The Playboy's Redemption (The Mackenzies) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Diana’s Books

  Sensual, Emotionally Intense Romance…

  The Playboy’s Redemption

  —The Mackenzies: Book 3—

  Diana Fraser

  Kindle Edition

  ISBN 978-0-9922591-7-4

  Copyright © 2013 by Diana Fraser

  For more information about this author visit:

  www.dianafraser.net

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is co-incidental.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  PROLOGUE

  “Whisper Creek? On Waiheke Island? James, you must be mad! It makes no financial sense whatsoever to buy into such a small winery.”

  “I know.” James looked away from his laptop screen—where he was skyping Guy, his friend and voice of reason—up to the large TV screen where a mute video was running. A fresh-faced blonde was talking animatedly to the camera. Behind her, rows of grapevines ran down to a glittering azure sea. He looked back at Guy’s worried face. “But I want it anyway.”

  “You’re paying over the odds. They’ve been looking for an investor for months and had no luck. Yes, it’s good. But it’s small, it’s basic and it’ll need a lot of capital invested to bring it up to scratch. If you want in, at least offer them a lower figure.”

  “I’ve already paid the asking price.”

  “God, James, sometimes I think you really don’t have any regard for money.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “Such a strange thought.” Guy had no idea that there was very little in this world he had regard for.

  Guy shook his head, perplexed. “Is there nothing I can say to make you see sense?”

  “No. Sense has nothing to do with this.” The camera suddenly zoomed in to the blonde to catch a close up of a smile. James hit the pause button. There were traces of fine lines at the corners of her eyes he didn’t remember, and she wore makeup. He smiled to himself. He’d lay a bet that she hadn’t wanted to. Small changes. But her hair was the same stunning natural blonde, her eyes the same—bright in color and expression. He was transfixed by those eyes that brought back memories he’d spent the past ten years trying to forget.

  “I agree with you there.” Guy sighed and leaned back in his chair in an attitude of defeat.

  James pressed play again, only turning back to the skype screen once the blonde was replaced by interior shots of a winery. He smiled at Guy, the smile that could get him what he wanted, whenever he wanted it. “But don’t worry, Guy. I’ve not completely lost leave of my senses. I’m checking this investment out personally.”

  “Well, after you have, why not come and stay a few days with Lucia and me, next week, before you return to the States?”

  “Sure.” James looked out at the elegant, dark-haired woman waiting patiently for him in his office reception. “Look, I have to go. I’m in the middle of some… delicate negotiations.”

  “Really? Anything you can share with us?”

  “No, not yet. All will be revealed after I return to the States.” He glanced briefly at Guy before looking back at the screen. “See you next week then, mate.”

  Guy’s frown turned into a grin. “Before you go, what’s the name of the woman?”

  James didn’t move his eyes from the TV screen. “I didn’t say there was a woman involved.”

  “James.” He shook his head in mock despair. “There’s always some woman involved.”

  The laptop went blank and James turned back to the TV screen, held up the remote and stopped the video.

  Guy was usually right. But not this time. Yes, there was a woman but this wasn’t some woman. This was one woman in particular. A woman he’d lost track of ten years ago after she’d made it quite clear she never wanted to see him again.

  But times had changed. He’d changed. He needed to see her again. He glanced back at the woman in reception who was flicking through a glossy magazine. He had one week. One week to sort out a mess he’d created all those years ago. One week to find absolution for his past sins. One week before his life changed irrevocably.

  Perhaps then he could move on with his life and find the happiness his brothers had found. He doubted it, but just the thought lit a dim light in his bleak soul. He doubted it very much… but he had to try.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Susannah! Where are you?”

  Susie looked from under the pipe she was fixing, to a pair of roman sandals that hopped impatiently from side to side. “Under here! What is it?” She continued to tighten the bolt with the spanner.

  “Pete’s here and he’s got someone with him. He wants you.”

  “Pete?” Susie frowned but continued to work the spanner. “He’s meant to be on his way to Fiji.”

  “He will be later on today. But he’s here now, and he wants to see you.” The sandals were joined by a concerned-looking face framed with corkscrew curls, as Jorja, the winery receptionist, knelt down and peered at Susie. “It looks serious. Pete’s all dressed up in a suit and so is this other guy.” She gave a long, low whistle of approval.

  Susie closed her eyes and sighed. A suit, a stranger? Pete never wore suits and certainly no one ever came to the winery in suits. Shorts, jandals, backpacks, yes, but suits? No way. It could only mean one thing. Pete had sold the winery. He’d been looking for a buyer for months. It must have happened while he was in the South Island, because she had no clue anyone was interested. Susie gave the bolt a final, unnecessary, twist.

  “Okay, I’m coming.”

  She wriggled out from under the pipe work and brushed herself down, managing to smear oil down her shorts as she did so. Jorja eyed her up and down nervously. “You’d better get changed. This looks serious.”

