Chapter Ten
Maddie woke with more trepidation than optimism. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning the reality of her situation sank in. No matter how you looked at it, she was still a single mother with no permanent home, and now, no source of income to support her child.
Yes, Wyatt had offered them a place to stay for the time being. He’d committed to giving this family thing a try, and she had no doubt he’d help support his son. She had to do her part, too. She couldn’t, and wouldn’t, expect him to take care of everything. Which meant searching for a new job had become her top priority.
Maddie tossed back the covers and rubbed at the kink in her back. Camping out on the couch last night had seemed like a good idea. Without anyone to help her, she didn’t even try to drag the Pack ‘n Play upstairs. She’d been too tired to make the several trips it would have taken to set up a makeshift nursery in the spare bedroom. She’d add that to her list of things to do today right after a trip to the market. They’d picked up the essentials on their way from the hospital to Scott Hill yesterday afternoon, but she’d need more than eggs, bread, and milk to live on.
Maddie stood and ambled over to the crib, smiling as she walked pain free. Thank goodness the sprain hadn’t been severe. She changed Jacob’s diaper, returned to the couch and fed him.
Her cell buzzed. She grabbed her phone from the side table, and read the incoming text.
At vineyard. Will stop by around noon. Kiss Jacob for me – W
She smiled, and pressed her lips to Jacob’s head. “That’s from your daddy.”
The phone hummed again. She glanced at the screen. I’ll kiss you in person. Maddie swallowed hard. What the man could do with those lips… She shivered. Won’t make the same mistake twice, won’t make the same mistake twice. Her head received the message loud and clear. If only her body would get on board.
Maddie sat Jacob in his Superseat and fastened the harness. She attached the activity tray, and clicked the toy bar into place.
Jacob batted one of the stuffed birds attached and chortled.
“Have fun, little one. It’s time for Mama to start her job hunt.” Maddie crossed to the dining room, and grabbed the laptop off the table. “Fingers crossed.” She ambled back to the overstuffed chair, dropped onto the comfy cushion, and fired up the computer.
#
Wyatt smiled and laid his cell on the desk. Lunchtime couldn’t come quick enough.
“Good. You’re here.”
His father’s voice drew him from his thoughts. “What’s up?”
Dad walked in and sat in one of the chairs on his side of the desk. “Got a call from Quest this morning.”
He wasn’t surprised. “Did Hodges make more veiled threats?” Lord knew he’d made enough the last time they’d met.
“Yes, and when that didn’t work he offered me double what the land is worth.”
The breath caught in Wyatt’s throat. “Forty million for twenty-five acres of land. That’s a huge chunk of change.”
“I agree. Thought we should talk about it.”
Christ. It was a lot of money to walk away from. Not that he wanted to accept the offer, but it wasn’t just about him. His father could retire, something his mother had urged him to do since his heart attack. Wyatt could invest his part of the proceeds in another vineyard. But, that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to make his mark and pass this land to the next generation the way his ancestors had done. “Do you want to sell?”
“Hell no. This is Leone land and it’s going to stay that way.”
Wyatt sagged against the back of the chair almost dizzy with relief. “I don’t want to sell either.”
“Good. I’ll let Hodges know we’re not interested.” His father stood and walked toward the door stopping before he exited. He turned to face Wyatt. “This could get ugly. Quest isn’t going to give up easily, especially since they’ve already made a deal with Buck Williams.”
Wyatt swore. Meadowbrook Vineyard neighbored Leone Estates to the south.
I always get what I want. Hodges’s words echoed in his head again. Not this time. Wyatt would make sure of it.
No matter what.
#
Maddie set the laptop aside, stood and stretched. Three hours of searching and she’d come up empty-handed. What the hell was she going to do now? She’d hoped to find something at one of the local vineyards, but the closest opening was at a winery more than an hour away. Factor in the commute, and child care for Jacob, and it wasn’t worth pursuing.
