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"I…wasn’t ready to be a father I guess I never was"

Catherine wondered if she’d misunderstood him "You mean to say you never had children?"

"None," he said "Three wives, but not one of them was interested in a faaze skirted hers "I was a selfish bastard when I left you Unfortunately that hasn’t changed"

She couldn’t confirer knew hi me about Edward?" he asked

Catherine leaned back and sipped her coffee "In many ways he’s very like you The physical rese looked up and smiled faintly

"He’s six-two and muscular"

"How old? Thirty-four?"

"Thirty-five," she told him "His birthday was last month on the twenty-ninth"

"Is he married?"

"Yes, and he has a son hi"

Greg’s sreider

"He’s a doctor"

"Really?" Greg see it

"My husband is, too" Perhaps it was ti who Edward’s father was "Larry raised Edward, helped make hi shook his head "I wouldn’t interfere in his life"

It took a moment for his words to sink in--and then it occurred to her what he’ddidn’t respond for a long time His face pale and intent, he finally said, "Yes Could I?"

Four

Matthias Jareenhouse before breakfast The one fifteen years now, and not a day passed that he didn’t think about the woman he’d loved for more than thirty years So their wives Not him Mary had been the only woman for him, and no one else would ever fill the void left by her death

The sunrise over the Cascade Mountains was glorious, the light creeping up over the horizon, then spilling across his western-Washington vineyard like the proe of another day, another opportunity Mary had been the one to teach him that, but he’d never fully appreciated her enthusiass until it was too late He wished he’d shared randson now suffered from the same rare form of leukemia that had claimed her prematurely It looked as if Tanner, too, would die Matthias’s jaw tensed and he closed his eyes How could a loving God let an innocent child suffer like this?

What made an untenable situation even worse was the fact that his daughter bore the burden alone Her ex had done nothing for her or the boy,Matthias feel doubly responsible, but beyond phone calls and the occasional visit, there was little he could do to help her fro and Matthias hurried back to the house, hoping for good news "Hello," he answered in his usual gruff voice

"It’s Harry"

A longtime friend and vineyard owner fro, don’t you think?" Matthias couldn’t prevent his disappointhter, Gloria, on the phone He sighed heavily It damn near killed Matthias that he was as powerless to help the boy as he’d been with Mary

"I’ve got news that’ll cheer you right up," Harry said

"I could use so Bennett"

Matthias stiffened at the sound of the narown through the years Bennett owed hiuiding hand If it hadn’t been for hi would have lost the vineyard ten tier of the two Bennett boys had shown a talent for the business, but Matthias had been the one to teach hi an estate winery Greg’s father, John Bennett, had lived for the vineyard, to the point that it had destroyed his e But he’d been impatient with the boy, an ineffective teacher

A few years after Greg had joined Bennett Wines, John had died, and Greg had taken over Frouided hih to buy out his brother’s share Matthias had treated Greg as he would have treated his own son, if he’d had one He’d shared everything with Greg Bennett, his skills and ideas, his enthusias, his friendship That hatMary’s illness was an al’s refusal to help thereater blow

Mary had loved Greg, too Many nights she’d insisted Greg join the, and when she needed him, he’d said no Neither bonds of faratitude, had influenced his decision

"What about Greg?" Matthias asked now

"He was in San Francisco looking for a loan"

So Greg’s vineyard had been hit by fan leaf disease Matthias had suspected as et one?"

Harry paused for effect "Not a diht you’d like hearing that"

Matthias did, but not nearly aswhat he could to help his daughter and grandson For fifteen years his hatred of Greg Bennett had sih his heart He couldn’t forgive or forget, but his hatred no longer do moment

"You always said tirinned Actually, Mary had been the one to say that

"He’s going to lose everything"