Cinderella on His Doorstep

by Rebecca Winters

  Dana’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. “I’ll make it up to him. What I want to know is if you had a good time.”

  “That’s a hell of a question to ask since you provided the impetus for him to give the party at all!” he bit out. “Did I have a good time?” His question rent the air. “If you mean did I enjoy getting to meet the prominent vintners in the region and hear stories about the glory days of Belles Fleurs? Then yes, that part was satisfying.”

  She bit her lip. “Did you take Simone with you? She would have loved it.”

  Alex made a scathing sound in his throat. “The only star there was Saskia. I had no idea she was such an excellent actress. She managed to convey that you were off doing vital studio business no one else could do. Her performance to cover for your absence did her great credit.”

  Dana’s father had no doubt choreographed Saskia’s contribution. He’d actually pulled through for Dana. That was something to be thankful for at least. Alex’s rage was another matter altogether.

  “Are you always going to be angry with me because of it?”

  “I don’t know,” his voice grated. “You’re the one who got me into the predicament in the first place.”

  His arresting face was so close, she only had to move her hands a few inches and she could be touching him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Her head flew back. “You’re right. I’m not sorry that because he found out you were a Fleury, he wanted to celebrate your arrival in Rablay with his friends. It was a great honor for you. I wish I’d been there. It’s very upsetting to me that I wasn’t, but it couldn’t be helped.” She stirred in place. “I’ll find a way to apologize to him, whatever it takes.”

  The little pulse she’d seen before hammered at the corner of his taut mouth. “Your father told me you quit on him.”

  With that news out in the open, there were no secrets left. The exchange between them couldn’t have been anything but ugly. “True. I’m now jobless and looking for a new career.”

  “With all your contacts, the field should be wide-open for you in California. Why didn’t you get on the plane?”

  Dana’s lungs constricted. Holding her heart in her hands, she said, “While I was standing in line waiting to check my suitcase, it came to me what I really wanted to do with my life.”

  “Just like that—” he rapped out, sounding exasperated.

  “Yes.”

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he muttered. “It took you all of ten seconds to decide you wanted to rent the château for your father.”

  “When something becomes clear, I’ve found it’s better not to hesitate.”

  “You mean, like charging up a ladder with no regard for your safety?”

  Her eyes flashed sparks. “You’re never going to let me forget that, are you? I can’t help it that I inherited that trait from my mother.”

  She saw something flicker in the dark recesses of his eyes. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “I’m getting to that. After I made my decision not to board the plane, I left the airport terminal and rented the truck back. But by the time I reached Angers, it was midnight. I was so exhausted I stayed at the Metropole and slept in late.”

  “You’ve been there all day?” He sounded livid.

  “Yes. I had phone calls to make.”

  “Except to me.” His words came out like a hiss.

  “I couldn’t call you until I’d worked everything out.”

  He made another violent sound that caused her to quiver. “But it didn’t all mesh until it was too late to attend the party. Is that what you’re saying?”

  She nodded, afraid to look at him. “Could we go inside first?”

  “If you’d come to the party, you could have savored dozens of the region’s finest wines.”

  “I could have, but the one I wanted to taste wouldn’t have been available. Or was it?” she questioned.

  His dark brows lifted. “No. I’m afraid our kindhearted host wasn’t willing to give up a second bottle of Belles Fleurs. But who’s to say what he would have done if you’d been there…”

  On that note he scooped her out of the seat and set her on the ground. In the moonlight she looked so frumpy standing next to him in her jeans and T-shirt, she could have wept. No words passed between them as he pulled her suitcase from the floor of the cab and followed her into the château.

  CHAPTER TEN

  DANA’S heart skipped a beat when Alex opened the door to the petit salon and turned on the light. “Wait for me in here. I’ll be back with your drink.”

  In this mood, she didn’t dare argue with him. Forcing herself not to look at the bedroom end of the room, she moved one of the rattan chairs over to the desk where he’d set up his computer.

  Before long he was back. He strolled toward her and set the cola on the desk next to her. Still not saying anything, he shrugged out of his elegant suit jacket. Next came the tie. He tossed them over a nearby chair before undoing the top buttons of his shirt.

  The dusting of black hair against his bronzed throat stood out in contrast to the dazzling white of the material. His male beauty caused her to gasp inwardly.

  “You wouldn’t rather sit on the couch where you’d be more comfortable?”

  She’d been there and done that the other night, but everything had changed since then. “This is fine right here for the business I have in mind.”

  He removed his cuff links and pushed the sleeves up to the elbows, revealing more of his bronzed arms. She saw the gash on his arm. “You cut yourself! When did that happen?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “With the saw?”

  “It’s nothing. Let’s not get off topic. Are you telling me you came back to the château to talk business?”

  “Yes. I’ve had a lot of time to think and—Alex? Will you please sit down? I can’t think while you’re looming over me like that.”

  “Is that what I’m doing?”

  “Yes.”

  To her relief he sat down in his swivel chair, extending his long legs so his shoes touched her sneakers. She tucked her feet under her chair. “Is this better?”

