Page 40
“Maybe.” It is. There’s no question. It’s probably a good forty-five minutes from my place to Sutter Creek when there’s no traffic. “But it’s convenient to St. Luke’s. And that’s my priority.”
“Lex.”
“Listen, Sam. It’s ten minutes from the hospital. That’s the only geography that matters to me,” I snap, pushing the door open and extending my arm for him to enter. I’m exhausted, and the stress of second-guessing the decision to do this is giving me mental whiplash. “I think I’m being put out enough by this whole charade.”
Inside my usually cozy home, the space feels somewhat smaller with his six-foot two-inch muscular frame dominating my living room. Add in his overbearing personality, and it’s a bit cramped. I continue to walk until we reach my dining table, the air thick with the smell of my neighbor’s grill and the overwhelming reality of the contracts that are about to be sitting between us.
“I agree,” Sam replies, his voice low and steady. “But this house… it’s too far. If I’m going to make the vineyard profitable by even a single dollar, I need to be in the dirt by 5 a.m.” He leans in, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “Please, Lex. I need you to move into the estate. There are no nosy neighbors. It’s gated. And it allows us a heads-up if my mother or her minions plan to make any surprise appearances.”
I stiffen. “I have a life here, Sam. A practice to run.”
“We can stay here any night you have an early surgical schedule or you’re on call,” he offers, his tone almost pleading. “But the vineyard needs to look lived-in.”
I consider this. “Maybe we need to replace any staff whose silence could be bought.”
“There’s only Rosario and Walter left. And they’ve been working there since we were kids. Asking either of them to sign an NDA at this point would only draw more suspicion, not less. I think we need to act the part around anyone at home, just to be certain. It isn’t worth the risk of something getting back to my mother.”
While it may be easier to look in on Grandpa by moving in with him, there’s no way I’m letting Sam think he can steamroll over me to get whatever he wants. Taking a steadying breath, I lower myself into a chair. “Okay, so long as you agree I can stay here whenever I need to. I start most of my days as early as you do. But it’s my practice, and I can rearrange my schedule to make this work”.
A flicker of a smile from the Sam I remember touches his lips.
The Sam I hate to love.
He reaches into his pocket and retrieves that blue velvet box from the other night. The one I rejected initially. The little box I should still be pushing away. Because this whole thing is nuts. And something tells me, even if I stay focused on the fact this contract marriage has a ticking clock, I’m going to get hurt when this is all over.
Sam leans in, taking my hands in his. The current traveling up my arms threatens to short-circuit my brain. “I want to devote every moment I can over the next year to getting Sutter Creek profitable enough you don’t need to stay chained in a marriage you want no part of.”
Sadly, it’s what happens at the end of the year I’m more worried about. How my heart will survive when he’s ready to be done with me. I sigh, the weight of this whole façade already bearing down on me. “Fine. But I’m not changing my last name.”
“Whatever you say, Lex,” he agrees a little too quickly. “I’ll try to do anything I can to make this easier for you. We just can’t do anything that could give my mother grounds to dig deeper into our marital situation.”
Marital situation.
Good grief. Could this sound any less appealing? I stretch my neck from side to side; the reality of my decision to go through with this is making my muscles clench. “Let’s get this over with. We need to discuss the logistics. I’d like to settle things quickly enough that I can grab a hot shower and a glass of wine before bed. This day has done a number on me.”
“Oh, wait. He hops up and sprints for the door. I’ll be right back.” Sam disappears for a moment, returning with what appears to be a Sutter Creek reserve blend from the label. It’s one of their most expensive bottles. He makes quick work of opening the wine and reaches for a couple of wineglasses sitting on the island, as if he already lives here.
“Speaking of bed…” Wait, what? When were we… oh, yeah. I wanted to have a glass before bed. I hope he isn’t insinuating… My alarmed eyes flick up to meet his.
“I don’t see any way around it. We’re going to need to share a bedroom,” he says casually. As if we’re discussing steak fries versus baked potatoes for dinner.
“No!”
“But—”
“But nothing. There’s no reason we need to go that far.”
“Really? My mother has a lot of money at her disposal. Not to mention she’s a fucking vulture when it comes to getting what she wants. Trust me, I’ve lived it. Sutter Creek wouldn’t be in the shape it was if it weren’t for her greed. She’ll likely hire investigators to watch our every move once she hears about our plan to wed. Especially since it will appear to be out of the blue.” His eyes are glued on mine, which are currently the size of saucers. I probably look like a cartoon character. “I want to think Rosario and Walter would have enough love for Sutter Creek that they wouldn’t sell me out by sharing details about our private life with her or anyone she sends to the home. But it’s too big of a gamble.”
My face falls into my hands before the full impact of his theory lands on my shoulders like a thud. “Wait. Are we sleeping in the same bed, Sam? Because the last time you were close enough to touch me, you told me…” I tap the pad of my finger against my lower lip as I pretend to not remember the words seared onto my brain. “Oh, yeah. You said, ‘As if. You probably taste like sour grapes.’”
The color drains from his face. Good. I want him to remember. I want him to know that even if I save his vineyard, I haven’t forgotten the girl he destroyed.
“Lex, I’m—”
“Save it, Sam.”
“Whatever it takes, Lex,” he adds, his voice dropping to a register that makes my skin prickle. “If we have to share a bed to keep the land, we share a bed. But I won’t touch you.” He stands to his full height, the velvet box in his grip. “Not unless you want me to.”
