Chapter Thirteen

“First stop, Waterford Farm.”

Grace turned to look at Alex, blinking away the fog that had descended over her throughout the day and refused to budge. She wasn’t sure she could take an onslaught of Kilcannons, Mahoneys, and Santorinis right now. “Why?”

“I texted my mom, and she reminded me that Daniel Kilcannon has lived here his whole life, and—”

“You told her?”

“Not in detail. I texted her earlier today and told her we found something at the winery that has made it urgent you learn more about the previous owners.” He slid her a look. “We tell each other everything in my family.”

“Well, obviously, in mine? We don’t.” She heard the bitterness in her voice, but didn’t care.

“Hey.” He closed his fingers around her hand. “We’re in this together.”

“Thank you.” She turned and looked out the window at the passing fall colors, thinking about…everything. “I wonder how long I lived here. If I lived here. If the Overlook Glen people were family or friends.” A punch of pain hit her chest. “There is really nothing worse than not knowing your roots or history.”

“Yes, there is.”

She looked at him, not sure what that would be.

“Grace, you just found a connection to the very home where you live. Someone, somewhere had to have orchestrated your purchase of that winery, and they did it, I’m guessing, because they loved you.”

“Or felt guilty as hell.”

“Or missed you. Maybe they watched you all your life, but for some reason you don’t know, couldn’t reach out to you.”

“Creepy.”

“The point is, you ended up exactly where you belong, and that should fuel your fire to make Overlook Glen a world-class winery and event venue, just to make all that worthwhile.”

His voice deepened with passion, and his vision, when articulated, made sense. Kind of.

“I don’t doubt you want all the answers,” he continued. “And I’ll help you find them. But you were a baby at Overlook Glen, and now you’re the owner, and that should give you some kind of, I don’t know, circular joy.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. “I love your attitude about life, Alex. I’d love for it to rub off on me.”

He smiled back. “Let me rub.”

She laughed, possibly for the first time since he’d stood in front of her with a photograph that changed her life. “What else was in that drawer?” she asked.

“Blank labels. The picture was caught in the side, slipped down and almost invisible. I don’t even know how I saw it.”

“I’ve been in that file plenty of times,” she said. “But I never really looked much in that bottom drawer.”

“Did you clean out the whole office? Search for anything else?”

“It was empty when I moved in, except for the label drawers and some files that I don’t think I kept.” She grunted. “Damn. There could have been answers in those files.”

He patted her hand. “We’ll get answers, Gracie. We won’t stop until we get answers.”

A wave of appreciation and affection rolled over her, making her eyes well for the fortieth time that day. “Why?”

“Because you need them,” he answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“No, I mean, why are you helping me? Because you want to sleep with me?” The question was out before she could check herself, and the look she got nearly gutted her.

“Do you really think that’s what I’m made of?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t, and I’m sorry I even said that. I just…I’m not used to people caring.”

“Because you don’t let them.”

She ran a hand through her hair and let the truth hit her. “I told you, it’s hard for me. I made connections at every family as a child. I tried. I hoped. I let people in, and then wham, I got sent away.” She mentally swore at the crack in her voice, sick of her own sob story. “All I’m saying is trust doesn’t come easy, and emotional connections are scary to me.”

He took her hand again, holding it with that relentless grip of his. “They’re scary for everyone.”

“Have you ever been hurt? Abandoned? Left behind?”

He didn’t answer for a moment. “My dad died holding my hand,” he finally said. “He was my hero. Bigger than life. The one person I wanted to impress. He was…everything to me.”

There was every bit as much pain in his voice as hers.

“And because of that,” he added, “I feel paralyzed in my job. Unwilling to hurt him, even though he’s gone, by pursuing my own dreams because I think it will be an insult to his.”

She stroked his knuckles with her thumb, wanting to offer sympathy, but not entirely sure how to do that. “I’m sure he was very proud of you and would have supported whatever you wanted to do.”

His only response was a tight smile and a nod as they pulled into Waterford Farm. “He’s gone, so I’ll never know.”

The canine rescue and training work was in full swing, with at least a dozen dogs of various sizes romping around in what looked like chaos in the main pen. But there were enough trainers in there for Grace to guess it was at least controlled chaos, with tall, handsome Shane Kilcannon in the middle, calling out orders to the trainees and their dogs.

Darcy darted by with a quick wave, two standard poodles on leashes with fresh coiffed hair, and a small group stood outside the veterinary office with a few more dogs. Even from the distance, Grace could make out the youngest of the Kilcannon brothers, Aidan, deep in conversation with his brother Garrett and his father, Daniel.

As if sensing they were in a place for even more fun, Gertie, Jack, and Bitsy woke up and started barking and clawing at their crate, ready to play.

