Love in the Vineyard (Tavonesi #7)(20)

She’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask.

“I have in the past.”

“But not now?”

He looked genuinely surprised. She hated to throw ashes on his enthusiasm.

“I’m not sure. Maybe.”

“Maybe’s better than no,” he said with a chuckle that reached into her heart.

He walked to the edge of the pond and looked out toward the mountains in the distance. “This place is extraordinary. Almost magical.” He turned to her. “Do you feel it?”

Did she ever. She nodded, not trusting her voice.

“I have to bring my sister here the next time she’s in the States. She’ll love it.”

And then she knew. He didn’t live in Sonoma. He was from some rich Italian family that probably flitted from place to place all over the planet. Resignation bloomed in her. He was from a world she could never belong to. When had she begun to entertain the possibility that she might? It must have been in her dream.





Natasha paced her room when she returned to Inspire. Tyler was an hour late.

Scenarios of disasters ran through her mind. Had someone kidnapped him? Was he injured and in the hospital? Had he gotten lost? Had he got caught in gang crossfire? No, she could cross that one off her list. There weren’t any gangs active in this area. She was thankful for that.

But Tyler was the heart of her life. It made sense she’d worry over him.

She’d called the cellphone she’d bought for Tyler. And to her horror she heard it ring in the small drawer under the counter. She should’ve double-checked that he’d put it in his pack. She’d been distracted that morning by the disturbing feelings her dream had left swirling in her and by her upcoming meeting with Adrian.

She was still distracted.

After a quick lunch in a café near the gardens, Adrian had insisted on driving her home. When she’d insisted that she had errands to run in town, he’d offered to accompany her and then drive her home. She’d made a quick excuse about meeting a friend near the café. He’d conceded but asked if she’d like to hike Mount Saint Helena the following weekend. She was so rattled from making excuses for why he couldn’t drop her at her house, she’d said yes to the hike before she’d thought twice.

She needed to get her thoughts in order, get her life on track. Save some money and get out of Inspire. Mary had helped her fill out an application for one of the new low-income housing units just three blocks on the other side of the town center. In a month, if she was lucky, she and Tyler would have a brand new home of their own. A home that her salary at Casa del Sole would easily pay for. But she couldn’t afford distractions. And Adrian was one heck of a distraction.

Just as she was considering calling the police, Tyler bounded through the doors all smiles and with tales of his day at the YMCA’s baseball day camp.

Maybe she did worry too much. But how much was too much?

He drank the glass of apple juice she set before him in four quick swallows. “The guys are playing a pickup game in the park. Can I go?”

“Aren’t you tired, honey? You’ve been playing baseball all day.”

“Mom, I’m ten,” he said almost somberly. “I could play baseball for twenty-four hours straight.”

She had to laugh.

“Okay, but be back in an hour. You have homework.”

She opened the drawer and handed him the cellphone. He took it with a sheepish grin and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans. Then he fished in his other pocket and drew out an envelope. “Mary said to give this to you.”

She looked down at the envelope that had been sent through the safe-house mail system. She read the first three lines of the letter and her heart stopped in her chest.





Chapter Six



PETEY ANSWERED NATASHA’S CALL ON THE fourth ring.

“It’s Tash.”

“You think I would’ve answered if I hadn’t thought it was you?”

His friendly chuckle was a welcome sound. She should’ve just given Petey her number, not made him jump through the protective hoops that the shelter had put into place, procedures that kept the women and children at Inspire safe and undiscoverable. Anyone who wanted to communicate had to send mail to the central office in San Francisco. No one was allowed access to the addresses or phone numbers of the “guests” at Inspire. All cellphones had to have location services turned off. And none of the women were allowed to have visitors. Not on campus. It made for awkward moments for some of them who had school-age children. But following the protocol kept danger at bay.

When she’d received the forwarded note from Petey asking her to call him, an ominous feeling had clutched at her. A feeling she tried to ignore. Anxiety made her crazy, made her make bad decisions. Maybe he was just checking up on her.

“Your timing is perfect, Petey. I want you to come on a picnic with Tyler and me. He’s grown. You won’t recognize him.”

“Tash, it’s been less than a week since I helped you two pack up and get out of that fleabag motel. He can’t have grown that much.”

She laughed. Petey always knew how to make her laugh.

When Petey had offered to let her and Tyler live in his place for a few weeks, she’d considered it. But his neighborhood was worse than the one she’d left behind. His neighbor had been shot dead in crossfire while washing his windows. The motel had been safer but horribly depressing. The greedy proprietor had done her a favor by forcing them to leave.