Wine with Wendy and something about having adventures. Hearing a horse whinny, she glanced at the window. Sunny, she rode Sunny last night.
Bareback.
Kat covered her face with her hands as the memories unfolded. A picture of Alex looking down at her, his dark eyes gleaming, popped into her mind.
If she hadn’t already been lying down, she would have fallen to the floor in horror as memories of the previous evening flooded her mind. Her hair…Alex had undone her hair and after that…
She touched her lips with her fingers and the memory of their kisses warmed her from head to toe. Kissing in the dirt of the arena was probably one adventure she wouldn’t be sharing with her sister the nun. A smile came to her lips. Katerina Bauer was having adventures…and liking it.
The sound of baby Jaiden’s cry intruded on her thoughts and she sat up. The clock on the nightstand showed the time was after eight. She hopped out of bed and tread carefully to the bath. A quick shower returned her to a semblance of normalcy. By the time she had braided her hair and put on a skirt and light sweater she felt reasonably human. Making her way downstairs, she followed the long hallway into the bright kitchen. Copper-bottom pans hung over the butcher-block island. The smell of fresh coffee rose from the full pot on the counter.
“Bless her,” Katerina murmured as she tipped the pot into a cup and the rich aroma of fresh coffee rose to her nose.
“You mean, bless him.” Alex strode into the room. “I figured you might sleep in this morning so I saved you a bite from the hungry hordes.”
Her nerve endings jumped to attention when she heard Alex’s voice. Taking a sip of coffee to hide her excitement, Kat settled into a rocker by the window. “I shouldn’t have slept late. I have a meeting this morning. Where is everyone?”
“Wendy and Mother are in the tasting room going over the menu for the party Saturday. Did you know Wendy arranged for the faculty at the college to hold a Valentine’s Day party here?”
Kat set the rocker moving with a push of her toe and held the warm cup just under her chin. She had never had much interest in Valentine’s Day since she hadn’t dated anyone seriously in years. “Now you mention, I did see an email about a party.” She hazarded a look at Alex. “The house seems quiet. Where’s everybody else?” She lowered her gaze as she took another sip. She hadn’t expected to find Alex still in the house, much less be alone with him, especially after last night.
“Dad, Tony, and,” he grinned, “baby Jaiden are looking at the vines and I…”
He paused, long enough she had to look up and caught a devastating flash of white teeth.
“…am looking at you.”
As she blushed, Katerina pressed a hand to her cheeks. “Please don’t look too closely.”
“You look pretty good.” Alex poured a cup of coffee and settled into the chair opposite her. “No hangover?”
“Just a slight headache…” She raised the coffee cup in the air. “But it’s already gone. I don’t get hangovers. Of course, I don’t usually drink that much, either.”
“Lucky you.” Reaching across the table, Alex flipped the napkin back from a plate. “Leftover pannetone. Want some?”
Eying the tempting cake, Kat nodded. “How can I resist your grandmother’s baking? But I really should be going.”
Alex lifted a slice of the fragrant dessert onto a saucer. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know.” He handed her the plate with a smile.
Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his long legs at the ankles. “About last night—”
“About last night—”
They spoke at the same time and then locked gazes. Alex leaned forward, elbows on knees, clutching his cup. His voice was soft. “I couldn’t resist you, and I probably shouldn’t have taken advantage of your inebriated state.” He dropped his head and stared into the depths of his coffee.
Heat edged up her neck and onto her face. Last night, she’d known exactly what she was doing. The funny thing was, she wanted to kiss Alex, and she wanted to feel his arms around her. And she did. Was she satisfied now? Could she return to the business at hand? “I apologize for last night. I made a fool of myself.”
Alex covered her hand with his. “Katerina, you have nothing to apologize for. You had a little too much to drink.”
Kat leaned her head against the back of the rocker and stared at the iron rack with its collection of copper pots hanging over the table. She still couldn’t believe she had gathered up the courage to ride a horse bareback. If someone had asked her two months ago, she would have replied no amount of alcohol could erase those inhibitions. “One would think I could handle a little wine.”
“Wendy has a way of getting a person to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Trust me. I’ve seen her in action.”
“I’ve never been that—” She hesitated, trying to remember the last time she did something outrageous, or even questionable. The last time was probably before her mother died, when she and Eliza had hitched a ride into town for the local festival. “Our Riesling is typically low in alcohol.”
“Wendy pulled out the strong stuff. But, as Nonna likes to say, no male.” He grinned.
Their gazes locked. “I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother.”
Alex wrapped his fingers around hers. “I enjoyed our little…adventure.”
At his seductive smile, butterflies stirred in the pit of her stomach. She reminded herself she got the kiss, she got the hug. Time to pay attention to the reason she was in California.
“I have to go to town. Why don’t I drop you off at the college and then pick you up at the end of the day? We could go out for dinner. Have some peace and quiet for a change.”
The butterflies flapped harder. “You mean…just the two of us?”
“I can guarantee a more relaxed meal than you’ll get here.”
