Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Nate
Usually I slept well at the vineyard, especially after a hard night of picking, but today a decent rest eluded me.
My body was tired, but I was wound too tight to sleep.
It wasn't the usual anxieties that the harvest might be light or that the weather might turn that disturbed me.
It was having Juliet Caldwell sleeping under my roof.
She was one of the most beautiful and endearing women I'd ever met, but I needed to think carefully about acting on my attraction.
She'd come to me for help, and I offered her protection.
It was my responsibility to look after her.
Taking advantage of her in a vulnerable moment would make me worse than the man she was trying to get away from.
Swinging my legs out of bed, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and called Scott Bateson, the head of my security team.
"Nate?" He answered within a couple of rings. "Is everything okay?"
"I need you to look into Garrett Kane for me."
He hummed thoughtfully. "Sure. Any particular aspect?"
"Yes, his dealings with women."
There was a moment's pause. "Dealings with women? What do you mean?"
"Harassment suits that have been swept under the carpet, allegations of misconduct in his personal life, that sort of thing."
If anyone could uncover wrongdoing, it was Scott.
"Okay." He sounded wary. "Is there some reason for this sudden interest in Kane?"
I took a moment to weigh whether to tell Scott about my houseguest, then decided he could be trusted.
"Juliet Caldwell came to me last night, looking for somewhere to lay low.
Kane has been pursuing her relentlessly.
She's afraid of him." Although she hadn't told me that in so many words, I got the distinct impression his power and influence intimidated her.
Though she was trying to be brave, I'd heard the quiver in her voice when she talked about Kane.
Scott made a sound that might have been a curse. "Okay, I'll get right on that. I'll also send you some extra security."
"I don't think…"
"Nate." He cut across me without apology. "I know you have guys out there, but if Kane decides to make a move, a half-dozen grape pickers aren't going to see off the trained professionals he’ll hire. Let me send the right people."
My men did a hell of a lot more than pick grapes, but Scott was right that they would be no match for the sort of professional team Garrett Kane could hire if he wanted to snatch Juliet.
Fuck! I rubbed my forehead as I tried to wrap my mind around the situation.
Yesterday the biggest issue I had to worry about was whether the sugar content of the cabernet would be too high.
Now I was thinking about whether the woman I'd promised to protect might be kidnapped from my home.
"Send them," I said. "But tell them to keep a low profile. I don't want Juliet unsettled by armed guards everywhere."
"Understood. I'll let you know what I dig up on Kane."
I ended the call, set the phone down, and headed into the bathroom. Although I'd showered earlier to wash the grime from the vineyard off my body, I needed another after tossing and turning for hours
Twenty minutes under the steady stream of cool water readied me to face the world.
I dried off and dressed in jeans and a shirt.
There were two to three days of harvesting left, depending on how many temporary pickers appeared tonight.
With plenty of work in the valley during the harvest season, competition for their labor was fierce.
When I was dressed, I headed across the hallway to listen at Juliet's door for a moment. There was no sound from within. I considered knocking, but she was probably still asleep, so I turned and walked away.
As I made my way to the kitchen, voices drifted toward me. One was easily recognizable as the brash Newcastle accent of my aunt. The other, softer voice belonged to Juliet. I stopped at the door to watch them.
Juliet stood at the island dressed in a pair of dark leggings that clung to her slender legs.
Several inches too short, they probably belonged to my cousin.
She wore a white cotton shirt, knotted at the front to reveal a sliver of delicate skin.
Her hair was pulled back in a loose knot with wisps hanging down to frame her face. Flour dusted her cheek.
Eileen stood opposite her, arms folded, giving her a mock stern look.
"You don't beat the mix once the flour is in it," Juliet was saying, demonstrating with careful movements. "If you're too aggressive, you knock the air out and then your muffins will be dense instead of light and fluffy."
"I know." Eileen's tone was sardonic. "I've been baking for more than thirty years, pet."
Juliet grinned. "Then you know I'm right."
I cleared my throat and both women turned to me. Juliet's eyes lit up, a candid response which hinted she was attracted to me.
