Love's Harvest, page 14
part #1 of A Salmon Run Novel Series
“And if my husband hadn’t died recently,” she added unthinkingly. The levity went out of the moment as quickly as it had appeared.
Diego helped Julia up to a sitting position. “My head plays tricks with my heart,” he said. “I want you, Señora, with all my body and soul. Yet when I remember who I am and who you are, I feel sad or worse. Ashamed.”
“We’ve nothing to be ashamed of, Diego.” Then she smiled again. “Not yet anyway,” she teased.
Diego didn’t as yet return her smile. “I want to court you, Julia. I want to do it the way you deserve, not like this.”
He paused for a moment as he searched for the right words. “Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tomorrow evening?”
Julia thought about this for a moment. A few seconds ago she was ready to invite him into her bed, and now they were discussing, of all things, a dinner date. It was obvious he wanted her to notice his respect for her and her position at the winery. However, he was also thinking of Julia’s vulnerable heart made lonesome by grief. The sweetness of his request alone melted whatever resolve Julia may’ve had earlier.
“I’d be delighted, Diego.”
He took her hands in his. “I don’t want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. We both know it’s perhaps too soon for you to be seen with another man, but I don’t want to keep what I feel for you a secret.”
Is it love he’s speaking of? Julia asked herself as she stepped toward him.
He placed his arms around her and pulled her against his body. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend the evening with than with you, Diego. People will talk. They usually do, but I do not care as long as you feel the same.”
Diego smiled and kissed on her forehead. “For right now, we’ve only one big question to answer. Do we walk out of this field together or one at a time?”
Julia smiled at Diego’s attempt at humor, then both answered at once. “Together!”
Diego took Julia by the hand and led her through the vineyard, pointing out the various sections designated by what genus of grape grew within which parameter. Diego was proud of his work and wanted to show her all he’d planted and how well the grapes had matured. He explained how the planted Madeleine Angevine, Gewurztraminer, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir grapes would each be ready for harvest at different times of the year. More importantly, however, Diego fashioned a sizable erection and needed to give himself enough time for his body to quiet down before he and Julia arrived at the compound where others would no doubt see them.
Julia loved the feel of her strong but undersized hand held in the stronger and more calloused one of Diego. At one point she gazed down at their intertwined hands, her pale English-Scottish skin against his, the color of caramel. They were opposites in many ways but not in the ways that most seemed to count.
Diego and Julia both understood the challenging journeys of grief and loneliness as well as the twin forces of loyalty and legacy. They were both extremely aware of the values of friendship and hard work.
In this very moment the Nooksack Valley Winery and Vineyard provided the fertile ground into which each of them could pour their heart and soul to build something to be proud of.
By the time they arrived at the compound, the sky was dark, illuminated only by the cloud-covered moon and the lights of the dozen or so apartment units. Mariela stood in her half-lit doorway and watched her brother and Julia as they crossed the grounds.
She loved seeing the two of them easily enjoying each other’s company and conversation. Yet Mariela couldn’t help but feel concern for their futures, both individually and as a couple.
Her prayer now was that when their initial infatuation had simmered, as it naturally would over time, they still would find within each other what had united their souls in the first place. Worried though she was, Mariela realized in that moment she not only loved her brother beyond scope or definition, but deeply loved the Señora as well.
Chapter 10
For the first time in several months, Julia slept like a rock. When she finally opened her eyes, she was surprised at how calm and rested she felt. She turned over and thought about sleeping a hair longer, but the guilt of not getting much if any work done the day before gnawed at her.
Several stacks of bills and other correspondence waited for her to attack. It’d been months since Julia kept up with the mail. She could put it off no longer.
She stretched herself awake and ambled into the kitchen to make her morning cup of coffee. While she waited for the water to heat, she peered out the tiny window toward the building which housed her office, the retail shop, and the tasting room.