Despite her resolution of only seconds ago, she giggled. “I would like to.” She popped the last bite of cake in her mouth and jumped up. “Let me get my jacket and briefcase.” After all, today was Friday, the end of the workweek.
“Wunderbar. Grab a jacket and let’s hit the road. See you in five out front.” Alex drained his coffee cup, bounced out of his chair, and disappeared out the back door.
Katerina stared after him, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her half-full mug. Hit the road? The department head was right. You can’t learn this stuff from books. She drained the cup, put it in the sink, and ran upstairs for her jacket, excitement rushing through her veins like a speeding train. Just dinner—what was the harm?
Three minutes later, she ran through the herb garden and under the archway leading to the parking area.
Alex’s shiny, black truck, its engine rumbling, sat waiting. He leaned against the vehicle with crossed arms. “You’re quick, woman.” He opened the door and held it open.
She slipped inside onto a warm leather seat. Music played softly from the stereo.
Alex jumped in and shifted smoothly into Drive. He steered down the lane and after a quick left-right glance, pulled onto the highway. He looked across the seat. “How are you fitting in at the college? Do you like it?”
Kat sighed. “Better than I expected, frankly. Everyone is so helpful. Professor Berk’s wife stops in often and practices her German.” She caught a glimpse of an orchard just coming into bloom, an ocean of pink and white. “She’s quite good, for only being in Germany a short time.”
“Matt and Colleen make a nice couple.” Alex pulled up in front of the main building. “Is four too early to pick you up?”
“Five would be better. I have a lot of work to finish.”
“Five it is.”
Katerina pushed open the door and then paused, one unanswered question uppermost in her mind. Heat suffused her face when she glanced at the smiling man. “Alex, how did I get undressed last night?”
Alex dropped his gaze and focused on the radio for a minute, the corners of his mouth pulled down in an effort
not to smile. “The room was dark and I didn’t look…really.”
Despite the shiver running up her spine, Kat suppressed a chuckle as she climbed out of the car and Alex pulled away from the curb. With a spring in her step and singing the song that had been playing on the radio, she headed toward the language building. She could hardly wait until five o’clock.
****
Alex went through his day with only half his mind on his work. Pictures of Katerina laughing in his arms intruded on his thoughts. He suspected she didn’t remember the kiss. Well, he sure did.
Between visiting three nurseries known for their healthy grape vine stock, purchasing supplies for the irrigation system, and a rare, last-minute lunch with his brother Doug, Alex decided not to return home before returning to the college. One of the nurseries, fifteen miles on the other side of Almendra, had been in operation less than five years. Alex wanted certified, disease-free vines, but he was also observing the care that the nursery put into providing a strong cabernet sauvignon rootstock, knowing that one mistake could wipe out the entire vineyard. Standing in the sales room of the last nursery, he glanced at his watch and started when he noted the time. He had fifteen minutes to get back to the college. He grabbed the brochures, bid a hasty goodbye to the owner, and ran to his truck.
Kat sat on the stone wall surrounding the campus when he pulled to the curb promptly at five. Dressed in a long navy blue skirt and white sweater with her light blond hair fashioned in a neat chignon, she looked the epitome of professionalism.
Alex jumped out of the truck and opened the passenger side door. He swung an arm in a gallant imitation of a footman. “Fräulein, your carriage awaits.” After putting her briefcase behind the seat, he ran around the vehicle and jumped into the driver’s seat. “Good day?” Alex asked as he pulled into traffic.
“Lovely. The department head took me to lunch in the executive dining room. Beautiful.”
“Maybe the steak dinner I was planning is too much. What strikes your fancy? Steak, seafood, Chinese…”
Katerina smiled at the word ‘fancy’. “What strikes my fancy…” she repeated softly.
He looked across the seat and caught her eye for a second ‘til he returned his gaze to the road. He ran his fingers through his dark hair before returning his hand to the wheel. The other hand he put over hers, resting on the console between them. “This is nice.”
“Actually…”
“Don’t tell me you want to go back to the chaos of my family meal time.”
Kat laughed. “I love your family meal time. Everyone is so…animated.”
“Animated.” Alex slanted a look at her, one dark eyebrow raised. “You call that animated as opposed to chaotic.”
“Actually, Mr. Marino, I would love a hamburger.”
“A hamburger. I’m offering you steak and seafood and you want a hamburger? Did I mention I’m buying?”
“I have yet to taste a genuine American hamburger.”
“Okay, hamburgers it is.” Alex slapped the steering wheel with his palm. “I know just the place.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled into a drive-in, speakers posted at each parking spot. The menu flashed on a huge board at the front of the parking area.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Thoughts of the romantic dinner he had planned flashed through his mind, and he studied Kat’s face trying to determine if she was serious.
Lips pressed together, she nodded emphatically. “I’m sure.”
He rolled down his window. “Just a minute,” he shouted into the speaker. He turned to Kat. “What do you want on your hamburger? Cheese, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mayo…”
She peered at the board. “I will try the California style.”
“You’re kidding. Do you even know what it is?”
“No, but I’m willing to try.”
