“It sounds wonderful. You ladies have shown more initiative in the five minutes you’ve been here than anyone else has all year.”

  Faith beamed her pleasure. “I’ll start with chambermaid, then.”

  Laura nodded. “And I’ll do cleanup if you show me what to do.” They had wandered outside and she looked out over the vineyards. “And if you need help outside, I don’t mind trying that.” She turned back to Candy. “I don’t mind working long hours.”

  “That’s good to know. We’ll start in tomorrow morning around eight. Right now I’ll leave you to unpack and get settled. You had a long drive today.”

  Faith looked startled. “What about evening service on the rooms? Do you want me to do that?”

  Candy sighed. “That would be great. I was going to do it myself, but we have a busy night in the restaurant tonight and I can really use the help. Come on, I’ll show you where the supplies are.”

  Laura unpacked slowly, glad she hadn’t brought many clothes. There wasn’t much space in the closet, which combined an area for hanging clothes with a set of shelves. Bringing her hiking boots had probably been a mistake; she tucked them into the back of the closet and closed the door. She looked around the cabin, unsure what to do next. She wasn’t hungry, but a cup of coffee would go down well, and she decided to go to the staff room and grab a coffee, an apple and one of the great-looking muffins she’d noticed earlier under a glass dome.

  Back at the cabin, she settled into a plastic chair on the small patio. The heat of the day had dissipated and long shadows crept across the landscape. The chair was surprisingly comfortable and she leaned back, content to overlook the vineyard in the golden evening light.

  She nibbled on the muffin and allowed herself to think for the first time today. She’d done the right thing by coming here, she was confident of it. In this environment she didn’t need to prove anything...to anyone. In this peaceful setting, her years at the hospital seemed to belong to a different life. Perhaps it was best that way; forget the hospital and the person she’d once been. Here is where her real healing would begin...from the inside out.

  An ATV came roaring around from behind the cabins, coming to a halt in front of the maintenance shed. A second vehicle was close behind, the driver obviously annoyed by the cloud of dust thrown up by the first machine.

  “Hey, old man!” The blonde on the first machine was probably in his mid-twenties. Wiry and energetic, he vaulted off the ATV. “What’s the matter? Can’t keep up?”

  Laura switched her attention to the second man. He was shirtless, and when he stepped down from the ATV, muscles rippled under tanned skin. He grabbed a dark green T-shirt and wiped at the dust which had stuck to his torso. Laura swallowed. Broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist. She watched as he offered the energetic youngster a wry smile. He carried himself with authority, as though he were used to being in charge. She held her breath, wondering what he would say in response, but he walked past the younger man and disappeared into the maintenance shed. Was he the one from rehab? Somehow she doubted that, considering his amazing physique. No, he would be the friend of the owner.

  She leaned forward, eager to catch another glimpse of him, then pulled back when the young blonde ran up the slight incline toward the cabins. Rows of vines separated the cabins and she lost sight of him but heard him enter the cabin next door. Moments later, the shower turned on and she was serenaded by a slightly off-key version of the new Keith Urban song.

  Movement caught her eye as she took a sip of coffee. The man had come out of the maintenance shed and was walking up the incline toward the cabins. Sitting quietly in the shade of the overhang, she didn’t think he’d spotted her, and studied him openly. His hair was dark and short, and stubble covered his cheeks. She shivered, thinking that he looked dangerous somehow. As if sensing her thoughts, his head came up, and he looked right at her. For a moment their eyes held and then he looked away dismissively and disappeared into the cabin at the far end. Laura didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry.

  “Hi!” Laura was startled when Faith appeared from the side of the building. “That was just like old times.” The younger woman flopped down in the other chair, bright spots of colour in her cheeks. “You should see the guest accommodations.” She raised her eyebrows. “Very nice.”

  “Are they full?”

  “All except one, and there’s a check-in tomorrow.” Faith looked at her sandals. “I’m going to need some proper shoes, though. Something with a bit more support.” Her head came up. “Oh, hello.”

  Laura hadn’t heard the cabin door next door open. She looked up to see the young blonde leaning against the support pole at the end of the row of vines.

  “Hi, ladies.” He looked from one to the other. “I’m Jason. Welcome to Raptor Ridge.”

  Faith blushed. “Hi. I’m Faith and this is Laura.”

  “Have you eaten yet?” Jason included them both in his question, but he clearly had eyes for Faith. “I’m on my way over there now, and the old man just left. Makes it easier for the cooks if we all show up at once.”

  “The old man?” Laura wondered who he was talking about.

  “He’s not really an old man. I just call him that.” Jason grinned and tilted his head. “He’s staying in the last cabin. I heard him leave a minute ago.”

  “I didn’t see anyone go by.” Laura couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  Jason shrugged. “Must have gone around the back.” He looked at Faith. “Are you coming?”

  “Sure.” She got up. “What about you, Laura?”

  “I’m not too hungry tonight.” She gestured to the coffee and the remains of the muffin. “You two better get going.”

  They left, chatting happily, Faith scurrying alongside in order to keep up with Jason’s long strides.