“When we head out to Jay’s uncle’s place, let’s leave the dogs here,” Alex suggested as they parked. “We might not be able to bring them into the apartment complex.”

“Good idea.” She turned and smiled. “They won’t mind.”

It was a challenge even leashing the squirmy, excited pups, who wanted to shoot out of their confinement and wreak havoc on the training pen. But Grace and Alex managed to carry the puppies so they didn’t come into contact with the grass, where they could contract a disease. They walked to where Daniel and his group stood on the porch in front of the vet office, all surrounding a big black dog, who sat obediently while they talked.

After saying hello, Aidan put his hand on the dog’s head. “You’re just in time to say goodbye to Rio the Rottie. I’m flying him to Savannah in about an hour to take him to a new home.”

“Hello, Rio the Rottie.” Grace bent over to put a hand on his massive head, getting the sweetest look in return. That didn’t last long, though, as the three puppies instantly squirmed and barked, demanding the dog’s attention.

“They can play with him,” Daniel said, taking Jack from Alex’s arm. “They all love it.” He set the puppy down on the wooden slats of the porch, so Alex did the same, and suddenly puppies were all over Rio, licking, clawing, and demanding his attention. But Gertie was clinging to Grace for dear life, so she held on to the puppy and watched the others.

Jack jumped up, and instantly Rio dropped to the ground, rolled over, and stretched out as if he were their personal playground.

And the only thing anyone could do was laugh, which felt so good to Grace.

“They’re obviously getting well socialized,” Daniel said, reaching to pet Gertie. “And how’s this pretty girl doing?”

“She’s a little shy,” Grace said, sounding a lot like a mom making excuses. “But sweet as can be.”

“Please tell me you’re here because you changed your mind about letting them be adopted individually,” Garrett said. “I have a family that desperately wants one, would take two, but refused three.”

Grace looked up at him. “I can’t separate them.”

Without hesitation, Alex put a strong and supportive arm around her shoulders. “I’m not even sure we can part with them at all.”

At the quick and surprised look they all gave him, he must have realized he’d said we and held up a hand. “They’re a major part of the big event,” he added. “We’ve even named the exclusive wine after them.”

“So what brings you two out here?” Daniel asked.

“Actually, we hoped to talk to you,” Alex said. “Do you have some time?”

“Can I bring this angel?” he asked, reaching for Gertie, who went to him without hesitation.

“I don’t think they’ll miss her for a few minutes.” Grace pointed at the tiny puppies literally walking over Rio’s belly, making the big dog let out a musical whine. “Is it okay to leave them here?”

“Sure,” Aidan said, looking across the field. “Here comes Darcy, so expect them to be on the Waterford Farm Instagram in the next hour. Puppies are social media gold.”

“I’m just going down to watch Liam’s bite training,” Daniel said, cocking his head toward a part of the property Grace had never been. “Come along.”

They went with him, making small talk as Grace took in the gorgeous colors of the trees and the crisp autumn air. At the bottom of a hill was another large and long pen, where three men, all in head-to-toe protective gear, worked with several big, menacing-looking German shepherds.

“So how are the plans for the big day going?” Daniel asked.

“Pretty well,” Alex said, “but in the process of getting ready, we realized it would be great for our clients to know a little of the history of Overlook Glen, to add color and depth to the event.”

Grace blinked at him, grateful for the smooth, if surprising, explanation.

“Great idea,” Daniel agreed, lifting his head as Gertie bathed him in doggy kisses. “This one is special,” he said.

“They all are,” she agreed.

“So,” Alex continued. “We were wondering if you knew the previous owners of Overlook Glen, since you’ve lived here your whole life. I believe the guy’s name was Hunnicutt.”

“George and Bonnie? Wasn’t that their name? He had a nickname, though.”

“Bib,” Grace supplied.

“Yeah.” Daniel snapped his fingers as the name clicked. “That was it. Bib Hunnicutt. Annie knew them better than I did,” he said, adding, “Annie was my first wife,” for Grace’s benefit. “They took one of her foster dogs, if I recall correctly, but then…” He frowned, shaking his head. “My memory is fuzzy on this, but I seem to remember they couldn’t keep the dog for some reason. Mind you, we are going back a good thirty years.”

“Thirty years?” Grace asked. That meant she would have been two, about a year before that picture had been taken.

He slowed his step and studied Gertie for a moment, obviously thinking. “Something like that. Maybe thirty-one. I seem to recall Liam was about ten, and Annie was fostering a snow-white American Eskimo named Candy that they wanted, but something happened, and they returned her to us.” He gave a soft laugh. “Not sure that’s the history or color you’re looking for, Grace, but beyond that, I didn’t know the family.”

“Do you know if they had kids?” she asked.

