Broken Promises (12 page)

"Mostly none," Tess amended. "What happens above the neck is okay."

"We'll test that then." Zak trailed a finger slowly along her cheek and down her jaw and under her chin, and when his thumb traced the line of her mouth, Tess tipped her face up and their lips blended in a slow, unhurried kiss...

Tomorrow she'd worry about property line disputes, and Zak's father's resolve that Zak marry a Basque woman, and the fact that Pio wanted her out of Zak's life. But for this one night, Zak was all hers... again.

And then she remembered that the night was not yet over. They still had to go to Zak's parent's house to pick up Pio. She'd never been there, but she knew Zak's father wouldn't welcome a girl from Baker's Creek masquerading as one of them, even if it was for a festival.

"I need to change out of these clothes before we get to your parent's house," she said. "I'm sure your father would take exception to seeing me dressed this way."

Zak looked at her as if in agreement, then the expression on his face turned to one of misgiving, and he said, "When I turned Pio over to Marie, I gave her the bag with our clothes in it. But my father knows we've been to the festival. He'll understand."

 
Tess heard Zak's words, but they were not spoken with conviction. And the fact was, Jean-Pierre de Neuville would
not
welcome a woman posing as one of them in his home, especially the daughter of Gib O'Reilly. She hoped their visit would be short.

CHAPTER NINE

Vineyards covered the hills on both sides of the long drive leading to Zak's parents' home. But directly ahead, at the end of the road, the house loomed like a half-timbered fortress of brick and upright beams, sitting on a stone foundation. Zak had described the house to Tess years before, but somehow she never pictured it so massive. With the dark clouds gathering above, it looked almost foreboding. "It's so big," she said.

"It would be for one family," Zak replied, "but my great-grandfather built it with separate living quarters for three generations and a lot of descendants. It's designed so that the eldest son will marry and stay with the family and eventually take over."

"The eldest son, being you."

Zak nodded but said nothing.

And Tess was faced with the reality of it. Three generations of Basque living under that huge roof. Yet, only Zak welcomed her to this house. "What about your grandparents?" she asked. "Do they still live here?"

"My grandfather passed away, but my grandmother's still living in the same quarters where she lived with my grandfather," Zak said, pulling the truck to a stop out front. "You'll probably meet her. She likes to be with family."

Tess got out of the truck and pulled her sweater closed against the cold, damp air, then stood looking at the stately home. An ancient wisteria vine wound its way above the front windows of the lower level and curved up over the arched entry. A blustery wind whipped its lacy leaves, tossing them aside, revealing a nameplate over the front door. She stepped closer and tried to read what it said, then saw that the words were Basque.

"It means
Sweet Promised Land
," Zak said. "The way the story goes, my great-grandfather named it that because he was a second son and inherited nothing, but his father sent him to
America
, promising him that his fortune was waiting for him in there. Then when he met my great-grandmother, shortly after arriving in
America
, he decided his father was right."

The front door swept open, and Zak's mother appeared, holding a bottle with a large rubber nipple. Under her arm, a newborn lamb wiggled to be free. Tess caught the surprised look on the woman's face and realized Zak hadn’t told his parents that they'd be stopping by.

Gratianne's gaze brushed lightly over Tess's costume, then she glanced beyond Tess at Zak, and said, in an uncertain voice, "Hello, son. This is a nice surprise. We weren't expecting you." She backed away for them to enter.

Zak nudged Tess inside. "Didn't Vince come with Pio?"

"Yes," Gratianne said, "but we thought Vince was just bringing him home. They've been back for a while. Pio's in the shop watching Vince work on that awful car of his, no doubt asking a thousand questions so he can get one like it some day." She pursed her lips in disapproval, then said, "We prefer it when you have Pio. A six-year-old boy is impressionable, and Vince is not such a good influence right now." The lamb squirmed in Gratianne's arms.

"May I," Tess said, holding out her hands. Gratianne passed the little animal to Tess, then handed her the bottle. The lamb grabbed the nipple and sucked eagerly. "There you are," Tess said. "You're an impatient one."

"You've handled animals," Gratianne said. "I can tell."

Tess glanced up from the lamb. "My grandfather always gave me the bummer lambs to take care of." The lamb drained the bottle and when it bumped against the nipple for more, Tess said, "You poor little waif. With no mother, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for more." She held the lamb against her, and the little animal rested his head on her shoulder. Tess looked beyond Gratianne and saw an old woman with her back to them, sitting in a chair, reading.

