Beautiful Ties (17 page)

Jason shook his head and grinned at me. My eyes caught on his dimple.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Another one?” I asked, not knowing if I could bear the anticipation of another one of his surprises.

“Yep. The only hints I will give you are that it’s not far from here, and we could probably stop along the way to change into more comfortable clothes,” he said. “Are you up for it?”

“Definitely.” I smiled back at him.

Jason pulled his phone out of his pocket, swiped his finger across the screen, and then opened an app that looked like a map.

I racked my brain, trying to guess where he wanted us to visit, but I came up empty-handed. Deciding that the quicker we got there, the faster I’d find out, I slipped the car into reverse and backed out of our parking space.

“It’s only a few miles up the road,” Jason said, lifting his hand to point. “Take a right out of the parking lot.”

“You got it,” I replied, turning the wheel with a permanent smile on my face.

With Jason, he always seemed to be full of surprises.

As we exited the car, my eyes skimmed back and forth across the endless rows in the vineyard in front of me. Jason came to stand behind me as he wrapped me in his arms, pressing his chest against my back. I placed my arms on top of his while still gazing at the stunning view.

He nuzzled his head closer to mine. “I thought you might like to come here since you always seem to order wine at dinner,” he said thoughtfully.

I tilted my head, so I could look up at him. “I love wine. Thank you for bringing me here,” I said, observing a tender smile spreading across his face. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed my forehead. “They have a tour going on today, and then we can join in on a tasting afterward.”

Excitement ran through me. I had never been to a wine tasting before. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Come on,” Jason said, taking my hand in his. “Let’s go check out the place.”

To my right, I noticed a large two-story white house. Blue shutters were on each of the windows, and the front had a long wraparound porch with a wooden swing.

“From what I read on the website, that is the owner’s house,” Jason said as we kept walking forward. “Wouldn’t it be neat to walk outside of your home and make a living off your own land every day?” he asked in amazement.

“Yes,” I agreed, still gazing around. “It is so peaceful out here.”

I turned my attention to the left to see a long row of multicolored rose bushes lining the grass. The other side looked to be filled with more rows in the vineyard. I didn’t have the slightest guess as to how many acres the grapes covered, but it must have been nearly a hundred.

We came to a sidewalk and continued forward, approaching a large wooden barn that looked to be recently renovated. The windowsills held hanging baskets filled with different arrangements of vibrant flowers that were all in full bloom. Jason opened the door, and I strode in first.

Inside, a woman greeted us. “Hello.” She smiled. “Welcome to Scribner Bend Vineyards. May I help you find anything?”

“We would like to join your tour today, if possible?” Jason asked.

“Of course. It’s just about to start.” She lifted her hand to point at the red wooden double doors behind her. “Everyone is gathered right outside those doors.”

I nearly charged forward with eagerness to learn more about the process of making wine. Jason let out a chuckle as I took the lead, pulling him alongside me. Outside, a huge John Deere tractor was attached to what looked to be a handcrafted wagon. Jason swooped me up into his arms and then set me down on the first step to climb aboard. I felt a smile creep across my face as I blushed at the onlookers who were watching us. Jason climbed in behind me, and we took our seats along the back bench.

The tour guide shut the gate behind us and stood just on the other side. As the tractor began to move, the guide informed us that Scribner Bend was privately owned with over eighty acres of vineyards. They currently bottled over ten types of wines with many varieties of blending. Red wines took a couple of years to create, starting from the vine to bottling. White wine was prepared in stainless steel tanks that only took about one month.

After our tour around the premises, we went back inside the barn to learn that the most important parts of wine were the color and aroma. We smelled a few to pick out individual scents—like clove, allspice, and cinnamon—and then we finally tasted them to catch flavors, such as cranberry plum or spice. The guide informed us that there was no right or wrong way to choose a wine and that it should be based on our own personal palate. By the time I tried my sixth tasting, my tongue felt numb. I could no longer tell the difference between all the flavors. They all tasted delicious to me.

After our wine tasting, Jason and I walked around the barn. He bought me five of the red wines I had sampled, saying we would be opening one of them later tonight. We walked back out to my car. The sun was starting to set in the west, creating a stunning array of colors just over the tree line.

“Would you like to take a walk before we head out?” Jason asked, shutting the passenger side of my Camaro.

“Sure.” I beamed over at him.

“I think we have a good hour before dark. That should give us just enough time,” he said, coming to a stop at my side.

“Sounds great,” I replied.

I locked up my car and tucked my keys into my front pocket. Jason took my hand in his and walked us toward the back of the lot. Behind us was the Sacramento River.

“So, did you enjoy the tour and tasting?” he asked as we strolled hand in hand toward the water.

Between the trees was a narrow path leading to the river. A picnic bench was placed off to the left, but we continued to walk past it. I could now see a mixture of oranges, blues, and yellows in the sunset. The way the sun reflected off the water was so beautiful.

“I loved it. Although, after the sixth glass, I think all the red wines started to taste the same,” I admitted sheepishly.

Jason chuckled softly. “At least you made it to six. I think it was after the third glass for me.”

