She kicked off her shoes and sighed. She had spent a dreadful afternoon walking around her property with the real-estate people, cataloguing everything from the huge vats in the warehouses to the riding tackle in the now empty stables.
Everything was listed ready for the brochure and a date was set for the auction. She wrote the date in her diary on the hall table now in an attempt to trivialise it along with a few coffee mornings she already had planned with Rosie for that week. But it didn’t feel unimportant. It felt as if she was writing down the date for the end of her world.
The knowledge that she didn’t need to go through with the sale was reinforced by the scent of the roses that Brad had sent her this morning. There had been a card with them, reminding her that he was picking her up for dinner tonight. As if she could have forgotten! Even so, she had kidded herself all day that she wasn’t going to go, that she wasn’t going to consider his proposal—hence the real-estate people and the practical way she had been dealing with things.
Her eyes moved from the roses to the grandfather clock.
It was six o’ clock. If she was going to have dinner with Brad, then she should go straight upstairs and start to get ready.
She thought about it for just a second then headed for the stairs. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to listen to what Brad had to say, she told herself fiercely.
She showered and styled her hair in record time, then spent ages trying to decide what to wear. She didn’t want to look as if she had taken any extra trouble with her appearance, but on the other hand she wanted to look good.
She settled on a white trouser suit and a blue silk blouse. Then surveyed her appearance critically. The outfit complemented her dark colouring, the slender curves of her figure. She would do, she decided. It didn’t really matter what she looked like.
The sound of Brad’s car pulling up outside made her calm resolve start to falter.
She watched him walking up to the front door from her bedroom window. He looked extremely sophisticated in a classically cut, dark suit. The clothes emphasised the breadth of his shoulders, the darkness of his hair.
She heard the ring of the doorbell, but waited a few minutes. She wasn’t going to hurry to let him in... She didn’t want to appear too keen.
She took her time going down to the front door, but as soon as she opened it and he smiled warmly at her all her cool thoughts were forgotten.
‘You look wonderful,’ he said, his eyes moving in a leisurely perusal of her appearance.
‘Thank you. And thanks for the roses,’ she added.
‘My pleasure.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Shall we go? I’ve booked a table at Henry’s for eight.’
She tried not to feel impressed by the fact that he was taking her to one of the best restaurants in the area. She nodded. ‘I’ll just get my bag.’
Surprisingly, Paige felt very relaxed with Brad throughout the meal. The food and the service were excellent and Brad was attentive and amusing. Not once during the main meal did the conversation touch too heavily on personal ground.
‘Would you like a dessert and coffee?’ Brad asked as he leaned across to refill her wineglass.
‘Just a coffee, thanks.’ Paige turned from her contemplation of the restaurant to find he was regarding her steadily. The intentness of his gaze flustered her.
‘I’m glad you changed your mind about having dinner with me tonight,’ he said softly.
‘I’ve enjoyed it,’ Paige said truthfully. Then, in case he got the wrong idea, she added hastily, ‘This is one of my favourite restaurants but it’s ages since I’ve been here. You have to reserve a table so far in advance that it tends to be a place just for special occasions.’
‘I hope this is a special occasion,’ Brad said, his eyes lingering on the soft curve of her lips.
There was something so blatantly sensual about the way he was looking at her that she could feel heat rising in waves inside her. ‘How did you manage to get a reservation at such short notice?’ She tried very hard to keep the conversation on an impersonal level.
He smiled as if he knew exactly what she was doing. ‘I can be persuasive when I want something badly enough.’
She looked away from him. ‘You mean you bribed them... just like you are trying to bribe me into marriage?’
His eyebrows rose at that. ‘I’ve never bribed anyone in my life. Hell, Paige, I suggested marriage to you because I believe it will be to our mutual benefit. Do you really have such a low opinion of me?’
Their eyes met across the table and her heart thudded unsteadily. ‘I don’t know what to think any more,’ she admitted, regretting her outburst. Brad had been so charming throughout dinner. ‘I’m sorry; perhaps the word “bribe” was a bit strong.’
He leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed again. ‘Yes—especially for a prospective mayor.’ Humour danced in the darkness of his eyes.
Her eyes moved contemplatively over his features. He looked strong and uncompromising, but the impression of strength was one of positive integrity and honour. If it wasn’t for the way Brad had behaved towards her father in the last months of his life, she would have had no compunction about believing he was the type of guy you could trust.
‘You must be very eager to become mayor if you are prepared to get married in order to secure more votes.’
‘It has become very important to me.’ He nodded. ‘I think I can make a difference around here, make life better.’
‘Then what... Washington?’ she asked lightly, a smile in her voice.
He laughed. ‘Give me a chance. I haven’t been elected here yet.’ He reached across and poured the last of the wine into her glass.
She shrugged. ‘You’re ambitious. If things go well for you, I shouldn’t think you’ll want to stay in such a small pool.’
‘This town is my home. Like you, I’ve been brought up with a healthy respect for the land, for my heritage. I wouldn’t give that up lightly.’
Paige thought of his mother. ‘No... Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted that.’ For a moment her eyes clouded. She still missed Elizabeth.
Brad’s eyes met hers. ‘She would have approved of my proposing to you, though,’ he said with a wry twist of his lips.
Paige smiled. ‘Isn’t that enough to make you do the opposite? She always said you were your own man, a free thinker, stubborn as the day is long.’
Brad grinned. ‘Funny, she said very similar things about you.’
For a moment they looked at each other and Paige could feel the poignancy of those memories very strongly between them.
‘Elizabeth was a lovely person. You must still miss her terribly.’
He inclined his head. ‘But life goes on,’ he said slowly. ‘My mother taught me that lesson when I was very young, and my father had just died. She was very brave and strong and she worked very hard at keeping the vineyard going from success to success.’
Paige nodded. ‘She was an extraordinary woman.’
‘She used to say, Paige, that the secret of life was not to be afraid of it, but to embrace it firmly.’
Paige’s eyes misted with sudden tears.
He