Page 9 of The Very Virile Viking

Sometimes it was so good to be home.

Pride goeth before…

Rose lit a cigarette and leaned back in her wicker chair.

She and Angela were sitting in the shade of the side porch, replete from Juanita's wonderful lunch. Rose squabbled constantly with Juanita, as two old women were wont to do, but she knew that Juanita was a good cook and a priceless friend. She also knew that Rose returned her affection in equal measure…

aside from the smoking.

She and Angela were sipping from stemmed Lalique crystal wine goblets glistening with a splendid 1997

dry chardonnay, the last year they'd made their own wine at the Blue Dragon. The lunch and the visit with her beloved granddaughter both contributed to making it a perfect day in the house and on the land she loved dearly.

The only thing missing was the sound of children. It had always been a shortcoming, in Rose's opinion, but in fifty years here at the Blue Dragon all they'd had was Angela, and Angels's father, Marcus, before her. Oh, it hadn't been her fault that she'd given birth to only one child; she would have had a dozen kids, if she could have, but a hysterectomy had been necessary when she was only twenty-five. And her son, Marcus, had had only the one child, Angela, before his untimely death. And, God knew, she couldn't blame Angela for failing to have children with the Creep. Still, this was a huge house made for loud,

energetic children.

Inhaling sweet smoke from her cigarette deep into her lungs, she exhaled slowly and studied her granddaughter. Such a good girl she was… though hardly a girl anymore at thirty-two. And she worked so hard. They rarely talked about it, but Rose knew how much money Angela plowed back into the Blue Dragon to keep it going. Rose never protested, though it rankled her pride mightily. In effect the Blue Dragon belonged to Angela… or it would as soon as she passed on. Before then, she hoped for a miracle; she was saying a novena every night for just that purpose. There had to be a way for Angela to be able to return to Sonoma and run the vineyards and reopen the winery.

"Why are you looking so wistful, Grandma?"

Rose laughed. "I was thinking about miracles… and great-grandchildren."

Angela laughed right back at her. "From me? It would take a miracle, and more, since there are no likely fathers on the horizon for me."

"You could do that artificial-insemination thing, couldn't you?"

"Grandma! You don't really mean that."

She shrugged. "I guess not, but I thought maybe I could shock you into action."

"We have more important things to discuss today, Grandma."

By the serious expression on her face, Rose knew she wasn't going to escape this time. "What is it now?

Bounced check? Increased taxes? That sleazeball Gunther?"

"No, it's more than that. We need a big influx of money into this estate, Grandma. Bigger than I can provide from my job."

She exhaled a nicotine cloud. "How much?"

"Five hundred thousand would be nice. Two hundred thousand would pay off our bills and enable us to make some much-needed improvements. The other three are a cushion we've got to have. We can't go on month to month anymore."

Rose nodded. She understood the pressure all these money woes put on Angela. But five hundred thousand! Where would they ever get that kind of money? It was impossible. That must be what Angela was trying to tell her. "I am not going to sell the Blue Dragon, if that's what you have in mind… and certainly not to Gunther. I'd rather sell my jewelry, the antiques, everything in this house first." Actually, she'd already sold some of her most valuable possessions and replaced them with reproductions.

Angela reached across the table and patted her hand. "I know that, Grandma. I have an idea that might work, though."

Rose narrowed her eyes at Angela with suspicion. There was a shifty cast in her granddaughter's pretty black eyes… the kind that meant she was going to try to talk her into something she would not like.

"What idea?"

"I sold a Bel Air mansion recently to a Hollywood producer. He's about to make a film—a romantic

saga—about an old California family after World War Two. And here's the best part…"

Rose waited. That crafty cast was still in Angela's eyes.

"It takes place in a vineyard."