling in her stomach. Peter wouldn't give up without a fight, or without a payoff. As much as the thought bothered her, she was going to have to deal with him.

She glanced at her watch. Two-thirty. If she drove like a mad woman she could be home by six-thirty or seven.

Home. When had Whitney House become home again?

The thought caught her totally off guard.

Somewhere along the way, she'd fallen in love with the vineyard. If only Kaiden felt the same way.

Danielle crossed the parking lot.

She was inserting her key into the Jetta's lock when Peter said, "I'm going to fight you."

Danielle dropped her keys. She moved to pick them up, but Peter kicked them under the car, out of her reach.

"What do you want, Peter?" He'd never hurt her before, and she had no reason to believe he'd hurt her now. She glanced around the parking lot, but didn't see another soul. Her hands started to shake, but she clasped them together. Stay calm. This was Peter's thing, these power trips. She recognized his special form of intimidation.

Danielle's back went ramrod stiff. Her chin rose. He wasn't going to browbeat her. Not this time, and certainly not here, in the public parking lot of the courthouse.

"You're not going to win, Danielle," he sneered.

"I just did," she shot back. "I have a piece of paper now that gives me temporary full-custody. You have one, too. Read it."

"You bitch."

The coldness in his eyes stole a little of her bravado.

"I'm going to be your worst nightmare," he said. "You may want to rethink my offer to disappear from your life."

She didn't reply, didn't want to dignify anything he said with a response. She felt sure the parking lot had a camera. He wouldn't hurt her, not here where everything could be documented.

He stared at her hard before turning away and slinking off. Danielle released the breath she'd been holding. She dropped to the ground and fished her keys out from under the car. Once inside, she locked the doors.

Her pulse raced, her heart hammered against her chest. She took a deep breath before starting her car, telling herself over and over again that Peter had no power, no hold over her.

If she told herself that often enough, she just might believe it.

***

Nico was waiting for Danielle when she pulled into the driveway. She'd called him an hour ago with her expected arrival time, filling him in on the details of the hearing and of Peter's intimidation in the parking lot.

He'd spent the past hour trying to cool off. His first instinct had been to go to Seattle himself and beat the crap out of Peter Rankin, but his saner side told him to wait. The guy was a coward. He used all the right words to intimidate Danielle, but would he ever follow through? Nico doubted it.

The Jetta pulled into the driveway. His testosterone kicked in. Danielle was back. He wanted to protect her, comfort her, and reassure her that everything would be all right. He met her at the car, opening the door for her, and then she was in his arms.

"Boy, did I need this hug," she said, her arms winding tightly around him.

Nico kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back, feeling the knots of tension under his hands. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Me, too."

He kissed her forehead. "Come on." He led her to his place. They walked slowly down the path, hand in hand. "We have an evening all to ourselves."

"You don't know how good that sounds." She smiled, but he could still see the strain around her eyes. "Did Kaiden seem okay to you when he left?"

Nico grinned. "Are you kidding? He was excited, eager to go with Liz and Maria."

Danielle smiled. "I'm glad. He needs some fun. It will be good for him to meet the other kids in the area before school starts. It's nice of Liz to include him in the back-to-school barbeque."

"Maria insisted." Nico opened the screen door, holding it while Danielle passed him, going inside. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I grabbed a burger earlier."

He grinned. "Okay. How about some champagne?"