“Of course, this has to do with me.” Lucy put her head in her hands. She and Josh were sitting in his study in the manor house. “You said that in the last few years, things between Mountain Shadows and Sun Valley had eased off. That after the court case, they’d left you alone.”
“I must admit, if I hadn’t found evidence of the link between Sun Valley and the Palmers, I wouldn’t have believed it either. Who is so damn hellbent that they want to continue this sorry saga an entire year later?” Josh shook his head. What kind of people were these Palmers?
“How did they find me?” Lucy wailed. In recent months, her shattered heart had begun to heal, and she had truly begun to believe she could put the past behind her and look forward to the future with optimism.
“It’s not difficult to find people, Lucy, and I suspect the Palmers have a long reach.”
“It has to be them. Of all the wine farms on earth, why would they choose this one? It’s just like them. They’re the world’s biggest wine snobs, and it’s just the kind of thing they would love to brag about.”
“It’s crazy,” Josh said. “Okay, so you exposed Jason. Surely the clever thing to do would be to let it all blow over.”
“Oh, but they are clever, Josh. This is what they thrive on. They bury their enemies, and get at people through others, through the back door, you name it. Look how they’ve already made things difficult for my family back home.”
Josh let out a sigh and rubbed his chin. Lucy could see the telltale signs of tiredness around his eyes. His face, normally sunny and relaxed, was taut with tension.
“Oh my God, Josh. I wish for your sake that you’d never met me.”
“Don’t say that! For God’s sake, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I don’t say things like that lightly.” He took her face into his hands. “The last few months with you have been the best of my life.”
“Stop it! I’m a one-woman wrecking ball. My naiveté and hot-headedness have brought suffering to everyone I care about.”
“That’s bullshit. You’ve brought so much to me and to this community. You’re smart and kind and you give to everyone. We will find a way to head off this Sun Valley threat.”
Lucy looked at his eyes; they were the eyes of an honest and honorable man. She felt agony rise in her, and a single tear slid from her eye onto her cheek.
“Lucy, don’t cry. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life is just one damn thing after another. If we weren’t facing this challenge, then it would be something else. Promise me,” he said and looked deeply into her eyes that were the color of a clear sea. “Don’t face this threat on your own. You may have been alone before, but you aren’t now. Whatever it is, we can face it together. Have some faith in me, and in us.”
Josh drew her tightly into his arms. If only this could last forever, if only Josh’s strong embrace could keep all the hurt and danger at bay. For a moment, she dared to dream that it could.
“I love you, Lucy. Don’t ever forget that.”
Her tears flowed openly. All these years, she had struggled lonely and motherless, and this man and the love and comfort he offered was the antidote.
“I want to stay, Josh. I want to stay here with you and your family, the school, the kids, everything. It’s begun to feel like home.”
“Then let me think of a way out of this mess. Don’t go being impulsive again, okay?”
Lucy didn’t answer. She just held on tight.
That night, she lay sleepless as the wind and rain lashed the old house. As the man she loved slept soundly, she rose quietly and fumbled for her dressing gown. A vicious wind moaned and a branch scraped the window pane, She grabbed her laptop and headed downstairs. A part of her longed to take Josh at his word. To give up responsibility and allow him to fight her battles for her, but her conscience wouldn’t let her.
Josh and his family were good people, and they shouldn’t have their home and livelihood threatened by a situation she had helped to create. There was too much at stake; it wasn’t just the de Langes, but everyone such as Tom and Denise and all the farmworkers. It was also the thought of the school being at risk that drove her to do what she must. With a heavy heart, she knew it was time for her to take responsibility for what had transpired over a year ago.