Chapter 9 #2
As I drove by the stables on my way to the villa, the sight of several horses in the corral drew my attention as it had before.
I should stay far away, just like I’d been warned, but I found it so difficult.
I adored horses, although I hadn’t ridden one in years.
Maybe one day I could convince Joshua to allow me to do so.
I allowed the Jeep to idle before cutting the engine.
Star remained in close proximity, her beautiful mane shimmering in the sunlight.
“Stay away. Don’t do it, girl,” I whispered as I stared into the rearview mirror. I knew better than to poke the beast. Then why was I climbing out, heading toward the fence?
Joshua noticed me immediately, walking away from the horses and in my direction. His grin was the same as before, although the shiner he wore on his right eye pissed me off even more. “Well, howdy,” he said, folding his arms across the top of the fence.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Perfect in fact.”
When I gave him an odd look, he laughed. “You don’t understand Mr. Wolfe at all.”
“No, I don’t.”
“He’s not a bad guy. He’s just been through some shit. I’ve worked with him long enough to know when his dark moods take over.”
“Why do you put up with it? That’s crazy. That’s criminal.”
Cocking his head, he kicked his cowboy boot against the bottom rail before looking off toward the mountains.
“Take a look around you. This is as close to paradise as the majority of people will ever get. I’m paid damn well for what I do, a hell of a lot more than I would get doing any other job in California.
That’s for certain. I love the work. I adore the people I work with.
I have a great little house on the other side of the estate where I have a small barn of my own for my two horses.
So, I deal with Mr. Wolfe’s moods. So what? ”
I was taken aback by his carefree attitude. “What happened to him? What really happened? No one wants to open up about why he’s such an asshole.”
“As I told you before. That’s a story for the man himself to tell you.”
“But you were here,” I pushed.
His face clouded, the cowboy finally issuing a slight nod. “I was here. Sometimes I wished I hadn’t been. The tragedy affected everyone at the winery. You need to let it go, Aspen. You can’t fix what happened nor can you change Mr. Wolfe. I wish you could.”
I studied Star as she romped with the other horses, able to tell the barn was relatively new. When the horse noticed me, whinnying then jerking her head up and down and approaching us, a shiver raced down my spine. “She’s just so beautiful.”
“She is. If you ride, I’d love to take you on a scenic tour of the winery sometime.” His grin was infectious.
“On Star?”
Once again, a shadow fell across his face. “No one can ride Star. She’s off limits.”
“Does Montgomery?”
He stroked her mane then pressed the side of his head against her face. “Mr. Wolfe is no longer into riding. He used to spend hours almost every day checking out the production line and every single vineyard. That was a long time ago.”
We both heard a powerful engine in close proximity.
Joshua reacted instantly, shooing Star away then returning to the fence.
I shifted my gaze toward the road, shaking my head from the sight of the sexy red Ferrari.
Maybe a photograph of the powerful man sitting in the driver’s seat would be good for affluent wine drinkers.
I had a feeling that Montgomery would actually like the suggestion.
When I heard the sound of another vehicle approaching quickly, I walked closer to the road.
The thunderous noise wasn’t just coming from the engine but from the vehicle’s radio as well.
The truck skidded to a stop, both men jumping out of their vehicles.
Within seconds, it was easy to see an argument had ensued, Montgomery’s voice heard loud and clear over the din of the music.
“You need to stop doing this. I’m not giving you anything else,” Montgomery hissed.
The other man inched closer, shoving his hands against Montgomery.
“Ah, shit. Another round. Don’t get involved in that,” Joshua said, half under his breath.
“What does another round mean?”
The cowboy pulled me away and out of sight, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me, Aspen. Some things are better left alone.”
I’d caught enough of a glimpse of the second man to see a resemblance. The only difference was that the mystery man had long dark hair flowing to his waist. It was easy to see his Cheyenne heritage. There seemed to be more than one secret. “Brothers?”
He chuckled, darting a quick glance toward the road.
“Yes, and that’s all I’m going to tell you.
