the laboratory and directed the technicians to teach her the finer points of testing the acidity of the grapes.
Over the next several years Cara learned the ins and outs of wine making, but she never had the touch. Finding the perfect balance and blend was just as much art as it was science, and Cara’s artsy side was sorely lacking. By the time she left for college, she’d saved up enough money so she didn’t have to work and study at the same time.
Every summer she went back home and put in her obligatory hours in the lab.
Her life changed forever when one spring a professor invited her to spend the summer out on Lake Tahoe. He offered her the chance to take part in a new study he just received a three month exploratory grant to pursue. The idea appealed to her, and the more she thought about it the more she knew it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Cara called her dad and h oped he would understand. She’d known for years that he wanted her to take over the family’s small vineyard, but something had stopped Cara from accepting her father’s offer.
Oliver Greene heard the nervousness in Cara’s voice and went on and on about how excited he was that she would be home soon. When she finally blurted out that she wasn’t coming home Oliver pretended to be hurt and disappointed. Then Cara heard her mother slap his arm and call out in the background that her dad was just messing with her.
Oliver laughed and congratulated her on her new venture.
Looking back , Cara saw that she took after her dad in more ways than one.
She spent the next three months rooming with six other girls in a cramped dorm room, but she didn’t care. Cara had found her passion. Being out on the water and feeling the crisp mountain air on her face had released endorphins she hadn’t known existed. She continued on with her education, earned her master’s degree, and Cara had lived in the Tahoe Basin ever since.
She met Duncan at a University fundraiser and believed that her every dream had come true. A short time later, the University hired her on fulltime, and she was over-the-top with happiness.
After she and Duncan married , she learned that Duncan’s family had pulled a few strings at the University. She and Duncan had become serious, but Cara received a job offer from the Lake Shasta Water District in Northern California. If she’d taken the job, it would have taken her well out of the area.
Believing she had earned the job at the University on her own merit, Cara had been extremely upset for a while. But when the promotions began to come in rapid succession, and the family began to put pressure on her to quit, Cara realized they hadn’t expected her to succeed. They hoped she would fail so she would be content to stay home and pop out a few new heirs to the Cascade Bay throne.
Cara would have none of that. Her eyes had been opened, and she recognized the family for their true manipulative, power-hungry, selves. Her marriage was already in trouble, and there was no way she was going to bring one of Duncan’s children into the world. He would have made a horrible father, and the rest of the family wasn’t much better.
When she filed for divorce, the first pe rson she went to see was the school’s Chancellor. Dr. Granger assured her that her job would not be jeopardized by her decision. Her classes were popular, and each semester her classroom was filled to capacity. It galled her to have to turn away any worthy applicant who wanted to assist her out on LOLA. These young minds were not just the future, they held the fate of the lake and possibly the world in their hands. Cara wanted to ensure that as many students as possible had the information necessary to make sound ecological choices.
Tanner opened her door and when she stepped out of the truck, he was there to take her hand. His steady intent bore deep within her soul. “I can’t wait to feed you.”
At the sound of his voice Cara sucked in an excited breath .
Over the next several years Cara learned the ins and outs of wine making, but she never had the touch. Finding the perfect balance and blend was just as much art as it was science, and Cara’s artsy side was sorely lacking. By the time she left for college, she’d saved up enough money so she didn’t have to work and study at the same time.
Every summer she went back home and put in her obligatory hours in the lab.
Her life changed forever when one spring a professor invited her to spend the summer out on Lake Tahoe. He offered her the chance to take part in a new study he just received a three month exploratory grant to pursue. The idea appealed to her, and the more she thought about it the more she knew it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Cara called her dad and h oped he would understand. She’d known for years that he wanted her to take over the family’s small vineyard, but something had stopped Cara from accepting her father’s offer.
Oliver Greene heard the nervousness in Cara’s voice and went on and on about how excited he was that she would be home soon. When she finally blurted out that she wasn’t coming home Oliver pretended to be hurt and disappointed. Then Cara heard her mother slap his arm and call out in the background that her dad was just messing with her.
Oliver laughed and congratulated her on her new venture.
Looking back , Cara saw that she took after her dad in more ways than one.
She spent the next three months rooming with six other girls in a cramped dorm room, but she didn’t care. Cara had found her passion. Being out on the water and feeling the crisp mountain air on her face had released endorphins she hadn’t known existed. She continued on with her education, earned her master’s degree, and Cara had lived in the Tahoe Basin ever since.
She met Duncan at a University fundraiser and believed that her every dream had come true. A short time later, the University hired her on fulltime, and she was over-the-top with happiness.
After she and Duncan married , she learned that Duncan’s family had pulled a few strings at the University. She and Duncan had become serious, but Cara received a job offer from the Lake Shasta Water District in Northern California. If she’d taken the job, it would have taken her well out of the area.
Believing she had earned the job at the University on her own merit, Cara had been extremely upset for a while. But when the promotions began to come in rapid succession, and the family began to put pressure on her to quit, Cara realized they hadn’t expected her to succeed. They hoped she would fail so she would be content to stay home and pop out a few new heirs to the Cascade Bay throne.
Cara would have none of that. Her eyes had been opened, and she recognized the family for their true manipulative, power-hungry, selves. Her marriage was already in trouble, and there was no way she was going to bring one of Duncan’s children into the world. He would have made a horrible father, and the rest of the family wasn’t much better.
When she filed for divorce, the first pe rson she went to see was the school’s Chancellor. Dr. Granger assured her that her job would not be jeopardized by her decision. Her classes were popular, and each semester her classroom was filled to capacity. It galled her to have to turn away any worthy applicant who wanted to assist her out on LOLA. These young minds were not just the future, they held the fate of the lake and possibly the world in their hands. Cara wanted to ensure that as many students as possible had the information necessary to make sound ecological choices.
Tanner opened her door and when she stepped out of the truck, he was there to take her hand. His steady intent bore deep within her soul. “I can’t wait to feed you.”
At the sound of his voice Cara sucked in an excited breath .
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