Mists of the Vineyards

    She had his head in her lap as she intently listened to him. The heartrending loss of his wife touched her deeply. She wept openly as did he. “Oh, Gill, it would be terrible to lose a loved one that way. Molly and your grandparents deserve much praise for helping you adjust. You might have ended like Mike without their support. The Lord puts people in our path for a reason.”

    He looked up into her sparkling eyes. “Why do you think we were put in each other’s path?”

    She looked down and just smiled. She was very aware of his presence—the warmth of his head in her lap alternately tied her in knots and gently worked those knots free.

    He reached up to cradle her chin, brushing her breasts in the process. “I want to know you better. Molly told me if I didn’t, she was going to disown me.”

    Her breath tightened in her throat as he dropped his hand to stroke her thigh by his head.

    * * * *

    The smooth strength he felt there was exciting and comforting at the same time. He turned and pulled her down. He continued to stroke the fine, long curve of her thigh with his free hand as he cradled her in one arm. He moved to her back to stroke and massage.

    * * * *

    As their lips met, she uttered a strangled moan, moved to him and hooked her leg over his. There was none of the hard, fast demanding she detested. Instead, this was slow, gentle and easy, freely given and freely taken. “Oh, Gill, I have waited so long for a man like you, for a time like this.”

    He paused and took her lips again in a deep, long easy kiss that completely carried her away. She had been kissed many times before, but not like this. She had had her lips bruised and almost cut by eager boys and men, had her lips bitten and even had her tongue bitten by an overeager, somewhat misdirected boy. She had had tongues rammed half way down her throat and freakishly had men actually spit into her mouth. Needless to say none of the above did much for her enjoyment of the moment.

    However, this was so different, a firm, gentle free exchange of pleasure. This man is truly interested in my feelings. He wants to bring me pleasure, make me feel good. When she opened her mouth to explore his lips with her tongue, he responded gently in kind. As their tongues danced and teased, he made a long, slow sweep up her thigh and she tensed, waiting for his touch to reach her.

    Instead, he continued to her back to gently stroke. “Cathy, I’ve waited for someone like you. Believe it or not, I want to wait a bit before we continue what we’ve started here.”

    With her sister, loved and lost, Cathy finds heartache when the man of her dreams turns her away. Striking out with no goals, she stumbles into opportunity with an elder gentlemen and a dying vineyard. A budding friendship sparks renewed growth in a youthful exuberance, an old soul and some very rare grapevines. But life’s not done mixing the ingredients. Add a few varmints, a couple of dogs, a sprouting pair of troubled teens, some winery competitions, a German vineyard, a dilapidated piano and an outdated farmhouse. And that’s not all. Just wait until the local vet gets involved.When a painful past opens doors to a possible future, can Cathy survive the walk through the present to reach happiness?