His Summer Bride

She paused, trying to make sense of her actions. Why was she doing this? Was she really so bothered about meeting up with Nick that she needed to fuss about the way she looked? Unhappily, the answer had to be a resounding ‘Yes’. It gave her confidence to know that she looked okay.

A final check in the mirror showed her that her hair was the usual mass of chaotic curls, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. At least it was clean and shining.

‘Thanks for coming along, Katie.’ Nick met her at the door of his office. His glance flicked over her, and an appreciative gleam came into his eyes. ‘I’d like you to take a look at young Matthew Goren, if you will. I’ve asked his mother if she wouldn’t mind you giving a second opinion.’

‘That’s okay. I’m happy to do it.’

He introduced her to the boy’s mother and then to Matthew, a thin-looking eleven-year-old who looked uncomfortable and deeply troubled.

‘Matt’s complaining of pain in his thigh,’ Nick said, as they went over to the trolley bed. ‘It came on three days ago, and now he’s unable to walk because of it. He has a low-grade fever, mild hypertension and slight anaemia, and he’s been suffering from frequent nosebleeds in the last couple of years. Liver function, lungs and white-cell count are normal. I’ve done an abdominal ultrasound and an MRI of the thigh as well as X-rays, but I’m waiting on the results of other blood tests to see if they eliminate certain other possibilities.’

Nick had obviously been very thorough. This must be an unusual case or he wouldn’t have brought her in on it, and she was glad that he respected her enough to ask for her opinion.

Katie gave the boy a smile. ‘Hello, Matt. I’m Dr Logan. I’m sorry you’re having problems with your thigh. That must be really uncomfortable.’

He nodded. ‘I had it once before, when I was ten, but it went away. This is a lot worse.’

‘Oh, dear.’ She sent him a sympathetic glance. ‘We’ll have to find out what’s wrong and put it right, then, won’t we?’ She studied his chart for a moment or two and then asked, ‘Would it be all right if I examine you, Matt?’

‘It’s okay.’

Katie was as gentle as she could be, taking her time to assess the boy’s condition. When she had finished she asked a few general questions about his symptoms.

‘Has the swelling in his abdomen come on recently?’ she said, looking at his mother.

Mrs Goren shook her head. ‘It started just over two years ago. He says it isn’t painful. To be honest, we didn’t think anything of it at first—we just thought he was putting on a bit of weight around his tum.’

Katie nodded and glanced at the results of the ultrasound scan on the computer monitor. ‘The spleen is definitely enlarged,’ she said in a low voice, looking at Nick.

‘Take a look at the radiographs and MRI films,’ he suggested. ‘It looks to me as though there’s a patchy sclerosis in the left femoral head… and abnormalities in the bone-marrow density.’

Katie studied the films. ‘That could suggest replacement of the marrow fat by an infiltrate,’ she said thoughtfully.

‘That’s the conclusion I came to.’ Nick frowned. ‘This isn’t something I’ve ever come across before, but if my suspicions are correct it could mean subjecting the boy to more invasive tests, like a bone-marrow biopsy. I’m reluctant to do that.’

‘That’s understandable.’ She looked over the boy’s notes once more then said quietly, ‘You’re right—this is very rare, but given the increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the history of nosebleeds and two separate incidents of bone pain a year apart, I’d suggest you do a blood test for glucocerebrosidase enzyme in white blood cells.’

He pulled in a deep breath. ‘So you’ve come to the same conclusion as me—thanks for that, Katie. I was reluctant to order specialised tests on an instinctive diagnosis, but you’ve picked out the associated patterns of disease and helped me to make my decision. I’ll go ahead with the enzyme test.’

He turned once more to his patient and spoke to the boy’s mother. ‘I think we’ll admit Matt to hospital overnight so that we can keep him under observation and try to reduce the inflammation in his thigh. I’ll arrange for a nurse to wheel him up to the ward—I’ll go and organise that now—and then, once he’s settled, I’ll order another blood test to check for an enzyme deficiency. The sample will have to be sent off to a specialised centre for testing, but as soon as we have the results, in maybe a week’s time, I’ll be able to tell you more about what’s going on.’