Zak walked over and touched the woman's shoulder, and she looked up at him and smiled. Then she stood and reached up, while Zak bent over so she could wrap her arms around his neck and give him a hug. Afterwards, Zak nudged her over to where Tess stood, and said to Tess, "This is my grandmother."

The old woman scanned the length of Tess, then she turned to Zak and said something in Basque, to which he responded in Basque. Then the old woman grinned, took Tess's hand and held it momentarily, said something more to Zak in Basque, then nodded her head like she was pleased, patted Zak's cheek with her palm, and returned to her chair. When Tess turned to ask Zak what his grandmother had said, Zak was no longer smiling, and his eyes looked troubled.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

Zak glanced at his grandmother, then looked at Tess, and said. "My grandmother said that you were very beautiful and asked if you were someone special. I told her you were, and she said she was very happy that I had found a nice Basque girl."

Tess said nothing, but she could imagine the old woman's disappointment when she learned that Zak's
special girl
was an outsider parading around in Basque dress.

Zak looked over at his mother. "Is Father here?" he asked, in a tone that gave Tess the distinct impression that Zak hoped his father was gone. Just as she did.

Gratianne glanced toward the closed door to what appeared to be an office or study, and said to Zak, "He's here, but he's busy working on his books, taking inventory of the stock."

"Sheep?" Tess inquired.

"Wine," Gratianne replied. "Come on in the kitchen. We'll have cheese and wine. Jean-Pierre will put down his books for good Roquefort." Gratianne took the lamb from Tess and handed it to Zak. "Take him to his box next to the hot water heater. It's lined with fleece, and there's another piece of fleece beside the box. Bundle it up and put it beside him."

Zak smiled at his mother, then turned to Tess and said, "I do believe she'd take the little beggar to bed with her if Father would allow it."

"Oh, go on with you," Gratianne kidded. "You're worse than I am."

While Gratianne washed her hands at the sink, Tess looked around the spacious kitchen. Chains of sausages, and strings of red peppers, and ropes of garlic filled the kitchen with the mingled aromas of herbs, spices and curing meats. And hanging from a hewn beam above was a ham wrapped in a white cloth, with the gleaming ball of a joint showing. A massive stone fireplace stood open on two sides, the face of one opening trimmed in hand-painted tiles. Seeing the focus of Tess's attention, Gratianne said, while placing a tray with crackers and a jar of homemade grape jelly on the table, "Jean-Pierre's great-grandfather built the house. The stones for the fireplace and the foundation of the house came from the property, the bricks and the red tile for the roof came from
Portland
, but the hearth tiles are from the village where his wife came from. They were his wedding gift to her, along with the promise that he'd one day build a house for her with a fireplace for her tiles." She cut a wedge from the cheese and handed Tess a small, flat knife, and said, "Go ahead."

Tess helped herself to a cracker and spread it with the soft cheese. "Then Zak's great-grandfather started the winery?" she asked.

Gratianne sat across from Tess and reached for a cracker. "No, he raised sheep. Jean-Pierre's father continued with the sheep, as we have, but Jean-Pierre decided to start the winery. Grapes grow well here, and several others who'd started wineries had been successful. All the vines here were started from rootstock that Jean-Pierre had sent over from
France
."

"This is a big house," Tess commented. "Do you keep it up yourself. There's a lot to clean."

"Oh no," Gratianne said. "We have help during the week... a couple of woman from
Navarre
clean the house and cook the meals, and Jean-Pierre has workers to tend the vineyards and manage the sheep."

"Basque?" Tess asked, wondering how far the tradition stretched.

Gratianne nodded. "We've had the same families for a number of years, but many of the young people have left to get jobs in the city. It's the same with Vince. Unlike Zak, Vince thinks
Navarre
is the end of the world."

From the hallway came voices, and Tess turned to find Zak and his father entering the kitchen. Gratianne looked up. "So, you could smell the cheese," she said to her husband. She looked at Tess. "Jean-Pierre has a nose like a rabbit when it comes to sniffing out good Roquefort. He'll put his books away for that."

Jean-Pierre's gaze darted quickly down her dress and back up to meet her gaze. "Miss O'Reilly," he said in a reserved voice, a polite smile on his lips. "Did you enjoy the festival?"

