Chapter 15
Rory
The Crush
The evening was going as planned. Cocktails were served, and Mrs. Powers’ mini meatballs were a hit. It wasn’t a huge party, but there were enough players in the wine and beef industries to give both Rafe and Calvin the credibility they’d need to punch up.
I also ensured, there were sufficient players in the hospitality industry, in attendance.
Their interest in wanting to invest in the area was genuine and only helped by the whisperings Allie and I had perfected.
We were the women of the land. At best, we’d be considered consorts to potential players in male dominated industries.
We couldn’t possibly have any idea what our gossiping could lead to.
Joel Pederson, the owner of a large hotel chain, took a seat alongside me. He was one of the investors in The Argent Group project, but his name was never mentioned in the ledger. As far as I could tell, my brother could not get his claws into one of the richest men in the country. “Ms…”
“Smith.” I smiled, the fake last name fell from my mouth so easily. “Rory Smith. But you can call me Rory.”
“Well, Rory.” His smile was as predatory as Julian’s but I didn’t get a creepy vibe from him at all. The man was a shark. He didn’t get where he was without playing the game. But he wasn’t dirty. “I overheard you telling one of the beef farmers the Argent land could well be dry.”
I masked my annoyance at the way he sneered the term beef farmer. Colton Byers was a renowned cattle rancher from Texas Hill Country. The man ran a multimillion dollar ranch in those well-fitted jeans and dusty boots. He would be a good ally for Rafe.
“Oh, no.” I blinked as I put my hand to my chest. Just a few inches shy of clutching the fake pearls around my neck. “I don’t know about dry. My concern is it has been almost eight months since they announced they wouldn’t need water from Mr. Vierra. But their aquifer is still not up and running.”
Joel narrowed his eyes at me. “Why do you think that is?”
“Well Rafe said, I mean Mr. Vierra.” I let the so-called accidental slip hang for a moment. “He said it is possible the land is dryer than they originally anticipated. Personally, I think they need to do another survey. You know, to be safe.”
Joel nodded. He didn’t get to pry more when Allie stepped onto the small raised platform acting as a stage.
I took my seat next to Susie, Allie’s sister. Her mom sat on her other side, with her brother, Abe and his wife, Alabama, sitting on the opposite end of the table.
She was adorable in her floral dress which fell below her knees. “Good evening everyone and welcome to the inaugural Sterling-Vierra Coastal Crush. My husband and I are so very happy to have you all here this evening. As we speak, he is transporting the final bin of cabernet from the ridge.”
A round of applause echoed around the small crowd. There was even one or two whoops as the excitement mounted.
Then Allie continued. “In just a moment, the steaks will be going onto the grill.” She cupped her hand next to her mouth as if trying to whisper. “All Vierra Beef, of course.”
Again, there were few chuckles in the crowd but Allie landed the blow we needed. The Vierra Ranch was part of the fabric of Cypress Cliffs. My eyes drifted to where Rafe was standing, just to the side of the stage.
Our eyes met, and Rafe winked at me. It was his new favorite thing.
That single gesture had goosebumps erupting on my skin.
It wasn’t the first time we had acknowledged each other.
While we did not publicly announce our relationship, all the locals knew.
And we wanted it to be obvious to anyone who watched us.
Like the guests figured out a big secret if they guessed we were together.
Allie’s words all but disappeared as I struggled not to squirm from the heat in Rafe’s eyes.
I found another longsleeved shift dress at the boutique in Monterey Allie and I had visited.
This one was jade green and Rafe had told me several times since he had zipped me into it he wanted a repeat performance of what happened at the barn.
“So, let’s get to the reason you are here.
” Allie continued, confident as the first lady of the evening.
“Health regulations dictate all juice produced at tonight’s stomping, cannot be consumed.
But it will all go into the compost heaps and be used as fertilizer for next year’s crops.
Once we’ve all stomped our grapes, and washed our feet, our steaks will be ready and it will be accompanied by last year’s Cabernet Sauvignon.
As many of you know, it was our first vintage and the number of viable bottles were small.
But we wanted to share it with all of you. ”
Then she delivered the blow that would send a message to everyone around.
“I may have joked about it earlier but I do want to thank Rafe Vierra and all the staff at the Vierra Ranch. Not only were they generous enough to sponsor the venue for the event, they also provided the beef we will be eating, and the water we’ll be using to wash our feet.
This community relies so much on the involvement and assistance from our neighbors.
And to that end, Sterling Vineyard will provide tastings at a reduced rate to the guests of all the resorts in the area, and Vierra Ranch has also offered horseback tours and picnics.
Rafe frowned at Allie, then at me. His chest expanded as his lungs filled with an exasperated breath.
He may not like the idea, and we would need to work on his people skills, but he knew I was right.
What Allie and I were offering made the land next door more desirable.
We made Cypress Cliffs a tourist destination.
“Now, while we get those steaks grilled, let’s get to the main event.” Allie’s smile was infectious. “Take off those shoes and roll up those pants. Or hike up your skirts, if needed. And let’s get stomping.”
Rafe came over to me and took my hand. “Ready to get your feet messy, City?”
“Let’s do this.”
He led me to the water station at the edge of the clearing.
Everywhere I could, I had placed Vierra Ranch stickers I had printed on the inkjet printer.
We didn’t have time to have everything branded professionally which meant I needed to improvise.
Instead of having the equipment fully branded.
I had things labelled as “Property of Vierra Cattle Ranch” or “Property of Sterling Vineyards.” It appeared functional, as if we just needed to make sure things went to the right owner at the end of the night.
