Just One Taste
Book Five of the Billionaire Barons of Texas Series
Chapter One
“Find anything today you didn’t see yesterday?” When Paige Baron took over the family’s interest in a large but failing Texas winery, the best part of the whole deal was Clay, the manager. Bless his heart, he’d done his best to hold the vineyard together for the former owners, but without the proper support, there hadn’t been a chance in hell that he’d be able to keep up, never mind prosper.
“Maybe,” she muttered, giving herself another moment to be sure.
“Do tell?” A man of few words, Clay was as old as the dirt beneath her feet, but worked harder than any two men half his age. Maybe three.
“I’m thinking it’s time.” She’d been staring at a barren strip of land adjacent to Baron property. Shortly after Baron Enterprises had purchased the old vineyard, Paige had been approached by a neighbor looking to make a killing on land no one else wanted. Being a woman, too many made the mistake of thinking she was a pushover. But more important than her gender, she was a Baron. Good business instincts were part of her gene pool. On the other hand, her ability to negotiate came from years of watching her older brothers wheel and deal the family’s fortune from something already impressive into something bordering on obscene.
It had taken a good deal of playing cat and mouse with the arrogant neighbor, but in the end, they’d agreed on a price less outrageous and very reasonable. Every year as she implemented the next stage in her five year plan, she’d survey the land and think, not yet. This morning, when she stood on the veranda outside the new pavilion, her gut shouted at her for the first time. Dragging her gaze away from the untouched land, she looked to the guy who had been her right hand man since day one. “It’s been three years.”
Clay nodded at her. There was no need for her to explain, he knew she was talking about her prize hybrid grape. Or what she hoped would become an award winning new blend for the Baron Winery.
In her mind’s eye she could see the bare acreage covered with rows of delicious plump grapes waiting to be turned into a fine wine. “We could do a limited edition.” That was another thought that had been kicking around in the back of her mind as she considered the wine.
His gaze had drifted to the bare rolling hills. “We could.”
Some days, she really hated that male tendency to barely utter a word. “Or?”
“No or.” He shook his head and turned once again to face her. “It’s a good plan.”
That’s what she wanted to hear. She trusted her gut more than anything, but a word of encouragement from Clay went a long way when it came to keeping her eye on the prize. “We’ve got multiple new bookings coming up for rather large weddings.”
“Miss Eve’s was a beautiful party.” The older man hadn’t known her sister for much longer than he’d known Paige, but he’d taken a shine to the whole family.
“I think there will be enough in the coffers to plant the new grapes.”
“The French grape?”
She bobbed her head. Years of traveling the French countryside had brought her in contact with a good many vintners. Some more friendly than others. A few, fearing no competition from the young American female, shared their secrets. One in particular, an aging man who made her grandfather look like a spring chicken, and who swore Paige was the spitting image of his long deceased daughter, promised her when the time was right she could bring his cuttings stateside. If all went as she hoped, in a few more years she’d have sturdy vines and then, given a little more time, she could present the world with a new stellar Baron blend. The mere thought gave her goose bumps.
“You very busy?” The Governor’s voice boomed strongly over her shoulder.
Paige swung around and took a few steps forward, enveloping her grandfather in a hug much the way she’d done since she was a little girl. “I’ve always got time for you.”
The old man beamed. “Good. If I could have a few minutes of your time.”
Clay cleared his throat. “I need to check on the new girl in the tasting room.”
The former governor of the great state of Texas sidled up beside Paige. “Rumor has it the Comets are looking to move their franchise.”
Her gaze narrowed as she quickly shifted her thoughts from wine to sports, taking a moment longer to place the name. “Hockey.”
“Yes. NHL.” The older man dipped his chin slightly. “We’ve been working on bringing a farm team to Houston, but if we could land the Comets…”
His words drifted off but Paige could see the twinkle in her grandfather’s eyes. She’d heard many a story of his childhood, spending winter breaks with all his cousins at his grandfather’s home in Colorado. Playing ice hockey on the lake had been one of his fondest memories. No doubt her grandfather could see a Zamboni clearing the ice of their under used stadium in anticipation of a Stanley Cup game as clearly as she could see currently fallow land lined with lush grapes. Her grandfather was a visionary in many ways. He fought hard for his state for many years, and continued to do so for his city, county and state wherever time and money allowed.
“Convincing the northern yankee owners that the Gulf Coast is the perfect spot for relocation won’t be easy.”
“Money talks.” It was one of the first things she’d learned as a Baron. The second thing she’d learned was to use the Baron money for the greater good. Not always an easy task.
“I understand that Daniel Dupree is heading the initial vetting committee.”
“The name sounds familiar.” She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Canadian, played for the Bruins, then the Comets. MVP goalie three Stanley Cups in a row. His career was sidelined when a car accident crushed one leg. They saved the leg, but not his career.”