I tilted my head, smiling up at him, and we walked onward, stepping over fallen limbs here and there. “I did learn a lot. I never knew how much went into the process of making wine.”

He shook his head thoughtfully. “Me either. I have a whole new appreciation for winemakers.”

“Me, too,” I responded in agreement.

Just ahead, there was another wooden picnic table. The temperature was slowly starting to cool off, and I felt a light breeze across my face.

“Would you like to sit?” he asked kindly.

“That sounds great actually,” I replied, reaching the table.

Jason held my hand as I lifted my leg over the bottom plywood and hopped up to sit on it. He gracefully sat next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he pulled me into his side. I snuggled into him, keeping the chill at bay. His body was so warm and comforting.

I was so glad I’d asked him to make this trip with me. I loved his company, and I was enjoying this time alone with him, away from our jobs. It was fun to work with him, but he’d seemed to relax after our meeting. He looked like he needed this getaway as much as I did.

“So, are you enjoying Lake Tahoe?” I questioned, breaking the silence. I wanted to know if he was still happy with relocating from Colorado.

“Of course,” he answered, tightening his hold on me.

I gently placed my hand on his chest and peeked up at him. “No regrets?”

Jason faintly shook his head. “None at all,” he replied, glancing out at the river. “I didn’t really know what to expect when I moved out here. As much as Lily and business were parts of it, I also felt like it was time to move on and venture out on my own. I’ve always lived in Colorado with the same job, same house, same people.” He paused, looking to be in deep thought. “I was ready for something more.”

I wasn’t sure what he’d meant by
more
. However, the thought of asking him to elaborate made my nerves go haywire, so I left the topic at that.

Before I could think of a response, he asked, “Do you like your job? I mean, is it what you’ve always seen yourself doing as a permanent career?”

I nodded and smiled. “Yes, I love my job. There are some days when I find it tough, especially when I’m being bullied, but I remind myself to lock my backbone in place and never give up,” I admitted for the first time out loud to anyone.

He looked down at me, and his eyes were full of pride. “I must confess that while growing up, I believed the woman’s place was at home, raising a family, even though I never voiced those feelings—”

I cut him off by playfully nudging my upper body into him. “Geez. Thanks! And here I thought you were cute!” I teased.

“Wait! I wasn’t finished!” He chuckled as he drew me closer. “As I was about to say, working with you for the past two weeks and seeing the way you handled Frederick today gave me a whole new outlook on that perspective.”

I perked my brow at him. “I think that’s a compliment.” I chortled. “Then again, I’ll need you to clarify your new perception with a little more detail.”

He grinned at me. “For starters, you have this fire inside of you that comes alive when you’re in your business mode, and I greatly admire it. Your determination not to back down helped you a great deal today. It proved to me that you’re strong and independent, which are profoundly admirable traits in a woman, and that you really do your job just for the love of it—as anyone should in a career.” He hesitated, raising his hand to tip my chin up to meet his gaze. “You’re such an intelligent and beautiful businesswoman.” He shook his head. “Don’t ever let anyone rock your confidence.”

Tears threatened, but I held them off. All I could do was nod.

“Promise me,” he demanded. “Promise me you won’t let anyone get to you the way Frederick did the first time again.”

“I promise,” I breathed.

As if he didn’t need any more reassurance, his mouth captured mine. His lips and tongue were full of passion as his hands came to my jaw, cupping it and pulling me closer.

How much he was becoming to mean to me over the short time we’d spent together passed through my mind. The thought was frightening yet comforting at the same time.

He leaned back, breaking our contact, and I noticed the vivacious colors in the sky were starting to dim behind the trees.

“As much as I could stay out here with you forever, we better head back before it gets dark. We still have to find a hotel to stay in for the night,” he said, running his thumb across my cheek.

“Okay,” I said, rising to my feet, feeling bummed to see our evening coming to an end.

Out here by the water, there were no meetings, no renovations on buildings to keep on schedule, or paperwork that needed to be completed. I realized I could stay out here with him and Mother Nature forever. Jason took my hand again, and I smiled softly at the contact. My grin broadened, and my cheeks were starting to hurt with how much smiling I’d done since I met him.

After eating at the nearest diner Jason and I could find, we walked back to the parking lot. I paused at the trunk of my Camaro and opened my purse to pull out my car keys. Jason stopped alongside me. Between driving a little over a hundred miles from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento, enduring my meeting with Frederick, and our adventures at the winery, I was feeling the day’s events catching up with me. As much as I adored my car, I was tired of driving for one day.

I tilted my head up at him, outstretching my hand midair between us, while eyeing him inquisitively. “Can I trust you with my beauty?”

The distant streetlights around us lit up his face just enough so that I could see him lift his brows in surprise. A boyish grin settled over his features as he gently tried to snatch my keys, but I held them tightly, not allowing the warmth of his touch to distract me.

“You’re really going to let me drive it?” he asked in amazement and then answered, “Of course,” before I could respond.

“With one request,” I replied.

His grin broadened. “And what’s that?”

“I’m still breaking her in, so be gentle. And if you spin the tires before I have a chance to, I’ll kick your ass. Oh, and careful shifting my gears. With it being new, they are a bit touchy,” I said, letting out a deep breath.