into the parking lot at the winery, that he was looking forward to seeing her again. He grabbed his briefcase, opened the Jeep’s door and slid out.
Eli was waiting for him. “How’d it go?”
“Lots of talk, not much action.” He opened the back door and Tilly jumped down, politely sniffed Eli’s hand, then wandered away to check out the shrubbery in front of the tasting room.
“Everyone agrees that we need better coordination between the various growers’ associations,” Cole said, opening his briefcase and removing a stack of papers. “Especially when it comes to lobbying in Sacramento. No one wants to actually do the work of setting up a coordinating group.”
“I thought Joe Bradley was keen on running things.”
“I’m not letting Joe turn this into one of his dog-and-pony shows. He starts out big, loses interest and then things fizzle.”
Eli sighed. “I suppose that means you agreed to run things.”
“Nope.” Cole was still mildly astonished at himself. Somewhere along the line, though, doing it all—and proving he could do it better—had stopped being fun. “I’ve got enough on my plate already.”
“I know that. I didn’t think you did.”
“Here,” Cole said, handing Eli the papers. “A copy of the minutes. There are a few things of interest in there.”
Eli scowled. “Summarize it for me.”
Cole grinned. Eli’s hatred of paperwork was a chain he loved to yank. “Can’t. I’ve got enough on my plate.”
“I’m going to break that damn plate over your head,” Eli informed him without heat. “This new leaf of yours doesn’t have anything to do with that old girlfriend of yours who’s following me around, does it?”
“Dixie is following you around?” He made that sound so casual he almost believed himself.
“Everywhere I turn, there she is with that blasted camera. Says she wants lots of candid shots before she starts painting.” Eli grimaced. “Why the hell didn’t you and Mercedes tell me this promotional campaign was going to use my face?”
“It’s more fun to surprise you.” Cole started for the door.
“Well, I don’t like it.” Eli fell into step beside him. “Not that I have any problem with Dixie’s company.”
“Who would?” She’d undoubtedly been flirting with Eli, Cole thought. For Dixie, flirting came as naturally as breathing.
“She’s fun to have around, not to mention being eye candy from top to toe. I just wish she’d ditch the camera.” Eli stopped, facing Cole so that he had to stop, too. “So…you have any claim there?”
Cole’s eyebrows snapped down. “With Dixie?”
“I think that’s who we’re talking about, yeah. I know the two of you had something going years ago, but you don’t seem to be picking up where you left off.”
“I’ve been in Sacramento,” Cole snapped. Just because he’d decided to step back didn’t mean he wanted to watch his brother move in.
“And I’ve been here, and I’ve been looking. Thought I’d better let you know before I made a move.”
“You can’t find a woman of your own?” Cole demanded, furious. “You want my hand-me-downs?”
Eli infuriated him by chuckling. “I’d like to be there when Dixie hears you refer to her as hand-medowns.”
He wasn’t entirely crazy. “Bad choice of words,” he admitted. “But you’d still better keep your greedy hands to yourself.”
“We’ll see. If you don’t—”
Tilly rounded the corner of the building at a dead run, hotly pursued by a huge gray cat. The dog skidded to a halt behind Cole’s legs, trembling. And Dixie rounded the corner at a run—face flushed, long hair flying, long legs bare beneath ragged cutoffs.
She jerked to a stop several feet away. So did Hulk, but Cole wasn’t looking at the cat.
He was older and wiser now…but flexibility was an aspect of maturity, right? He could change his mind.
Chapter Three
Cole’s mouth kicked up in a grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move that fast before.”
“I was trying to rescue your stupid dog.” She was out of breath and disheveled, her chest heaving beneath a skimpy T-shirt that read, Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History.
Tilly was calmer now that she’d found backup, though she still huddled behind Cole. He ran a hand over the top of her head soothingly and tried to sound severe. “You’re supposed to keep your demon cat inside.”
“Guess what? He got out.”
“Wouldn’t matter,” Eli said, “if Cole’s dog weren’t so pathetic.” He looked at Tilly, crouched behind Cole. “I know the cat is big, but you still outweigh him by fifty pounds.”
“Like that matters.” Cole shook his head. “As far as Tilly’s concerned, everything in the world is bigger and meaner than she is.”
Dixie sauntered closer, as casually graceful as her cat and a lot more interesting to watch. “She may be right about meaner. I’ve seen earthworms with more backbone.”
“Earthworms are invertebrates.”
“You get my point.”
Eli had been noticing Dixie’s legs. In all conscience, Cole couldn’t blame him. “Aren’t you cold?” Eli asked, concerned. “This isn’t exactly shorts weather.”
Cole could have warned him not to suggest that Dixie didn’t know what she was doing at all times. He wouldn’t have, of course, but he could have.
Dixie eyebrows flew up. “It’s shorts weather to me. I’ve gotten used to a more rugged climate.”
“Rugged.” Cole nodded. “Yeah, that’s the first word I think of when I think of you. I like the Tshirt.”
“I noticed that you’d become a slow reader.”
Since the letters were stretched across a pair of lovely breasts, he just grinned.
While they were talking, Hulk was infiltrating. Nonchalant as only a cat can be, he’d wandered closer. Tilly kept retreating until she was behind Eli. Hulk, triumphant, stropped himself against Cole’s leg, purring.
“Yeah, I can see how innocent you are,” Cole said, bending to pick the cat up. He promptly went limp, purring manically. Automatically Cole stroked him.
Dixie smirked. “He likes to be rubbed behind the ears.”
“That’s
