After a quick greeting to the men in the black truck. Rafe and I met Winston who climbed out of the blue one. “Hey boss, we moved all the cows to the southwest pasture.”
“Good. I take it there were no hiccups?”
“Not from the cattle.” Winston narrowed his eyes. “But that Vance guy was there taking photos. He going to be a problem at the Crush?”
Rafe shook his head. “If he is, he won’t be for long.”
It was all the indication I needed to confirm Rafe was one-hundred-percent confident with my plan.
CHAPTER 15
Rory
The Crush
The evening was going as planned.Cocktails were served, and Mrs. Powers’ mini meatballs were a hit. It wasn’t a huge party, but there were enough players in the wine and beef industries to give both Rafe and Calvin the credibility they’d need to punch up.
I also ensured, there were sufficient players in the hospitality industry, in attendance. Their interest in wanting to invest in the area was genuine and only helped by the whisperings Allie and I had perfected. We were the women of the land. At best, we’d be considered consorts to potential players in male dominated industries.
We couldn’t possibly have any idea what our gossiping could lead to.
Joel Pederson, the owner of a large hotel chain, took a seat alongside me. He was one of the investors in The Argent Group project, but his name was never mentioned in the ledger. As faras I could tell, my brother could not get his claws into one of the richest men in the country. “Ms…”
“Smith.” I smiled, the fake last name fell from my mouth so easily. “Rory Smith. But you can call me Rory.”
“Well, Rory.” His smile was as predatory as Julian’s but I didn’t get a creepy vibe from him at all. The man was a shark. He didn’t get where he was without playing the game. But he wasn’t dirty. “I overheard you telling one of the beef farmers the Argent land could well be dry.”
I masked my annoyance at the way he sneered the term beef farmer. Colton Byers was a renowned cattle rancher from Texas Hill Country. The man ran a multimillion dollar ranch in those well-fitted jeans and dusty boots. He would be a good ally for Rafe.
“Oh, no.” I blinked as I put my hand to my chest. Just a few inches shy of clutching the fake pearls around my neck. “I don’t know about dry. My concern is it has been almost eight months since they announced they wouldn’t need water from Mr. Vierra. But their aquifer is still not up and running.”
Joel narrowed his eyes at me. “Why do you think that is?”
“Well Rafe said, I mean Mr. Vierra.” I let the so-called accidental slip hang for a moment. “He said it is possible the land is dryer than they originally anticipated. Personally, I think they need to do another survey. You know, to be safe.”
Joel nodded. He didn’t get to pry more when Allie stepped onto the small raised platform acting as a stage.
I took my seat next to Susie, Allie’s sister. Her mom sat on her other side, with her brother, Abe and his wife, Alabama, sitting on the opposite end of the table.
She was adorable in her floral dress which fell below her knees. “Good evening everyone and welcome to the inaugural Sterling-Vierra Coastal Crush. My husband and I are so veryhappy to have you all here this evening. As we speak, he is transporting the final bin of cabernet from the ridge.”
A round of applause echoed around the small crowd. There was even one or two whoops as the excitement mounted.
Then Allie continued. “In just a moment, the steaks will be going onto the grill.” She cupped her hand next to her mouth as if trying to whisper. “All Vierra Beef, of course.”
Again, there were few chuckles in the crowd but Allie landed the blow we needed. The Vierra Ranch was part of the fabric of Cypress Cliffs. My eyes drifted to where Rafe was standing, just to the side of the stage.
Our eyes met, and Rafe winked at me. It was his new favorite thing. That single gesture had goosebumps erupting on my skin. It wasn’t the first time we had acknowledged each other. While we did not publicly announce our relationship, all the locals knew. And we wanted it to be obvious to anyone who watched us. Like the guests figured out a big secret if they guessed we were together.
Allie’s words all but disappeared as I struggled not to squirm from the heat in Rafe’s eyes. I found another longsleeved shift dress at the boutique in Monterey Allie and I had visited. This one was jade green and Rafe had told me several times since he had zipped me into it he wanted a repeat performance of what happened at the barn.
“So, let’s get to the reason you are here.” Allie continued, confident as the first lady of the evening. “Health regulations dictate all juice produced at tonight’s stomping, cannot be consumed. But it will all go into the compost heaps and be used as fertilizer for next year’s crops. Once we’ve all stomped our grapes, and washed our feet, our steaks will be ready and it will be accompanied by last year’s Cabernet Sauvignon. As many of you know, it was our first vintage and the number of viable bottles were small. But we wanted to share it with all of you.”
Then she delivered the blow that would send a message to everyone around. “I may have joked about it earlier but I do want to thank Rafe Vierra and all the staff at the Vierra Ranch. Not only were they generous enough to sponsor the venue for the event, they also provided the beef we will be eating, and the water we’ll be using to wash our feet. This community relies so much on the involvement and assistance from our neighbors. And to that end, Sterling Vineyard will provide tastings at a reduced rate to the guests of all the resorts in the area, and Vierra Ranch has also offered horseback tours and picnics.
Rafe frowned at Allie, then at me. His chest expanded as his lungs filled with an exasperated breath. He may not like the idea, and we would need to work on his people skills, but he knew I was right. What Allie and I were offering made the land next door more desirable. We made Cypress Cliffs a tourist destination.
“Now, while we get those steaks grilled, let’s get to the main event.” Allie’s smile was infectious. “Take off those shoes and roll up those pants. Or hike up your skirts, if needed. And let’s get stomping.”