"Yes, very much," Tess replied, feeling Jean-Pierre's solemn eyes assessing her, and not in a friendly way, although she was certain he didn't realize it.

Catching the focus of her husband's attention, Gratianne said to Tess, "I noticed your costume when you arrived. It's lovely, and very authentic. Did you buy it just for the festival?"

"Well, yes," Tess replied. "That is--" she glanced at Zak and her lips quirked in a nervous smile "--Zak bought it for me."

To Tess's shock, Zak reached over and squeezed her hand, and said, "Honey, why don't you change out of it so I can take you on a tour of the place. The bag with our clothes is in the bathroom just down the hallway."

Tess caught the look passing between Zak's parents. Although it was subtle, there was no mistaking their displeasure. Saying nothing, she left with Zak. As she walked with him towards the bathroom, she said, "They disapprove."

"Not my mother," Zak assured her.

"I didn't see it that way," Tess argued. "But there's no question about your father."

"Give him time," Zak said. "He sees his world changing and knows he must eventually change too. But that has no bearing on us. It's our life, not theirs." He kissed her lightly and left.

In the bathroom, Tess changed into her jeans and shirt and packed her costume in the bag. But when she stepped out of the bathroom, Jean-Pierre de Neuville's muffled voice drifted from behind the closed door to the kitchen. She moved close enough to hear the words...

"Exactly what are your intentions with this woman?" she heard him say, and knew at once he was talking to Zak.

"Shush," Gratianne warned. The voices became subdued.

Tess moved closer, but all she could catch were sentence fragments...

"...old world values," Jean-Pierre was saying.

"...could never understand Pio as a Basque woman would," Gratianne's voice broke in.

Other snatches included "...no pride in your Basque heritage.." and "...breaking down old traditions.." and "...not marrying within the blood."

Although Tess stood inside Gratianne and Jean-Pierre de Neuville's home, she felt as if she were on the outside, with the half-timbered wall of beams and brick separating them. And that same wall would always come between her and Zak as well.

Not wanting to be caught listening, she returned to the bathroom and shut the door and waited for Zak to come for her. She wasn't anxious to face his parents again, or even remain in this house where she was an outsider.

After a few minutes, a knock sounded. "It's me," Zak said. "Are you okay?"

Tess drew in a long breath and opened the door."I want to leave."

Zak looked at her with resolve. "You heard."

"Yes, I heard." Tess handed him the bag. "It won't work. I'm just not a part of your culture and never will be. I don't understand it, and I don't belong here."

"I don't think you can be the judge of that right now."

"Then who can be, your mother? You heard what she said, and she's right. I could never understand Pio the way a Basque woman would. And we both know what Pio's feelings are about me. Then there's your father. Really, Zak, I want to leave. I feel very uncomfortable here."

"Okay, we'll leave, but at least take a look at the winery before we go. We have to pass there to get to the shop to pick up Pio."

Tess grudgingly agreed. As they stepped outside, the sky rumbled, and although it was still afternoon, the sky was dark and menacing. Feeling the first drops of rain, Zak grabbed their jackets from the truck, and after Tess slipped her jacket on over her sweater, she took Zak's hand and he led her toward the winery.

Zak was about to open the massive arched door when Vince came rushing up. "It's Pio!' he said in a frantic voice. "He's gone!"

Zak looked at his brother in alarm. "What do you mean, gone?"

"He's nowhere around," Vince said. "He was with me in the shop, playing with a coil of rope and watching me work on my car. Then he just disappeared."

"How long ago?" Zak asked.

"I don't know. Twenty, maybe thirty minutes. I was working under the car, and he'd been playing quietly, so I don't know. But I've been looking around out here for about fifteen minutes and I found this--" he held up Pio's jacket "--near the woods."

"You said he had a rope?" Zak asked.

Vince nodded. "He must have taken it with him because it's gone too."

"Damn, Pio wouldn't! Come on, both of you." Zak said. "We'll check my old tree house near the river. Pio knows he's not supposed to go there. And the thing's half rotted. I should have taken the tree ladder down when Pio first got here." He started running towards the woods and Tess and Vince followed close behind.
 
As they ran, the rain began to fall. Tess pulled the ties on her hood, gathering it close around her face. When they were a considerable distance from the house, Tess called ahead, saying, "How much farther to the river?"