  The muffin tasted dry in Laura’s mouth now and the coffee bitter. She stood up and walked around to the back of the cabin. There was no path here. The only reason he would have gone this way was to avoid her. She walked slowly back to the front, turning over this information in her mind. Was he avoiding her because she’d come from a rehab centre? That didn’t make sense...she was no threat to him, and he seemed at ease with Jason.

  Why am I even thinking about this? she asked herself. He means nothing to me. And yet she couldn’t shake the image of him standing there in the golden afternoon light. Okay, admit it, said the voice in her head. You wanted to touch him. You wanted to place your hand flat on his chest, to feel his heart beat in response.

  “Enough” she said aloud, not caring if anyone heard. The last thing she needed at this stage in her recovery was a man. She sank back down into her chair and looked up at the sky. It was the colour of ripe peaches, the clouds backlit with shimmering light. Overcome by the beauty, she felt tears well up in her eyes and made no effort to wipe them away.

  * * *

  Bradley looked up as Jason and Faith came into the staff room. They were laughing at something Jason had said.

  “Hey, there he is.” Jason pulled out a chair for Faith and made a great show of seating her. “You don’t mind if we sit with you, do you?”

  He shrugged.

  “Bradley, this is Faith. She’s here to work, same as me.” Jason went to the drinks counter.

  “Hi, Bradley.” She was a cute little thing. “Have you been here long?”

  He got out his BlackBerry. Six weeks, he typed.

  Faith looked at the words, then back at him.

  “I forgot to tell you.” Jason placed glasses of water on the table. “Bradley here can’t speak.”

  “Why not?” Faith looked puzzled.

  Long story, Bradley typed, then turned off his BlackBerry and put it in his pocket, signalling an end to that line of conversation.

  “Oh.” Faith recovered quickly and turned to Jason. “That’s okay, ‘cause I have a feeling this guy can talk enough for two people.”

  Bradley made a face and nodded his head in agreement. They all laughed and relaxed.

  Their food arrived and Bradley ate silently, listening to the friendly banter between the two youngsters. Odd that he should consider them youngsters; they were only about five years younger than him, but life experience separated them by light years.

  He finished quickly and stood up, gathered his plate and utensils and placed them in a tray. Jason and Faith scarcely noticed him leave, and he went out into the still night air. There was another hour or so of twilight left and he stood still, watching the nighthawks overhead, their white wing patches flashing as they swooped through the air in pursuit of bugs.

  Was she still sitting there...outside? His feet started moving. He’d take the back way again, so he didn’t have to see her. He’d only caught a glimpse of her earlier, but that was enough. He did not, repeat not want to be attracted to any woman right now. Especially one who looked like that.

  Somewhere between his brain and his feet the message got lost. He couldn’t avoid her forever, right? He walked along the dusty service road and started up the slight incline that led to the cabins.

  He sensed her presence before he saw her. She sat very still, in the same chair she’d occupied previously, but now she had a light jacket around her shoulders. She didn’t look away, but regarded him steadily, tears shimmering in her eyes. His heart slammed into his throat but he turned away abruptly and went to his own cabin.

  Damn the woman! Why did she have to come here? He threw himself angrily down on his bed. A woman who looked like that had no business becoming an addict. From all outward appearances, she had everything going for her. How dare she mess herself up with drugs?

  Since when did you become so judgmental? asked the voice in his head. You know perfectly well that drugs are equal opportunity destroyers. He looked up at the cabin ceiling, but saw only her face, tears glowing in the dim light. Even now, he ached to go to her and comfort her, despite not knowing her, despite his abhorrence of drug use. But no. He ran the back of his fingers over the stubble on his cheeks. She’d be here for only a month and then move on. He’d simply avoid her as much as possible. He nodded to himself. He could do that...couldn’t he?

  * * *

  Laura heard Faith and Jason before she saw them. She stood up quickly and went inside the cabin. It was one thing for Faith to witness her tears, but she didn’t feel like explaining herself to Jason. She turned on the television and stared at the screen without registering what was on.

  “Hi!” Faith burst through the door. “You missed a great dinner.” She kicked off her shoes and took her normal cross-legged position on the opposite bed. “What did you think of Jason?”

  Laura had herself under control now. “He seemed awfully energetic.” She smiled. “But nice.”

  “I think so, too.” She paused. “There was another guy at dinner, too.”

  “Oh?” Laura tried to sound casual.

  “Weird, though. His name is Bradley.”

  “Bradley.” Laura tried the name out on her tongue. It suited him. “What’s weird about him?”

  Faith frowned. “He doesn’t talk. Uses a BlackBerry to communicate.”

  “Hmmm.” Laura thought for a moment. “Is that can’t talk, or won’t talk?”

  Faith considered the question for several moments. “Can’t, I think. There were a couple of times he looked as though he’d like to say something, then realized he couldn’t.”

  “I think I saw him. Dark hair, with that stubble thing going on?” She touched her own cheek.

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Faith fluttered a hand at her chest. “Hot, hot, hot. Didn’t you think so?”

  “I only saw him for a few seconds, but I got the impression that he doesn’t approve of me.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of rehab.”