"Good morning," she said, wiping her hands on a towel, "or should I say good afternoon."
I glanced at the clock on the wall above the kitchen table. "It's definitely afternoon."
"Eileen's been good enough to lend me her kitchen."
"So, I see. What are you making?"
"Lemon poppyseed muffins. I thought everyone might appreciate something sweet before they get started tonight."
"I'm sure they will."
As she crossed the kitchen to fetch a couple of muffin tins from another worktop, I noticed her feet were bare.
I couldn't help smiling. Last night in her red designer dress, she'd been wearing armor, presenting the image expected of her.
Today she was unguarded, natural. It was incredibly appealing.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.
"Yes," Eileen said. "Stay out of the way. I know you only want to lick the spoon."
Raising my hands in surrender, I skirted around the edge of the room to make myself a coffee.
"I'd love a cappuccino, if you're offering," Juliet said.
"Me too," Eileen chipped in.
By the time I finished making the coffees, Juliet was sliding the second of the two trays into the oven.
"You two go and enjoy your coffee," Eileen said. "I'll clear up in here."
"Oh, no," Juliet protested. "I made the mess. I should be the one to clean it up."
"No." Eileen shooed her away. "You two spend some time together. I'll clean up and take your muffins out when they're done."
Juliet tried to resist my aunt's attempts to take over, but it was futile. I grabbed our coffees, and we headed out onto the porch.
"There's no arguing with my aunt."
"She's a determined lady, that's for sure." Juliet smiled as she accepted her cappuccino from me.
"Have you let anyone know you're here?"
Juliet shook her head. "You told me not to contact anyone without asking you first."
"And I meant it."
"I know, but I should probably get in touch with my mother. She's expecting me back in L.A. I need to let her know I'm safe, or she'll call out the National Guard." Juliet lowered her gaze. "If that's okay with you?"
"Of course. Where will you tell her you are?"
"That I'm staying with a friend for a few days."
"Will she accept that?"
"She'll have to." Juliet sounded determined. "I'm not a child. I can take a break if I want to."
I nodded, though I suspected Caroline Caldwell wouldn't see it the same way. From what I'd seen of Juliet's mother, she moved her husband and daughter around like chess pieces. It didn't surprise me in the slightest that she'd encouraged Garrett Kane's pursuit of Juliet.
"Are you going to tell her I'm the friend you're staying with?"
Juliet sank her teeth into her bottom lip in an adorable display of uncertainty. "Should I?"
I shrugged. "She's going to find out eventually. There are people coming and going from this place all the time, and we need to go into town before work starts tonight to get you some new clothes. Someone's bound to recognize us."
"I guess so." Juliet frowned as she stared down into her coffee as if the froth held the answers to all the questions swirling in her mind. Eventually she looked back up at me. "Are you okay with that? Won't Garrett come after you if he realizes I'm staying here?"
"Wasn't that the point of you coming to me, so he'd know you have my protection?"
"Yes, but…" Juliet's lip wobbled.
"But what?"
"I didn't really think it through, the impact being caught up in this thing between me and Garrett might have on you."
I looked at her steadily. She was sitting forward in her chair, both hands wrapped around her cup, genuinely worried about me. I let that register before I responded.
"Listen to me." I waited until she met my eyes. "You don't need to worry about what Kane can do to me. There is nothing he can do to me. What I need from you is to trust that I can handle this and to follow my lead when I tell you to." I paused. "Can you do that?"
She thought about it for a moment before nodding decisively. "Yes."
"Good. Now go call your mother, then I'll take you into town."
As she headed off to her bedroom, I took our coffee cups to the kitchen where Eileen was busy chopping onions.
"We're going to town to pick up some supplies for Juliet," I told her.
Eileen smiled approvingly. "She's a nice girl. You could do a lot worse."
I rolled my eyes at her matchmaking attempt, but as I walked away, I couldn't help thinking she was right. Garrett Kane had made a mistake in thinking Juliet was a prize to be acquired. She was a woman to be treasured, protected. And I would be the man to do it.