He looked at Matt. ‘In the meantime, you have to rest…so that means lots of boring things like playing games on your portable computer and watching videos or TV.’ He gave an exaggerated wince, and the boy laughed. ‘We’ll give you some tablets to take away the pain and bring your fever down,’ Nick added. ‘Once the leg starts to feel more comfortable, you should be up and about again—I’m hoping that will be fairly soon.’

A few minutes later, Katie said goodbye to the boy and his mother and made her way to the door. Nick excused himself and went with her, leaving the two of them to talk about Matt’s hospital stay.

‘Would you let me know how he goes on?’ she asked, and he nodded.

‘Of course.’ He smiled. ‘I knew I could rely on you to pinpoint the essentials,’ he said as they went out into the corridor. ‘You may not have been here long, but your reputation for being an excellent doctor is already hailed throughout Paediatrics and Emergency.’

‘Is it?’ Katie was startled. ‘I’m pleased about that, of course, but I’m just doing my job, the same as everyone else.’ She sent him a fleeting glance. ‘Anyway, you do pretty well yourself. I thought you were brilliant with my father the other day. He hates fuss and feeling as though he’s putting people out, but you handled him perfectly and you had him feeling better in very quick time. I was impressed.’

He smiled. ‘We aim to please.’ Then his expression sobered and he asked, ‘How is Jack? Is he coping all right with his new medication?’

She nodded. ‘On the whole, it’s been working well, but I think he had a bit of a setback earlier today. He wasn’t feeling too good first thing, apparently.’

Katie recalled the phone conversation she’d had with her father that morning. She’d sensed he’d been holding something back, but, then, he probably kept a good deal of his thoughts hidden from her. He wouldn’t want her to know the full extent of his disability, and that saddened her. He was her father, and yet there was so much that they kept hidden from one another. How could she confide her uncertainties, and how could he share his problems with her, if no bond had built up between them over the years?

‘He didn’t sound quite right, and I could hear the breath rasping in his lungs, but he wouldn’t admit to anything more than being a bit under the weather.’ She frowned. ‘I know he’s using his oxygen every night, and sometimes in the daytime, too, and he seems more frail every time I see him. Of course, he never tells me any of his problems. He hates being vulnerable, and it’s difficult for me to reach through to him sometimes.’

‘Yes, I wondered about that.’ Nick sent her an oblique glance. ‘Are you and he getting on all right? I know it must be difficult for you. At the hospital the other day it was fairly obvious you and he still had a lot of issues to resolve.’

She wondered how much of their conversation he had overheard. ‘That’s true enough.’ She frowned. ‘To be honest, I don’t know how I feel. I’ve made a real effort to break down the barriers between us lately, and I think it’s beginning to pay off. I’ve definitely grown closer to him over these last few weeks.’ Even so, doubt clouded her eyes.

‘Learning to forgive must be the hardest thing of all.’ Nick’s gaze trailed over her features, lingering on the vulnerable curve of her mouth. ‘You’ve had to come to terms with two betrayals, haven’t you. your ex’s and your father’s? That’s why you have so much trouble contemplating any new relationship.’

‘I suppose so.’ She pressed her teeth into the fullness of her lower lip. ‘I hope I’m succeeding with both of those. At least with James I’m beginning to see that there were already cracks in our relationship. Maybe I was too ambitious, path... whereas James was more easygoing, taking life as it came. I’m wondering if he simply wasn’t the type to settle down. He had a child, but he didn’t have much contact with him.’

‘Much like your father.’ Nick’s expression was sombre. ‘No wonder your ex’s weakness hit you so hard. Your father had done exactly the same thing... followed his own path and then abandoned you.’

‘Yes.’ She was silent for a moment, mulling things over. Could any man be trusted? Could Nick? Not according to her father.

She frowned. ‘Where my father’s concerned, I still don’t really understand what goes on in his head. He treats me as though he’s very fond of me and has my welfare at heart…but after all those years of little or no contact it takes a bit of getting used to, to believe that he cares.’ And yet only yesterday he had told her how proud he was of her, how much it pleased him that his daughter was a doctor, working to save lives. ‘I needed to tell you that before I pass on,’ he’d said, and she’d put her arms around him and given him a hug.

‘Oh, Dad, please don’t say that,’ she’d implored him, her throat suddenly choked up. ‘Please don’t talk about passing on. I’m only just getting to know you.’