When she saw a light coming from her office, she froze. Unsure if she was being robbed, or if James had perhaps returned only to wreak more havoc, stole her serenity as well as her breath. She hurriedly ran to retrieve her cell phone and placed a call to the Sheriff’s office.
“Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department, Abigail von Buskirk speaking.”
“Hi Abby, this is Julia Reynolds. I think I may have a problem at the winery.” Julia dressed as quickly as she could while cradling her phone at the same time.
“I’ll send a car out post haste. What’s the nature of your emergency, Julia?”
“I’m not sure, Abby. A light’s on in my office, but I distinctly remember turning off all the lights last night before going to bed. It’s Saturday, normally a day off, so I can’t imagine who’d be in my office this early in the morning.”
Abbie snorted. “It’s actually a few minutes past noon, but I’ll make sure the deputy understands your concerns, especially given yesterday’s activities. Things are a bit crazy out your way, huh?”
“That’s the understatement of the year.” Julia tried to laugh but couldn’t.
Abby continued, “Well, stay put. No need to aggravate the situation by placing yourself in any danger.”
“Uh-huh,” Julia answered as she slipped on her shoes.
“You listen to me, Julia Reynolds. Stay out of the winery until either Barb or one of the guys gets there. Do you hear me?”
Julia had already hung up the phone. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife before descending upon the would-be burglar. Julia then tiptoed from her home to the adjacent building, making sure she’d not be seen or heard.
As she neared, she could hear music coming from the CD player in her office. She recognized it immediately—the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number 30 in E Major, Opus 109. She remembered the day she recorded it, for it’d been the day Robert had been diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer.
What in the world?
She scooted along the wall as quietly as she could. Someone was in her office, all right. Julia could hear the sounds of ruffling papers and the brrrump of the adding machine doing its job.
Now barely outside the open door, Julia raised her knife for the onslaught. One, two, three, she counted to herself before jumping into the middle of the room.
Two screams went out as the person sitting at Julia’s desk caught sight of her attacker at the same time her attacker zeroed in on her.
“Oh my God, Julia. What are you doing?”
“Gayle?” Julia stood looking at her friend in confusion, her hand raised and mouth agape.
Gayle tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself. “Geez, Julia. If James ever saw what you look like standing there with that knife in your hand, he wouldn’t dare give you any crap about the winery. Lordy! I think I widdled my pants.”
Julia could keep from giggling either. After laughing uncontrollably for several minutes, they both ended up with a giant case of hiccups.
Gayle was the first to speak. “You told me I could choose my own hours, so I decided to come in and at least do some mail before I had to deal with my kids.”
“I know,” Julia answered sheepishly. “I forgot. Sorry, Gayle!”
“Apology accepted. Good Lord, I thought I was crazy!”
They both once again fell into a new giggle session.
By the time they calmed down, the CD had finished playing and quiet filled the room. Julia watched as Gayle fumbled through the opened mail, pulling out an envelope with a letter attached. “I think I’ve some good news for you, Julia.”
“Well, I’d say I was due, wouldn’t you?” she remarked.
“Look at this. It came in the mail postmarked from last May. It’s from the San Francisco International Wine Awards. Apparently the Nooksack Valley Winery and Vineyard won a best in show for last year’s Siegerrebe. See?” She handed the document to Julia.
“What?” Julia quickly perused the letter. Shock and then a smile took over her entire face. “Oh my goodness, Gayle, it turns out last fall Diego entered our Siegerrebe into the contest and this is the notification that we won! Do you know what this means?”
“It means your Diego’s smarter than he wants us to believe.” Gayle snorted. “Heavenly daisies, Julia, this could be the very thing that ushers the Nooksack Winery back into the graces of the international wine critics.”
Julia paced the room, the gears in her head moving a mile a minute. “With their approval comes better marketing and then more sales. Oh Gayle, I could absolutely kiss Diego!”
“I bet you could!” answered Gayle, fluttering her eyelids.
“Oh stop it, you.” Julia then made her way to Gayle’s side and hugged her.