Every family has secrets, mine included.
Sadly, the Wolfe family has more than their share.
They’ve had more tragedies than anyone should be forced to endure.
Why don’t you consider coming by later and I’ll get you on a horse?
There’s nothing like seeing the winery from their point of view. ”
Joshua walked away from me immediately, jumping over the fence as if there wasn’t a structure there. I returned my attention to the two men before moving toward the Jeep. Whatever Montgomery was hiding I was determined to find.
Even if it cost me the two hundred grand.
* * *
I took a deep breath, absently swirling the tip of my finger around the rim of the wineglass.
The villa had its own wine cellar, the dozens if not hundreds of bottles all from the host winery.
I’d selected a rose for a change, although it wasn’t my usual first choice.
The bouquet was amazing, the taste exemplary.
I was already on the second glass and I hadn’t been home long.
Home.
As if this would ever be my home. The place was far too glamorous, the detailed artwork evocative and obviously expensive.
But at least I was comfortable in my surroundings.
I had the laptop in front of me, searching through every scrap of information I could find on the winery or the man himself.
There were dozens of articles, most of which from two years before.
I sat back after a few additional minutes, realizing the very reason Wolfe Wineries was on top for such a long time.
My instincts had been right. Montgomery was exactly the kind of spokesperson the estate needed.
His ratings for the various ads were off the charts.
Then he’d stopped with no explanation. What few ads had been put out after that had been benign as hell.
“Huh.” Someone had even cancelled a festival that he’d put into action several years before around the same time. There had to be a correlation. A fire. That’s the only thing I had to go on.
I typed in a date surrounding the period of time in question. Sadly, within minutes, I found my answer.
And it horrified me.
* * *
Four days later
Heartache.
There was no reason for me to feel anything like heartache. What had occurred with Montgomery was never going to happen again. His silence and the fact he’d done his best to ignore me any time we crossed paths was startling. It also had pissed me off.
Yet I yearned for him in ways I was unable to explain to myself.
I’d been unable to work side by side, but I’d observed enough of the operations to believe it ran smoothly.
The profits were down because the wines weren’t getting into the larger markets like they’d once been.
Wolfe Wineries had lost their contracts with two of national big box stores as well as a handful of national grocery chains.
I’d seen no reason for it. The contracts had simply not been renewed.
Coupled with Montgomery’s lack of marketing, I was surprised the winery hadn’t gone under the year before.
At least I’d spent the better part of the time being productive.
I’d had an amazing tasting two nights before, sampling enough of the different varieties of wines to know that the Wolfe product was spectacular.
I’d developed what I thought was an excellent campaign, although all the chutzpa I’d been praised at having seemed lost in my mind.
I’d left out anything about him being Cheyenne. That was personal and I could tell he had mixed feelings about his heritage.
None of my hard work or ideas would matter if I couldn’t get into the big box stores again. The winery would slowly bleed to death. The question in my mind had been nagging me. Would he listen to a damn thing I had to say?
There was no doubt I’d be forced to face my fears sooner versus later, but not tonight.
I’d drop off the jump drive I’d created at Montgomery’s office then sink into a tub of bubbles.
I’d found a local grocery store, picking up some of my favorite goodies.
It was time to enjoy the work I’d already accomplished with a pint of butter pecan ice cream.
Maybe that would soothe the angst that remained.
As I’d hoped, there were no other cars located at the office.
I could slip inside unseen, placing the envelope with the drive by his office door.
What he did with it after that would be his choice to make.
I hadn’t realized the front door’s hinges actually creaked until this particular moment.
As I walked into the foyer, the warm glow of the interior lighting was no different than in the middle of the day.
Only as darkness fell, the lights gave me a sense of foreboding more than comfort.
I’d learned enough about Montgomery’s enemies to realize Prescott Westfield was powerful in his own right.
His website certainly made him seem like a god.
He seemed larger than life, his vibrant ads in every newspaper, magazine, and broadcast indicating he had no issue spending copious amounts of money to push his winery into a successful position.