“Noelle.” His deep growl of frustration sent a shiver through her. “I was young and foolish when we were together five years ago. I had no idea what I was losing when I let you walk out of my life.”
“Let me walk?” Outrage flooded her with adrenaline. “You shoved me out.”
Christian snorted. “Hardly. I told you to take a fantastic career opportunity.”
“I wanted to stay with you.” There, she’d admitted what had been in her heart five years ago. Spoken the words she’d been too afraid to declare the last time she’d seen him.
“You don’t think I knew that? But I’d already taken too much from you, and you deserved better.” His statement rang with conviction. “I cared about you more than I was willing to admit. Even to myself.”
“I can’t believe you.” If she did, it would undo all the anger and resentment she’d built up over the years and leave her heart open to being hurt again. “You didn’t want me around anymore.”
“I know it’s easy to blame me for the way things ended between us, but you can’t truly tell me you were happy near the end.”
Noelle shook her head. “No. I wanted what I couldn’t have. To be the woman on your arm as well as the one in your bed.”
“We tried that and it didn’t work out very well, remember?” He was referring to the night of the accident, and the fact that her foolishness had almost gotten him killed.
“I remember. So, what makes you think it will be any better this time?”
“You’ll just have to trust me that it will.”
Seven
The luxurious town car slowed as it passed through the quaint village of Paderna, eight rolling miles from Christian’s vineyard. Beside him, Noelle stared past her sleeping son at the shops lining the main street visible through the rear passenger window. With each mile they’d traveled, she’d relaxed a little more. And Christian’s tension had grown.
“Just a little bit farther now,” he murmured, his voice husky from disuse. They’d spoken little during the two-hour ride. After their contentious discussion three days ago, he was loath to bring up anything that might charge the atmosphere in the car and cause further damage to his relationship with either Noelle or their son.
“I forgot how beautiful the wine country is. And so close to Carone.”
“Don’t you have cousins up near Gallard that you visit?”
“Not in years, I’m afraid. Work keeps me too busy to travel for fun.” She probably wasn’t aware of how wistful she sounded.
“Then I’m doubly glad you agreed to join me this weekend. Some time away will do you good.”
She patted her briefcase. “This time is for you and Marc to get to know each other. I have several clients to prepare sketches for.”
“You’ll at least take an hour or so to tour the winery. I’m very proud of it.” Although he made millions buying, fixing and selling corporations, his true passion was crafting the finest vintages in all the country.
He’d acquired Bracci Castle and surrounding vineyards six years earlier from Paulo Veneto, a Sherdanian count who had gambled his way deep into debt. As soon as the hospital had released Christian after the accident, he’d come here to hide and recover. At first the plodding country pace had pained him as much as his scorched flesh. Between his many business dealings and his numerous social engagements, he was used to operating at frenetic speed. Needing something to keep his thoughts occupied and off both the pain in his right side and the agony in his heart, he started learning what it took to produce wine.
At the time, the winery was barely breaking even and the wines were abysmal. Christian figured out that the general manager and winemaker were selling the grapes produced by the vineyard and buying inferior ones at half the cost, pocketing the difference. Within a week Christian had fired and replaced them with two men he’d wooed away from the competition. After sinking a ridiculous amount of money into desperately needed new equipment, he’d held his breath and hoped the grapes were as good as promised. The first harvest had gone well, and the wine produced that year won the winery its first award.
“These are all my fields,” Christian said, indicating the rows of well-maintained grapevines.
“I remember when you mentioned buying the vineyard. You don’t usually hold on to anything for long. Why keep it?”
“The place makes the finest wines in all Sherdana. Why would I want to give that up?”
“So it’s a prestige thing.” Her tone revealed that his answer had disappointed her. She wanted him to speak the truth not give her flippant responses.
“I have grown fond of the place.”
She nodded. “I can’t wait to see it.”
And he couldn’t wait to show it to her. The seven-hundred-year-old castle had a quirky charm so unlike his sleek, sophisticated apartments at the center of activity in Paris and London. His circle of friends thought he was mad to spend any time here. They couldn’t figure out how he kept himself entertained without clubs or expensive restaurants. The isolation that had first bothered him was now like a balm to his soul. One he enjoyed too infrequently thanks to his business commitments.
The car rolled through the arch and beneath the portcullis that was the only way into the castle’s outer courtyard. Where in medieval times this large area would have been cobbled, Christian had turned the space into a grassy lawn with paths. The car followed the circular driveway and stopped outside the keep’s arched double doors. As the driver got out and opened Christian’s door, several staff flowed out of the imposing stone building and headed toward the car. Christian hesitated before sliding out and turned to Noelle. Marc was starting to stir in his car seat.
“Why don’t you let me carry him into the house,” Christian offered, hoping the child would be less likely to protest since he was drowsy.
“Of course.” Noelle exited the car behind him and stood looking up at the towering stone structure in front of her. “This really is a castle, isn’t it?”
“What were you expecting?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Something more fairy-tale-like.”
Christian chuckled. “It is a hulking brute of a thing, isn’t it? Don’t worry. You’ll like what I’ve done to the inside. It has running water and electricity.”
“No heated buckets of water hauled up from the kitchen and winding stairwells lit by torches?”
“You sound disappointed.” It was good to banter with her. The repartee erased the years of separation and recalled why they’d once enjoyed each other’s company so much.
“There’s a part of me that is.”
With his mood growing lighter by the second, Christian unbuckled his son from the car seat and lifted the boy in his arms. The weight of Marc’s sleepy head on his shoulder filled Christian with blazing joy. Holding his child was such a simple thing. How many fathers didn’t give it a second thought? For Christian the moment was precious, and he closed his eyes to imprint the memory, after which he followed Noelle inside.
The entry hall was a wide room that ran for twenty feet on either side of the front door with a fireplace on each wall. Here they were met by a handsome woman in her midfifties wearing a simple navy dress and a tasteful silver brooch in the shape of a lily.