“This is an answer to prayer, Julia,” Gayle whispered.
Answering her friend in a voice as soft and vulnerable as Gayle’s, Julia answered, “I know, Gayle. Believe me.”
Both women were embracing each other when suddenly out of nowhere, Sheriff Barbara jumped into position within the office doorway. With her gun pointed at the two she yelled, “Freeze. Hands up! You’re both under arrest!”
The levity in the room plummeted but for a brief second, and then screaming laughter took over the winery building once again. Just when Gayle and Julia thought they had their giggles under control, they’d remember the look on Barb’s fuzzy headed face and would break out in uncontrollable guffaws all over again.
“Oh, Barb. I’m sorry, I should’ve called you. It turns out I didn’t have a burglar after all,” said Julia in a fit of tears.
“How could you think I was a burglar, Julia?” Gayle teased her sister-in-law.
Barbara lowered her gun and stepped out of her shooting stance. “Do either of you two want to tell me what this is all about?”
Sheriff van Persie tried to sound put off, but she wasn’t having much luck, so she holstered her weapon. “I should drag the both of you in for administering a prank call to the Sheriff’s office.”
Julia tried to wipe her eyes, but her tears of laughter wouldn’t stop. “It wasn’t a prank call, Barb. Honestly, after all we’ve been through this last week, I’d think you of all people would understand that.”
Things finally quieted down and Gayle passed the box of Kleenex on Julia’s desk to both women. “Well, as long as you’re here, you might as well congratulate Julia on her award winning Siegerrebe. Show her the letter, Julia.”
Barb gave the document a thorough once over before looking up at Julia with as big a grin on her face as that of her two friends. “Wow, kiddo! Good for you!! You and your people so deserve this, Julia!”
“Turns out Señor Gonzales-Martinez applied for the award last fall, but we didn’t find out about it until today,” Gayle butted in. “I told you, Julia, that man’s a keeper if I ever saw one!”
Barb’s curiosity peaked. “So, what’s with you two, huh, Julia? As far as I can see, Diego is certainly more interested in you and the winery than as a mere employee.”
Julia felt her face redden and her heart skip a beat. “I … uh … well, he’s a wonderful person. We both care about the winery and the future of …”
Gayle could no longer stand Julia’s hemming and hawing. “For goodness’ sake, tell her, Julia. Geez!”
When Julia didn’t immediately reply, Gayle couldn’t help herself. She spilled the beans. “She thinks he’s hot and the feeling’s obviously mutual. There, Julia. Your dirty little secret’s out of the bag!”
Barbara sat down and let out a long whistle. “Oh great!” she finally said sarcastically. “Why don’t you simply load James’s gun with bullets and point it at yourself! No offense, Gayle.”
“None taken!”
Julia crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the desk. “It isn’t that big of a deal, is it? I mean, he’s a nice guy, and we’ve a lot of the same interests.”
“Yeah, like jumping into the sack together!” Gayle snorted.
“Look, Julia. It’s none of my business. Lord knows you deserve someone to love and take care of you. Yet I’m not sure Diego’s the best choice given his position here—”
Julia interrupted the sheriff. “—and he’s Mexican. Is that what you were going to say?”
Barbara looked stunned by Julia’s statement and immediately glanced over at Gayle for help.
“I think what Barb’s saying, Julia, is that now may not be the best time to hook up with anyone, not only Diego,” Gayle continued. “James has a hair up his butt right now. One more thing could set him off, and I’m not sure what’ll happen when he blows.”
Gayle’s face saddened. “Gosh, Julia, I’m so sorry. James never used to act this way, so even I can’t predict his behavior any more than anyone else can.”
“Look, you two,” said Julia. “Diego and I are both aware of the obstacles in front of us. We’ll be careful. You can trust me on that. I don’t want to cause a scene with James any more than you do, but I’m not going to change who I am and what I do because somebody doesn’t approve. I’ve lived most of my life that way already, and I’m tired of it. Diego’s a good man, and you know it! In fact, I feel lucky he has the kind of feelings for me that he does. Now, are you behind me as my friends or not?”
