Cherished (Steel Brothers Saga #17) - Helen Hardt Page 0,7
for the glory.
He was raised well by his father, and also by this remarkable woman walking next to me.
She stops at a brick building. From the outside, it looks like a saloon straight out of the nineteenth century, with a green-and-white awning and the name of the establishment painted on a wooden sign.
“This is Murphy’s Bar. The owner is Sean Murphy. Apparently he’s a nephew of a friend of my father-in-law. His uncle, also named Sean Murphy, died here in Snow Creek when he was young, and his namesake came here to pay his respects and never left. Murphy’s is a Snow Creek institution. Sean retired a few years ago, and his son Brendan runs it now. He’s about Dale’s age. They went to school together.” She touches the handle. “Feel like a pre-dinner drink?”
“If you’d like.”
“Sounds good to me. We have no idea if the new restaurant even serves alcohol.” She opens the door.
A bell jingles, and I follow her in.
“Jade Steel!” A man behind the bar greets her. His voice is low but jubilant—a bright orange like the sun welcoming a new day. Very different from Dale’s.
“Hello, Brendan.”
“Who’s that with you?”
“This is Ashley White. She’s interning with Ryan and Dale at the vineyards this fall. Ashley, Brendan Murphy.”
Brendan Murphy is a tall and handsome ginger with vibrant blue eyes. His hair is long like Dale’s but not as full. Still, the flamboyant auburn makes quite a statement, along with his masculine jawline and aquiline nose. No mistaking him for anything but an Irishman.
“Great to meet you, Ashley White,” Brendan says. “What can I get for you lovely ladies?”
“Do you have my son’s Cab Franc?” Jade asks.
Brendan lets out a guffaw. “I’ve watched you Steels come in here for years and order wine you can drink for free at home. It does a heart good.”
“We believe in supporting local businesses.”
“So do we. That’s why we serve your wine.”
“I thought you served our wine because it’s the best.”
Brendan winks. “It is, at that. How about you, love?”
“I can’t think of anything better than Dale’s Cab Franc,” I say. “I did a tasting yesterday where it was featured, and it was very well received.”
“They’ve got you doing tastings, huh?” Brendan grabs two cocktail napkins and sets them on the bar in front of us. “You must have gotten on someone’s good side. Ryan and Dale don’t let just anyone handle those.”
“They don’t?” Then I berate myself. I’m not even slightly surprised. I don’t know Ryan well, but Dale? He didn’t want me anywhere near his baby.
“Ashley’s more than qualified,” Jade offers. “She’s working on her PhD in oenology at UCLA.”
The words “wine doctor” from Brendan’s mouth don’t sound nearly as judgmental as they do coming from Dale. Brendan truly is impressed.
I smile. “It’s what I love.”
“Hmm.” He pulls a bottle of the Steel Cab Frank from his shelf, uncorks it with ease, and pours us each a glass. “I have a nice Bordeaux I’ve been saving for a special occasion. You might be just the person to appreciate it with me. We don’t get a lot of wine connoisseurs here in Snow Creek.”
“You have Dale and Ryan,” I say.
He nods, winking. “For sure. But neither of them is really my type.”
“Oh.” I stop myself from jerking backward. He’s coming on to me. Asking me out. Sort of. I glance at Jade. She knows how I feel about her son. Does this bother her?
“It’s a Château Latour,” he says.
“Wow.” I try not to look overly surprised. The guy runs a bar. Of course he comes in contact with seven-hundred-dollar bottles of wine. “We tasted some premier crus in tasting class, but I’ve never been able to afford a bottle.”
“Then you should join me. Later this evening, maybe?”
“Actually,” Jade says, “Ashley and I were going to have dinner over at the new Italian place.”
“Lorenzo’s,” Brendan says. “Try the veal piccata. It’s wonderful.”
“So you’ve been there already?”
“Last week, on opening night. Chicken cacciatore is the specialty of the house, though, so maybe you should order that. I’m just not a huge chicken fan.”
Somehow I wasn’t surprised. Brendan—much like the Steel men—looks like he was raised on red meat and potatoes. Bangers and mash, in his case.
“I’ll try it,” Jade says. “I love chicken. It’s nice to have a break from beef now and then.”
“Do they have any seafood on the menu?”
“I believe there’s a linguine with clam sauce,” Brendan says. “Probably not what you’re looking for though, California