  “Much.”

  With one arm on the desk, he gazed at her through shuttered eyes. “How long are you going to keep me in suspense?”

  “Not any longer, but you have to promise you won’t interrupt until I’m through.”

  He folded his strong arms. “I’m waiting.”

  “This is serious now.”

  “I can see that.”

  She sat forward. “Please don’t patronize me.”

  “I apologize if that’s what it sounded like.”

  “Sorry. I’m a little touchy about that sort of thing.” Dana had thought she could do this, but now that the moment had come, she was in agony. “I have to give you a little background first.”

  “You mean, there are things about you I still don’t know?”

  “Exactly. For instance my mother did most of the gardening when I was young. I liked to help her and took pride in the flower beds I planted and weeded. If someone were to ask what was the happiest time of my life, I would have to say it was out gardening, watching things grow. Being in the sun. A lot of beautiful flowers grow in Southern California. It’s like a garden of Eden.”

  So far she seemed to be holding Alex’s interest. “But at the time, I didn’t consider it important work. Sometimes when I took dad his lunch at the studio, he’d let me stay on the set to watch. What he did seemed very important and I thought, one day I’ll grow up to do what he does.

  “Over the years I’ve been studying his technique. One day Paul and I were talking and I expressed my hope to become a director. When I asked him what he thought about it, he was quiet for a while, then he said, ‘You’re a natural at it, Dana, but I would worry about you because it’s not a happy profession.’

  “I knew that. My father was living proof he experienced a lot
of difficult moments, but directing gave him an outlet for his artistic talent and that seemed very important.

  “Little by little, Dad gave me more responsibilities to learn the craft. We often came at an idea the same way. After mother died he trusted me to do more for him. Scouting for unique locations was one example. Editing a script, making changes was another.

  “I thought it was what I was truly meant to do. Yet in the back of my mind, Paul’s comment continued to nag at me. I’ve kept asking myself if directing was what I wanted to do.

  “That question got answered for me last week when I started helping you in the orchard. It has taken me back to those times when I helped Mother in the yard. There’s nothing like hands-on experience working in the out-of-doors.

  “Lately I’ve been looking at the overrun vegetable and flower gardens at the other end of the château. So many ideas of how to replant them and make the grounds beautiful is all I think about. When Dad sent me to Maille, I didn’t want to go.”

  She paused to rub her eyes. “After this long, boring speech, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to be the first person in line for the estate manager job.”

  He muttered a French imprecation she didn’t need translated.

  “Believe me, when word gets out you’re looking for one before you leave for Louisiana, there’ll be lines out to the street hoping for the privilege. I can’t think of any career I’d love more than to be put in charge of this place after you’ve gone.”

  “It’s a lot of hard work, Dana.”

  “I like hard work. Besides, it’s one of the most beautiful spots in France. I’m in love with it. You could trust me to do a better job than anyone else.”

  Alex stared at her as if he’d never seen her before.

  Taking advantage of the silence, she said, “Until that time, I’d like to apprentice for it. I’ll do any jobs that need doing. I’ll help you clean every room and bring down the furniture. I’d love to put the books in the library and catalog everything.

  “I’ll plant and weed. I’ll pick fruit when the time comes. I realize there are dozens of things I don’t know how to do, but I can watch and learn from you.”

  That remote look she hated crept over his face.

  “Please don’t close your mind to this, Alex—I know what you’re going to say. That you don’t have the money to pay me right now, but I don’t want pay. One day when it’s finally open to the public, we can talk about a salary. Don’t you see there’s nothing I’d like more than working here?”

  He got to his feet.

  Though it was nothing tangible, she realized she’d crossed a line with him that probably spelled disaster for her. Dana had known it would be a huge risk, but she’d been willing to take it.

  She jumped out of her chair. “Just promise me you’ll think about it and give me your answer in the morning. If it’s no, I’ll understand and leave.”

  Afraid he might tell her no right now, she grabbed her suitcase placed by the door and hurried out of the room toward the staircase. For the third time in three weeks she lugged it up the steps.

  When she reached her room, she turned on the flashlight so she could see to get ready for bed. But she was too worked up to change yet and went over the window. Moonlight had turned the view of the Layon into a river of silver.

  For a long time she stood there remembering the night they’d cleaned this fabulous room together, the fun they’d had buying her bed. Her mind was filled with memories of the nights he’d come in here to light the candles, bringing the kind of enchantment you could never find in a storybook.

  Hot tears trickled out the corners of her eyes. As she turned away to open her suitcase, Alex appeared in the entry, looking so handsome she almost fainted. He was still wearing the same clothes and carried several things in his arms. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest.

  “Don’t be startled. I’ve come to give you your answer now.”

  It was darker on that side of the room. She moved toward him, but she still couldn’t see what he’d put on the table. Maybe it was new candles, but when he walked toward her, carrying two half-full glasses of wine, anything she’d been thinking about left her mind.