Barbara stood and smiled. “We love you and are only concerned, that’s all. Diego is a great guy, you’re right. And you deserve to have the best.” She then offered Julia her hand to high-five. “Count me in, girlfriend!”
Gayle rose from her seat and went to hug her two pals. “Me too, you lucky girl!”
The women stayed in their tear-filled embrace until they heard Mariela behind them clearing her throat. “Good afternoon, Señora Julia. Is everything all right? I’m not interrupting, am I?”
The women smiled at Mariela as Julia grabbed the award document off her desk. “No, silly, you’re not interrupting a thing. We’re merely celebrating. Turns out our last year’s Siegerrebe won the top prize at the San Francisco International Wine Awards. Look. Can you believe it?”
Mariela grabbed the paper, screamed and then genuflected. “Dulce Madre bendita de Dios! Sweet Blessed Mother of God! This is wonderful news, Julia. Not only for you, but for all of us here at the winery. Wait until I tell the others!”
All four women danced around the office in joy, high-fiving each other with each dosey doe. With Mariela in the lead, they no sooner conga danced out of the office door when they came face to face with Diego leaning against the doorjamb, his straw hat pushed back from his smiling face.
“Mariela, you’re starting to act as loco as the rest of these Lutheran ladies. Does Rafa know what you’re up to?” he asked teasingly.
Barbara pushed herself ahead of Mariela and shook her finger at the man grinning from ear to ear. “Who are you calling loco? Not the sheriff, I hope. Besides, I’m Dutch Reformed, not Lutheran like these other two nuts!”
“Don’t you mean, ‘Much Deformed’?” poked Gayle, in fun.
Barbara grabbed the award letter out of Mariela’s hand and whacked Gayle playfully on the top of head. “I’ll show you ‘Much Deformed’!”
“Wait a minute!” Mariela finally piped in. “I’m not a Lutheran or a Much-Whatever–You-Said. I’m Catholic, so there, and Rafa doesn’t need to know everything I do!”
She stared intently into Diego’s eyes. “And if you tell him we were dancing around acting like … like … Lutherans, I’ll make sure you attend Mass every Sunday morning from now until Hell freezes over.”
Julia could tell Mariela was only half-teasing. Yet, everyone was having so much fun that nothing was taken offensively. Julia was amazed at how capable Mariela was at standing up for herself, as well as what a funny sense of humor both she and Diego possessed.
She wished she too could loosen up and be that free and spontaneous, but with the responsibilities of the winery coupled with the year of anguish, Julia knew it’d be some time before she’d be able to access the playful side of her personality. Nevertheless, she decided to give it a go.
She took the awards letter out of Barbara’s hand and showed it to Diego. “What I want to know is whatever possessed you to send in our Siegerrebe last fall for evaluation without asking either Robert or me for permission, Señor Gonzales-Martinez?”
Julia tried her best to look irritated.
Taking a moment to figure out whether Julia was pulling his leg or not, Diego at last answered. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m as loco as a Lutheran too, huh? Why do you ask?”
The room fell silent for a brief moment. Then Julia’s face lit up. “Because we won top honors, you wonderfully exasperating man, you!” Once again all four women started screaming and dancing around the room.
“Let me see that!” Diego grabbed the document out of Julia’s hand. As he read it, he too laughed and cheered with the others. He took Julia in his arms and danced with her around the office while the others clapped time to their overdone twirls and silly gyrations.
When their dancing finally ended, Diego put his arm around Julia’s shoulders and pulled her into his side. “Well, I’ll say one thing. You Lutherans sure know how to celebrate!”
Julia and the women again fell apart laughing.
“Maybe I should switch and become a Catholic,” said Barbara. “We were never taught to dance like that growing up in my church.”
