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to relax, but—”
    “It’s not that,” Penn said. The truth was, he wasn’t used to hanging around watching other people go about their daily business. Seth worked as the Bennett corporate lawyer and suited up every morning for offices in Napa, so Penn was left to tag along with Liam as he walked the vineyards, talked on the phone, walked the vineyards some more, and talked some more on the phone. It wasn’t exactly stimulating.
    “If you agree to finish up the work, you’ll be doing yourself a favor,” Seth put in. “We have a financial interest in Tanti Baci. If the place is kept afloat with this wedding thing, then we all benefit.”
    So far Penn had avoided talking about the economic aspects of being Cal Bennett’s son, but he couldn’t help himself from probing a little now. “So the Tanti Baci winery’s not already nose-down?”
    Liam shrugged. “Papa Baci drove the place into the iceberg some time back. Nobody noticed, because my—our—father embraced the ‘silent’ in ‘silent partner’ and let Mario have his way with it. Then Dad had his heart attack and Mario’s cancer showed up and combing the books was even further from anyone’s mind. By the time Mario confessed to his daughters on his deathbed, the water was rushing in the windows.”
    See, here’s what Penn didn’t get. Liam was an eyes-wide-open kind of man. No nonsense, and sometimes Penn thought no sense of humor, as well. “So why aren’t you putting the place on the market ASAP? I know the Bennetts and the Bacis have a long history there, but you don’t strike me as the sentimental type, Liam.” He looked over at the younger man. “You either, Seth.”
    The two brothers exchanged a glance. “Well, see . . .” Seth started, obviously lacking a good explanation. “Um . . . Alessandra . . .”
    Penn groaned. Were his half brothers the suckers now? “If it’s a sound business decision, it’s a sound business decision. But if it’s men falling all over themselves because a pretty girl winks out a tear or two . . .”
    “It’s not like that,” Seth protested. “Allie’s had a really rough time—”
    “I don’t want to hear it.” Penn stifled the impulse to put his hands over his ears. Not that he thought he could be conned by a woman and her woeful tale of hard luck ever again. Still, losing the contents of a juicy bank account and various other items of value could make a man wary. Bitter, even.
    “You don’t understand,” Liam said with a sigh. “I think I should tell you about Alessandra.”
    “Don’t.” Suddenly, the woman in question was standing in the game room doorway. “Don’t,” she repeated. “I don’t want you telling him anything about me.”
    Both Liam and Seth got to their feet, and to his own surprise, Penn found himself rising from the couch, too. Manners. Who knew he had them?
    The corners of her mouth tweaked in a little smile of acknowledgment. “Sit down, sit down.” She moved to perch on the arm of Seth’s chair. “Charlene let me in,” she added, referring to the Bennett housekeeper. Then she addressed her next remark to Liam. “You told me to stop by at two—that you’d have spoken to him by then.”
    Liam shifted on his cushion and glanced at Penn. “Yes, well . . .”
    Alessandra turned her head to pin him with her big brown eyes. “I take it you’re not interested in Newton’s old job?”
    “I—”
    “Don’t bother apologizing. I supposed it was a long shot. No surprise that my little construction dilemma isn’t of interest to some big-shot TV star.”
    He hadn’t planned on apologizing! And his refusal had nothing to do with him being “some big-shot TV star.” Good God. Folding his arms over his chest, he frowned at her, taking in the little dress she wore—a sleeveless shift that matched her lime-colored kitten heels. Her fingernails gleamed with a fresh, ladylike manicure, and she’d tamed her tumble of dark, wavy hair with a pink headband the exact