“I don’t, I’m sorry.” As they reached the fence, he lifted a hand and waved Liam over, who said something to one of the other trainers, then he took off his helmet, walking closer, greeting all of them with a simple nod.

“Hey, Liam,” Daniel said. “Got a challenge for you.”

Dark brows drew together as he looked from one to the other, then down to Gertie. “Sure, I’ll train her. I could have her sniffing out bombs and drugs in no time.”

Daniel inched the dog away as if he expected his bite-suited son to take her. “Not yet, you won’t. The challenge is to see if your memory is better than mine. I’m thinking of Candy, an American Eskimo your mother fostered.”

His eyes flickered with a genuine response. “I loved that dog,” he said. “Sweet and smart as a whip. Wasn’t happy when Mom adopted her out.”

“To the people who owned Overlook Glen, right?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah,” he said, looking at Grace. “In fact, I was thinking about it at the wedding. The place has really changed since then. You’ve done a great job.”

“Grace is looking for historical data on the property,” Daniel said. “Wondering if you can remember anything about the owners.”

He tipped his head, thinking. “Sorry, I was pretty young. All I remember is they sent Candy back after a week. I remember because I had to go out there with Mom to get her, and I was so happy, but damn if someone else didn’t adopt her right away.”

“So you were there?” Grace stepped closer to the fence, closing her fingers over the wire. “You met them? Did they have kids?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, sorry. To be honest, I only have one bizarre memory of that place.”

“What is it?” She probably sounded a little desperate, but didn’t care. She was.

“It’s strange.” He gave a dry smile. “Not sure it’s something you want to, you know, share with your clients. I just remember because I was a kid, and I must have gaped at the guy, and in the van on the way back, my mom lectured me about not staring at…imperfections.”

“Imperfections?” A cold chill ran up her back, and an image flashed in her head. That hand, holding hers in the cellar, that hand that was missing a…

“He didn’t have a thumb.”

“Oh.” The sound squeaked out, and Alex drew in a breath, too. “On his left hand,” she whispered. “That was Bib Hunnicutt?”

She felt Alex’s hand on her back add a knowing pressure, somehow connecting them in this new, thin, shocking line in her life’s story.

“Yeah.” Liam nodded. “I think Mom said he had an accident during a harvest one year.”

The chills wouldn’t stop, rising and falling up her back. That man who held her hand and protected her and made her feel so loved and safe was Bib Hunnicutt.

But who was he?

“And he owned the winery,” she said.

“Yes, and oh!” Liam’s face brightened. “His wife, Bonnie? She sent me home with a lemon bar, and to this day, I’ve never eaten anything that good.” He grinned at Alex. “No offense, Chef.”

“I remember the lemon bars,” she whispered, practically knocked over by the power of the memory.

“I didn’t realize you had a connection to the previous owners,” Daniel said, sounding surprised. “You spent time there as a child?”

“I did,” she said. “I’m just trying to piece the memories together.” She smiled at Liam. “You really helped, thank you.”

He nodded, then turned when the dogs barked behind him. “I gotta go. Good luck figuring this out.”

“Yes, of course, thank you,” Grace said, turning to Alex, certain her color was high as the news had left her head reeling and her heart pounding. “I remember the lemon bars,” she repeated, the revelation so powerful, she could feel tears threatening. A real memory from before any foster homes!

“I’ll have to make them for you,” he said.

For a moment, her whole world shifted in so many ways. There was a person, a connection, in the past. And the connection she was making—the one right in front of her—just said the kindest thing she’d ever heard.

All she wanted to do was throw her arms around him and never let go.

All of that—every dip on the emotional roller coaster—was terrifying and thrilling and real.

“Let’s get back to those puppies,” Daniel said. “And if you like, Grace, I can call a few acquaintances in town who knew the Hunnicutts and ask for more information.”

“Yes, please do.” She slipped her hand into Alex’s and squeezed, fighting tears of wonder and joy.

* * *

Grace on a mission was as attractive—maybe more so—than Grace dealing with her issues. Alex could practically feel her humming with determination as she coaxed him quickly out of Waterford once they got the puppies set up in the kennels for play, food, and rest.

Her eyes were the color of broken sea glass, sharp with focus and hope, as she left three messages for the real estate agent who’d sold her the property three years ago.

“I remember his hand. I can feel it holding mine,” she said, not for the first time, as they pulled up to the Starling Senior Living Center just north of town. “I knew this man, Bib Hunnicutt, and I trusted him.”

“Is it possible he was your grandfather?”

She closed her eyes. “Then why did I go into the foster system if they only died three years ago?” She glanced at him as they climbed out of his Jeep. “Why didn’t Bib and Bonnie Hunnicutt want me?”

“You don’t know that they didn’t want you,” Alex said. “Maybe they didn’t know where you were.”