  “No way. This is a working winery. Whoever this guy is will have to take me as I am.”

  “They’re in the boardroom,” Jorja whispered, opening the door.

  Susie followed Jorja out to the small reception area, where she heard the low murmur of male voices. “Boardroom? Since when have we had a boardroom?”

  “Since Pete wanted to impress someone. I even had to photocopy papers for you. They looked really official.”

  Susie’s heart sank. Her first guess must have been correct. “I suppose it had to happen.”

  Jorja smiled sympathetically. “It’ll probably carry on as before. Why else would anyone buy the winery? They must have fallen in love with it like we have.”

  “Let’s hope so.” She walked into the high-ceilinged room, more often used for wine tasting than meetings, and looked around. Pete was standing, alone, beside the open ranch sliders.

  “Susannah!” He grinned and walked quickly over and planted a friendly kiss on the side of her cheek. And, for the umpteenth time, Susie wondered why she couldn’t feel anything more than friendship for this wonderful man.

  “Hey, you! I thought you were on your way to Fiji?
”

  “I’m still going. I’m leaving in an hour. It’s just a flying visit. For me, at least.”

  Susie frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll never believe it.” His mouth twisted as he tried, in vain, to suppress a grin.

  “You’ve sold up?” She said mournfully, helping herself to a handful of raw nuts that Jorja had tipped into a wooden bowl.

  “Yep! Out of blue.”

  “How come you didn’t tell me?”

  “I tried to contact you.”

  “Ah… I was camping, with Tom. I didn’t take my cell phone.”

  “Anyway, I knew you’d be happy. It’s what we’ve both been wanting—an investor who doesn’t want to close us down or amalgamate with another winery. It’s perfect.”

  “Okay, slow down. How did it happen?”

  “I was down in Tekapo—”

  “Don’t tell me. You spent all your time at the Lakehouse Cafe trying to persuade Liz that she really should go out with you, and that she really should be happy that you’re moving to Tekapo to be near her.”

  “Something like that. Anyway, it was through her that I found him.”

  Susie looked up suddenly. “Found who?”

  Pete thrust his hands in his pockets and rolled back onto his heels, a self-satisfied smile on his face. “The new owner of Whisper Creek winery.”

  Suddenly Susie became aware of voices on the terrace. Jorja had moved outside and her soft lilting Scots accent drifted in through the open window. But now another voice had joined hers—deep, masculine, and as seductive and warming as the soft afternoon breeze. Her mouth went dry as a sickening jolt of visceral recognition gripped her. She knew that voice. She might not have heard it in ten years, but it was as familiar to her as her own. But her mind refused to believe what her body was telling her. She turned slowly to Pete, who was uncorking a bottle of wine, and tried to speak but no sound emerged. She swallowed. “Who is it?”

  The disembodied voice stopped at what sounded like the punch line to a joke and Jorja’s flirtatious laughter followed. Susie shook her head, as if to rid it of an unwelcome echo. But, even though she could no longer hear it, the voice filled her senses.

  Pete pulled the cork out with a pop and turned to her. “Who is what?”

  “The new owner, Pete. Who is the new owner?”

  “JM Investments.” He sniffed the wine appreciatively. “It’s a holding company which owns several wineries including one in Napa Valley.”

  He poured the wine into three burgundy glasses and she inhaled a deep breath as she automatically took the glass Pete offered her. “And it’s owned by?”

  The afternoon sun suddenly shadowed as someone stood in the doorway.

  “James—” Pete began.

  “Mackenzie,” the voice interrupted. She looked up at the man whose shadow reached over the clay-tiled floor and touched her. His dark silhouette was outlined by the late sun and she couldn’t see his features clearly. But she would have known his voice anywhere, known the man, from how his gaze made her feel.

  Then he stepped towards her into the light. She knew the lines of his face like she knew her own. It was at once familiar and yet also strange. The familiar lines—the shape of his face, his nose, cheekbones— had morphed from a fun-loving, good-looking teen into an unfamiliar figure—an immaculately dressed, devastatingly handsome man. But the humor in his eyes was still there and the smile on his lips was the same as he extended his hand towards hers.

  Pete cleared his throat and shifted his feet. “Susannah?” He laughed uncomfortably. “James, this is Susannah Henderson, who’s not normally at a loss for words.”

  “It seems I’ve made her speechless.” Her heart beat loudly in her ears as he reached further for her hand and shook it. “Hello, Susannah.” He stressed her name, giving it a faint question mark. Of course, he’d never called her by that name before.

  She tried to contain the jolt of recognition as his hand gripped hers in a handshake that he seemed in no hurry to break. She looked down, embarrassed by the flare of heat she knew had flooded her pale skin.

  Susie opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out at first. She gulped in a deep breath. “James… Mackenzie.”

  He smiled. “Correct. But the names are usually run on together, without the long pause in the middle.”