But it served the branding purpose I needed.
For the first time, I was integrating myself with Rafe’s world.
Or maybe it had been happening slowly, but it was noticeable now.
I was handling the business side for both the ranch and vineyard.
Both men knew what they were doing when it came to the operations of their respective businesses.
And Allie was more than a teacher. She had become the face of both enterprises in a single evening.
She did the one thing I could not do. Face the public.
For that, I was eternally grateful. Calvin arrived back in time for the stomping event.
As the vintner, he wanted a hand in each step of the process.
Which was why he took the final bin to the barn for crushing.
And why he made it back to the ranch for the stomping.
He too, would not actually be stomping. Instead, he allowed his wife to stomp in the first barrel.
The idea was once she was done, he would be free to mingle with the other participants. Rafe and I would be second.
Instead of wearing my yellow boots for the evening, I changed to the black pair I purchased which stopped just above my ankles.
It didn’t have the same flair as my yellow ones but for the evening it was dressier but still practical with my dress.
Rafe removed one boot and then the other before he rinsed off my feet.
To ensure my feet stayed clean. At least, that was what he said.
He picked me up and carried me to our half-barrel before placing me inside it.
My feet sank into squishy, slimy grapes, and I pressed my eyes closed as I let out a chuckle. “Eww. It feels so weird.”
I hiked the side of my dress into the elastic of my thong. Thank goodness the price tag on the dress was not high. There was no way I would be walking away from the evening without some purple splatter on it.
“Now you march on the spot, City.” Rafe held my hips as I found my footing. “The more you stomp, the more juice we’ll get into our barrel.”
The winner would receive a case of this year’s vintage, and all participants would be getting a bottle of next year’s.
One foot at a time, my feet crushed the grapes.
It was a sensation that took some getting used to.
And the more the purple stained my skin, the more I knew I would do anything to stay.
I wanted the community. Allie as my best friend.
I wanted Calvin to make the best wine in the country.
And I wanted Rafe. Not only as a protector or a boyfriend.
I wanted him. He was my everything. I wanted to rebuild the ranch to its former glory.
I wanted to be at his side as we created something magnificent in the town which was slowly becoming my home.
“I love you.” I blurted the words before I had a chance to overthink it. “I know it’s quick. And logic says I shouldn’t get involved with anyone, but it's true.”
Rafe cupped my face in both his hands. “I love you, too. And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
I nodded. “Rafe, you have to know I’ll never be safe, right?”
“One step at a time, City.” His hands tightened on my hip.
He gestured in the direction of Vance who was in attendance, but chose not to stomp.
“He is not going to win this round. And then once we have kids, your brother’s motive for killing you will be gone.
Which means the only reason for searching for you will be the ledger, and something tells me he would rather you and the ledger stay as far from him as possible. ”
He was right… except… “Wait? Kids?”
“Where do you think this thing between us is headed?” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Besides, we need to have a son so Calvin’s daughter can have a chance at a normal life.”
“What?”
I obviously missed half of a really important conversation.
He chuckled as hands moved from my hips to my waist. “Long story, City. I’ll fill you in later. But for now, you’ve stomped all the juice you’re going to get out of those grapes.”
He lifted me once more, and carried me back to the water station. He took his time rinsing my feet, making sure all traces of skin and MOG were removed from my feet and lower shins.
It would take a while to rid my feet of the purple stains, but it was a stain I would proudly wear.
Once I was planted back in my boots, Rafe was free to mingle.
No small amount of sexual favors had to be promised for him to leave my side and show everyone in attendance what a crucial part of the town’s ecosystem he actually was.
While we had kept the guest list small, we were sure to invite some vendors who relied on income from Rafe, and provided much needed services in the area.
At the end of the night we wanted to make sure all the investors understood what would happen to the town without Vierra Ranch.
We also wanted to show how abundant water was in the area.
But without their own aquifer they would be reliant on Rafe.
And that it wasn’t a bad thing since Rafe supplied the entire area, and had no intention of raising his prices.
The whispers among the guests were clear.
They wanted a second survey. They wanted a reason to pull out of the deal with Argent.
And then there would be a bidding war for the land.
Argent still wouldn’t lose on their original investment.
In fact, if they did some damage control and controlled the narrative they could still walk away with minimal reputational damage.
Since I didn’t want to draw the attention of the Argent board, it was the way I was hoping Vance would go.
Despite hating it, Rafe had found himself in the middle of several conversations.
Joel Pederson, who owned a hotel chain with several branches in Northern California wanted to discuss beef prices.
He also wanted to talk once the second water survey was done.
At one point, I overheard him speaking to Vance about making it happen with an independent geological company instead of someone employed by the county.
Vance had been sulking ever since.
His car was still parked at the edge of the clearing, yet he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he wandered off. I walked around the edge of the tent and exited.
As I headed for the equipment barn, I smiled remembering what Rafe and I had done there a few days earlier.
I tried the handle but it was locked. Rafe had ensured that earlier in the evening.
Saying, with all the strangers walking around the ranch it made sense to keep the expensive equipment under lock and key.
I checked the clearing where the cars were parked once more. Vance’s black SUV was still parked there.
Movement over at the animal barn caught my attention.
It wasn’t anywhere close to where the festivities were happening so no one should be over there.
It better not be Vance trying to sabotage anything.
As quickly as I could, I walked in the direction of the barn.
The rooster stood outside, quiet for once.
A noise behind made me stop. Before I could turn around, there was a sting to my neck. I struggled to keep my eyes open and my legs turned to jelly. Then my world was black.