“You are getting adventurous.” He winked at her then turned toward the speaker. “Two California burgers with a large order of fries.” He shot her a look. “Milkshake?”
“Cherry.”
“Two cherry milkshakes.”
After they got their order, he drove to a nearby park where they found a picnic table under a tall oak tree. With one eye on his companion, who studied the surroundings as she waited patiently, Alex emptied the contents of the bags onto the table. “A penny for your thoughts.”
“Another American saying?” Kat reached for a milkshake and gave Alex a smile. “A penny isn’t much for one’s innermost thoughts.”
Pleased with her teasing, Alex grinned. “You looked a million miles away.” He continued to study her as she tore the paper from a straw.
Katerina poked the straw through the hole in the lid. “I was thinking how pretty your parks are.” She took a long pull at the straw. “We have parks as well, but yours are different somehow, bigger, I suppose, as is everything in America.”
Alex handed her a wrapped sandwich and set a large carton of French fries in the middle of the table. “Wait till you try their fries. They make the best fries this side of San Jose.” He took a bite of sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, his gaze on her face and his head tilted to one side. Suddenly he reached in his pocket and then flipped a shiny copper penny across the table. “Okay, okay.” Kat laughed the musical laugh that made him want to join her. “I was also thinking how much I’ve been enjoying my time here.” She dipped her head, playing with her straw. “I didn’t think I would.”
“California’s a great place to live.” Alex took a long pull on his milkshake. Having traveled around the world, he’d always been happy to return home to California. In fact, he couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to live in his home state.
“Sure, if you’re a grape.”
Alex choked and set down the cup with a thump, unsure if he had heard Kat correctly. “What did you say?”
Kat put the straw up to her lips and drank, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I said, sure, if you’re a grape.”
Alex stared at her a moment and then burst out laughing. The sedate German woman had a sense of humor after all. “Are you dissing my country?”
“Not at all.” She set down her cup and tilted her head. Her gaze met his and then flicked away. “As I said, I’m enjoying my time here more than I expected.”
Oddly pleased at her revelation, Alex regarded her as she stirred the milkshake. “This is California…how can you not enjoy yourself?”
“Six months in California has never been part of my plan. I’m sorry, but I’ve never had the desire to come to the States.” Kat removed the wrapping from her sandwich, lifted the top, and inspected the contents. Satisfied with her findings, she put the sandwich back together. “My mother passed away when I was fifteen. My father worked in the vineyard all the time. He had to. The vineyard was our livelihood. I took care of my younger brother and sister. They were twelve and ten.” She smoothed the paper before picking up the sandwich and taking a tentative bite. “What a combination. But it all works. I would never think of putting avocado on a hamburger.” She took a bigger bite, her cheeks bulging.
“Leave it to us Californians.” Alex reached for a fry. “So, what did you do for fun?”
“I read. Any time I could get away from chores I read. I would go to another place in my imagination.”
Dipping the fry in ketchup, Alex shot her a glance. “Rather than play outside, you stayed inside and read. That explains your lack of confidence regarding sports.”
Kat shrugged as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “That and, as I said, my father was afraid of another accident.”
Alex looked off in the distance at a man and woman jogging along the path. Her devotion to her family became more apparent each time they talked. He wondered briefly if she would ever consider staying in California and then quickly shelved the idea. “How is your family doing now?”
“My father works the vineyard. My brother helps when he can. Our home is located on a steep hillside overlooking the Mosell
e River in western Germany. The vineyard is small but our wine is very popular.”
Alex took a long pull of his milkshake. “You have no interest in the vineyard?”
“I still help my father oversee things. The plan was that I go to university and my brother would work the business.” She rolled her eyes. “But he is so young and impetuous. I thought he would settle down when he married, but he hasn’t yet.”
“What about your sister?” Alex stuck the final bite of burger in his mouth and chewed vigorously.
“My sister is in the process of becoming a nun. If we want to see her, we usually go to her. She hasn’t been home in over a year.”
Annoyance flared in Alex at these people he didn’t even know. Katerina was left to pick up the slack. “So you fell on your sword.”
Kat’s eyes popped. Her mouth full of California Burger, the words came out muffled. “Excuse me?”
Alex wadded up his paper and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “You fell on your sword. All those years taking care of the family and you had to be dragged kicking and screaming at the age of...what—thirty?—”
“Twenty-nine.”
“Sorry—at the age of twenty-nine to pursue personal goals at the risk of neglecting your family.”
Kat squared her shoulders and pointed a finger at the man sitting across the table. “Ich will nichts—”
From the steely glint in her eye, Alex mentally prepared himself for a blistering tirade in German.
Instead, she dropped her hand to the table. “Touché, Alex.”
“Maybe we have more in common than you thought.” He reached for her hand. “When you finish, why don’t we go for a walk?”
While Kat downed the last bite, Alex ate the last of the fries. He came around the table, helped her from the seat, and threaded her hand through the crook of his arm. Strolling along the winding sidewalk leading to the lake, Alex pondered his attraction to the woman beside him. She was certainly different from his former companions. The slight breeze carried the sounds of children at play.
Never Too Late Page 7