“But he knew where I was when he made sure I got his property.” She slipped her hand into Alex’s. “Maybe Mr. Corbell can help.”

Tugging her closer, Alex planted a kiss on her head. “You need answers.”

“Like I need my next breath,” she replied, leaning into him. “And if I don’t like what they are, then…I’m no worse off than when I didn’t have any.”

Jay must have told his uncle they were coming, because he showed up moments after the woman at the reception desk called his apartment, entering the lobby in a crisp white shirt, dark pants, and a jaunty red bow tie. His silver hair was thin to the point of baldness, but he’d combed the six or seven strands over his head and looked mighty happy to have company.

“So you’re the pretty lady who bought Overlook Glen,” he said, moving slowly toward them, slightly hunched by age. “My nephew tells me you’re doing a good job with the old place.”

“Hello, Mr. Corbell.” She shook his hand and introduced him to Alex, then they all sat in a small grouping of chairs near a window.

“We’re looking into the history of Overlook Glen,” she said without preamble. “Jay tells me you worked there years ago.”

“Harvests, mostly. Just when the hands had to come in. Mostly, they came from out of state or another country, then moved on, so you didn’t get the same men twice, but since I was a local, I went every year. I liked the Hunnicutts.”

She leaned forward. “Did you know them well?”

“Oh, well enough. Not like we had dinner or anything, but Bib, he paid on time, and Bonnie was so sweet. Loved to bake for the help.”

“Did they have children?” Alex asked.

Lou snorted. “Not sure Miss Celia was ever a child.”

“Who?” They asked the question at exactly the same time.

“Their girl, Celia. If ever there was a wild child, she was it. Trouble from the day she was born, as I recall.”

Grace just stared at him, speechless, her fingers digging into the armrests of the chair.

“What else can you tell us about her?” Alex prodded. “When she married? Where she lived?”

He drew his thick gray brows together. “I stopped doing their harvests and lost touch, but I can tell you that child never met a rule she wouldn’t break.” He started laughing, which turned into a cough.

“Can I get you water?” Grace asked, glancing at a table with small bottles of water.

He managed to nod, and as she got up, the old man watched her carefully, frowning. When she came back, he took the bottle, but he’d caught his breath. He pointed the bottle at Grace. “She looked like you,” he said. “You could be her daughter.”

“I think I am,” she whispered.

That made the old man slap one hand against his water bottle. “Well, howdy. And you bought the winery? How’s that for a neat little circle in life? So they left it to you, then. Very nice.” He studied her some more. “Course, I didn’t know your mama had a baby, but I can’t say I’m surprised. She did like the boys.” He gave a yellowed grin. “How is she?”

“She…passed away. Many years ago in an auto accident. I think.”

“Oh.” His whole face dropped. “Hadn’t heard that.”

But wouldn’t it be news if a local girl died in a car accident?

“She was always such a spirited thing. Coming down to the vineyards, wanting to help with the harvest. Course, her father wouldn’t let her on account of his accident.” He held up his thumb. “Never stopped him from hard work, though.”

“I don’t suppose you have any pictures of him, Mr. Corbell? Or of her as a child?”

Lips tight, he shook his head. “My wife was a cleaner-outer,” he said. “Never kept anything, didn’t put any sentimental value on much. When she passed, we had the emptiest attic in North Carolina. So, sorry. I don’t have anything from back in those days. Just my memories.”

“They’ve been really helpful, Lou,” Alex said. “Thank you.”

He grinned. “Bring me a bottle of wine one of these days, young lady. I might be able to dig up more memories for you.”

“I will,” she said, standing up as he did. “I promise I will.” In a move that might have been the most uncharacteristic thing Alex had ever seen her do, Grace reached out and circled the old man in a genuine and warm embrace. “And thank you.”

He patted her back and gave a smile over her shoulder at Alex. “She’s soft, you lucky dog.”

Alex just smiled. She was soft today, that was for sure.

After they said goodbye, he put his arm around Grace and walked her out. “So, what do you think, Gracie?”

She looked up at him, with a light he’d never seen in her eyes before. “I think…I woke up an orphan who’s spent all but the first few years of my life in foster homes with nothing that resembled a family. And now, because of you, I know I had grandparents who loved me enough to make my dream of owning a winery come true. I may never know why or how, but…I know who.” She stopped, turned, and wrapped him in a hug much like the one she’d given old Mr. Corbell. “How can I ever thank you for that?”

“You’re not going to quit looking for answers, are you?”

She inched back, her eyes misty. “Absolutely not.”

“Good, because I want to help you.”

“Why?”

He lifted her chin and kissed her lightly. “Because I like happy, sweet, soft, emotional Gracie.”

She melted into his arms with a sigh that matched her description perfectly.