There weren’t a lot of jobs available in Glengrove, or the surrounding towns either, and she didn’t qualify for the few posts she’d found. Every single one required a four-year degree. Maddie didn’t have one.
Gramps hadn’t seen the value in her getting a college education. He didn’t have one, and he’d done just fine. He could teach her everything she needed to know about the winemaking business.
The truth was she’d learned most of it on her own over the years. At least she’d convinced him taking a few marketing classes would benefit the vineyard, but a few classes were all she had.
Maddie ambled to the portable crib to check on Jacob. He’d gone down for a nap more than an hour ago. Still sleeping. Good. He’d be rested when Wyatt arrived.
Maybe one of the restaurants in town would hire her? Or not. They’d want someone with waitressing skills, and she had none. That was the trouble. She had no experience outside of the positions she’d held for Scott Hill.
Her cell buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket. Zoe. Crap, crap, crap. She dreaded having this conversation, but Maddie couldn’t see how they could remain friends given how Zoe felt about Wyatt. “Hi Zoe.”
“Hey, you want to grab lunch again today? You left rather abruptly yesterday, and I’ve got more gossip to share.”
“No. I…” Lord, this was harder than she’d imagined. They’d been friends for a long time, even if they had drifted apart after Zoe got married and moved to New York.
“Ah, you’re busy slaving away at the winery. I really don’t know why you’re bothering. George is never—”
“No, that’s not it. I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Okay. If you’re busy today, we can—”
Stop the madness and just say it. “I can’t do lunch today or any other day. We can’t be friends anymore.” Her words tumbled out in a rush.
“What are you talking about, Maddie? You’re not making any sense. Why can’t we be friends?”
Maddie started to pace back and forth across the room. “Wyatt.”
“What about him? The guy’s a freak and—”
That’s it. No way would she let Zoe get away with degrading Wyatt. He didn’t deserve that. Maddie straightened her shoulders and lifted up to her full height. “No, damn it. He’s not a freak, or any of the other horrible things you’ve called him. And how dare you say such things?”
“Have you gone off your rocker? Why are you defending a Leone? He’s—”
“Jacob’s father.” Silence greeted her confession, then Maddie heard Zoe’s quick intake of breath, but nothing more. Disappointment flashed through her and burned inside. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did she believe Zoe would have a change of heart if she learned the truth?
A knock at the door pulled her back to reality. Wyatt. A slow smile spread across her face, and her heart did a crazy little flip. “I’ve got to go.” She ended the call, and hurried to the door. “Hi Wy—” Maddie stiffened. She so didn’t need this right now. Dealing with Zoe had been bad enough. “What are you doing here?” She crossed her hands over her chest and glared.
Bryce Beaumont brushed a stray blond lock from his forehead and gave her an affable smile. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”
Nice my ass. His country club looks, and boy-next-door charm didn’t fool her. Bryce wasn’t the kind type unless there was something in it for him. She’d learned that the hard way. He was polite, amusing, and attentive when his family came to visit or when she and Gramps visited Beaumont Cellars, but when push came to shove he turned into a conniving bastard.
“What do you want?” Her eyes narrowed. “Better yet, how did you find me?”
He reached for the door. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Her heart banged against her ribcage. No friggin’ way. Maddie grabbed the latch and held it tight. “Uh-uh. You shouldn’t even be here at all.” She didn’t want him around, and Wyatt wouldn’t be happy about him being there either. “And why should I when you haven’t answered either of my questions.”
Bryce rolled his eyes. “Why I’m here— we need to talk. How I found you— everyone knows you’re staying here at Leone Estates. It’s all over town.”
She sagged against the doorframe. Shit, shit, shit. Of course it was. What had she expected? Glengrove thrived on gossip. Everyone knew how much her grandfather hated the Leones. Seeing her and Wyatt together yesterday, and at the market buying groceries, would have sparked a frenzy of chatter. Wait a minute. If everyone knew about her and Wyatt, then why didn’t Zoe? The queen of blather never missed out on a good scandal.
