“Absolutely. You’re a distraction.”

The same could be said about him. Katie’s body still hummed with pleasure, even several hours after the lovemaking. Zach had done things to her and with her that had left her feeling more like his sexual slave than a bed partner.

“Instead of trying to function on zero sleep, I gave myself and my staff the day off,” she said. “As this is my first free weekend in weeks, I’m heading up to the hacienda this afternoon. We’re having a beading fest. Want to come along? You don’t have to actually bead if you don’t want to.”

“You read my mind,” he teased. “Not about the beading, but about the weekend. I have an official invitation for David and myself. We’re coming up first thing in the morning.”

“Great. I look forward to seeing you.”

“Me, too. And if you look out front, you’ll find your car waiting there. The keys are under the mat by your front door.”

She clutched the phone more tightly as her heart gave a little ping of pleasure. “You went to all that trouble for me?”

“Absolutely. I took the keys when I left this morning and had it delivered. Hey, this is L.A. You can’t not have wheels.”

Katie sighed. Zach might not have a white stallion, but he was still pretty decent prince material.

“I need to let you get back to work,” she said.

“Sure. I can read this file for the third time and see if my powers of concentration have returned, now that I’ve heard your voice. And Katie?”

“Yeah?”

“Last night was really special for me.”

Oddly enough, her eyes began to burn. “For me, too. Not just making love, but the way you looked out for me. It meant a lot.”

“I wanted to take care of you. Scary, huh?”

“You bet. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

David overslept the following morning, which wasn’t unusual but, for the first time in years, annoyed Zach. He sat on his son’s too-small bed in the dorm room he shared with another freshman and waited while David had his twenty-minute shower. Finally he was ready, with his overnight bag and a backpack full of textbooks.

“I have a lot of homework,” David grumbled as he slid into the front seat of Zach’s BMW. “I have this project due next week and finals are in three weeks.”

Zach pulled out of the parking lot. “I’m sure Mia has the same pressure. You can study together.”

David didn’t say anything. Instead he stared out the front window, looking sullen.

Zach frowned. “Look, if you don’t want to go up to the hacienda, you don’t have to.” He would be happy to return David to the dorm and continue on his own.

“It’s not that,” David said, slumping down in his seat. “There’s just a lot of stuff going on.”

“Want to talk about it?”

David shrugged, which could mean yes, no, or maybe.

“It is school?”

Another shrug.

“Mia?”

“We’re fine.”

David spoke the right words, but his flat tone said otherwise. Was it the redhead? Were David and Mia fighting?

“Is there a reason Mia didn’t want to drive up with us?”

“She left yesterday. After the fund-raiser.” His son glanced at him. “So how did it go? Mia said something about everyone getting sick. Were they like throwing up on the dance floor?”

Zach accepted the change of subject for now. When the kid was ready to talk, he would.

“The guests were fine,” he said. “Instead it was the kitchen staff barfing their guts out.”

He explained the details.

David frowned. “How come no one called me to come help? I had some free time.”

“I don’t know,” Zach admitted. “Does Katie have your number? Maybe she thought Mia would let you know.”

“I guess.”

He didn’t say anything more. After a few minutes he leaned forward and clicked on the radio. He pushed the far left station-set button, which filled the car with loud country music. Zach grinned. He and his son were closet fans, although they would rather have their toenails pulled out than admit it.

A rowdy Montgomery Gentry song had them both singing along. When they merged onto the freeway, Zach opened the sunroof and David cranked up the stereo.

There weren’t going to be many more times like this, Zach thought as they cruised north. David had his own life, his own interests. Soon he wouldn’t come home on breaks. He would have his own life, and Zach would be by himself.

He’d never much thought about life after David grew up. There’d been too much day-to-day insanity to distract him. But now that time was fast approaching, and Zach’s life wasn’t looking as full as it had. He felt a longing for something more. Something…meaningful.

Zach snorted. Right, meaningful. That and a tofu taco would get him enlightenment.

He pushed the ridiculous whisper of restlessness away and concentrated on the drive.

The morning was warm and perfect. The kind of June weather that makes the blue sky look like a computer-enhanced image. He was careful to keep no more than seven miles above the speed limit because getting a ticket would only delay his arrival at the hacienda. Even so he found himself wanting to be there now.

He wanted to see the Grands and Colleen and Marco, and even Grandpa Lorenzo. He wanted to look at the vineyards and examine the changes from the last time he’d been there. But mostly, he wanted to be with Katie.

He’d been unable to get her out of his mind and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been unable to forget a woman. He’d had plenty of sex in the past few years, but nothing that…intimate. Being with her was different—better. She made him laugh. She made him see possibilities and a future. Which should have sent him running for the hills. He was willing to admit it scared the crap out of him. But not enough to leave. So if he didn’t walk, what was he going to do?

