Sundown Crossing by Lynne Wilding Read Free Book Online Page A

the next step, placing a percentage of the harvest in the crusher-stemmer which, with its rotating paddles—like an old roller wringer—would remove most stems and any large debris.
    He had just enough time for a lightning-fast shower before shrugging, regretfully—because outside the temperature, remained a smouldering 78°F—into a two-piece dark-grey lounge suit. Once dressed he was content to wait for Marta in Stenhaus’s wide, tiled foyer with its centrepiece table adorned with fresh flowers. He smiled to himself because they were going to theritziest wine-tasting at, for the present, the largest winery in the Valley.
    Greta came bustling down the staircase, holding Luke’s hand because his small legs were a little unsteady on the wide, long staircase. She smiled at Rolfe as she and her son moved towards the back of the house. ‘Don’t you look something, Rolfe? Marta is almost ready, another couple of minutes, she said to tell you,’ she advised as she and Luke continued on their way to the kitchen.
    He knew Marta would look magnificent, he had tried to prepare himself for that, but he was not prepared for precisely how lovely she was as she glided elegantly down the staircase in her gold high-heeled sandals, wearing some concoction in bright red. It was filmy and seemed to float about her, with its full skirt under which lay several layers of stiffened satin and a low-cut, scooped bodice held up by pencil-thin straps. Around her neck rested a gold chain with a single, large pearl encased in gold, which was matched by pearl drop earrings. She had left her hair loose and it shimmered and swayed with each step she took.
    Something tightened in his chest—there was a peculiar squeezing sensation around his heart until he could hardly breathe. His heart began to hammer, faster and faster, and its increased drumming travelled throughout his body, into his head and eardrums. He felt his fingers twitch with the near overwhelming urge to touch her so he thrust them into his trouser pockets. Suddenlytongue-tied, all he could do was smile. She gave him a radiant smile back.
    ‘Sorry I’m late. Forgive me?’
    In a half-strangled tone Marta didn’t seem to notice, Rolfe answered, ‘Of course. Kurt’s car is out front, but it’s still pretty hot outside. I put the top on so we can enjoy the air-conditioning.’ Inside his body he could feel everything heating up. The blood was pumping faster through his veins, making him hot and bothered and negating the recent cooling effects of the shower. Marta linked her arm through his and gave it a little squeeze.
    ‘Then let’s go, shall we? Kurt says wine-tastings are fun, that they don’t do them very often in the valley.’
    ‘They are growing in popularity, I believe. Promise you won’t get tipsy on me. I don’t think Kurt would approve of that.’ Rolfe chuckled to soften the words but he had noticed during her time at Stenhaus that Marta had a fondness for red wines, which were slightly more potent than the whites.
    Marta wasn’t offended. She laughed at his concern. ‘Dear Rolfe. So stern, so in control, like Papa Carl. You should relax more.’
    ‘I suppose Kurt said I was uptight?’
    ‘No, it is something I have noticed by myself. You think too much and,’ she added intuitively, ‘probably you hate parties. Yes?’
    ‘Some parties. Wine-tastings are okay because they’re not exactly parties, not in the true sense of the word.’
    Was that how she and others saw him? As someone who didn’t know how to enjoy himself, someone who took life too seriously. Perhaps he did and wasn’t aware of it. He knew that he wasn’t as outgoing and friendly as Kurt, Greta or Lisel. The next instant he came to a decision. He didn’t want Marta to think of him as being stern, controlled, like his father. For reasons he chose not to delve into too deeply, he wanted her to see him as attractive, entertaining, likeable. Tonight, he made a silent vow, she would see a