Free You Really Got Me by Kelly Jamieson Page B

a lot.”
    “I know how busy you are.” His hand moved up and down her bare arm in small, soft strokes. “But I know how much you love it too.”
    “I do love it, and I’m learning more and more. I…” She hesitated. “I didn’t have the luxury of going to college since I had to run the business, so everything I’ve learned has been hands-on.”
    “Sometimes hands-on is the best way.”
    She blinked at the heat in his eyes, suddenly very aware of his hands—on her, his arms around her, sitting there like a couple, all cozy and warm. Her breath hitched and her pulse spiked.
    “Um. Yes. So.” He’d distracted her from the regret she felt at having to drop out of college, where she’d been so eager to learn as much as she could about the wine business, so determined that she was going to graduate and come to the winery to work and impress her mother and father and make everything right in their world. As if .
    “I’ve learned a lot about the vines, but I have a vineyard manager who’s an expert on that. There are so many factors that are important—the soil, the water, the weather. One bad storm can destroy an entire growing season. There are pests and diseases to worry about. Decisions about pesticides. The vines have to be properly pruned so that the trunks stay short and sturdy, so they can support the fruit when it gets ripe and heavy. We have the older vines that have produced grapes for years, and some younger vines that are not as consistent. We take cuttings from the vines and graft them onto rootstock to try to cultivate new stock. It takes up to five years before we let them produce fruit.”
    “Fascinating.”
    She stiffened. “I’m sorry to bore you.”
    “I wasn’t being sarcastic,” he protested. “Seriously. I had no idea how much goes into making a bottle of wine.”
    “Well, we do make quite a few bottles.”
    “I can’t believe you do this all by yourself.”
    “I don’t. Like I said, I have a lot of talented help.”
    He continued to rub her arm in a slow, mesmerizing rhythm that made her body feel soft and lethargic. She sank a little deeper into his embrace and leaned her head against him. It felt so good to be held like that.
    “I can’t imagine what it was like to be suddenly in charge of everything at…how old were you?”
    “Nineteen.”
    “Jesus.” He shook his head.
    “After my parents died, I tried to run the vineyard. I knew next to nothing about it. I grew up here, but I was only nineteen. I never expected I was going to be running the business on my own at that age. I was so unprepared.” Remembering that time, the overwhelming grief and fear, made her stomach tense. “I was determined to learn everything I could, to be involved in as many parts of the business as I could. So many people were relying on me.” She gave him a crooked smile. “I nearly ran the business into the ground, I was so determined to do it on my own. I didn’t have a clue.”
    “I get that you don’t like to rely on anyone else.”
    “Um. Yeah.”
    “But it’s not a weakness to let others help you.”
    She studied his face with a feeling that he was talking about more than running a winery. “I know that.”
    His lips quirked. “Yeah?”
    “Jason…”
    “Shhh. It’s okay. But you’ve taken a huge load on your shoulders. Why doesn’t Kevin do more?”
    She looked down at her hands on her lap. “Kevin is becoming more involved now. He just graduated from UCLC. His technical knowledge is better than mine, but he hasn’t exactly been…dedicated.”
    “He’s young.”
    “Yes.”
    “You shouldn’t have to do it all yourself.”
    “I don’t, like I said. I have lots of help.”
    “But you’re where the buck stops, right? If there are problems with the wine, a bad uh…vintage?” She smiled. “You’re the one who takes responsibility for that, aren’t you?”
    She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
    “Ah, Kendall.” He lifted her chin in his fingers. “You’re an