He and David arrived at the hacienda shortly before noon. When he pulled up next to the three-story house, Mia was waiting on the front porch.

“You’re here!” she said as she danced down the steps to the car.

David climbed out. Zach waited for her to fly into his embrace, but instead they only stood staring at each other. In a way, their intensity made the moment seem more intimate than a kiss, and Zach turned away to give them privacy.

He went around to the trunk. David and Mia finished whatever silent Zen thing they’d been doing and joined him.

“Everyone is inside,” she said. “Just go on in. They’re all talking about the fund-raiser and how much fun it was. Did Grammy M really get everyone drunk?”

“Not everyone,” Zach told her. “A few escaped.”

“I’m sorry I missed that,” she said, then grabbed David’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”

David allowed himself to be led away, leaving Zach to mount the front steps by himself. The door stood open, so he entered and shut it behind him. Once inside, he put down the luggage, then followed the sound of voices to the living room.

All the women of the family sat together sewing. The Grands were there, and Colleen, Francesca (looking normal for once), and Katie. Only Brenna was missing. And Mia, who had gone off with David.

He saw the stack of completed flowers in bags by the coffee table and boxes of beads yet to be attached. Once, not so long ago, he’d seen these women together just like this and had thought they were spiders out to snare his son. Now he realized he’d been wrong. They weren’t spiders and this wasn’t a web. Instead each fine stitch assembled a part of a safety net.

Had this been another time, had David been older, more ready, more mature, Zach couldn’t have asked for better in-laws. He would have considered him and his son incredibly lucky to be a part of this amazing family.

But David wasn’t any of those things. As much as he loved his son, Zach saw his faults clearly. The marriage was destined for failure and most of the blame would be David’s.

“Ladies,” he said easily as he took a seat.

“Zach!” The women greeted him. Katie gave him a quick smile, then ducked her head.

“How was the drive?” Colleen asked. “Did you bring David with you?”

He sat in the chair and stretched out his legs in front of him. “The drive was fine. Yes, David is here. He and Mia went for a walk.”

“Are you hungry?” Grandma Tessa asked. “We’re having lunch in a hour, but if you need a little something…”

He reached over and patted her wrinkled hand. “I can wait. I wouldn’t want anything to spoil my appetite.”

Francesca picked up Mia’s half-finished lace flowers. “Want to help?”

He grinned. “Nope.”

“Me, either.” She sighed. “Sewing isn’t really my thing. I practically destroyed a sewing machine when I took that quilting class. I keep telling Katie that I constantly prick my finger. I’m getting blood all over the place.”

“I can get blood out a whole lot easier than I can bead everything myself,” Katie retorted without missing a stitch.

“So is the dress about finished?” he asked, not sure why he wanted to know.

Katie gave him a quick glance. “Don’t even bring it up. I’m heading for panic mode.”

“The wedding invitations are due any day now,” Colleen told Zach. “I think Mia said we had your list of names. We’ll be addressing them in the next week or so. In the old days they had to go out six weeks in advance, but now everyone says just a month is enough.”

“Where’s Brenna?” he asked.

Grandma Tessa frowned. “She said she had to go to Santa Barbara, but didn’t say for what. She’ll be back in time for lunch.”

Katie rose. “It’s too beautiful to stay inside. I’m going to follow Mia’s lead and take Zach for a walk. We’ll be back in an hour.” She glanced at him. “If that’s all right.”

He hadn’t been alone with her since Thursday night.

“Great idea,” he said, coming to his feet.

“Have fun,” Colleen said, not taking her gaze from her beading.

When they were out on the porch, Zach pulled Katie close and lightly kissed her. She responded, holding on to him and sighing.

“It’s good to see you,” she admitted.

“Same here. I missed you.”

They stared at each other. Zach suddenly wanted to say more, although he didn’t know what. He also wanted to take her upstairs and make love with her, which wasn’t possible. Instead, he took her hand in his and started down the stairs.

“Do you think they’ll start speculating about us right away or will they give us a head start?” he asked.

“Five minutes at the most,” she said with a laugh. “I’m torn between going for the walk I promised you and sneaking back around to eavesdrop.”

“I have a feeling that would embarrass us both. Let’s take that walk.”

“Okay. Have you seen the tasting room?”

“No.”

“Then let’s go that way.”

As they headed for a path that circled left around the house, Zach tried to figure out why he didn’t mind that Katie’s sister, mother, and grandmothers were talking about them. He generally didn’t like people butting into his private life, but this time it was different. Not that he could say why. For now it was enough just to be with Katie on such a beautiful day.

They strolled past acres of vines, then turned again. A mile or so ahead he saw a beautiful two-story building, surrounded by impressive gardens. Dozens of cars were parked in front and on the side. Obviously the public part of Marcelli Wines.

“Why so quiet?” he asked her.