  The way he was staring at her, she honestly couldn’t catch her breath. “As interviews for a job go, yours was extraordinary,” he began. “I’m very impressed you would forego a salary in order to learn how to be my manager, therefore, you’re hired.”

  “You mean it?” she cried, hardly daring to believe it.

  A ghost of a smile hovered around his lips. “Let’s drink to your success, shall we?”

  Alex was being very mysterious. It sent chills of excitement through her body. With a trembling hand, she took one of the wineglasses from him. He touched her rim with his and took a drink. She sipped hers, but the second the liquid ran down her throat she realized they weren’t drinking Percher, Chaume, or any wine she’d ever tasted before.

  Her eyes widened. “What domaine is this?” She took another sip. “The texture is so velvety. How could anything be this incredible? Can you taste that smoky sweetness?”

  He nodded. “At the party I was told 1892 was a great vintage year.”

  When the meaning of his words got through, Dana almost dropped the glass. She stared at him in disbelief. “You opened the bottle!”

  “You said you were waiting for an important occasion. I would think taking on a new career constitutes as one. Don’t you agree?”

  Dana was in shock and could only nod her head. She took another drink. “The wine is out of this world. There’s a richness that tastes of the earth itself.”

  “A nuance from the minerals. That’s what comes from a hundred years of aging,” he murmured.

  Emotion caused her eyes to moisten. “To think we’re drinking from your grapes that have been growing on Belles Fleurs soil for hundreds of years.” She drank a little more. “Don’t you feel a tingling to realize this is a tangible connection to your ancestors?”

  “I feel a great deal more than that.” He finished his wine and put both their glasses on the table. “While we were downstairs I forgot to tell you I met with my colleague from Louisiana yesterday. He’s been anxious to know when I’m going to join him.”

  How odd she could go cold so fast when the wine had warmed her body clear through. “Did you tell him it won’t be long now?”

  “No. I informed him he’d have to find another agricultural engineer because France is home to me, permanently. I’m getting married.”

  Maybe she was dreaming.

  “My bride-to-be and I have a life to live and a vineyard to work. Both need love and tender nurturing on a full-time basis.”

  “Alex—”

  Her cry reverberated throughout the tower.

  “I’m in love with you, Dana Lofgren. I have been from the beginning, but I sensed a battle with your father and was forced to bide my time before I made my move.”

  She launched herself into his arms, sobbing for happiness. “Oh, darling, I love you so much, you can’t possibly imagine.”

  He rocked her body back and forth, kissing her hair, her face. “I think you convinced me downstairs.”

  “I couldn’t leave you. When I was standing in that line at the airport, I felt I’d come to the end of my life.”

  Alex buried his face in her hair. “Try hearing your father tell me you’d gone to California.”

  She hugged him harder. “I’m sorry. I asked him to be nice to you, but I should have known better.”

  “You don’t understand.” He pulled back so he could look at her. “In his way, he gave me his blessing.”

  “What do you mean?” Her heart had started to thud.

  He kissed the tears off her cheeks. “I was ready for a showdown with him until he told me something that changed everything. He said you’d make a good director, but it wasn’t your destiny because you were too much like your mother.”

  “Dad admitted it?”

  He nodded.
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  Dana was delirious with joy.

  “Once I heard that, I couldn’t get home from the party fast enough to collect a few things and go after you. If I hadn’t seen your truck out in front, poor Paul would have gotten a phone call telling him to take care of everything while I was gone.”

  Dana slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders, relishing the right to touch him like this. “And I sat there terrified you’d drive in with Simone.”

  “Simone who?” he demanded fiercely, shaking her. “From the night you trespassed on my property, I haven’t been the same. Sapto will tell you.”

  “Who’s Sapto?”

  “The house boy in Bali who got attached to me. You’ll like him. He’s saving his money to go to college. I’m planning to fly him over to help us prune the vineyard. That should give his earnings a boost.

  “In my last postcard to him, I told him he can stop asking about all the women in my life because I’ve found the one I want.”

  Dana pressed a kiss to his lips, too euphoric to talk.

  “When I stopped at the post office this afternoon, I discovered another postcard from him. He said that from my description of you, you would give me many beautiful children.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed on her mouth. “I knew it over dinner that night at the Hermitage. You sat there in the candlelight and your femininity reached out to me like a living thing. It came to me in a flash you were the one I was going to love for the rest of my life, to make babies with.”

  “I—I knew it before you did.” Her voice caught. “From the first moment I laid eyes on you coming out of the shadows. This is going to sound silly, but it wasn’t to me. Like Sleeping Beauty in reverse, I felt that I’d come upon the castle of the Sleeping Prince. Everything in me yearned toward you.”

  His smile turned her heart over. “So now we know the true story of Rapunzel.”

  She laughed softly, remembering their crazy talk. “She had no shame and moved in on her prince, sleeping bag and all.”

  “He liked her style.” In the next breath Alex kissed her mouth hungrily. “How about taking a walk out to the vineyard with me? We have serious plans to make and fast, because I don’t intend to make love to you until you’re my wife. I promised your father.”