“We have nothing to say to each other.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “You can’t threaten me anymore. You’ve got nothing to hold over my head. My grandfather knows everything.”
“I heard.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “How?” Were people speculating on why she was here, too?
Bryce shook his head. “I visited your grandfather last night.”
She gripped the latch tighter. What the hell was he up to? “I find it hard to believe you’d make the trip up from the city just to visit a sick old man. So why did you?”
“First off, it’s not a long drive from San Francisco, and second, I didn’t come home for the specific purpose of visiting him. My mother is having one of her charity balls this weekend.” He let out a disgusted grunt. “As always, I have to be there. I stopped by the hospital last night after I learned from my father that George had been admitted.”
Okay, she’d been wrong.
“He regrets what happened yesterday.”
Her eyes stung and a lump formed at the back of her throat. “Really?” If only it were true.
“I believe so.” Bryce locked his gaze on her. “He kept repeating how sorry he was.”
Her breath caught. “He did?” She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but goodness… “Wyatt and I will go see him.” Maddie opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. She wouldn’t ask Bryce in, but she wanted to hear more, and having this conversation through a screen door seemed a little silly. She strolled to the white wooden swing and sat.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Bryce took a seat next to her. “He was upset at how he treated you and Jacob. Leone is a different story.”
Damn. Gramps still wouldn’t accept her relationship with Wyatt. What if he never could? A chill swept through her and Maddie shivered.
“You need to give him some time to get used to the idea. He has a lot of animosity to overcome.”
Wasn’t that the truth? She still didn’t understand why he hated Wyatt and the rest of the Leones. All right, Johnny Leone had fired Gramps, and he didn’t deserve such treatment after his dedication to the vineyard over the years, but Johnny died a long time ago. Maybe there was more to the story than he let on? She’d have to ask Wyatt. “We’ll hold off for now.”
Bryce patted her knee. “Very good.”
“Is Gramps the reason you came to see me today?” Was he what Bryce had wanted to talk to her about?
His expression turned serious, and her stomach roiled. She’d seen that somber expression before when he’d threatened to tell her grandfather about her and Wyatt if she didn’t agree to become his fiancée.
“No. There’s something else, and I wanted you to hear it from me.”
“What?”
Bryce reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Maddie. “Your grandfather has asked me to take over and run Scott Hill for him.”
Maddie crushed the envelope in her hand, her vision blurring to a sea of red. No damned way. Gramps could be six feet under, and still he’d never give up control of his beloved winery. Zoe had been right about that, but Maddie couldn’t accept the truth before. “I don’t believe you.” She dragged him to his feet. “Get out of here and don’t come back.”
“Whoa. Calm down, Maddie.”
“No. You lying son of a bitch. Get out of here. Now.” She tried to shove him toward his car but he wouldn’t budge.
“I’m not lying. Trust me, no one was more surprised than me. I couldn’t believe it when he asked me last night, but it’s all right there in the letter.”
Her fingers shook as she tore open the envelope and read the affidavit. Holy shit. Bryce was telling the truth. Gramps had turned over operations of the vineyard to him. Maddie’s head spun faster than the Tilt-A-Whirl ride at an amusement park. Dear God, why? It didn’t make any sense.
“I was going to turn him down.”
Her eyes narrowed. I’ll just bet you were.
“But, I thought it might help you in the long run if I agreed.”
She smelled a rat, and he went by the name Bryce. “How can you running my family vineyard help me?”
“I can hire whoever I want.”
Maddie shook her head. Where was he going with… Comprehension dawned. “I can come back to Scott Hill.” She’d have a job, could help support Jacob.
Bryce grinned. “You’re in charge, as far as I’m concerned.”
She could have everything she’d always wanted. Gramps, a loving family with Wyatt and Jacob, and running Scott Hill winery... But at what cost?