Wed on His Terms: Million-Dollar Marriage Merger. Charlene Sands

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      Despite the fact that Rena had loved Tony first.

      Rena held back a sob and bravely reached out to the blanket of fresh flowers draped along the coffin. She pulled her hand back just as her fingertip touched a rose petal. At that moment, she glanced at Tony, her sad eyes so round and blue that a piece of him unraveled.

      He knew her secret.

      But Tony didn’t give that away. He stared at her, and for that one small moment, sympathy and the pain of losing David temporarily bonded them.

      She blinked then turned around, stepping away from the gravesite, her legs weak as all eyes watched the beautiful grieving widow say her final farewell to her husband.

      Nick and Joe, Tony’s younger brothers, stood by his side. Joe draped an arm around him. “We’re all going to miss him.”

      â€œHe was as good as they come,” Nick added.

      Tony nodded and stared at the car as Rena drove away from the cemetery.

      â€œRena’s all alone now,” Joe said, once Nick bid them farewell. “It’ll be even more of a struggle for her to keep Purple Fields going.”

      Tony drew a deep breath, contemplating his next move. They’d been rivals in business for years, but her winery had been failing and was barely holding on. “She won’t have to.”

      Joe stiffened. “Why, are you planning on buying her out? She won’t sell, bro. You know she’s stubborn. She’s had offers before.”

      â€œNot like this one, Joe.”

      Joe turned his head to look him in the eye. “What, you’re making her an offer she can’t refuse?”

      â€œSomething like that. I’m going to marry her.”

      Rena got into her car alone, refusing her friends’ and neighbors’ well-meaning gestures to drive her home, to sit with her, to memorialize David Montgomery. She never understood why people gathered after a funeral, had food catered in and specialty wines flowing. They filled their plates, chattered and laughed and most times forgot the real reason they had come. She couldn’t do that to David. No, he was too young to die. Too vital. He’d been a good man, an excellent and loving husband. She couldn’t celebrate his life; he’d had so much more to live. So she spoke the words with sincerity to the guests at the funeral site, “I hope you understand that I need to be alone right now,” and had driven off.

      She rode the lanes and narrow streets of the valley as numbness settled over her. She knew this land so well, had traveled every road, had grown up in Napa and had married here.

      She wept silently. Tears that she thought were all dried up spilled down her cheeks. She found herself slowing her old Camry as she passed the Carlino estate, the vibrant vineyards sweeping across acres and acres.

      She knew why she’d come here. Why she parked the car just outside the estate gates. She blamed Tony Carlino for David’s death. She wanted to scream it from the hilltops and shout out the unfairness of it all.

      A flashy silver sports car pulled up behind her, and she knew she’d made a mistake coming here. From the rearview mirror, she watched him step out of the car, his long legs making quick strides to the driver’s side of her car.

      â€œOh, no.” She grasped the steering wheel and rested her forehead there. Biting her lip, she took back her wish to scream out injustices. She didn’t have the energy. Not here. Not now.

      â€œRena?”

      The deep rich timbre of Tony’s voice came through the window of the car. He’d been her friend once. He’d been her world after that. But now all she saw was a drop-dead handsome stranger who should have never come back to the valley. “I’m fine, Tony,” she said, lifting her head from the steering wheel.

      â€œYou’re not fine.”

      â€œI just buried my husband.” She peered straight ahead, refusing to look at him.

      Tony opened the car door, and she glimpsed his hand reaching out to her. “Talk to me.”

      â€œNo … I can’t,” she said with a shake of her head.

      â€œThen let’s take a walk.”

      When she continued to stare at his hand, he added, “You came here for a reason.”

      She closed her eyes holding back everything in her heart, but her mind wouldn’t let go of how David died. Spurred by renewed anger, she ignored Tony’s outstretched hand and bounded out of the car. She strode past him and walked along the narrow road lush with greenery. From atop the hill, the valley spread out before her, abundant with vines and homes, both big and small, a hollow of land where many families worked side by side to ensure a healthy crop.

      She had promised David she’d hold on to Purple Fields, an odd request from his deathbed, yet one she couldn’t refuse. She loved Purple Fields. It had been her parent’s legacy, and now it was her home, her sanity and her refuge.

      She marched purposely ahead of Tony, which was an accomplishment in itself, since he’d always been quick on his feet. His footsteps slowed. Then he let go an exasperated sigh. “Damn it, Rena. David was my friend. I loved him, too.”

      Rena halted. Jamming her eyes closed momentarily, she whirled around. “You loved him? How can you say that? He’s gone because of you!” Rena’s anger flowed like the rush of a river. “You should never have come home. David was happy until you showed up.”

      Lips pursed, Tony jutted his jaw out. Oh, how she remembered that stubborn look. “I’m not responsible for his death, Rena.”

      â€œHe wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel of that race car if you hadn’t come home. When you showed up, that’s all David talked about. Don’t you see? You represented everything David wanted. You ran away from the vineyards. You raced. You won. You became a champion.”

      Tony shook his head. “It was a freakish accident. That’s all, Rena.”

      â€œYour return here brought it all back to him,” she said solemnly.

      â€œMy father died two months ago. I came home to run the company.”

      Rena glared at him. “Your father,” she muttered. Santo Carlino had been a harsh, domineering man who’d wanted to build his empire no matter the cost. He’d tried to buy out every small winery in the area. And when the owners refused, he’d managed to ruin their business somehow. Purple Fields had seen the brunt of the Carlino wrath for years. Yet her parents had fought him tooth and nail, keeping their small patch of life out of Carlino hands. “I’ll not speak ill of the dead, but …”

      â€œI know you despised him,” Tony stated.

      Rena stuck to her promise and held her tongue about Santo Carlino, but she couldn’t СКАЧАТЬ