Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Nate
The last thing I expected when I came in after a busy night of working among the vines was to learn that one of the country's most sought-after heiresses was waiting for me.
As I removed my dirty boots and sweaty socks in the mudroom, my Aunt Eileen quizzed me about Juliet's reasons for arriving unannounced, but I had no explanation to offer.
I knew Juliet Caldwell the way most people did, as the face of her family's cosmetics empire.
She was a fixture at every significant event on the California social calendar.
I'd spoken to her perhaps a half-dozen times over the years, enough to form the impression there was considerably more going on behind those gray-green eyes than she was ever permitted to show.
While Juliet's presence in my home threw me off balance, her marriage proposal floored me completely.
I barely knew the woman. She'd never shown much interest in me at social events we both attended.
It was clear from her saying she needed me to marry her that she didn't have some burning desire to be my wife.
The only thing I knew for sure was that she wasn't after my money, being in line to inherit millions of dollars herself.
As I led her through the house, I detected a stiffening of her posture.
She was tense, nervous even. I tried to figure out what had compelled her to seek me out.
Though she gave Eileen the impression she came here on a whim, asking me to marry her hadn't seemed impulsive.
Before Juliet told me what she wanted, she took a pause to summon her inner strength.
Her proposal had been sincere. Hopefully during breakfast, she would relax enough to confide in me the reason for it.
We walked through the kitchen where Eileen and some of the crew were dishing up food. When we got to the mudroom, I realized Juliet wasn't wearing shoes.
"You'll need something for your feet," I told her. "We're going outside to eat with the crew."
She tilted her head to the side as if that surprised her. "Oh, that's nice."
It would be loud, chaotic, and she'd likely be mortified by some of the profanity she would hear. I enjoyed the raucous atmosphere, but I couldn't imagine it fitting Juliet's definition of nice.
Scanning the room, I looked for something for her to wear on her bare feet. There was a pair of boots left by my assistant Laura after her last visit. I fished a pair of clean socks out of the drawer beneath the wooden bench and handed them to Juliet along with the boots.
"They might be a bit small," I warned her. "They're my assistant’s, and she's a good few inches shorter than you."
"I have small feet for my height. They'll be fine."
She quickly put the socks on and worked her feet into the boots. They were clearly tight, but she didn't complain as she laced them up.
"There we go." She stood and wiggled her foot in front of her. The boots looked so out of place with her silky red dress. "Quite the fashion statement, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure it will make the front page of Vogue."
Juliet laughed, a sound of genuine mirth.
She flicked her glossy, honey-blonde hair back over her shoulders so it fell in soft waves down her back.
Then she followed me outside into the garden where a large tent had been set up to provide a gathering place for everyone to relax.
After a hard night in the fields, it gave us the opportunity to decompress before trying to catch a few hours' sleep.
There was space at the end of one of the long tables, so I headed over and helped Juliet get settled on a chair before I sat next to her. People were probably surprised to see the gorgeous woman by my side, but they didn't show it.
Juliet bit her lip as she nervously looked around. The seasonal workers who came in to help with the harvest and some of my fulltime employees from the winery were a little rough around the edges, but I trusted every one of them.
Mustering her courage, Juliet turned and offered a smile to the men around us. "Hi, I'm Juliet."
"I'm Ramon," my foreman said before pointing to three of the temporary crew members who came each year to help with the picking. "That's Markos, Jimmy, and Louie."
"It's nice to meet you." Juliet's smile wasn't the fake one she plastered on for photo opportunities. "Have you worked here long?"
As she got into a conversation with Ramon about how he'd been here for over twenty years before I bought the place, Eileen and the others started to bring in the food, placing sizzling skillets of huevos rancheros down on the table.
Along with that, they brought platters of bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles, pancakes, and Eileen's incredible vegan muffins. There was something for everyone.
I picked up one of the jugs of coffee and poured Juliet a cup.
"Ooh, yes, please." She hummed in delight as she eyed the food spread out in front of us. "What should I eat?"
"What do you usually have for breakfast?"
"An egg white omelet with a side of spinach."
Next to her, Ramon snorted disapprovingly. "No wonder you look as if a stiff breeze could knock you over. You need to put some meat on those bones, girl."
Having thought the same, I was glad Ramon said it. She'd have bristled if I'd mentioned she was too skinny, but from the older man, she accepted the comment with a smile.
"I'm not that thin," Juliet said, nudging Ramon playfully. "But since you're worried about me, I think I'll try a bit of everything today."
True to her word, she piled her plate high and dug in. I helped myself to some pancakes with a side of bacon and drizzled some maple syrup over them.
"I must ask Eileen for the recipe for these eggs," Juliet said as she scooped up another forkful. "There's a richness in hers that mine doesn't have, and I've never thought to add chorizo."
"You cook?" I didn't know why that surprised me. Although I had plenty of staff to do my bidding, I enjoyed dabbling in the kitchen myself.
"Yes, but I'm not so good with spices. I never get the balance right. French classics are more my thing, and Italian dishes. I'm also a fan of some British food. I make a mean Sunday roast."
"Maybe I will marry you." I kept my tone casual but watched her reaction carefully. The color that rose in her cheeks, the quick glance around the table told me I'd unsettled her. She was pretty when she blushed. Turning to Ramon, she drew him into conversation once more.
