Never Too Late Page 5

  Katerina shot him a stern glance but Alex had already turned back to his mount. She bent over and eased through the wooden rails, coming up between the two horses.

  “That’s a start.” Alex looked across his saddle, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.

  Katerina harrumphed but bit back a smile. She gazed into Sunny’s big brown eye and stroked the light-colored mane. “Be gentle with me, Sunny.”

  “Let me give you a hand into the saddle.” Alex reached for her hand and pulled her around to the animal’s left side. “You always mount from the left.”

  “Why?” Katerina stepped back as she studied the saddle.

  “Horses are accustomed to riders mounting from the left.” Alex pressed a hand to her back and moved her closer to the stirrup.

  Kat took another step back. “Why?”

  “Because…for Pete’s sake, Katerina, you’re just going for a ride in an arena.” Stepping behind her, he placed both hands in the small of her back and pushed her toward the horse.

  Kat dug her boots into the dirt. “Who is Pete and what does he have to do with anything?”

  The corners of Alex’s lips turned down as he threw his hands in the air.

  Good, at least she could exasperate the man—not nearly as much as he exasperated her!—but maybe just a little bit. Katerina focused on the stirrup hanging next to her waist. No way could she reach the stirrup with her foot. “Can you lower the stirrup a little bit?”

  “No.”

  Katerina looked from the stirrup to her boot and back again. “No? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, the length is right for your leg. I’ll give you a boost.”

  “Give me a boost?”

  “Do you always answer a question with a question?” Alex ran a hand through his hair. He laced his fingers together and bent down. “Put your boot in my hands and I’ll lift you into the saddle.”

  “My boot? In your hands?”

  “Yes.” Alex grimaced.

  She sensed he was losing his patience and feeling guilty, resolved to at least try.

  “Place your boot—” he nodded his head toward her left leg, “—into these hands…” He finally exploded, “Good Lord, woman, we’ll be here ‘til Christmas, at this rate!”

  At his raised voice, her body stiffened. “I hardly think—” The hard-eyed look he threw froze any remaining protestations in her throat. In fact…she might be safer on the horse. She toed her boot onto his clasped hands.

  “Grab the mane with one hand and the horn with the other. On the count of three…”

  “What’s the—” The next thing she knew she was in the air. Her right leg swung over the horse as if accustomed to being boosted onto the animal. With a plop, she settled into the saddle. She waited. Nothing happened. Sunny flicked one ear back. She looked around, pleased with herself. Then she looked at the ground.

  Ach Du lieber.

  ****

  Alex watched her face go from pleasure to fear. The instant she looked down, the blood drained out of her face, leaving the normally pale complexion even paler. He laid one hand over the white knuckles gripping the saddle horn. “Katerina.”

  Her eyes squeezed shut, she didn’t respond.

  “Katerina, sweetheart.” When the endearment slipped out, Katerina’s eyes popped open.

  “What?” she whispered. She looked down at the hand covering hers.

  Alex couldn’t explain why he felt compelled to help Katerina overcome her fear of horses. Something about the sedate, German woman cried out for adventure, and Alessandro Marino and adventure went hand in hand. Letting go of the soft, pale hand, he pushed the thought to the back of his head. He took things one at a time. Like his mother said, no sense borrowing trouble.

  Mounting Twister, he kneed his horse and came around so the horses stood head to tail. Lifting the reins from Sunny’s neck, he threaded them through her fingers. “Take your fingers over the reins, thumb underneath and pinkie like so.”

  “Pinkie?”

  “Sure, your little finger is called your pinkie finger.” He winked and a smile began at the corners of the red lips. “How do you feel?”

  Katerina took a deep breath and looked at the ground.

  “Hey, you, eyes on me.” Alex grabbed her knee and gave it a tiny shake. The blue-eyed gaze returned to his. “We’ll take this one step at a time. There’s something I should tell you about your horse, though.” Katerina’s eyes grew wide. “Your horse would rather—” he leaned over, closing the distance between them “—stand still than walk.”

