An image of isobel flicked into his mind.
And just like that he was taut as a bow. Aching and thinking all kinds of inappropriate thoughts.
Why couldn’t he get his mind off a woman who was wrong for him in every way? Who challenged him on every level?
Frustrated, he went into the bathroom for a glass of water. Something that would slake the thirst that made him crave so much more than a long draw of liquid.
She’d be leaving soon, and that was a good thing, he told himself.
But the thought of never seeing her again made his body ache and turned his mind to the night they’d shared. He wanted more. He wanted that sensation of having his senses scattered to the wind. He wanted, even for the briefest time, to give himself over fully to the moment.
He wanted Isobel Fyfe.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the third story in THE MASTER VINTNERS series. While in Adelaide in May 2010, when I sat having lunch in an Italian restaurant with a friend and dreaming up the first two TMV books, I never imagined that it would lead me to fall in love with a whole new population of characters. The extended Masters family, and their offshoot of friends, have provided my imagination with challenges and story ideas that have kept me occupied for some time.
I was lucky enough to visit a few of the vineyards outside of Adelaide and to admire the beautiful settings, taste the carefully crafted and delicious wines and bask in the ambience of all that is amazing when you visit a country that is not your own. It seemed only fitting, to me, to give those stunning vistas and experiences a longer life in my own heart and mind than the short time I was able to be there.
In One Secret Night, ethan Masters discovers a shocking family secret. It’s a measure of how difficult he finds this information to deal with when he uncharacteristically divulges it to a woman he meets only in passing, and expects never to see again. Their secret night turns into a firestorm of passion and emotion as he and free-spirited Isobel Fyfe learn what it’s like when opposites attract…and fall in love.
I hope you’ll fall in love with ethan and Isobel, too!
Happy reading,
Yvonne Lindsay
About the Author
New Zealand born, to Dutch immigrant parents, YVONNE LINDSAY became an avid romance reader at the age of thirteen. Now, married to her “blind date” and with two fabulous children, she remains a firm believer in the power of romance. Yvonne feels privileged to be able to bring to her readers the stories of her heart. In her spare time, when not writing, she can be found with her nose firmly in a book, reliving the power of love in all walks of life. She can be contacted via her website, www.yvonnelindsay.com.
One Secret Night
Yvonne Lindsay
This book is dedicated to dear friends who helped me brainstorm when my brain was a tranquil place with nothing happening—a lovely thing to have but not when you’re nutting out a plot!
Nalini, Peta and Shar—big thanks for all your help.
One
His mother was alive.
Ethan Masters walked blindly through Adelaide’s city streets, the staggering knowledge continuing to ricochet in his mind. A mind already struggling to come to terms with his father’s recent unexpected death. He’d thought that would be the hardest thing he would ever have to face. But this discovery today, that the man Ethan had idolized and revered above all others had lied to him and his sister for the past twenty-five years, was much worse.
Grief mingled with a sharp sense of betrayal sliced through him anew—its blade serrated and leaving behind a raw pain that throbbed incessantly deep inside his chest. He didn’t know what to do with the information he’d been given today. Part of him wished he’d never learned the truth. In fact, if he hadn’t discovered an anomaly in his father’s personal accounts he would still be none the wiser. The family solicitor’s reluctance to explain had only made him more determined to discover where the monthly payments had been going.
So, now he knew. The woman who had abandoned him and his sister, Tamsyn, had accepted money to stay away, happy to let her children think she’d died in the car accident that had spared their lives.
Even worse, his father’s siblings, Ethan’s uncle Edward and aunt Cynthia, had colluded in the lie.
It went against everything—every family institution—he’d been brought up with. Bad enough that his memories of his parents had been tainted. But to know that so many people he trusted had gone behind his back…it was more than he could take. Maybe he should have gone straight home after his meeting in the city—confronted his aunt and uncle, told Tamsyn the truth. But if he himself found it next to impossible to weigh the information he’d received today, how could he expect to face his sister with the news?
The very idea of telling Tamsyn sent a shudder down his spine. Tamsyn was, by nature, a caretaker. She wanted everyone to be happy, and she worked darn hard to achieve that goal. Always had, even as a child. It was one of the reasons why her branch of the family business was so sought after and came so highly recommended. This news could well destroy her. He couldn’t bear to see that happen. He hadn’t spent the past twenty-five years of his life being her champion to fall at this hurdle now. No, this was his problem to deal with and he needed to work out his next move before facing everyone. He’d reach that decision a darn sight faster without the various demands of the family business, not to mention his extended family buzzing around to distract him.
A flicker of exotic color and movement caught his eye. A young woman who stood out from all the somber office workers marking the end of their working week by spilling from nearby buildings. Small, slender and blond, her dress a multihued swirl that clung briefly to outline her buttocks and thighs as a passing vehicle threw a gust of air in her direction. An incongruously large and cumbersome pack was settled on her back, yet she carried it as if it weighed nothing at all. Intrigued, Ethan watched as she slipped through the doors of a nearby pub and out of sight.
Without a second thought, Ethan followed her footsteps. He pulled himself up short as he entered the building and firmed his lips into a grim line. For someone who hadn’t wanted distraction he’d certainly found it in the noisy confusion of pub patrons—a blend of tourists, students and office workers. For a second, he considered leaving. But what the hell, maybe concentration would come more smoothly after a drink. Straightening his shoulders, he headed to the bar. He scanned the crowd all the while, but he saw no sign of the colorful butterfly that had drawn him here.
Minutes later, Ethan listened to the beat of the music energizing the people on the dance floor—people whose lives were clearly far less complicated than his had so rapidly become—and deftly swirled the red wine in his glass. He watched as the rich ruby liquid ran in tiny rivers down the inside and inexorably into the bowl.
“Not to your taste, sir?” the barman asked from across the gleaming wooden bar.
“It’s fine,” Ethan admitted, belatedly adding his thanks.
He continued to scan the crowd reflected in the mirror over the bar, and allowed his thoughts to wander. Rolled the truth around in his head that the life he’d lived since the accident had been based on untruths.
Looking back, he remembered that his father had been different after the crash. That bit more remote, that bit more stern and demanding of excellence in those around him. That bit less trusting. But once he’d recovered from his own injuries, Ethan, in his six-year-old