By the time we'd finished eating, Juliet had made firm friends with half my crew.
Her social skills among the elite were undeniable, but I hadn't expected her to get on so well with the men and women who worked for me.
She listened to their stories and laughed heartily at their jokes.
All the while, she shoveled food into her mouth like she hadn't eaten in a week.
Given how the dress molded to her slender body, perhaps she had been starving herself to get into it.
That was something I intended to address.
I wouldn't let her put her health at risk for the sake of fashion.
The thought pulled me up short. She wasn't my concern. Not yet.
When everyone trickled out of the tent to head to their homes or the bunkhouse near the boundary of my property, I refilled our coffee cups and nodded toward the house.
"Come on."
I led Juliet to the porch at the back of the house. The fog was starting to lift, giving us a spectacular view over the fields.
"Do you need a coat?" The sun might be bright, but the air was still cool.
"No, thank you." Juliet offered me a smile. "I'm not cold."
She took a seat on one of the Adirondack chairs while I leaned against a pillar. I watched as she sipped her coffee and gazed out over the countryside. She didn't seem in a hurry to address the reason for her visit again.
"Why don't you tell me what that proposal was about?" I prompted her.
"Well, I haven't fallen madly in love with you." She grinned wryly.
"I assumed not."
She set her cup down on the table next to her and smoothed down her skirt. "I've been receiving unwanted attention from a…" Waving a hand in the air, she fished for the right word. "Suitor."
"Can't your family do something about him?" The Caldwells may not be as wealthy as me, but they weren't without influence.
Juliet grimaced. "My mother isn't opposed to the idea of me marrying him."
"Really? Who is he?"
Her mouth twisted in distaste again. "Garrett Kane."
My blood ran cold. Kane and I had clashed frequently in the past. The man was a snake. "I see why you came to me now."
She looked at me appraisingly. "I figured my enemy's enemy might be my friend."
"Kane and I have a history." I kept my voice even. "He sees himself as the biggest fish in this state. He's never enjoyed the competition."
"There are few people who can stand up to him," Juliet continued, "You're one of them."
She had that right. "I suppose you tried telling him you're not interested."
"In so many ways it's not funny anymore."
"And going to the police, getting a restraining order is out of the question?"
She shot me an incredulous look that was fully deserved.
"Yeah, all right," I conceded. "Not an option."
"Even if the legal route worked, going against a man like him publicly would be social suicide. He owns half the publications that cover my family. He could take everything apart with a few well-placed stories."
That was true. Juliet was well liked, and the press fawned over her, but Kane could wreck her image without breaking a sweat. He'd done it to others.
"So you landed on the idea of marrying me?"
Juliet nodded. "It wouldn't be a real marriage, of course. We would marry, pretend to be together for a while. I'd sign whatever you…"
I held a hand up. "Let me stop you there. I won't marry you under those circumstances."
Juliet nodded as though she expected a rejection. She got up from her seat.
"Well, thank you for your time."
"Sit down." My tone was firm. She didn't do as I asked, just hovered in front of me. "Juliet, I told you to sit down. I am not finished yet."
She hesitated for only a moment before sinking back onto her chair. I couldn't miss the flush in her cheeks, the parting of her lips as she gasped. She probably didn't realize it, but she was affected by my command. That made things more interesting.
"I believe that marriage is a partnership, a coming together of two people who love and respect one another. For me, it's a lifelong commitment. I can't enter into it lightly."
"I understand." Juliet smiled softly. "You're a romantic."
"Perhaps." I'd bought this vineyard on what most people called a whim. It wasn't. It was the first time I'd looked at a place and been able to picture a life in it. "But that's not the point."
"No, I get it. The point is you can't help me."
Her expression suggested more than disappointment. She appeared completely desolate.
"Actually I can help you. I won't marry you, Juliet, but I will offer you my protection."
Her entire face lit up. "You will?"
"Yes. But there are conditions, and I need you to understand before you agree that I mean every one of them."
A small crease appeared between her brows. "Such as?"
"You stay here. My life is at Mist Hollow now, and I won't be going back to the city unless I have to. You stay on the estate, and you don't leave without me or one of my men. No exceptions."
"Okay."
Her agreement came too quickly.
"I mean it, Juliet. No exceptions."
She held my gaze. "Understood."
"If you want to contact family or friends, you tell me first. I need to know what's being shared and with whom."
She frowned. "I'm known for my discretion."
"I don't doubt it. The rule stands."
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
"If I issue an instruction in any situation, whether here on the vineyard or elsewhere, you are to follow it without argument. You're trusting me to keep you safe. You have to let me do that my way."
"Fine."
"You treat me and my staff with respect. You make yourself useful. This is a working vineyard, not a hotel."
"I can help Eileen in the kitchen," she said.
"Good." I paused. "Those are the rules."
A beat of silence. I watched her think about her next question. Watched her decide to ask it anyway.
"And the consequences," she said carefully, "for breaking them?"
I looked at her steadily. "I'll take you over my knee."
The redness in Juliet's cheeks deepened. She'd probably heard rumors about my preferences. Gossip was one of the main currencies in the world we inhabited. Despite her obvious embarrassment, she held my gaze. That impressed me. Clearly Juliet was braver than I realized.
"So, what do you say, Juliet? Do you want my protection?"