Of course. “He and his brother used to play on the same team. Mitch was probably their biggest fan.”
The Governor nodded. “It’s my understanding that Dupree is personally visiting the competing cities.”
“Is Houston one of them?”
“We’re working on it.”
Thoughts danced around in her head but none explained why her grandfather was sharing this with her of all people. She knew wine, not hockey.
Her grandfather rolled back on his heels and blew out a soft breath. “One thing I’ve learned in my life, politically correct or not—a woman in the room helps keep hot-headed men civil.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it. Eve can’t participate and Siobhan’s off taking photos of African elephants. Can I count on your help?”
They could put all she knew about ice hockey in the proverbial thimble, but if her grandfather thought she could help… “Absolutely.”
* * * *
Ten cities and now Houston. It had taken Daniel the better part of the last few weeks to eliminate a slew of cities from the running and narrow it down to the best town, now eleven. Most had lofty ambitions without the financial backing his team wanted. As much as he disliked adding another city to his list instead of culling it, the last minute proposal from Houston had everything the team was looking for. Including an already built stadium, a little small, but suitable for ice hockey. No need to haggle with communities and bond proposals to bring the team in. Still, somehow his inclination remained geared toward a cold weather state without an annual hurricane season like Utah or Wyoming. Utah being the only one of the two on the shorter list. Unfortunately, Wyoming was out. Making the math work for a state that had more antelope than people simply didn’t compute.
An existing unused stadium wasn’t the only thing Houston had in its favor. Daniel had to admit the idea of an in state rivalry between two hockey teams mirroring the profitable rivalry between the two Pennsylvania teams piqued his interest. The revenue possibilities were enough to make a man drool. On the other hand, the lack of fans in recent games only bolstered the idea that the South was no place for multiple hockey franchises. Maybe.
“You ready?” Kevin, Daniel’s right hand on this project, stood in the doorway.
Daniel glanced at his wrist watch. The flight to Utah left in a little under four hours. Just enough time to get to the airport and hurry up to stand in line and weed his way through security. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Kevin slid a piece of paper onto Daniel’s desk. “This just came in. New Mexico is withdrawing the bid.”
Looking at the sheet in front of him, Daniel bobbed his head. “Wonder who changed their mind?”
“No clue.”
From the beginning Daniel wondered how the heck a state with only a few million people wound up on the list. All he could conclude is that someone in New Mexico had extraordinarily deep pockets. Now he wondered what made them change their mind and lock up their bank account?
“Do you have the data for the new addition?”
It took him a few moments to realize that Kevin was referring to Houston and not some other city the owners were thrusting upon him. “All I know is that Governor Baron is one of the backers. Which probably explains why Houston is the only bidder coughing up the cost of a five star hotel.”
“Surely Texas isn’t the only one with deep pockets.”
Daniel shrugged. “No, but they do say everything is bigger in Texas. It will be interesting to see what they have planned.”
“I wonder if they’re going to pick you up in one of those stretch limos with cow horns on the grill?”
“Unlikely. I’m renting a car. Besides, I’m pretty sure the horns are only from bulls.”
“Nope. The longhorn cattle all have horns. No chauvinism among those bovines.”
Daniel chuckled. “Noted.” Though why his assistant from Brooklyn knew anything about Texas cattle was beyond him.
“Want some aspirin?”
Not till Kevin asked did Daniel realize he’d been rubbing his knee. When the drunken idiot who ran the red light smashed into the driver side of his car and sent it flying across the intersection into a lamppost, he thought his life was coming to an end. Thanks to a top notch trauma team and his brilliant surgeon, his life was saved, but not his career. After all these years, rubbing away the discomfort in his left leg was so common place, he didn’t even realize that his leg had been bothering him. At least not till Kevin went into mother hen mode. For a guy, he was pretty good at noticing little things. “Nah, it’s nothing.”
His assistant didn’t say another word about his leg, merely handed him a fat envelope with al the basic data for every city. Daniel had it all on his laptop, but on plane rides, he preferred to study the information on old fashioned paper instead of a backlit screen. His first assignment was to learn all about the former governor, the committee, the city, and anything that would help him get through this visit sooner than later. Someone may have convinced the committee to allot more days in Houston than any other city on the list, but as far as he was concerned, the quicker he could race through this visit the better. Shaking his head, he stuffed the envelope into his briefcase. How the heck did anyone expect to successfully mix ice hockey and a million degrees heat nine months of the year? Despite the lure of the in state rivalry, he was pretty sure he’d already made up his mind. The team needed a cold weather climate where hockey was in the city’s blood. There was no way Houston had enough people to create a buzz around hockey. He seriously doubted that the sprawling city would hold any interesting surprises for him. Nope, Houston would definitely be a waste of his time.
