Under A Harvest Moon (32 page)

He intended to give Danielle his resignation as soon as the grapes were harvested. From that point on, Jacques would take over, the winemaking would begin, and he'd be free to move on, to court Danielle, to pick up the pieces of the family they'd started to build together with Kaiden and Maria. He wanted to make a life with the woman he loved, and he was going to do it.

***

Danielle picked up the business line. "Hello, Whitney Vineyards." She glanced at her calendar, at the big red X on today's date, September 18th. Forty-eight days to go, then she'd be free of the vineyard.

"Danielle?"

"Yes."

"This is Miles Germaine," he said smoothly. "I wanted to check in with you. Rumor has it Whitney Vineyards is about to harvest."

"What can I do for you?" she asked, while neither confirming nor denying the rumor. Jacques had told her the brix was perfect. Harvesting would begin immediately, by hand. Nico didn't want to use machinery. He harvested the good old fashioned way. Workers had been arriving all day, ready to begin the process. Picking had to be quick, while the grapes were at their prime. The harvest would go on day and night until complete.

"You said before the vineyard wasn't for sale," Miles said. "I have to ask again, will you consider selling? And if so, do I have a fair shot now that Nico is out of the picture?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't understand. Nico isn't out of the picture."

"Isn't he?" Miles asked. "I'm told he's bought St. Regis."

St. Regis
? Danielle's grip tightened on the phone.

"Really?" she managed.

"You didn't know?" Miles asked, obviously surprised.

"No," she confirmed.

"You can understand why I'm calling," Miles went on. "Nico's leaving changes things."

A slow anger simmered in Danielle. What was Nico's game?

"I'm sorry," she said. "Nothing's changed."

Miles sighed. "I had to try. Thank you for your time."

"No problem." Danielle hung up. What was Nico up to? After everything they'd been through, was he just walking away? Why, when his dream was about to come true?

Danielle picked the phone up and punched in Nico's cell number. She got his voicemail. Frustrated, she left the house, intending to search him out. She wasn't about to let him leave.

Oh, no. He was staying here at Whitney and choking on it. She was the one leaving.

And the sooner she made him understand that, the better.

***

It was going to be a long night.

Nico parked the golf cart in front of his place, and got out. Darkness came sooner now, and although it was only eight o'clock, night had arrived. He intended to grab a quick sandwich, run over to Whitney House and check on Maria, then head back out into the vineyard. Every hand was needed for the harvest.

A movement on the porch caught his eye. He squinted into the darkness. Danielle. She rose from the rocker.

His heart sped up. "Hi." Longing for her washed through him. He wanted to crush her to him, make her admit she felt as much for him as he did for her. "Is everything all right?"

"No."

She sounded odd, upset. He trudged up the stairs, stopping directly in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. For her to come to him, something major must have happened. "Is it Kaiden? Has Peter pulled something?"

"Everything is the same with Kaiden," she said. "He likes Sun Grove Elementary. In fact, he's upset that I have to pull him out tomorrow for the final custody hearing, but the judge wants to talk with him."

"Are you worried?"

"Of course, but that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here? Do you want to come inside?"

"No," she said quickly. "This won't take long. I had a call today from Miles Germaine."

Nico's guard went up. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to know if he'd be in the running for Whitney Vineyards with you out of the picture."

She knew about St. Regis. "I see."

"I don't," she said. "Is it true? Are you walking away?"

"Yes."

"In God's name, why?" she asked, the words filled with anguish. "After everything you went through, that you put me through, why would you leave?"

"A couple of reasons. First, learning about Phillip and my mother threw me for a loop. I can't look at this place the same way. Second, I don't want the vineyard this way, with you angry at me," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I want you, Danielle, not the vineyard."

She shook her head. "I wish I could believe you."

"You can. Let yourself believe in us."

"I can't." She moved away from him.

He followed, his fingers closed around her arm, and he turned her to face him.

"You don't get to leave," she said, a hitch in her voice. "I'm the one leaving."

Her mouth was just inches from his, so close, her words didn't even penetrate his brain.

Nico kissed her. His arms went around her, and she struggled but only for a second before she melted against him. Her hands fanned out against his chest.

He deepened the kiss, burning with the need to make her his. Still kissing, he yanked opened the front door. Inside the cottage, they kissed their way to the bedroom, to the bed. Their clothes melted away. They made love with a fierceness that rocked him, a savage, frenzied, desperate mating.

