Marina Adair - Autumn in the Vineyard

Frankie looked over her shoulder at Nate and blew him a kiss. “I did, Ed.” Since when were the judge and Frankie on a first name basis? “Well, nine-hundred thousand and my 1948 Indian Chief.”

“It was in mint condition,” the judge said, as though throwing in a motorcycle evened things out. “And did you know you were purchasing just the ten acres?”

“Yes,” she said all smiles and sunshine, which was Frankie shooting Nate the figurative finger. “Glow and I were both upfront about the entire transaction. She explained that Saul had split the land back in the nineties for their kids, but neither of them wanted it. So each received half in the divorce. Glow was under the impression Saul sold his share to a developer, not a DeLuca.”

“Weren’t we all,” Pricket mumbled, shooting the prosecution table a similar glare.

Gabe leaned in and whispered, “Can Pricket sink this deal?”

Nate sure as hell hoped not. He’d tried to find out their legal standing. The money had already been wired to an escrow account, but since escrow hadn’t officially closed, his lawyers weren’t sure.

“We’re fine,” he whispered back.

“Really?” Trey leaned in. “Because this slam dunk hearing doesn’t seem so slam dunk anymore and that makes me nervous. You know what makes me even more nervous? That Frankie isn’t even breaking a sweat.”

Nate looked over and Frankie was smiling up at the judge, not an ounce of worry on her pretty face.

“I’ll fix this,” Nate whispered, then stood. “Your honor, if I may?”

“No, son, you may not.” Judge Pricket’s bushy brows furrowed in annoyance. “I’ve been listening to your families gripe about this land my entire career.”

“Yes, your honor,” Nate cut in, not wanting him to get any further. “And I’m sorry. But I don’t think the past has any relevance on today’s hearing. This sale has nothing to do with our grandparents’ feud. We are a new generation who would like the opportunity to make this right.”

“I am glad to hear you say that, but it still doesn’t answer the problem about what to do with the house. The way Saul had the property line drawn, it goes right down the middle of the house. So I have a single residence dwelling with two owners. Not to mention the south property has access to the road and driveway, and the north property houses the well.”

Yeah, Nate had noticed that too.

Judge Pricket took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. After a long, tense moment, he looked out at the courtroom. “Legally I can and should take that sucker down, knock you both out of escrow and force the Sorrentos to put the land on the market with all parties aware of the facts.”

“Wait.” Frankie stood. “Mrs. Sorrento would never agree to that. She is happy with the sale and so am I.”

“Which is my problem, Miss Baudouin.” The judge’s expression softened. “Since you did your due diligence and Glow is adamant that escrow closes in a timely fashion, I have my hands tied. However, the house, which I believe you are living in, is still under my discretion. As for the other half of the property, Saul is open to other ideas.” His gaze narrowed on Nate’s table.

“So I am giving you both thirty days to get in there and prove to me that you can make this work. Thirty days is plenty of time to come up with some unique ideas, and believe me, I’ve had sixty years to start my list.” He sent them both a stern smile. “One complaint, one bullet fired, one call to the sheriff, and the bulldozers come in and I get to go have a beer. Because at the end of your month, one way or another, this feud will no longer be my problem. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” they both said in unison.

“Good.” The judge stood and whacked his gavel. “Now get out of my courtroom so I can go play croquet.”

“Can he do that?” Nate asked his lawyer when Pricket disappeared back into his chambers.

“Can and would,” Drew said to the table. “My advice is to do whatever it takes to avoid Judge Pricket. Find a way to make it work with Miss Baudouin.”

Nate looked over at Miss Baudouin , who oddly enough wasn’t celebrating her victory. She was staring at him, a million death threats shooting out of her pretty eyes, sharpening what appeared to be a pocket knife on the metal cap on her left boot.

“Or make her an offer she can’t refuse.” Drew followed his gaze and laughed. “Just be sure she holsters the blade before you start negotiations.”

“There is no way she’ll sell,” Nate said, eyes still on Frankie. “Not now. Not when she knows how much we spent on the land.” Not when she knows how much I want it .

“You need the other ten acres to fulfill your contracts, right? And our research shows that she is desperately short of liquid assets. So stop thinking with this,” Drew patted his chest, “and start thinking up here. I’m sure that some kind of partnership between the two properties can be reached.”

Nate laughed. “You obviously have no idea how Frankie works. She would never get involved with a DeLuca.”

Nate knew that firsthand.

As though sensing she was the topic of conversation, Frankie dropped her feet to the floor, and, after pocketing her knife, strode toward him with enough purpose and attitude to scare even the manliest of men.

Nate leaned against the table, crossing his ankles, and smiled. “Hey, Francesca.”

She stopped when they were toe to toe, her eyes narrowed into two irritated slits as she gave him a long onceover. He gave her an equally long assessment, taking in the way she smelled—freaking incredible—and how her blouse hugged her breasts. Breasts he had spent the past two days convincing himself couldn’t be as perfect as he’d imagined.

They weren’t. They were even better. Almost as impressive as her backside, not that he could see it right now with her staring him down, but he remembered.

When the tapping of her combat boots didn’t get her desired results, she cleared her throat, letting him know he was caught staring. He raised his eyes and— oh yeah —her baby blues lit up, her face softened and she smiled. And his brain glitched. Just like that. One smile and he was so gone.

“Seven and a half million,” she said, still smiling, and he was smiling back. “What an idiot.”

By the time her words set in, she was already shoving her way through the crowd, proving them both right: He was an idiot and her ass was as sweet as he remembered.

“Good to see you too, Frankie,” Nate called out.

“Bite me,” she said over her shoulder, flipping him the bird as she made her way toward the exit.

“You’re right,” Drew laughed, clapping Nate on the back. “I don’t know how that woman works, but you obviously do. How long have you two been circling each other?”

“Since high school,” Trey said, his eyes equally as glued to Frankie’s retreating backside as she pushed through the massive double doors. Nate elbowed him.

“Maybe it’s time you let yourself get caught,” Drew suggested, packing up his briefcase.

“Get caught?” Nate asked, dismayed. Not at the idea of Frankie’s more than capable hand on him because, sweet Jesus, tangling with Frankie would be like skydiving, alligator wrestling, and silky, sweet curves all rolled into one. But because spending time with Frankie and not getting involved would be impossible.

No, Nate and Frankie as anything more than bitter friends would be a mistake. And Nate didn’t do mistakes. Not ones that had the potential to blow up into a disaster of epic proportions.

“All I am saying is that Pricket can be a hard ass and I don’t think he was joking. If you two can’t find a way to play nice then you will lose that property and I guarantee that Pricket will make it so no one in your family for the next hundred years will be able to get their hands on it.” Drew gave Nate a serious look. “You want that land? Maybe it’s time to change up the rules.”