It was an old-fashioned habit, one that had its roots firmly linked to the ruins on the hill and a lifestyle long since gone, but one which still held a certain charm and which had no doubt been integral in keeping the family so firmly knit together.
Sunset brought a deeper chill to the air outside, which was offset by the crackling fire in the large stone fireplace. He cast a glance around the room, giving a grim-lipped nod briefly in Ethan’s direction before smiling at his mother, who sat, with her usual supreme elegance, on one of the chairs near the fireplace. No sign of the new guest yet.
He crossed to the sideboard and poured himself a half glass of The Masters’ pinot noir. As he did so, he saw the object of his intentions hover in the doorway. He moved toward her immediately, but his mother—ever vigilant—beat him there. As he approached, he could hear her questioning Anna.
“Excuse me for being so forward, but you do look familiar to me. Have you stayed here before?” Cynthia asked.
To his surprise, a swiftly masked look of shock flitted across Anna’s face.
“N-no,” she replied. “This is my first visit to South Australia, although I hope it won’t be my last.”
She smiled, but her eyes still held a shadow of the shock he’d seen earlier. Was she lying? His instincts honed to a sharper edge. Ms. Garrick was becoming very interesting indeed.
“Perhaps you have a double out there. They say we all do.” Cynthia glossed over any awkwardness with an arch of one expertly plucked brow. “Tell me, what can Judd get you to drink, my dear?”
“A glass of sauvignon blanc would be lovely, thank you. I hear you recently were awarded two golds for your sauvs.”
“Yes, we were. We’re very proud of Ethan and what he’s doing with the wines,” Cynthia said with a pointed look toward her son that told Judd his cousin had probably already apprised her of their earlier dispute. “Aren’t we, Judd?”
“He’s a master, that’s for sure,” Judd agreed.
His double entendre didn’t go unnoticed by his mother, who flung him a silent rebuke with her expressive eyes, before apparently deciding it would be a suitable punishment to him to lead Anna away and introduce her to the other members of the family. Judd was forced to admit that his mother had chosen her chastisement well—Anna was the only one in the room whose company he truly wanted tonight.
He stood with one hand in his trouser pocket and observed Anna’s movements as she was introduced to Cynthia’s two older brothers and then Ethan. The instant his cousin stood to welcome the newcomer, Judd’s hackles rose and every feral instinct inside of him leaped to the fore.
Something must have shown on his face, because he didn’t miss the spark of interest in Ethan’s eye before his cousin leaned forward to say something to Anna. Something which made her laugh. The sound itself was enough to send his blood humming along his veins, but knowing it was Ethan who had brought that laugh to her delectable lips set his teeth on edge.
Determined not to give his cousin the satisfaction of knowing just how much, and how surprisingly, his action had riled him, Judd turned to welcome Ethan’s sister, Tamsyn, as she appeared in the door.
“I see you’ve already met our latest guest,” she commented, removing his untouched pinot noir from his hands and taking a sip. Her brand-new engagement ring flashed brilliantly in the overhead lights. “Mmm, good. Can you pour me one?”
“Have this one, I haven’t touched it.”
“Thanks,” Tamsyn answered with a smile.
“That fiancé of yours not here with you tonight?”
“No, he’s still in the city—working.” Her warm brown eyes searched his face. “You look tense. Is everything okay?”
Judd forced a smile to his lips. Tamsyn always had the unerring ability to sense when something was wrong with him.
“Nothing that won’t be sorted when your brother learns to pay as much attention to market trends as he does to our guests,” he commented.
Tamsyn laughed. “Oh, well, good luck with that, cuz. You know market trends are the last thing Ethan concerns himself with. But I wouldn’t growl too much about that.” She nodded in Anna’s direction. “You know Ethan’s partial to blondes. And this particular brunette keeps sneaking glances at you, anyway. Have you met her yet?”
Judd nodded, letting his gaze track back to Anna’s slender form and drinking in the smooth lines of her body, allowing a satisfaction-filled smile to cross his face when he realized his cousin was right—Anna’s attention wandered in his direction several times. “Did she say what she was doing here in Adelaide?”
“No, I just assumed it was a short vacation. She didn’t say much when she rang to make the booking.”
“A short vacation?”
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to get to know her,” Tamsyn teased. “But yeah, she’s only here four days.”
“I’d better not let her waste any more of her time here, then,” he replied. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Without waiting for Tamsyn’s reply he made his way across the room and to Anna’s side. She turned and gave him a smile.
“It must be lovely being able to work with your extended family like this,” she said. “Ethan’s been filling me in on what you all do.”
“It has its benefits, certainly,” Judd agreed. “Tell me, have you planned any extended sightseeing while you’re here? As luck would have it, I find myself with a couple of days with little to do and I’d love to show you around if you’re keen.”
Anna told herself to remain calm. This was exactly the opportunity she needed. Time alone with Judd Wilson would help her to better find out what he was like. She knew Charles had expected her to simply make an appointment with him and to give him the letter that even now burned a hole in her evening bag, but despite Charles’s directive, she wanted to understand her boss’s son just a little more before she took that step. God only knew that Charles had borne his fair share of disappointment in his lifetime and, if she had her way, his last years would be quite the opposite.
As much as Charles longed to be reunited with Judd, Anna knew that Charles was braced for his son’s refusal. That was why he’d told no one but Anna how crucial it was to him to bring Judd back into the fold. Charles had sworn her to complete secrecy, not allowing her to tell even his daughter, Nicole, who had subtly taken up the reins of the company when Charles first got sick, any of the details of this trip. The cone of silence rankled, especially when Nicole was her best friend and they all not only worked together, but lived under the same roof, as well. Anna couldn’t help but feel that she was betraying Nicole by doing all of this behind her back.
It was for Charles’s sake, she reminded herself. And Charles deserved her very best efforts to convince his son to come home. If only she knew what the best approach was for her to take!
Instinct told her that Judd might be more receptive if she hid her true purpose for a little while longer and got him to open up to her more before she revealed the truth of her visit. But the purely female part of her worried that the longer she put off her business, the harder it would be for her to resist the powerful draw