  He was rewarded with a small tremulous smile.

  “And you know what else?”

  The blue eyes stared, her hands relaxed around the reins.

  “Sunny would rather—” he reached over and smoothed an errant blond curl behind her ear and resisted the urge to trail his fingers across her cheek “—eat hay.”

  Katerina giggled and dropped her gaze. “I can do this, Alex.” With a stronger voice, she repeated, “I can do this.”

  “I never doubted you could.” Alex straightened and maneuvered his horse around until they were beside each other. “Sunny’s used to taking beautiful, young women for rides so you let him do his thing until you become accustomed to the saddle.” Responding to his rider’s command, Twister walked forward. Sunny, next to the rail, followed. Alex continued talking, as much to keep Katerina distracted as to teach her riding. “So you have trouble with English idioms?”

  Katerina straightened in her saddle and repositioned her rear to find a more comfortable spot. “I don’t have trouble with English. I just don’t know all of these California sayings.”

  Alex grinned, realizing he had discovered her weak spot. She was inordinately proud of her language skills. “What California sayings?”

  “Gnarly, rad,” Katerina intoned in a flat attempt at slang. “And what is a Betty?”

  Alex opened his mouth to answer but had not gotten a word out before Katerina continued. “Whassup, bro.”

  Alex looked sideways. “Where are you hearing these sayings, Katerina?”

  “The students. When they go past my door I can hardly understand them. Alex, I have studied English since grade school. But these sayings…” She shook her head and sighed. “I have no idea what these students are talking about.”

  “If it’s any consolation, neither do I.” Alex winked. At Kat’s unexpected burst of laughter, a thrill surged through him and he realized how much he liked hearing her laughter.

  The two horses plodded past the open door at the end of the arena. Alex glimpsed his parents walking through the flower patch on their way to the vegetable plot, an evening tradition since he and his mother had created the gardens a few years ago. Married almost thirty-five years, his parents still managed to take time for themselves. To Alex, their many years remained something of a miracle, when his relationships barely survived the second date.

  “Has the vineyard been in your family a long time?”

  Kat’s voice pulled him out of his musings.

  Her gaze was also on his parents until they disappeared behind a row of shrubs.

  “Actually, my father lived in New Jersey for a couple years.” Alex’s gaze slid from Twister to Sunny, ensuring both mounts remained calm. He didn’t want to risk even an innocent, dust-clearing body shake while Katerina remained on the horse. “He hitchhiked out here in the seventies, met my mother, and decided to stay.”

  “How did he acquire the vineyard?” Her stiffness gone, Katerina swayed with the motion of the horse.

  Alex smiled as his gaze swept over the woman riding next to him, her body relaxed and hands resting easily on the saddle horn. “A family friend of my mother’s decided to sell to them. They both love working with the land. So with the help of the bank…”

  Katerina tilted her head toward the gardens where they had last seen his parents. “I can see they do.”

  The geldings plodded around the arena steadily, ears twitching, an occasional tail swi
tch, but otherwise as sedate as carousel ponies. Contentment swept through Alex, surprising him, since his usual preferred gait on a horse was a full gallop. But sneaking a glance at the beautiful woman next to him, he realized he enjoyed sharing his sport.

  “You have great posture.” Alex surveyed Kat’s form. “All you need is some confidence, which comes from riding.”

  “Thank you, Alex.” As they returned to the gate, Katerina’s eyebrows lifted and her eyes grew round. “We’re back?”

  “We walked around the entire ring…twice. How do you feel now?” Alex’s heart swelled at the huge smile lighting up her face. Without waiting for an answer, he decided on a whim that now was as good a time as any to ask her out. “Katerina, would you like to—”

  “Looking good, Kat.” Wendy’s voice floated across the arena. “I knew my brother-in-law could get you on a horse. How about some liquid refreshments? Tony is putting Jaiden to bed and I need some relaxation.”

  Disappointment flooded Alex at Wendy’s unexpected and untimely appearance. Followed by Kat and Sunny, he rode to the doorway where Wendy perched on the top rail. “Not for me, Wendy, I have some research to do.” He glanced over at Kat. “You go ahead.”

