Deadly Offer by Vicki Doudera Page B

okay?” Darby spoke quietly.
    The girl looked up and nodded. “I’m just sitting here a minute.”
    Darby regarded the lean-to with curiosity. “What is this place?”
    “A little picnic spot for the guys who work in the fields. You know, so they can eat their lunch out of the sun.”
    “Oh.” Darby paused. She guessed that she knew why Sophie was here. “Your dad’s pretty upset, huh?”
    “I’m the one who should be upset,” Sophie said indignantly. “He picks me up at my friend’s house, practically explodes when we get in the car, and then he doesn’t even listen to me. I told him I didn’t drink that wine. The bottle was already empty.”
    “Then why did you take it?”
    “Because it was the last thing she was drinking!”
    “Who? Selena?”
    The teen nodded sullenly. “It sounds stupid, really stupid—but I thought he might want the bottle, for a kind of keepsake.”
    “Your dad jumped to conclusions.”
    She nodded emphatically. “Totally! As if I’d be drinking Carson Creek Pinot Noir!” She made an exasperated sound and rolled her eyes. “He’s always doing that. Like he thinks I’m some major loser or something.”
    “I know he doesn’t think that. It’s just that he’s worried about you.”
    “Yeah, well I’m the one who should be worried! He’s in total denial about his feelings for Selena, and now she’s gone, and it’s like the death of my mom all over again.” She put her head on her knees once more.
    Darby’s heart ached for the girl. “Your dad will be okay. Why don’t you tell him that you’re concerned? I think he’d really like to communicate more with you.”
    She looked up, seemed to consider Darby’s words, and then rolled her eyes once more.
    “Give me a break. The last thing he wants to talk about with me is his love life.”
    “What about telling him why you took the bottle? Wouldn’t that be a start?”
    “Maybe.” She rose to her feet and wiped the back of her jeans with her hand. “I’m going to go for a walk. If you see my dad, please tell him I’ll be back at the house in a little while.” She managed a tiny grin. “Thanks, Darby.”
    ———
    Dan Stewart shook his head in amazement when Darby told him about the wine bottle. “Sophie has this idea that Selena and I were lovers.” He sighed.
    “Were you?”
    He looked at her sharply before answering. “You can be kind of nosy, you know that?” He shrugged. “Sophie may have picked up on some of Selena’s vibes.”
    “What do you mean?”
    He raised his eyes upward as if avoiding her gaze. “I mean that Selena wanted to be more than friends.”
    “I see. But you didn’t feel that way?”
    “I liked her, respected her, and enjoyed her company. But I didn’t want to take it any further, and I certainly didn’t want to get married.” His ran a hand through his hair. “She knew how much I loved this place, so she suggested that we tie the knot even if I wasn’t in love with her. She said that way, if anything happened to her, I’d inherit the property.”
    “When did she suggest that?”
    “In the spring, before she decided to get serious about selling. I told her that I couldn’t do that, because it wouldn’t be honest. No matter how much I want Carson Creek, I can’t live a lie.”
    Darby nodded. “Why don’t you talk about this with Sophie? I think she’d appreciate knowing how you feel.”
    “I will.” He gave a rueful grin. “Thanks for the advice.”
    “Out of curiosity, where is that bottle?”
    “On my desk. I was about to put it in the recycling bin.” He gave her a strange look. “Why would you want it?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a funny feeling, that’s all.”
    Once inside the large red building, Darby told herself there was nothing special about the bottle on Dan’s desk. It bore the Carson Creek Estate & Winery label—a lovely watercolor of the property with a soft sunset behind it—and was made from heavy, dark colored glass. As