“Find anything today you didn’t see yesterday?” When Paige Baron took over the family’s interest in a large but failing Texas winery, the best part of the whole deal was Clay, the manager. Bless his heart, he’d done his best to hold the vineyard together for the former owners, but without the proper support, there hadn’t been a chance in hell that he’d be able to keep up, never mind prosper.
“Maybe,” she muttered, giving herself another moment to be sure.
“Do tell?” A man of few words, Clay was as old as the dirt beneath her feet, but worked harder than any two men half his age. Maybe three.
“I’m thinking it’s time.” She’d been staring at a barren strip of land adjacent to Baron property. Shortly after Baron Enterprises had purchased the old vineyard, Paige had been approached by a neighbor looking to make a killing on land no one else wanted. Being a woman, too many made the mistake of thinking she was a pushover. But more important than her gender, she was a Baron. Good business instincts were part of her gene pool. On the other hand, her ability to negotiate came from years of watching her older brothers wheel and deal the family’s fortune from something already impressive into something bordering on obscene.
It had taken a good deal of playing cat and mouse with the arrogant neighbor, but in the end, they’d agreed on a price less outrageous and very reasonable. Every year as she implemented the next stage in her five year plan, she’d survey the land and think, not yet. This morning, when she stood on the veranda outside the new pavilion, her gut shouted at her for the first time. Dragging her gaze away from the untouched land, she looked to the guy who had been her right hand man since day one. “It’s been three years.”
Clay nodded at her. There was no need for her to explain, he knew she was talking about her prize hybrid grape. Or what she hoped would become an award winning new blend for the Baron Winery.
In her mind’s eye she could see the bare acreage covered with rows of delicious plump grapes waiting to be turned into a fine wine. “We could do a limited edition.” That was another thought that had been kicking around in the back of her mind as she considered the wine.
His gaze had drifted to the bare rolling hills. “We could.”
Some days, she really hated that male tendency to barely utter a word. “Or?”
“No or.” He shook his head and turned once again to face her. “It’s a good plan.”
That’s what she wanted to hear. She trusted her gut more than anything, but a word of encouragement from Clay went a long way when it came to keeping her eye on the prize. “We’ve got multiple new bookings coming up for rather large weddings.”
“Miss Eve’s was a beautiful party.” The older man hadn’t known her sister for much longer than he’d known Paige, but he’d taken a shine to the whole family.
“I think there will be enough in the coffers to plant the new grapes.”
“The French grape?”
She bobbed her head. Years of traveling the French countryside had brought her in contact with a good many vintners. Some more friendly than others. A few, fearing no competition from the young American female, shared their secrets. One in particular, an aging man who made her grandfather look like a spring chicken, and who swore Paige was the spitting image of his long deceased daughter, promised her when the time was right she could bring his cuttings stateside. If all went as she hoped, in a few more years she’d have sturdy vines and then, given a little more time, she could present the world with a new stellar Baron blend. The mere thought gave her goose bumps.
“You very busy?” The Governor’s voice boomed strongly over her shoulder.
Paige swung around and took a few steps forward, enveloping her grandfather in a hug much the way she’d done since she was a little girl. “I’ve always got time for you.”
The old man beamed. “Good. If I could have a few minutes of your time.”
Clay cleared his throat. “I need to check on the new girl in the tasting room.”
The former governor of the great state of Texas sidled up beside Paige. “Rumor has it the Comets are looking to move their franchise.”
Her gaze narrowed as she quickly shifted her thoughts from wine to sports, taking a moment longer to place the name. “Hockey.”
“Yes. NHL.” The older man dipped his chin slightly. “We’ve been working on bringing a farm team to Houston, but if we could land the Comets…”
His words drifted off but Paige could see the twinkle in her grandfather’s eyes. She’d heard many a story of his childhood, spending winter breaks with all his cousins at his grandfather’s home in Colorado. Playing ice hockey on the lake had been one of his fondest memories. No doubt her grandfather could see a Zamboni clearing the ice of their under used stadium in anticipation of a Stanley Cup game as clearly as she could see currently fallow land lined with lush grapes. Her grandfather was a visionary in many ways. He fought hard for his state for many years, and continued to do so for his city, county and state wherever time and money allowed.
“Convincing the northern yankee owners that the Gulf Coast is the perfect spot for relocation won’t be easy.”
“Money talks.” It was one of the first things she’d learned as a Baron. The second thing she’d learned was to use the Baron money for the greater good. Not always an easy task.
“I understand that Daniel Dupree is heading the initial vetting committee.”
“The name sounds familiar.” She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Canadian, played for the Bruins, then the Comets. MVP goalie three Stanley Cups in a row. His career was sidelined when a car accident crushed one leg. They saved the leg, but not his career.”