  She bit her bottom lip as she returned his gaze. “I should help with the horses.”

  Focused on the full, red lips, Alex’s mind went blank. Only the silence reminded him Kat waited for a response. With a struggle, he redirected his gaze to a point between Twister’s ears. “I can do it. You go ahead.” Alex hopped off the horse and came around to assist Katerina as she dismounted.

  She fell into his arms and for a brief second, their gazes locked. “Thanks.”

  Her soft hair brushed his cheek and he breathed deeply of her flowery scent. Reluctantly, he released her as she pulled away. “No problem.”

  “Come on, girlfriend.” Wendy hopped off the rail and started toward the main barn.

  Katerina bent down to go through the railing and looked over her shoulder. “Bye.”

  “Bye.” Maybe his imagination was working overtime, but Alex would have sworn Kat wasn’t ready to leave. He leaned both arms on Twister’s saddle and watched the two women walk away. For a woman who didn’t do sports, the ecstatic look on her face when she rode Sunny hinted at a woman who had long neglected her dreams. He suspected like him, for her, duty came first.

  In their conversation Sunday evening, in front of the fire and his snoring grandmother, she had explained her trip to California was a result of a supervisor’s suggestion she familiarize herself with everyday English language. Despite her brother’s recent marriage, Kat had little confidence in her brother’s desire to help their father manage the vineyard. Thus the reluctance to spend six months in California.

  He sighed, knowing his attraction, in the face of her determination to return to her family, was a waste of time. Why he was attracted to the athletically-challenged woman was another question. He shook his head and shoved the matter out of his mind.

  An hour later he walked across the back yard, the two horses sequestered in their stalls with generous helpings of hay and fresh water. In the herb garden, Alex sat on a weathered bench and studied the arrangement. Behind him, the glass-enclosed walkway from the dining room to the tasting room was dark.

  Ten years ago, after returning from a four-year stint in the Army, he read about a sensory garden at a vineyard in the Napa Valley and decided to create his own. Although the gardens were still being tweaked, they had grown to include herbs, flowers, a vegetable plot, and an orchard. The design was such that one could compare different wines to the taste and smells in the garden. He leaned back and closed his eyes, breathing in the tantalizing scents of lemongrass and lavender. With the setting sun, the temperature had dropped, and he shivered.

  “A little cold to be gazing at the moon, don’t you think?”

  At the sound of the familiar voice, his eyes popped open. Katerina stood before him, his mother’s multi-colored afghan in her hands.

  “Your mother thought you might be chilly and asked me to bring this to you.” She held out the covering.

  “Now my mother has you running errands. Thank you, Katerina.” Invite her to stay? Leave? He gestured toward the bench. “Care to join me?”

  With a glance toward the house, she sat and settled the afghan over their shoulders. In the distance an owl hooted once, twice, three times, and then all was silent. The calico barn cat, tail in the air, rubbed against their legs.

  “Wendy tells me you designed the gardens. They are so beautiful, at least what I’ve seen so far.” Katerina shifted on the bench and pulled the blanket over their legs.

  “My mother tends the gardens.” Alex leaned back and breathed deeply. Considering the gardens more of a hobby, Alex’s focus remained the vineyard. He hesitated to admit even to himself how much he enjoyed creating the garden plots and matching unique scents to each wine.

  “But the design…they relate to your wines, yes?” she persisted.

  Alex shot a glance at his companion, whose blue eyes sparkled with interest. Unlike most of the family, Kat appeared to actually be curious about his creation, hobby or not. “They do.” Alex turned toward Kat. “The idea is that if you smell or taste one of these, you can recognize it in the wine. The moscato, for instance…” He reached over his head and plucked an orange from the tree behind the bench. “If you sniff this orange, then taste the wine, you can more easily detect the citrus notes.” Holding the fruit under her nose, he leaned closer as he warmed to the subject. “I was just thinking I should plant a strawberry bed to complement the Sangiovese blend we had with dinner. What do you think?”