He’d smiled. ‘What’ll be will be.’

Nick’s brooding gaze rested on her, as though he sensed something of her troubled thoughts. ‘I’m sure he cares very deeply for you… but unhappily something went wrong and he didn’t feel able to be there for you. Perhaps distance was a problem—living out here in California meant you were so far apart that visits would be infrequent, and he might have thought it would be less painful for you if he didn’t visit at all. You would be able to settle to life without him, rather than be hurt all over again every time he went away.’

‘Then again,’ she pointed out, ‘he could have chosen to stay in England. What was more important… his family or the job?’

He seemed to hesitate. ‘That’s something you must ask him yourself. I can’t answer that one for you. But knowing him, I’m sure he had his reasons.’

‘Did he? I’ve no idea what they were. All I know is that he condemned us—me and my mother—to a lonely life.’ Her expression was bleak. ‘Some people may like being an only child, but I wasn’t one of them. I always felt there should be something more.’

He was solemn for a moment, his lips parting as though he was about to say something, but apparently he thought better of it. He laid a hand lightly on her shoulder. ‘I’m sure it will all come right for you in the end, Katie. You’ve taken a huge step, coming out here, and you’re making great headway. Just give it a little more time.’

He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m off duty in a couple of hours. I’ll come and pick you up from the apartment and we’ll drive over to the vineyard. Perhaps that will cheer you up.’

She nodded. ‘Okay. I’ll be waiting.’ A day or so had passed since he’d made the suggestion, and already she was beginning to regret agreeing to it. What had happened to her plan to avoid him at all costs, to steer clear of getting involved with him in any way? Working with him was proving to be a hazard in itself. It seemed that he was there at every turn… and it was impossible for her to get him out of her head.

She was beginning to realise that there was so much more to him than she had at first imagined. He was caring and perceptive and even though that made her want to get to know him a whole lot better, she was desperately afraid of the consequences. Little by little, though, he was drawing her into his electric force field and she was powerless to resist.

The vineyard, when they arrived there some time later, was bathed in late-afternoon sunlight. Nick helped her out of the passenger seat of his gleaming silver saloon and waited as she stepped out onto the wide, sweeping drive. Katie looked around. She couldn’t explain it, even to herself, but just the simple fact that he was there beside her made the breath catch in her throat and in spite of herself filled her with a kind of delicious expectation. He was wearing casual clothes, a deep navy shirt, open at the neck, teamed with dark trousers, and just looking at him made her heart skip a beat.

‘Let me show you round the place,’ he said. ‘From a high point in the gardens you can see for miles around.’ He slipped an arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on the curve of her hip in a gentle act of possession that brought heat surging throughout her body. ‘I’m sure you’ll love it out here,’ he murmured. ‘We have a beautiful day for it…the sun’s shining and the vines are heavy with grapes.’

She nodded, and tried not to think about that casual touch that was so much like a caress. It only fogged her brain and left her confused and distracted.

He led the way through the house, a pretty French château-style building that had steeply pitched roofs and round towers with turrets. Painted white, it was a gem set in the middle of the Carmel Valley, and Katie fell in love with it on sight.

The gardens were exquisitely landscaped, with trees and shrubs in full bloom so that there was a mass of colour all around. Nestled among the various arbours and flowering trees there was an elevated hardwood deck, and Nick started to head towards it.

‘From up here on the deck you can see the vineyard in all its glory. It’s a great vantage point,’ he said, mounting the wooden stairs and walking over to the balustrade.

Katie followed him and turned to gaze at the distant Carmel Valley Mountains. ‘I didn’t realise that you had so much land,’ she murmured. ‘Are all those vines yours, or do those slopes belong to another vineyard… my father’s, perhaps?’

Nick followed the direction of her gaze. ‘They’re ours. Your father’s land is a little further to the west. We’ve terraced the slopes here in order to grow certain types of grapes, and then we have more vines spread along the valley floor. We’re incredibly lucky in this area because there’s such a long season. The grapes ripen slowly and that helps to intensify the flavour.’