Of course. “He and his brother used to play on the same team. Mitch was probably their biggest fan.”
The Governor nodded. “It’s my understanding that Dupree is personally visiting the competing cities.”
“Is Houston one of them?”
“We’re working on it.”
Thoughts danced around in her head but none explained why her grandfather was sharing this with her of all people. She knew wine, not hockey.
Her grandfather rolled back on his heels and blew out a soft breath. “One thing I’ve learned in my life, politically correct or not—a woman in the room helps keep hot-headed men civil.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it. Eve can’t participate and Siobhan’s off taking photos of African elephants. Can I count on your help?”
They could put all she knew about ice hockey in the proverbial thimble, but if her grandfather thought she could help… “Absolutely.”
* * * *
Ten cities and now Houston. It had taken Daniel the better part of the last few weeks to eliminate a slew of cities from the running and narrow it down to the best town, now eleven. Most had lofty ambitions without the financial backing his team wanted. As much as he disliked adding another city to his list instead of culling it, the last minute proposal from Houston had everything the team was looking for. Including an already built stadium, a little small, but suitable for ice hockey. No need to haggle with communities and bond proposals to bring the team in. Still, somehow his inclination remained geared toward a cold weather state without an annual hurricane season like Utah or Wyoming. Utah being the only one of the two on the shorter list. Unfortunately, Wyoming was out. Making the math work for a state that had more antelope than people simply didn’t compute.
An existing unused stadium wasn’t the only thing Houston had in its favor. Daniel had to admit the idea of an in state rivalry between two hockey teams mirroring the profitable rivalry between the two Pennsylvania teams piqued his interest. The revenue possibilities were enough to make a man drool. On the other hand, the lack of fans in recent games only bolstered the idea that the South was no place for multiple hockey franchises. Maybe.
“You ready?” Kevin, Daniel’s right hand on this project, stood in the doorway.
Daniel glanced at his wrist watch. The flight to Utah left in a little under four hours. Just enough time to get to the airport and hurry up to stand in line and weed his way through security. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Kevin slid a piece of paper onto Daniel’s desk. “This just came in. New Mexico is withdrawing the bid.”
Looking at the sheet in front of him, Daniel bobbed his head. “Wonder who changed their mind?”
“No clue.”
From the beginning Daniel wondered how the heck a state with only a few million people wound up on the list. All he could conclude is that someone in New Mexico had extraordinarily deep pockets. Now he wondered what made them change their mind and lock up their bank account?
“Do you have the data for the new addition?”
It took him a few moments to realize that Kevin was referring to Houston and not some other city the owners were thrusting upon him. “All I know is that Governor Baron is one of the backers. Which probably explains why Houston is the only bidder coughing up the cost of a five star hotel.”
“Surely Texas isn’t the only one with deep pockets.”
Daniel shrugged. “No, but they do say everything is bigger in Texas. It will be interesting to see what they have planned.”
“I wonder if they’re going to pick you up in one of those stretch limos with cow horns on the grill?”
“Unlikely. I’m renting a car. Besides, I’m pretty sure the horns are only from bulls.”
“Nope. The longhorn cattle all have horns. No chauvinism among those bovines.”
Daniel chuckled. “Noted.” Though why his assistant from Brooklyn knew anything about Texas cattle was beyond him.
“Want some aspirin?”
Not till Kevin asked did Daniel realize he’d been rubbing his knee. When the drunken idiot who ran the red light smashed into the driver side of his car and sent it flying across the intersection into a lamppost, he thought his life was coming to an end. Thanks to a top notch trauma team and his brilliant surgeon, his life was saved, but not his career. After all these years, rubbing away the discomfort in his left leg was so common place, he didn’t even realize that his leg had been bothering him. At least not till Kevin went into mother hen mode. For a guy, he was pretty good at noticing little things. “Nah, it’s nothing.”
His assistant didn’t say another word about his leg, merely handed him a fat envelope with al the basic data for every city. Daniel had it all on his laptop, but on plane rides, he preferred to study the information on old fashioned paper instead of a backlit screen. His first assignment was to learn all about the former governor, the committee, the city, and anything that would help him get through this visit sooner than later. Someone may have convinced the committee to allot more days in Houston than any other city on the list, but as far as he was concerned, the quicker he could race through this visit the better. Shaking his head, he stuffed the envelope into his briefcase. How the heck did anyone expect to successfully mix ice hockey and a million degrees heat nine months of the year? Despite the lure of the in state rivalry, he was pretty sure he’d already made up his mind. The team needed a cold weather climate where hockey was in the city’s blood. There was no way Houston had enough people to create a buzz around hockey. He seriously doubted that the sprawling city would hold any interesting surprises for him. Nope, Houston would definitely be a waste of his time.
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