to a sample of his megawatt charm?
‘Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult wine to get right,’ Jack said. ‘But your father seems to have the Midas touch.’
Nick gave a fleeting smile. ‘The key is to harvest the grapes in the cool of the evening and in the early morning. Then they’re cold soaked before fermentation…and we use the whole berries for that process. Then, to reduce the risk of harsh tannins from the seeds and skins, they’re pressed early.’
Jack nodded. ‘Like I said, your father knows his business. Your vines are looking good again this year. It looks as though you’ll have one of the best seasons yet.’ He poured wine into a glass and passed it to Nick.
‘We’re hoping so.’ Nick held the glass to his lips. ‘Though you don’t do too badly yourself. The Logan name is well respected around here…that’s why we’d really like to make it part of the Bellini company.’
‘It’s a big undertaking.’ Jack’s features were sombre. ‘I’ve worked hard to build up the business over the years. It’s been my life’s work.’
‘Of course.’ Nick tasted the wine, savouring it on his tongue before placing his glass down on the table. ‘I’m sure my father will have taken all that into account.’
Katie frowned. It sounded as though the Bellinis were offering to buy out her father’s company, but as usual Jack Logan was keeping his cards close to his chest. Was he thinking of selling up, or would he try to fend off their attempt at a takeover?
Nick turned towards Katie, as though remembering his manners. ‘I’m sorry to talk shop…I expect this discussion of wine and grapes and company business must be quite boring for you.’
‘Not at all.’ Katie’s expression was sincere. ‘In fact I was really intrigued to learn that my father owns a vineyard, and I was actually hoping that one day soon I might get a chance to see it.’
‘That won’t be a problem,’ Jack murmured. ‘Just as soon as I get over this latest chest infection I’ll take you on a tour. In the meantime, I’m sure Nick would be glad to show you around his place.’
‘I’d be more than happy to do that,’ Nick agreed, his gaze homing in on her. ‘Maybe we could make a date for some time next week?’
‘I… Possibly.’ Katie was reluctant to commit herself to anything. She wasn’t ready for Nick’s full-on magnetism. Didn’t she have enough to contend with right now, without adding to her troubles? ‘I’ll have to see how things work out at the hospital.’
‘The hospital?’
Nick lifted a dark brow and Jack explained helpfully, ‘Katie’s a doctor…a paediatrician. She came out here to get a taste of California life and she’s just settling into a new job.’
‘Oh, I see.’
The waitress arrived with the meals just then, and Katie realised that she was hungry, despite her rest less, slightly agitated frame of mind. Perhaps food would help to calm her down.
She tasted the thinly sliced beef. It was cooked to perfection, and the blend of tomatoes and cheese was sublime. She savoured the food, washing it down with a sip of red wine, and for a moment she was lost in a sweet oasis of serenity.
‘So what was it that prompted you to come out here just now?’ Nick asked. ‘I mean, I guess you must have decided to come and see your father, but what made you choose to do it at this particular point in time?’
The peaceful moment was shattered in an instant. ‘I. It just seemed to be the optimum moment,’ she murmured. ‘My contract back in Shropshire was coming to an end… and I’d heard that my father was ill. I wanted to see how he was doing.’
Nick studied her thoughtfully. ‘There must have been more to it than that, surely? After all, Jack has suffered from lung problems for a number of years, and yet you haven’t been over here to see him before this. Why now? Was it the job at the hospital that encouraged you to make the move?’
Katie frowned. Was that remark a faint dig at her because she hadn’t visited her father in the last few years? What business was it of his, and who was he to judge? What did he know of their lives, of the torment she’d been through?
She made an effort to calm down. Perhaps she was being oversensitive… after all, the emotional distance between herself and her father was upsetting. It was a sore point that had festered over the years, and no one could really be expected to understand her inner hurt. And Nick was just like her father, wasn’t he, probing into things she would sooner were left alone?
She said cautiously, ‘The job was a factor, of course, and I suppose the idea of getting to know more of a different country held a certain appeal.’
Nick frowned. ‘You could have taken a longish holiday, but instead you chose to come and live and work here. That must have been quite a big decision.’
Katie shrugged. ‘Not necessarily.’ She took a sip of her wine.
Jack shifted restlessly in his chair, as though he was impatient with the way the conversation was going. ‘The truth is, Nick, Katie had a nasty break-up with a fellow back home in the UK. They’d been together for quite some time. Turns out she discovered he wasn’t quite what he seemed, and she learned that he had a child by another woman. Katie still hasn’t managed to get over it.’
He speared a piece of steak and held his fork aloft. ‘So the long and the short of it is, she finished things with him, upped sticks and headed out here. Of course, he tried to stop her. He pleaded with her to stay with him, but she wasn’t having any of it. The child was the one obstacle they couldn’t overcome.’
He gave Nick a compelling stare, and Nick’s eyes widened a fraction. An odd look of comprehension passed between the two men, as though somehow in that brief moment they had cemented some kind of masculine bond of understanding with one another.
Katie drew in a shocked breath. She felt as though she’d had the wind knocked out of her. Why was her father tittle-tattling her private business, especially to a man she’d only just met? Could things possibly get any worse? She was beginning to feel slightly nauseous.
‘Well, that would certainly explain things.’ Nick rested his fork on his plate. He studied her curiously, a faintly puzzled but sympathetic expression creasing his brow. ‘I’m sorry. I imagine it must have come as a great shock to you,’ he murmured. ‘These things are very upsetting, of course, especially if it came out of the blue. He obviously meant a great deal to you, this man, if his fall from grace caused you to do something as drastic as to leave home and come out here. That must have been really difficult for you.’
He paused, looking at her, taking in the taut line of her jaw, and when Katie didn’t respond, he added gently, ‘But he was obviously very fond of you, too, and clearly he tried to explain his actions. I find it incredible that any man would do anything to cause you distress…but, in his defence, people do make mistakes, and I suppose all we can do is talk things through and try to understand how the situation came about.’
He hesitated once more, as though waiting for her to say something, but Katie stayed mute. She couldn’t speak. Inside, she was a cauldron of seething emotions.
Perhaps her continuing silence had thrown him off balance because he added cautiously, ‘It’s not
