Wed on His Terms: Million-Dollar Marriage Merger

“I don’t blame her. But I will honor my promise to David.”

Joe grinned. “I respect your determination, Tony. How are you going to charm a woman who clearly …”

“Hates me?” Tony huffed out a breath. Unfortunately, what he had in mind didn’t require a multitude of charm. Just blackmail. He would give Rena what she wanted most in life. “I have a plan.”

Joe shook his head. “You always do.”

“It’s time I set that plan in action.”

Two (#u7d6127dc-e3bf-576e-b74e-3e1e7f64c101)

Rena looked in her closet as tears streamed down her face. It had been three weeks since the funeral, and David’s clothes—his shirts and pants, his jackets and sweatshirts—still hung just beside hers. She reached out to touch his favorite blue plaid shirt. Her fingers lingered a bit and an image appeared of sitting by a cozy fire cuddling up next to David and laying her head on the soft flannel, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She smiled at the memory, even through her tears. “What now, David?” she asked in the solitude of her bedroom.

She was a thirty-one-year-old widow. She never would have believed it. Not when just weeks ago she’d planned on telling David her joyous news … that they were to become parents. She’d had it all planned. She’d silk-screened T-shirts that said, “I’m the Daddy” and another that said, “I’m the Mommy” and the third tiny T-shirt said, “And I’m the Boss.” She’d planned on giving David the set of them over his favorite dinner.

She hadn’t gone to the doctor yet, relying solely on the pregnancy test she’d taken. She’d wanted David by her side when they heard the news officially. Now she’d be going to all of her appointments alone, facing an unknown future.

The only bright spot in all this sadness was the child she carried. She loved her baby with all of her heart and vowed to protect it, doing whatever it took to make a good life for him or her.

Rena closed the closet door unable to remove and discard David’s clothes as she’d planned. “I’m not ready to let go,” she whispered. She needed David’s things around her, to feel his presence and warmth surround her. It gave her a sense of peace, odd as that might seem.

“Do you want me to help you with David’s things, Rena?” Solena Melendez’s voice broke into her thoughts. Rena turned to find her friend at the bedroom threshold, a concerned look on her face.

Rena smiled sadly. Since David’s death, Solena made a point to check up on Rena every morning.

“Solena, no. But thank you.” Solena and Raymond Melendez worked at Purple Fields—Solena in the wine-tasting room, Raymond overseeing the vineyards. They’d been loyal employees since Rena and David took over the winery after her parents’ deaths.

“It will take time, Rena.”

Rena understood that. She’d lost both of her parents. She knew the process of grieving. “I know.”

“And when it’s time, I will help you.”

She smiled and wiped away her tears. “I appreciate that.” She reached for Solena, and they embraced. Their relationship had grown over the years, and now Rena thought of Solena and Raymond as more than employees—they were dear friends. Friends whose salaries she may not be able to pay if she didn’t get this bank loan.

“We have orders today,” Solena said, breaking their embrace. “I’ll make sure they go out on time.”

“Orders are good,” Rena acknowledged with a nod of her head. Thankfully, Solena reminded her daily that she had a winery to run. Purple Fields was small but well-respected, and they’d been holding their own until a slowing economy and bigger wineries started shoving them out. Smaller vintners weren’t able to compete and sustain the same degree of losses as the more established ones.

“I have an appointment at the bank today.” Though Rena held out little hope, she had to try. She needed a loan to make her payroll this month and next. She was due a small amount from David’s life insurance policy, and that money would pay for her doctor bills and whatever was left over would go in trust for her child’s future. No one knew about the child she carried as yet, and she’d planned to keep it that way for the time being. She’d not told a soul. Not even Solena.

“I will pray for good news,” Solena said.

“So will I,” Rena said.

Rena lingered a bit after Solena left her room, putting a little makeup on a face that had seen too many tears. With dark circles beneath her eyes, no amount of makeup could hide her despair. Her grief would be evident, yet she had enough pride to want to appear in control of her emotions when she met Mr. Zelinski at the bank. Bankers were wary of desperation. Rena understood that and prepared herself with facts and figures she hoped would prove that Purple Fields was holding its own and worth the risk of a loan.

Rena walked down the stone hallway and made it to the living room when a knock sounded at her door. “Who could that be?” she muttered, taking up her purse and the file folder for her bank appointment and tucking it under her arm.

She opened the door to Tony Carlino. More than surprised, Rena blinked. “Tony? What are you doing here?”

He cast her a grim smile. “You wouldn’t return my phone calls.”

“There’s a reason for that. I don’t care to talk to you.”

“Maybe not,” Tony said. “But I have to talk to you.”

Rena took in a steady breath and calmed her nerves. Just the sight of Tony brought bad memories. She’d gotten over him once and had moved on with her life. She certainly didn’t want anything to do with him now. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

Tony glanced inside her home. He’d been here before many years ago, but she certainly didn’t want to invite him in. She’d never minded that she’d come from humble beginnings and that her family home was cozy and rustic, where the Carlino mansion had four wings of stately elegance, two dozen rooms, Italian marble and ancestral artwork that went back a few generations.

“What I have to say can’t be said on your doorstep, Rena.”

Rena glanced at her watch. “I’m on my way out. I don’t have time to talk to you.”

“Then have dinner with me tonight.”

“Dinner?” Rena had to focus hard not to wrinkle her face. “No, I won’t have dinner with you.”

Tony let go an exasperated sigh. “I don’t remember you being so difficult.”

She hadn’t been when she’d first met Tony at the age of sixteen. She’d taken one look at him and had fallen in love. They’d been friends first, Rena keeping her secret that she’d fallen hard for a Carlino. Tony had a smile that lit up her heart, and when they laughed together, Rena thought she’d died and gone to heaven. It had been painful holding in her feelings, not letting on that she loved him. It didn’t help matters that Santo Carlino was trying to run her parents out of business.

“You don’t know me anymore, Tony.” Rena lifted her chin. “If this is about easing your conscience about David, you’re wasting your time.”

Tony’s face tightened. His dark eyes grew cold. He stared at her for a moment, then as if gathering all his patience, he took a deep breath. “I haven’t got a guilty conscience, Rena. But what I have to say is about David.”

Rena glanced at her watch again. It wouldn’t do to be late for her appointment, yet he’d caught her curiosity. “What about David?”

“Have dinner with me and I’ll tell you.”

Pressed for time and jittery about her bank appointment, Rena relented. “Fine, I’ll have dinner with you.”

“I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Okay, now at the risk of being rude, I really have to leave.”

With a quick nod of agreement, Tony left and Rena breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t think about seeing him later and breaking bread with him. She’d seen the determined look on his face and knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Frankly, she didn’t have time to argue. The bank appointment was all she could focus on. “One hurdle at a time.” She mumbled David’s favorite words of encouragement every time they’d faced a challenge.

She had more important things to worry about than having dinner with Tony Carlino.

Tony drove out of the Purple Fields gates and turned right driving along the roads that would lead him to the Carlino estate. Vineyards on both sides of the highway spread across the valley rising up hills and down slopes, covering the land in a blanket of green.

He’d only been home about three months, and he still felt disoriented, unsure of his place here in Napa. He’d come home because his father had been ill. And now, as the oldest son, he had to assume responsibility for the business working alongside his two brothers. His father had expected as much from him.

The timing had been right for his return. He’d made his mark on NASCAR and had enjoyed every minute of his career until a crash and injury took him off the racing circuit. Perhaps it had been an omen to quit, but it wasn’t until his father’s passing that Tony realized he’d had no choice but to leave the racing world behind.

Somewhat.