Page 54 of Ever After Between the Lines (Montgomery Ink Legacy)

And the only reason we could even afford it, because one didn’t afford something like this on a military salary, even with a decent retirement plan, was because of our uncles.

Our uncles, Edward and Edmond Wilder, had owned Wilder Wines down in Napa, California, for years.

They had done well for themselves, and when we had been kids, we had gone out to visit.

Evan had been the one that had clung to it and had been interested in wine making before he had changed his mind and gone into the military like the rest of us.

That was why Evan was in charge of the winery itself now.

Because he knew what he was doing, even if he’d growled and said he didn’t.

Either way though, the place was huge, had multiple working parts at all times, and we had a staff that needed us.

But when the uncles had died, they had left the money from the sale of the winery to us in equal parts.

Eliza had taken hers to invest for her future children, and the rest of us had pooled our money together to buy this place and make it ours.

A lot of the staff from the old owner had stayed, but some had left as well.

Because they didn’t want new owners who had no idea what they were doing, or they just retired.

Either way, we were over a year in and doing okay.

Except for two positions that made me want to groan.

I had an interview with who would be our third wedding planner since we started this.

The main component of the retreat was to have an actual wedding venue.

To be able to host parties, and not just wine tours.

Elliot was our major event planner that helped with our yearly and seasonal minute details, but he didn’t want anything to do with the actual weddings.

That was a whole other skill set, and so we wanted a wedding planner.

We had gone through two wedding planners now, and we needed to hire a third.

The first one had lied on her résumé, had given references that were her friends who had lied and had even created websites that were all fabrication, all so she could get into the business.

Which, I understood, getting into the business is one thing.

However, lying was another. Plus, we needed someone with actual experience because we didn’t have any ourselves.

We were going out on a limb here with this whole retreat business, and it was all because I had the harebrained idea of getting our family to work together, get along, and get to know one another.

I wanted us to have a future, to be our own bosses.

And it was so far over my head that I knew that if I didn’t get reliable help, we were going to fail.

Later, I had a meeting with that potential wedding planner. But first, I had to see what the fuck that smell was coming from the main kitchen in the villa.

The second wedding planner we hired was a guy with great and true references, one who was good at his job but hated everything to do with my brothers and me.

He had hated the idea of the retreat and how rustic it was, even though we were in fucking South Texas.

Yes, the buildings look slightly European because that was the theme that the original owners had gone for.

Still, the guy had hated us, hadn’t listened to us, and had called us white trash before he had walked away, jumped into his convertible, and sped off down the road, leaving us without help.

He had been rude to our guests, and now Elliot was the one having to plan weddings for the past three weeks.

My brother was going to strangle me soon if we didn’t hire someone.

And this person was going to be our last hope. As soon as she showed up, that was.

I looked down on my watch and tried to plan the rest of my day. I had thirty minutes to figure out what the hell was going on in the kitchen, and then I had to go to the meeting.

I nodded at a few guests who were sipping wine and eating a cheese plate and then at our innkeeper, Naomi. Naomi’s honey-brown hair was cut in an angled bob that lit her face, and she grinned at me.

“Hello there, Boss Man,” she whispered. “You might need to go to the kitchen.”

“Do I want to know?” I asked with a grumble.

“I’m not sure. But I am going to go check in our next guest, and then Elliott needs to meet with the Henderson couple.”

“He’ll be there.” I didn’t say that Elliot would rather chew off his own arm rather than deal with this, considering we had a family event coming in, one that Elliot was on target with planning. The wedding for next year was an important one, so we needed to work on it.

Naomi was a fantastic innkeeper, far more organized than any of us—and that was saying something since my brothers and I knew our way around schedules, to-do lists, and spreadsheets. Naomi was personable, smiled, and kept us on our toes.

Without her, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do this.

Hell, without Amos, our vineyard manager, I knew that Evan and Elijah wouldn’t be able to handle the winery as they did.

Naomi and Amos had come with the place when we had bought it, and I would be forever grateful that they had decided to stay on.

I gave Naomi another nod, then headed back to the kitchen and nearly walked right back out.

Tony stood there, a scowl on his face and his hands on his hips. “I don’t understand what the fuck is wrong with this oven.”

“What’s going on?” I asked as Everett stood by Tony. Everett was my quiet brother with usually a small smile on his face, only right then it looked like he was ready to scream.

I didn’t know why Everett was even there since he was part responsible for the financials side of the company and usually worked with Elliot these days. Maybe he had come to the kitchen after the smell of burning as I had after Naomi’s prodding.

Tony threw his hands in the air. “What’s going on?

This stove is a piece of shit. All of it is a piece of shit.

I’m tired of this rustic place. I thought I would be coming to a Michelin star restaurant.

To be my own chef. Instead, I have to make English breakfasts and pancakes with bananas.

I might as well be at a bed and breakfast.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We’re an inn, not a bed and breakfast.”