  Faith mulled this over. “I don’t think so. He seems to get along with Jason, and he was perfectly polite to me.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong.” But she wasn’t. He’d turned away from her deliberately and now that she thought about it, she was surprised by how much she’d been hurt by his actions. “But it doesn’t matter. This is about recovery, not romance.”

  “I know, I know...we’re not supposed to get involved. But really, Laura, what better high is there than falling in love?” Her eyes sparkled.

  Images flashed in front of Laura’s eyes. Her mother, rigid with fury, berating her. Stew, locked in an embrace with the student nurse. Mattie, looking up at her, eyes knowing. And Bradley, giving her a look of disdain. Whoa! How had he wormed his way into her memory?

  She turned to Faith and her tone softened. “You’re probably right, but in my experience, love has been painful. Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. And you, too.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “Especially with that tall silent one.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” And yet, as she fell asleep that night she found herself wondering what colour his eyes were. In spite of everything, she was eager to find out.

  Chapter Nine

  It didn’t take long to be assimilated into the routine of the winery. Faith was in her element with the rooms, and had soon taken over the operation of the on-site laundry facilities. She re-organized the linens of the restaurant and the guest accommodations and within the first week had become a favourite of both the employees and the guests.

  Laura spent her first day following Candy around, learning what needed to be done. With plenty of public areas to clean, and meals being served in the dining room three times a day, there was no shortage of work and as the week progressed she fell into a comfortable routine. She saw Bradley in the distance several times and once she thought she saw him looking at her, but he’d roared off on the ATV, obscured by a cloud of dust. He worked into the evenings, and was usually in the staff room having his dinner when she was cleaning the dining room, one floor above. She wondered if he was intentionally avoiding her, but to think that inferred that he was thinking of her at all.

  * * *

  “I’m really enjoying this,” said Faith at the end of the first week. They were sitting outside on their small patio, drinking a cold soda before dinner. They had learned not to go to the staff room until after the first rush at the restaurant.

  Laura had a feeling she knew where this conversation was headed. “Would you rather continue on as we are?” she said. “I like what I’m doing, too. I was going to ask Candy if I could add another chore to my workload.”

  “Oh?” Faith looked surprised. “What?”

  “I see the vineyard help watering all the planters that are scattered around. I was thinking I’d enjoy doing that. Candy mentioned that Matt’s short-handed; it seems like a waste of labour for them to be doing the watering. I could do it during the evening, before I clean up the restaurant.”

  “They’ll probably appreciate that. So is that okay with you then, if I ask Candy about keeping our same chores?”

  “Sounds good.” Laura tried to sound nonchalant. “Have you seen Bradley lately?”

  Faith gave her a knowing look. “I thought you weren’t interested.”

  Laura shrugged. “Just curious.”

  Faith laughed. “You’re such a bad liar. As a matter of fact he asked about you at dinner last night.”

  Laura had been taking a sip of her soda and almost choked. “He did?” She waited for a further explanation, but Faith was having too much fun watching her squirm. “Okay, what did he say?”

  “He just wanted to know how you were.” She jiggled her soda can, tipped it up and drank the last few drops. “Jason teased him and he went all red in the face.”

  “I’m surprised you could tell under all that stubble.”

  “Aha!” Faith wagged a finger at her. “You have been checking him out, haven’t you?”

  Laura raised her shoulders. “Maybe.”

  Faith sobered. “Can’t say I blame you.” She thought for a moment. “He asked how you liked being here.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I said I thought you were enjoying the work. I didn’t want to volunteer any information.”

  “That’s good. So how are things going with Jason?”

  Faith smiled. “He’s fun to be around, but it’s too soon to get serious.”

  Laura nodded. “You’re right, of course, but how does he feel about that?”

  Faith laughed. “What do you think? He’s a guy. But he’ll just have to wait ‘til I’m ready.”

  * * *

  Candy readily agreed with Laura’s suggestion that she water the plants. “I mentioned it to Matt” she said the next day, “and he was delighted. Massimo says it’s time to test the brix.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Laura thought she hadn’t heard properly. “The bricks?”

  “B-r-i-x,” spelled Candy. “It’s a term that references the sweetness of the grapes. They gather small amounts of grapes from all over the vineyard, and then crush them together to get an average, and test for sweetness.”

  Laura was fascinated. “How do they do that?”

  “They have a device called a refractometer.” She gave a wry smile. “And that’s about the extent of my knowledge. But it’s time consuming, so he’s grateful that you’re willing to take over the watering.”

  “I know this is none of my business, but why don’t you have the flowerpots on a drip system?” Laura looked out over the vineyard, where overhead watering was supplementing the drip system. The chuk-chuk-chuk sound of the system was somehow comforting, and the fine mist cast rainbows in the air. “Everything else here is on automated watering.”

  “That’s my fault.” Candy didn’t exactly look torn up. “The pots were my idea and by then the automatic irrigation system was all set up.” She sighed. “It’s one of the few things Matt and I disagree about, but they really do add something to the public areas, don’t you think?”

  “Without a doubt.” Laura had a sudden idea. “I could trim the dead flowers while I’m at it. I think I could manage that without doing too much damage.”