The Villa

never be yours."
    "Maybe one of them has a babe for a daughter. We'll get married, then you'll work for me."
    David shuddered. "You're scaring me, Theo. Let's go check it out."
     
    Ty spotted the trio heading down through the rows, and swore under his breath. Tourists, he thought, hoping for a tour and a friendly guide. He didn't have time to be friendly. And he didn't want outsiders in his fields.
    He started to cut over to head them off, stopped and studied Sophia. This, he decided, was her turf. Let her deal with people, and he'd deal with the vines.
    He crossed to her, noted grudgingly she was doing the job, and doing it well. "We got some tourists heading down," he told her. "Why don't you take a break here and steer them to the winery, the tasting room? Someone should be around to give them the standard tour."
    Sophia straightened, turned to scope out the newcomers. The father and son were pretty much out of L.L. Bean, she concluded, while the daughter had taken a left turn into Goth-land.
    "Sure, I'll take them." And get a nice hot cup of coffee for the trouble. "But a quick look at the fields, and a brief, informative explanation of the pruning phase, would lead nicely into the winery and make Dad more inclined to pop for a couple bottles."
    "I don't want civilians tramping through my fields."
    "Don't be so territorial and cranky." She put on a bright smile, deliberately grabbed Ty's hand and dragged him toward the family.
    "Good morning! Welcome to MacMillan Vineyards. I'm Sophia, and Tyler and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. It's winter pruning time at the moment. An essential, even crucial part of the winemaking process. Are you touring the valley?"
    "In a manner of speaking." She had her grandmother's eyes, David thought. The shape and the depth of them. Pilar's were softer, lighter, hinted of gold. "Actually, I was hoping to meet both of you. I'm David Cutter. These are my children. Theo and Maddy."
    "Oh." Sophia recovered quickly, taking David's offered hand even while her mind leaped forward. Checking us out, she thought. Well, that would work both ways.
    Thus far, her research had only unearthed that David Cutter was a divorced, single parent of two who'd climbed the corporate ladder at La Coeur with a steady, competent hand over two decades.
    She'd determine more in a face-to-face. "Well, welcome again. All of you. Would you like to come into the winery or the house?"
    "I'd like to take a look at the fields. Been a while since I've seen a pruning in process." Gauging the mood, caution and resentment, David turned to Tyler. "You've got a beautiful vineyard, Mr. MacMillan. And a superior product from them."
    "You got that right. I've got work to do."
    "You'll have to excuse Tyler." Setting her teeth, Sophia wrapped her arm through his like a rope to hold him in place. "He has a very narrow focus, and right now all he sees are the vines. Added to that, he has no discernible social skills. Do you, MacMillan?"
    "Vines don't need chitchat."
    "All growing things do better with audio stimulation." Maddy didn't flinch at Ty's annoyed expression. "Why do you prune in winter?" she demanded. "Instead of in the fall or early spring?"
    "We prune during the dormant season."
    "Why?"
    "Maddy," David began.
    "It's okay." Ty took a closer look at her. She might dress like an apprentice vampire, he thought, but she had an intelligent face. "We wait for the first hard frost that forces the vines into dormancy. Pruning then prepares for the new growth in the spring. Pruning over the winter decreases the yield. What we're after is quality, not quantity. Overbearing vines produce too many inferior grapes."
    He glanced back at David. "I guess you don't have a lot of vineyards in Manhattan."
    "That's right, and one of the reasons I accepted this offer. I've missed the fields. Twenty years ago, I spent a very cold, wet January in Bordeaux pruning vines for La Coeur. I've done some fieldwork off and on over the years, just to keep a hand in. But nothing like that very long winter."
    "Can you show me how to do it?" Maddy asked Tyler.
    "Well, I…"
    "I'll start you off." Taking pity on Tyler, Sophia radiated cheer. "Why don't you and Theo come with me? We'll get a close-up look at how this is done before we go into the winery. It's a fascinating process, really, though this phase appears to be very basic. It requires precision and considerable practice. I'll show you." She herded the kids out of