She nodded, trying to take it all in. In the far distance, the verdant slopes of the ever-present Santa Lucia range added to the sense of lush, rich farmland all around. ‘It looks heavenly,’ she murmured, ‘like an Eden where everything is in harmony and the fruit is bursting off the vines.’

He smiled. ‘At least, that’s how we hope it will be. A good year will produce a premium vintage, but we can’t rely on that. If we get too much rain at the wrong time it can cause all kinds of problems, like mould, rot or mildew. Then again, the weather one season can be too hot and another too cool. It all helps to produce a variety of flavours and different qualities of wine.’

‘So you can’t simply sit back and leave things to nature?’

He laughed. ‘I wish! But, no, definitely not…we have to take steps to compensate for adverse conditions.’ He laid an arm around her, his hand splaying out over her shoulder and sending a thrill of heat to course through her veins. ‘Over the years my family has put a huge amount of effort into building up a reputation for producing quality wines… and it all came about because of my great-great-grandfather’s drive and ambition.’

She was thoughtful for a moment. ‘He certainly managed to pick out a piece of prime land. He must have been an astute man—and I dare say a wealthy one, too.’

Nick shook his head. ‘His family were immigrants, dirt poor, and they had to scrape a living for themselves. They came out here hoping for a better life, but it was a struggle, and I think Joseph, my great-great-grandfather, made up his mind that he would carve a path for himself, come what may. He worked at all kinds of jobs, day and night, determined to earn as much money as possible. He was thrifty, too, and put aside a good part of his earnings until, after about fifteen years or so, he had saved enough money to buy this vineyard.’

‘That was a huge accomplishment.’

He nodded. ‘It was. But the hardest bit was turning the vineyard around. When he first took it over they were producing inexpensive table wines, but Joseph had other ideas. He had a certain vision and he wanted to make big changes. Quality was everything to him and even though people told him he was making a big mistake, he went ahead with his plans to produce grapes that would provide superior wines. Then he had to convince the buyers that this was a product they wanted, and it all took tremendous hard work and a lot of money.’

He frowned. ‘Over the years, when wine consumption declined and harvests were poor, the vineyard suffered losses that could have ruined everything for us. That’s why my grandfather had to sell off a third of the land… the piece that Jack owns now. He needed the money to go on running things in keeping with Joseph’s ideals.’

‘And now you want it back,’ Katie said flatly. ‘That’s why you’ve been asking my father to sign papers that will turn the ownership over to you once more.’ She looked at him directly. ‘He should have his solicitor look them over before he does anything, shouldn’t he? I think I should get in touch with the law firm that deals with his affairs.’ It was a subtle warning, designed to let him know that she wasn’t going to stand by and see her father put under pressure. ‘Only, like I said before, I don’t think he’s in any fit state to deal with these kinds of problems just now, do you?’

Her expression was faintly belligerent, her jaw tilted, and Nick’s gaze flicked over her, taking it all in. ‘I was just telling you the history of the place, that’s all,’ he said in an even tone. ‘I don’t want to get into an argument with you.’

She backed down a little. After all, she was on his territory, she was a guest here, and this was perhaps the wrong time and place to thrash out their differences.

‘I’m just concerned for my father,’ she said.

‘I know that, and I respect you for it.’ He studied her thoughtfully. ‘But if you really care about him, you would probably do well to persuade him that his life would be easier if he were to offload the worries of the business onto us. That way he could relax and enjoy his remaining years.’

She stiffened. ‘I think you’re mistaken if you believe I’ll do your deal for you.’ She sent him a flinty stare. ‘I haven’t had many weeks to get to know him, but it’s been long enough for me to begin to care what happens to him. I didn’t know what it was to have a father until now, and I’ve started to realise that it’s something precious. I never imagined I would feel this way, about him or his land—so I’m not likely to suggest that he changes anything.’

She threw him a quick glance. ‘I expect you’re equally protective of your parents—more so, in fact.’

He nodded. ‘I’m not criticising you in any way.It’s natural that you should want to protect Jack’s interests… but I’m sure he’s astute enough to recognise a good deal when he sees one, and ours is far above anything he would get on the open market. Instead of trying to shield him, you could show him that it’s the sensible route to follow.’

