closed the door behind her and indicated the direction she should follow. Sheila tried to hide the awe that was flooding through her at the ostentatious display of Wilder wealth. Although the Wilder name was familiar throughout the Northwest, never had Sheila guessed her father’s business partner to be so affluent. The size and elegance of the gracious old house overwhelmed her, and she had to remind herself of Ben Wilder’s infamous reputation for gaining his wealth. Nothing stood in his way when he wanted something; no amount of money was an obstacle that couldn’t be overcome. She slid a glance toward the tall man walking silently at her side. Was he the same as his father?
Without breaking stride Noah touched Sheila’s elbow, nudging her into a room near the back of the house. A dying fire and a few table lamps illuminated the room, which appeared to be a library. Hardcover editions rested on an English reading table, and other books were stored behind the leaded glass of the built-in cabinets. A leather recliner sitting near the fireplace was partially extended, and a half-finished drink rested on a side table, indicating that Noah had been in this room just moments before, waiting. But for whom? Certainly not Sheila. He had no idea that she would grace his doorstep this evening. Once again the overwhelming sensation that she was intruding upon him cut her to the bone. Noah Wilder was just as mysterious as she had imagined.
“Sit down, Miss Lindstrom,” Noah suggested as he stood near a bar. “May I get you a drink?”
“No…thank-you.” She sat on the edge of a wingbacked chair and prayed that she looked calmer than she felt.
“Coffee, perhaps?”
She looked up at him and shook her head. She could feel his eyes on her face; they were the bluest eyes she had ever seen, erotic eyes that mystified her. “No…nothing, thanks.”
Noah shrugged, pulled at his tie and dropped into the oxblood red recliner facing her. In the warm glow from the smoldering embers he studied her face. His stare was so intense that after a moment of returning his direct gaze, she let her eyes fall and pretended interest in the dying fire. But the blackened logs and the quiet flames reminded her of her father and the inferno that had taken his life. Unconsciously she bit at her lower lip and tried to concentrate on anything but the nightmare of the last month.
Noah was disgusted with himself when he realized how fascinated he was becoming with the beguiling woman he had found on his doorstep. Earlier today he had known that she interested him, but never had he expected to become so utterly captivated by her beauty and unconscious vulnerability. Lines of worry etched across her otherwise flawlessly complected forehead, and a deep sadness lingered in her eyes. Still, she was beautiful. The combination of her thick chestnut-colored hair, her delicately structured oval face and her large, nearly luminous gray eyes bewitched him. Noah didn’t fall easy prey to beautiful women; most of them bored him to death. But this intriguing woman with her sharp tongue and gorgeous eyes captivated him. It was difficult for him to disguise his interest in her.
Sheila was nervous, though she proudly attempted to shield herself with a thin veil of defiant poise. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and tiny droplets of moisture clung to her dark hair, making it shine to the color of burnished copper.
Noah took a swallow from his drink. What bothered him most was the shadow of despair in her eyes. It puzzled and nagged at him, and he wondered if he had inadvertently contributed to that pain. An odd sensation swept over him. He wanted to protect her. He felt the urge to reach out and soothe her…comfort her…make love to her until she forgot everything else in her life other than him.
His final thought struck him savagely. What was he doing, fantasizing over a woman he had barely met, a virtual stranger? He reined in his emotions and blamed his traitorous thoughts on the long, tense day and the worry that was eating at him. What did he know of Sheila Lindstrom? He tried to convince himself that she was just another woman. One that, for all he knew, wanted nothing more from him than a piece of his father’s fortune. He drained his drink.
“All right, Miss Lindstrom,” Noah said, breaking the heavy silence. “You have my undivided attention. What is it that you want from me?” He folded his hands and leaned back in the recliner.
“I told you that I want to get in touch with your father.”
“And I told you that your request was impossible. My father is in Mexico, recuperating from a recent illness. You’ll have to deal with me.”
“I’ve tried that,” she pointed out.
“You’re right. You did try, and I wasn’t very accommodating. I apologize for that…. I had other things on my mind at the time. But right now I’m prepared to listen. I assume that you want to talk about the insurance claim for Cascade Valley Winery?”
Sheila nodded, a little of her confidence returning.
“You see, Ben was a personal friend of my father’s. I thought that if I could reason with him, I could convince him of the importance of rebuilding the winery before the fall harvest.”
“Why do you think Wilder Investments would want to continue operating Cascade Valley?”
Sheila eyed Noah dubiously. “To make money, obviously.”
“But the winery wasn’t profitable.”
“Only in the last few years,” she countered. Was he testing her? “It’s true that we’ve had a run of bad luck, but now—”
“We?” he interrupted abruptly. “Do you manage the operation?”
“No,” Sheila admitted honestly. Her face clouded in thought. “No…I don’t. Dad took care of that….” Her voice faded when she thought of her father.
Noah’s question was gentle. “Your father was the man who was killed in the fire?”
“Yes.”
“And you think that you can take over where he left off?”
Sheila squared her shoulders and smiled sadly. “I know I could,” she whispered.
“You worked in the winery?”
“No…yes…only in the summers.” Why couldn’t she think straight? It wasn’t like her to be tongue-tied, but then Noah Wilder was more intimidating than any man she had ever met. “I helped Dad in the summers, when I was free from school and college. I’m a counselor at a community college.” Sheila purposely omitted the five years she had been married to Jeff Coleridge. That was a part of her life she would rather forget. Her daughter, Emily, was the only satisfying result of the sour marriage.
Noah regarded her thoughtfully. He pinched his lower lip with his fingers as he turned her story over in his mind. His eyes never left the soft contours of her face and the determination he saw in her gaze. “So what, exactly, qualifies you to manage the operation—a few summers on the farm?”
She recognized his ploy and smile. “That along with a master’s degree in business.”
“I see.” He sounded as if he didn’t.
Noah frowned as he stood and poured himself another drink. The woman was getting to him. Maybe it was all of the worries over his son, or the anxiety that plagued him at the office. It had been a long, hard day, and Sheila Lindstrom was getting under his skin. He found himself wanting to help her, for God’s sake. Without asking her preference, he poured a second drink and set
