Her heart thudded. Stick to the truth as much as you dare. “No. I just had my stepsister, but she died sixteen months ago of an infection.”
“Your family has known a lot of grief,” he commiserated. “My parents lost a daughter right after she was born.”
“They must have suffered.”
“So have you after breaking up with the man you thought to marry.”
She sipped her coffee. Since meeting Dominic, she hadn’t given Guy a thought. “That has turned out to be a good thing. I can’t imagine anything worse than getting married, only to discover you made a mistake. To settle when you already have questions about that person makes no sense to me.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said with almost savage conviction. It sent a shiver down her spine.
Taking her courage in her hands, Nathalie said, “Rumor has it you will be getting married soon.” She had to find out.
“Paul needs to be careful what he passes on, though it’s not his fault what he hears. Marriage was never on my agenda. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to come to dinner with me this evening.”
Heaven forgive her, but that news meant more to her than he would ever know. If she dared tell him about Alain, and he agreed to take a DNA test to prove paternity, he could be with his son without the complications of a new wife. But only if that was what Dominic wanted more than anything in his life. Alain deserved a father who would cherish him.
Knowing he wasn’t getting married prompted her next question. “Why did you invite me out this evening, Dominic?”
His eyes narrowed on her mouth, making her whole body go limp. “You can ask me that after our walk in the vineyard?” She averted her eyes. “Because I wanted to.” Somehow she felt he’d spoken the truth just now. “Why did you accept, Nathalie?”
Her heart thundered in her chest. “If I tell you the real reason, will you believe me?” They were both circling each other.
“I deserved that.”
She was able to tell him one honest truth, though she was riddled with guilt. “Because I wanted to be with you too.”
Dominic’s chest rose and fell visibly, communicating an emotion that appeared to match hers. There was a growing sensual tension between them that couldn’t be denied, haunting her more and more.
The waiter came over to suggest dessert. She declined. So did Dominic, who asked for the check. When it was paid, they left and went out to his car.
Nathalie looked up at the sky. “It’s still overcast, but I don’t think it will rain again tomorrow.”
“It won’t,” he assured her and helped her into the car before walking around.
Once he was behind the wheel, she sent him a covert glance. “If you ever decide to give up being a vintner, you’ll make a better weatherman than any meteorologist.”
“I wouldn’t want the job. They make too many mistakes. Technically I’m no longer a vintner. Not since I left for Paris eleven years ago and went into investment banking.”
Eleven years? She blinked. When had there been time for him to meet Antoinette? Had she been wrong about him this whole time? “So you weren’t born with grape juice running in your veins?” she teased.
He chuckled. “Maybe, but I was much more interested in what made the world go round. Big business intrigued me.”
Nathalie knew there was much more he hadn’t told her, but this was a beginning. Before the night was out she might even learn enough to broach the subject of Alain.
CHAPTER FIVE
TWILIGHT HAD FALLEN over the town, giving it a magical look. Nathalie felt like they were the only two people who existed. Instead of driving her straight back to the mobile home, Dominic took her on a long drive around the other side of the vineyard, letting her see the vast property.
“The air smells so sweet, I feel like I’m in a dream. There’s a peace here in the vineyard impossible to describe, yet it’s alive. Glorious! I read an article on the Fontesquieu website that said there is something special about the manner in which vines in France attach themselves to the landscape. The author suggested that France is where the vines are supposed to be.”
Dominic nodded. “My family believes as much.”
“So do I.”
He glanced at her. “When I took you to the winery, I wondered if you’d seen the plaque on the wall right by us.”
“I did. It said, ‘God planted the best vines on earth here in Provence.’ I loved it.” She drew in a deep breath. “Seeing all this with you, I believe it.”