In the back of his mind, he knew enough to know he wasn't touching Danielle's soul like he usually did. She withheld a piece of herself from him. And in the aftermath, when he wanted to hold her close, she pulled away, sitting up.

"This doesn't change anything," she said sadly.

Nico sighed, but held his tongue. In his mind, it changed everything. She still wanted him, and whether she realized it or not, she'd just taken the first step back to him.

***

Danielle was furious with herself. She'd let Nico get to her last night. Why hadn't she left well enough alone? No, she'd confronted him, and look what had happened. They'd ended up in bed.

She'd been stewing the entire way to Seattle. She glanced over at Kaiden. He sat beside her, playing his video game, blissfully ignorant of the turmoil that raged inside her.

Fat raindrops hit the windshield. Great. Danielle flipped on the wipers, the rhythmic sound of the swishing blades filling the small car.

She exited the freeway, making her way to the courthouse where the hearing would take place. After today, the parenting plan would be in place, the final order for custody granted.

She pulled into the parking lot. "We're here."

Kaiden glanced up. "There's Dad."

Peter stood beside his car, dressed in a very respectable navy suit. Danielle glanced down at her own dove gray suit, glad she'd dressed up. Peter waved.

Kaiden bolted from the car, running to his father.

Danielle followed at a slower pace.

"Hi," Peter said when she joined them.

"Peter."

"Let's get this over with," Peter said.

They entered the courthouse together, separating when they got inside, each of them meeting with their own attorney. Thirty minutes later, it was over. The parenting plan was final, the boundaries for visitation clear. Danielle spoke with her attorney a minute longer. He suggested she give a copy of the plan to Kaiden's school, and to anyone else who might care for him and be alone with him, such as a daycare provider. Danielle thanked her attorney, and then left to find Kaiden and Peter.

They waited for her in the parking lot.

"Dad wants to take us to lunch," Kaiden said as soon as he saw her.

Lunch with Peter was the last thing she wanted.

"We really should start back," she said. "It's a long drive."

"Please, Mom," Kaiden pleaded.

"You don't have to join us," Peter said. "We could grab a quick bite and meet you in an hour."

She eyed Peter. Was he already trying to pull something, and they were still in the courthouse parking lot? "I don't know."

"Just come with us, Mom," Kaiden said.

"All right." She didn't trust Peter enough to deviate from the parenting plan.

She followed Peter and Kaiden to a nearby restaurant. When they were seated at the table, Kaiden excused himself to go to the restroom.

The minute he was out of earshot, Peter leaned back in his chair. His insolent stare roved over her as if he were sizing her up. "Have you thought any more about my offer?" he asked.

"The offer where I give you money to stay out of your son's life?" Danielle asked dryly, sickened that Peter would even bring up such a distasteful, immoral subject. "I would never do that to Kaiden."

Peter leaned forward, his hands braced on the edge of the table. "Then I guess you'll have a lot of sleepless nights, wondering if I'm going to bring him back."

"I have the law on my side," she said, the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. "I'll have you arrested."

"If you can find us."

His eyes drilled into her. His words chilled her to her core. Would he really take Kaiden from her, hide him? "He's your son, not a bargaining chip. Let me ask you something. If I didn't have an inheritance coming, what would you use against me? How would you manipulate me?"

He snorted. "Lady, I'd run so far away from you, you'd never find me."

"And Kaiden?" she asked, her heart twisting into a hard knot.

He reached across the table, grabbed her wrist, giving her hand a jerk. "You're not getting a dime of child support from me."

"Let go of me." She yanked her hand free. "We have a legal agreement. They'll garnish your wages."

He smiled, the warped, twisted smile of a man who thought he was winning a battle. "Not if they can't find me."

"You're a bastard."

Kaiden returned. He took his seat, his forehead scrunched with worry. "Are you guys fighting?"

"No, honey." She forced a smile. She didn't want Kaiden to worry. "There's nothing more to fight about."

They finished their lunch, but Danielle didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they were back on the road, putting mile after mile between them and Peter.

As the miles stretched on, she began to form a plan. The way she saw it, Peter was going to disappear from their lives, one way or the other. If she sold the vineyard or kept it, giving herself a nice income, Peter would make sure she felt threatened each time he took Kaiden.

She couldn't live like that.

If she walked away and let the vineyard default to Nico, Peter would disappear without any money. Either way, the snake would slink off, leaving her alone with her son.

She'd be damned if she'd give Peter a penny. He didn't deserve Kaiden. And he'd made it crystal clear he saw Kaiden only as a meal ticket.