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Taking the orange from his hand, she dropped the fruit in her lap before catching his eye. “You must have studied this in school. Or is this ability innate?”

  His fingers still tingling from the touch of her hand, he hesitated as he considered her question. The familiar burning in the pit of his stomach erupted at the mere mention of school. Unsure if the burning was anger or disappointment, he suppressed his feelings, whichever they were. “I did…for a while. I left college junior year and joined the Army.” He moved away and looked up through the branches of the orange tree at a sliver of new moon riding high in the sky.

  Kat touched his arm. “You didn’t finish school? Why?”

  He sighed as his thoughts wandered to the years spent away from home, away from the vineyard. “We ran out of money, quite frankly. All three of us were in college at the same time, Pop was replanting the vineyard to the north, which we lost to pests, so I joined the Army to let the other two stay in school and the vineyard would stay afloat.” He threw his hands out to the side. “What choice did I have?”

  When he tried to move further away, Kat’s fingers tightened their grip on his arm. “Why didn’t you go back to school when you returned?”

  “I was too old, we were busy, and by then Doug had been accepted to law school and Tony to the MBA program. I was the only one around who could help Pop with the vineyard.” He stared at the crescent moon and tapped his fingers on the bench, remembering the shock when he returned to find his father working into exhaustion with sixteen-hour days and seven day weeks.

  “So you fell on your sword. How noble.”

  Lifting his brows at Kat’s response, Alex pulled his gaze from the sliver of moon to peer into dancing blue eyes. “Excuse me?” Somehow, he had expected a little admiration from the woman, certainly not sarcasm.

  With a playful slap, she released his arm. “You sacrificed your goals for your family. You could have gone back to school, couldn’t you? Your family appears to have survived the storm; both of your brothers are successfully employed. Why didn’t you go back and finish what you started? Schooling is important.”

  Their pleasant interlude took on the air of a reprimand. As the eldest, Alex wasn’t accustomed to being scolded. He shifted away from the woman, annoyed at her persistence, and then turned and fixed her with a s
tare. “It’s too late and I’m too old.”

  “Hmm…someone once told me it’s never too late,” she responded, a twinkle in her eye.

  Alex’s thigh muscles tensed as he prepared to jump up and leave but not before telling her to mind her own business. He propped his hands on his legs, preparing to rise, when he realized there was some truth in her statement. In fact his mother had suggested a few years ago he finish his bachelor’s degree, but at his angry response had not brought up the subject again. He relaxed against the bench and smoothed the afghan on his lap. “Touché.”

  A breeze came out of nowhere and Kat shivered. He pulled the afghan tight, leaving his arm resting around her shoulders. “Your hands are cold.”

  “Cold hands, warm heart,” she replied as she nestled closer. “Your mother used this saying earlier.”

  “I’m not too sure about the warm heart,” he answered softly, “after your last statement, which was a little cold.” He grinned. Maybe the woman wasn’t as delicate as she appeared.

  She chuckled. “Being the oldest is hard, isn’t it? We’re the ones who are supposed to look out for the younger ones. I wonder…how long before it’s not necessary anymore?”

  Alex didn’t answer, immersed as he was in the smell of her hair, a vanilla scent that mixed with the fragrance of the lemongrass growing next to the bench. Two curls, escaped from the chignon at the base of her neck, rested on her cheek and he reached a finger out to brush them behind her ear. Both hair and skin were soft to his touch and he rested his palm against her cheek. “May I kiss you?” he whispered, his heart in his throat.

  Resting her head on his arm, Kat’s eyes reflected the faint light of the moon. “I’ve never kissed an American.”

  “I don’t think it’s that different from kissing a German.” He leaned forward, his lips inches from her, anticipation coursing through his body. “Was that a yes?” he asked softly, his eyes closing as he inched closer. Her vanilla scent filled his nostrils.

  But his lips encountered only air. She moved away just as he heard his father’s voice on the other side of the small orchard. “If you want to enlarge the garden, talk to Alex.”