  “I know how the name is pronounced.”

  She looked down at their hands, which were still joined in a handshake. James slowly relaxed his grip and she let her hand fall and turned away.

  Pete hadn’t seemed to notice the awkward moment as he passed James a glass of wine. “Susannah’s my right-hand woman. Runs the place really. She does everything, even helping the wine-maker who we share with a couple of other local wineries. Been with me the past eight years, haven’t you?” He pulled her to him and gave her a brotherly hug. “What Susannah doesn’t know about the place, isn’t worth knowing.”

  “Then we’ll have a lot to discuss over the next week.”

  Her blood pressure skyrocketed as she felt the full blast of James’s gaze and words. She swallowed a gasp and turned away.

  “A week?” Her voice emerged as a husky whisper and Pete didn’t hear.

  Pete held up the wine to the light. “This is the top of our line. You tasted last year’s vintage in the South Island. This one”—he held up the ruby red wine, now enflamed by the late sun—“is five years old and sells at our top price.”

  James reached over and tapped his glass against hers and then Pete’s. “Here’s to your future, Pete. All the best.”

  She tried to speak but couldn’t. Beads of sweat prickled her brow.

  “The future!” Pete grinned and turned to Susie. “Are you okay?”

  “Just hot.” She placed the glass on the table and pushed open a window, taking in a gulp of the warm salty air. She half-listened to Pete talking about the wine, about the island, about the future of the winery. Her future. Alone. Or it had been up until now. His words flowed and settled around her like oil on water, covering her confusion but not resolving it.

  She took a deep breath and slowly turned back around. Pete was holding up the glass of wine to the light and describing its qualities, but James? James was still standing where he’d stood before, his eyes still on her. Except the smile was no longer there, it was replaced by a look she didn’t recognize and couldn’t read. Their wordless gaze was interrupted by the entrance of other winery staff.

  “James, let me introduce you to the rest of our team.” Pete glanced at his watch. “We’ve got just under an hour before I leave. Sorry to rush away.”

  “No problem. With so little notice, I appreciate you coming here at all.”

  Susie sat down at the opposite end of the table and glanced through the business papers Pete had distributed, barely aware of the ebb and flow of conversation. She was aware only of his physicality and the whirling mix of contradictory emotions—confusion, excitement, fear and something else she refused to contemplate. No, she wasn’t going there. There was only one thing she needed to know—what the hell he was doing here, after all these years. Because of him, her and her family’s lives had been destroyed ten years before. She’d made a new life for herself through sheer hard work but her father had died a broken man, his livelihood and dreams, shattered. Had James bought the winery to rob her of her dreams once more? To take her hard-earned position with the company away from her?

  She watched as he leaned back in his chair—totally at ease, as he charmed both men and women alike—and his hand absent-mindedly smoothed the highly polished desk, as if reveling in its silky texture. A forgotten memory of how he’d enjoyed working with wood as a young boy, flashed into her mind. It had been a part of him then, something real but, no doubt, long forgotten—the only remnant being his sensual response to the wood. She doubted he was even aware of the sensuality of his action. Everything had always been instinctive with James. Including seducing her.

  “Isn’t it, Susan
nah?”

  Startled, Susie turned quickly to Pete. He’d been speaking and she’d missed the question entirely.

  “Sorry, what were you saying?”

  Pete gave an uncomfortable laugh. “I was just saying how well we work as a team.” He glanced at James. “Susannah’s usually extremely focused, able to give you facts and figures off the top of her head. The winery wouldn’t be what it is without her.”

  “So I hear.” James’s seductive voice snaked its way around and through her body, stimulating her senses like the soft trail of a finger along delicate, private skin. His softened tone forced her to look up. He was still looking directly at her, just as he had when he’d entered the room.

  She sucked in a deep breath. She couldn’t let him get to her. She had to play it cool. His money might save the business, save Pete, but she needed to find out what he wanted before his money destroyed her. She cleared her throat. “Pete and I have worked as a team up till now, with the help of a local winemaker. But I’m more than happy, capable, of running the business on my own. Could you tell me, Mr. Mackenzie—”

  “James, please—”

  “Mr. Mackenzie,” she repeated firmly. “What it is you expect in return for your investment?”

  There was a deafening, surprised, silence. James leaned forward across the desk, his hand loosely clasped before him, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes amused, a slight smile playing on his lips. “What do I expect? Are you concerned that I expect too much?”

  “Frankly, yes.”

  He’d understood what she’d meant. She could see it in his narrowed, knowing gaze. He sat back in his chair, the smile now gone. “I expect a well-run business. I expect a return on my investment. I expect, Mrs Henderson, it is Mrs, isn’t it?”

  She nodded.

  “I expect to work closely with the management team to achieve these things.”

  “Um.” Susie pressed her lips together in disapproval. “Interesting list. It could be applied to a manufacturer of just about anything.”