Million-Dollar Marriage Merger - By Charlene Sands Page 0,1
were all dried up spilled down her cheeks. She found herself slowing her old Camry as she passed the Carlino estate, the vibrant vineyards sweeping across acres and acres.
She knew why she’d come here. Why she parked the car just outside the estate gates. She blamed Tony Carlino for David’s death. She wanted to scream it from the hilltops and shout out the unfairness of it all.
A flashy silver sports car pulled up behind her, and she knew she’d made a mistake coming here. From the rearview mirror, she watched him step out of the car, his long legs making quick strides to the driver’s side of her car.
“Oh, no.” She grasped the steering wheel and rested her forehead there. Biting her lip, she took back her wish to scream out injustices. She didn’t have the energy. Not here. Not now. “Rena?”
The deep rich timbre of Tony’s voice came through the window of the car. He’d been her friend once. He’d been her world after that. But now all she saw was a drop-dead handsome stranger who should have never come back to the valley. “I’m fine, Tony,” she said, lifting her head from the steering wheel.
“You’re not fine.”
“I just buried my husband.” She peered straight ahead, refusing to look at him.
Tony opened the car door, and she glimpsed his hand reaching out to her. “Talk to me.”
“No…I can’t,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Then let’s take a walk.”
When she continued to stare at his hand, he added, “You came here for a reason.”
She closed her eyes holding back everything in her heart, but her mind wouldn’t let go of how David died. Spurred by renewed anger, she ignored Tony’s outstretched hand and bounded out of the car. She strode past him and walked along the narrow road lush with greenery. From atop the hill, the valley spread out before her, abundant with vines and homes, both big and small, a hollow of land where many families worked side by side to ensure a healthy crop.
She had promised David she’d hold on to Purple Fields, an odd request from his deathbed, yet one she couldn’t refuse. She loved Purple Fields. It had been her parent’s legacy, and now it was her home, her sanity and her refuge.
She marched purposely ahead of Tony, which was an accomplishment in itself, since he’d always been quick on his feet. His footsteps slowed. Then he let go an exasperated sigh. “Damn it, Rena. David was my friend. I loved him, too.”
Rena halted. Jamming her eyes closed momentarily, she whirled around. “You loved him? How can you say that? He’s gone because of you!” Rena’s anger flowed like the rush of a river. “You should never have come home. David was happy until you showed up.”
Lips pursed, Tony jutted his jaw out. Oh, how she remembered that stubborn look. “I’m not responsible for his death, Rena.”
“He wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel of that race car if you hadn’t come home. When you showed up, that’s all David talked about. Don’t you see? You represented everything David wanted. You ran away from the vineyards. You raced. You won. You became a champion.”
Tony shook his head. “It was a freakish accident. That’s all, Rena.”
“Your return here brought it all back to him,” she said solemnly.
“My father died two months ago. I came home to run the company.”
Rena glared at him. “Your father,” she muttered. Santo Carlino had been a harsh, domineering man who’d wanted to build his empire no matter the cost. He’d tried to buy out every small winery in the area. And when the owners refused, he’d managed to ruin their business somehow. Purple Fields had seen the brunt of the Carlino wrath for years. Yet her parents had fought him tooth and nail, keeping their small patch of life out of Carlino hands. “I’ll not speak ill of the dead, but…”
“I know you despised him,” Tony stated.
Rena stuck to her promise and held her tongue about Santo Carlino, but she couldn’t help how she felt and made no apologies for those feelings. “Go away, Tony.”
Tony’s lips curved up, a sinful, sexy curl of the mouth that at one time had knocked her senseless. “This is my land.”
She slumped her shoulders. “Right.”
Rena inhaled sharply, mentally chastising herself for driving up here—a bonehead move, as David would say. She was even more remorseful that she’d taken this short walk with Tony.
With hasty steps she brushed by him, but his reach was long and