“But I serve breakfast. That’s all I do these days. That and cheese platters. Nobody comes for dinner. Nobody comes for lunch.”

That was a lie. Tony worked for the winery and the retreat itself and served all the meals. But Tony wanted to go crazy with the menu, to try new and fantastical items that just weren’t going to work here.

And I had a feeling I was going to throw up if I wasn’t careful.

“I quit,” Tony snapped, and I knew right then, it was done for. I was done.

“You can’t quit,” I growled while Everett held back a sigh.

“Yes, I can. I’m done. I’m done with you and this ranch. You’re not cowboys. You’re not even Texans. You’re just people moving in on our territory.” And with that, Tony stomped away, throwing his chef’s apron on the ground.

I was thankful that the kitchen was on the other side of the library and front area, where most of the guests were if they weren’t out on one of the tours of the area and city that Elliott had arranged for them.

That was the whole point of this retreat.

They could come visit, and could relax, or we could set them up on a tour of downtown San Antonio, or Canyon Lake, or any of the other places that were nearby.

And yet, Tony had just thrown a wrench into all of that. I didn’t know what was worse, the smell of burning, Tony leaving, the water in the basement that wasn’t truly a basement, or the fact that I was going to smell like charred food and wet jeans when I went to go meet this wedding planner.

“You’re going to need to hire a new cook,” Everett whispered.

I looked at my brother, at the man who did his best to make sure we didn’t go bankrupt, and I wanted to just grumble. “I figured.”

“I can help for now, but you know I’m only part-time. I can’t stay away from my twins for too long,” Sandy said as she came forward to take the pan off the stove. “I wish I could do full time, but this is all I can do for now.”

Sandy had come back from maternity leave after we had already opened the retreat.

She had been on with the former owners and was brilliant.

But she had a right to be a mom and not want to work full time.

I understood that, and I knew that Sandy didn’t want to handle a whole kitchen by herself. She liked her position as a sous chef.

I was going to have to figure out what to do. Again.

“I’ll get it done,” I said while rubbing my temples.

“You know what we need to do,” Everett whispered, and I shook my head.

“He’ll kill us.”

“Maybe, but it’ll be worth it in the end. And speaking of, don’t you have that interview soon? Or do you want me to take it?” His gaze tracked to my jeans.

I shook my head. “No, help Sandy.”

Everett winced. “Just because I know how to slice an onion, it doesn’t mean I’m good at cooking.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say you could slice an onion? Get to it,” Sandy put in with a smile, pointing at the sink. “Wash those hands.”

“I cannot believe I just said that out loud. I just stepped right into it,” Everett said with a sigh. “Go to the interview. You know what to ask.”

“I do. And I hope we don’t get screwed this time.”

“You know, if we’re lucky, we’ll get someone as good as Roy’s wedding planner, or at least that woman that we met. You know who she is.” Everett grinned like a cat with the canary.

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t bring her up.”

“Oh, I can’t help it. A single dance, and you were drawn to her.”

“What dance? You know what? No, I don’t have time. We have to work on lunch and dinner. Tell me while you work,” Sandy added with a wink.

Everett leaned toward her as he washed his hands. “Well, you see, there was this dance, and he met the perfect woman, and then she got engaged.”

Sandy’s eyes widened. “Engaged? How did that happen? She was dating someone else?” she asked as she looked at me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “It was at Roy’s place when we were looking at the venue to see if we wanted to buy the retreat here.

” I sighed, I knew if I just let it all out, she would move on from this conversation, and I would never have to deal with it again.

“Somehow, I ended up at a wedding there, caught the garter. This woman caught the bouquet, and she happened to be the wedding planner. We danced, we laughed, and as she walked away, her boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed.”

“No way!” She leaned forward with a fierce look on her face, her eyes bright. “What did she say?”

“I have no clue. I left.” I ignored whatever feeling might want to show up at that thought.

Everett gave me a glance, and I shook my head.

“Enough of that. Yes, the wedding that she did was great, but I honestly have no idea who she is, and she has a job. She doesn’t need to work here.

” And I didn’t know what I would do if I saw her again or had to work with her.

There had been such an intense connection that I knew it would be awkward as hell.

But thankfully, she had her own business and wasn’t going to come to the Wilder Retreat for a job.

I left Sandy and Everett on their own, knowing that they were capable, at least for now. And I knew who we would have to hire if she said yes, and if my other brother didn’t kill me first.

I washed my hands in the sink on the way out, grateful that at least I looked somewhat decent, if not a little disheveled, and made my way out front, hoping that the wedding planner who came in through the doors would be the one that would stick.

Because we needed some good luck. After the day we’ve had, we needed some good luck.

I turned the corner and nearly tripped over my feet.

Because, of course, fate was this way.

It was her.

Of all the wedding planners from all the wedding venues, it was her.

In the mood to read another family saga? Meet the Wilder Brothers in One Way Back to Me !