The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

try to reason with him, and maybe we’ll be able to avoid a more public confrontation.”
    “That’s right,” Abby said, grinning. “Actually, when you stop to think about it, you’ll be doing him a favor.”
    “Craig and I were supposed to have dinner tomorrowevening, but I’m sure I can persuade him to join us.” The woman rolled her eyes. “He’s always ready to put on a tux and mingle with the society movers and shakers of Napa Valley.”
    “And I’ll see if Russ would like to attend.” She didn’t think Russ was the type to enjoy something so formal, but she could try.
    “Then it’s decided,” Mercedes said, reaching for the phone. “I’ll call Cole and tell him that I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the afternoon and all day tomorrow.”
    Abby frowned. “The event isn’t until tomorrow evening. Why would you—”
    “Do you have a cocktail dress?” Mercedes asked, smiling as she pressed the phone’s keypad.
    Laughing, Abby shook her head. “We’re going shopping again, aren’t we?”
    “Yes. And tomorrow we’re going to get our hair and nails done.” Mercedes suddenly turned her attention to the phone, and Abby listened to her tell her brother she’d be out for the rest of the day. Then, grabbing her purse, Mercedes rounded the end of the desk to take Abby by the arm. “Let’s go. I saw a beautiful emerald dress in one of the boutiques in Napa the other day that would be perfect for you.”
    As she let Mercedes hurry her along, Abby couldn’t help but wonder what on earth she’d gotten herselfinto. She’d never owned a cocktail dress, let alone worn one. There just weren’t that many occasions in Crawley that called for anything more formal than boots, jeans and, depending on the weather, a flannel or cotton shirt.
    But so far, her trip to California had been filled with firsts. Why not add wearing a formal dress to meet her grandfather?
    Now, all she had to do was convince Russ that he should go with her.
    As they sat cuddled together on his couch, watching an old John Wayne movie and eating popcorn, Russ wondered what was running through Abby’s pretty little head. She’d been giving him strange glances all evening, and a couple of times she’d even acted like she wanted to say something, then changed her mind.
    Deciding to find out what was going on, he hugged her close and kissed the top of her head, then asked, “Honey, is there something you want to talk about?”
    “Why do you ask?” she murmured, snuggling against his chest.
    With her body pressed to his, he had to concentrate on what she’d said. Her answering his question with a question wasn’t a confirmation or a denial, but it was enough to raise the hair on the back of his neck and senda shaft of apprehension up his spine. He picked up the remote and paused the movie.
    “What’s going on?”
    He heard her soft sigh a moment before she sat up straight and met his questioning gaze head-on. “Will you go somewhere with me tomorrow evening?”
    If she asked him to, he’d probably follow her over a cliff. But the hesitancy in her voice warned him that he’d better ask for a few more details.
    “Where are you going?”
    “The Ashton estate.”
    He wasn’t sure what he’d expected her to say, but visiting Spencer Ashton’s self-made kingdom wasn’t it. He’d heard enough about what was going on with her uncle—the Ashtons at The Vines and their quest to confront Spencer—to know that Abby was asking for heartache if she expected a warm welcome from her ruthless grandfather or his gold-digging wife.
    “Why would you want to pay them a visit?”
    She shook her head. “I still can’t believe I suggested it, but Mercedes, her friend Craig and I are going to crash one of their charity functions.”
    Every one of Russ’s protective instincts came to full alert. He didn’t like the idea one damned bit. It spelled disaster with a great big capital D.
    “Are you sure about doing this, Abby? From what I’ve heard, Ashton’s current wife, Lilah, is just short ofhostile when it comes to any of Spencer’s kids but hers. And as adorable as I know you are, I doubt she’d view his granddaughter any differently.”
    Abby shrugged. “She won’t even know who I am. And from everything that’s been said, I’m not sure any of them will recognize Mercedes.”
    Russ wasn’t so sure. “Honey, they may not run with the same crowd as her kids, but you can bet that Lilah Ashton has made it her