‘I don’t think so. I think you and your father need to back off.’ She hesitated as a thought struck her. ‘I don’t believe you’ve ever mentioned your mother…’

‘No.’ His eyes were briefly troubled. ‘She passed away some years ago…it was a virus, a nasty one that attacked her heart. The doctors did everything they could, but it wasn’t enough to save her. I think she was already weak from a chest infection that laid her low.’ He looked at Katie. ‘I loved her dearly. She was a wonderful woman.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Katie pressed her lips together in a moment of regret. ‘That must have been hard for all of you—your brother and your father.’

He nodded. ‘Alex—my brother—was in Canada when he heard she was ill, but he came back as soon as he found out. At least we were all able to be with her at the end, and that makes it a little easier for us to bear.’

He moved away from the deck rail, becoming brisk and ready for action as though he wanted to shake off such sombre thoughts. ‘Shall we go over to the winery? I said I’d take you on a tour after all.’

‘Yes, I think maybe we should.’ She followed him down the steps, saying, ‘I was expecting some of your family to be here today—your father, maybe, or your brother.’

He shook his head. ‘My father had to go into town, and Alex is in Los Angeles on business. I told him all about you, and I know he wants to meet you.’

Katie wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Why would he have spoken to his brother about her? Unless, of course, he’d simply confided in his brother that a new girl had wandered in on his horizon… but perhaps she was misjudging him. It could be that her father was the factor in all this. The Bellinis were strongly allied to him through their business dealings, and it was probably only natural that they would be interested in the fact that he had a daughter—one that he had kept secret for a good many years.

They walked along a path leading from the house towards a collection of buildings some five hundred yards away. Nick pointed out a large stone-built complex where the grapes were processed, and then indicated another outbuilding where the offices and labs were housed. ‘I’ll show you around there later on,’ he said, moving on.

She nodded. ‘I know next to nothing about wine-making, I’m afraid.’

‘You’re not alone in that,’ he murmured. He paused by a heavy wooden door set into a stone arch. ‘Through here is the entrance to the cellar,’ he told her. ‘It has walls that are some fifteen inches thick, and it’s a cool, well-ventilated environment, essential for producing good wine.’

The wine-tasting room was in a building set a little apart from these processing areas. The outer walls were painted in a soft sunshine yellow, and there were tubs of flowers and hanging baskets facing out on to the courtyard, giving it a mellow, cottage-style appearance.

‘This is so pretty,’ Katie said, glancing at the winery and looking back at the chateau in the distance. ‘Your father must be really pleased to live in such an idyllic place.’

‘I’m sure he is. I know I loved it. I was brought up here, and it was a wonderful childhood.’ He looked around. ‘It might be a good idea to sample the wines out here. Perhaps a table in the shade would be best.’ He indicated a table in a far corner that was bordered by diamond-patterned trellises on two sides.

‘Come and make yourself comfortable,’ he said, holding out a seat for her, ‘while I go and fetch the wines.’

He returned a moment later, bearing a tray. ‘We’ll try a Burgundy-style Pinot Noir first of all. It’s our pride and joy, the best vintage yet. See what you think of it. It’s made from black grapes that grow on the cooler slopes.’

Once she was settled, he handed her a glass filled with dark red wine, and she took a sip. It was rich and smooth, with a hint of spice and an aftertaste of black cherry plum. Katie savoured it, letting it roll over her tongue before she swallowed it. ‘I can see why you’re excited about this,’ she said. ‘I’m not a wine buff, but I do know what I like, and this is delicious.’

Nick said quietly, ‘Joseph Bellini would have been proud.’ He turned to Katie. ‘This is what his hard work was all about, and nowadays we do our level best to live up to his vision. As well as this special wine, we produce our own Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s stored in barrels made of French oak and allowed to mature over many years. The oak helps to smooth out the harsh tannins and introduces softer, wood tannins.’

Katie nodded and tasted the wine once more. ‘Don’t you have a problem if my father’s vineyard produces similar wines? Doesn’t that put you in direct competition with one another?’

He shook his head. ‘Your father concentrates on Chardonnay. He had a really good season last year, and the result should be a superb wine.’ He picked out another bottle. ‘This is one of his Chardonnays,’ he said, pouring white wine into a glass and handing it to her. ‘Try it. I think you’ll like it. It’s full of fruit flavours—like pear, apple and melon.’