by JoAnn Durgin
“Yes,” she said, turning again to leave.
“Honey, all I’m saying is…maybe you can give Dante a reason to stay a little longer in Starlight.”
Amanda needed to leave the room, or she might implode. As much as she’d like to get to know him better, the man was leaving town, so there was no reason to discuss him any further. “I don’t even know Dante’s last name, so I—”
The front door opened, and the sound of laughter greeted them. Amanda’s heart raced as Dante removed his Stetson and stepped over the threshold. His eyes widened when he spied her.
“Buongiorno, Amanda. What a nice surprise. Stai benissimo.” His already low voice sounded even deeper and was tinged with an appealing huskiness.
“Hi, there.” Tongue-tied, she could only smile. Staying in the bridesmaid gown long enough for Dante to see her hadn’t been her intention, but his obvious admiration made her thankful for Angie’s delay tactics, if that’s what they were.
“Dante’s car’s all charged up, and he’s ready to get on his way,” Harry said.
“Molto grazie, Harry. What do I owe you for your time and trouble?” Dante reached into the back pocket of his jeans.
Harry slapped his shoulder. “Not a dime, son. Keep your money. I’m glad to help.”
“That’s very kind. I suppose I’d better go then. But…” Dante’s gaze rested on Amanda again. The Adam’s apple moved up and down in his throat.
“Harry, come to the kitchen with me. I need to show you that article I was telling you about.” Angie tugged on her husband’s arm.
“That what?”
Amanda swallowed her laughter at the perplexed expression on Harry’s face.
“You’ll see. Come on. If you decide to stay in town longer, Dante, we’ve got some projects and could use a little help, too,” Angie called over her shoulder. “Just something to think about.”
“Grazie, ma’am.”
Harry waved as his wife pulled him into the kitchen. Opening the door a crack a few seconds later, Angie gave her a thumbs-up, making Amanda thankful Dante’s back was turned and he couldn’t see the gesture.
Like a true gentleman, Dante kept his eyes trained on her face. Even so, the admiration in them made her feel more feminine and desirable than ever before in her life. The sensations pulsing through Amanda made her heady.
“This is your dress for the wedding?”
“It is, kind sir.” She batted her lashes in a coquettish manner and dipped in a small curtsy. Dante stepped closer, holding the Stetson. “Bella Amanda, I find myself reluctant to say ciao. To Starlight. To…you.”
As crazy as it seemed, she’d waited her entire life to hear those words. From this man. Was it only strong physical attraction pulling her toward Dante or something more? She didn’t want him to leave Starlight. She wanted to get to know him better, wanted him to know her. Throw snowballs, share hot chocolate, clap for the kids at the nativity pageant…kiss under the mistletoe.
“Amanda?”
Attempting to gather her thoughts and regain control of her breathing, Amanda lowered her gaze when an unexpected shyness swept through her. Ask him. “Come to dinner at the house tonight.” The words tumbled off her tongue before she had time to ponder them. Perhaps that was a good thing. Spontaneity was often underrated.
“Mi scusi?”
She lifted her chin. “Caroline and Ben are coming. To dinner. Tonight. At the family homestead where I grew up.” That was neither here nor there, but she could think of nothing more intelligent to say given the intensity of his eyes mating with hers in that moment.
“I’ve already said my good-byes, but I forgot something and need to return to their house. As it happens, perhaps my negligence was fortuitous.” He retrieved a pair of gloves from his pocket and tugged them on. At least he’d gotten a pair since she’d noticed his hands were almost blue from the cold the night before.
“Say you’ll come. Six o’clock.”
“I’d like that very much, signorina. Grazie.” His smile softened her heart in wonderful ways. “May I bring anything?”
“Just you.” She averted her gaze. How obvious could she be? “I mean, um, tell me your last name. Per favore.”
“Moretti. I’ll see you tonight. You know,” he said, waiting until he had her eye contact again, “ciao also means hello.” And like a cowboy in one of the westerns her grandfather loved, Dante positioned the Stetson, ran his fingers around its brim, and then walked out the door.
“Ciao, bell ’uomo.” With two fingers over her lips, Amanda released a sigh she’d been holding most of her life. What a man.
“From what little I heard, Dante seems quite taken with you.”
Amanda felt the flush from her hairline down to her high-heeled sandals. She pivoted to face Julia. “You don’t happen to know any Italian, do you?”
Julia’s lovely smile emerged. “No, but I have the feeling you’re about to get to know one.”
8
Dante turned at Amanda’s gasp. Her brother’s golden retriever had darted across the dining room in front of where she walked, almost tripping her. She cried out as she stumbled with a fancy Christmas bowl in her hands. After rushing to her side, Dante slipped one arm around her waist, and grabbed the bowl with his free hand. While thankful she hadn’t fallen, he enjoyed the close contact. The scent of her hair. The softness of her. The everything of her. “Are you all right?”
She straightened her shoulders and adjusted her blouse. A touch of color pinked her cheeks as he relinquished his hold on her. “I think so. Nice catch. Again.” The warmth in her eyes told him they were talking about more than a Stetson or a bowl. “You’re pretty quick on your feet. I’m glad the bowl was empty and wasn’t full of juice…like green beans or something.” Her cheeks grew pinker. “You know, for the slosh effect.”
The flustered version of Amanda was absolutely adorable, but he wanted to put her at ease. “Caroline told me your great-grandfather built this house for his bride over a century ago.”
“Sure did,” she said, brightening. “Great-Grandpa Jacob. Jake’s his namesake. Give you one guess what our great-grandma’s name was.”
“Amanda?”
She tilted her head. “That would be the obvious answer, wouldn’t it? Actually, it was Julia.”
“Like Jake and Julia redux. Sorry,” he said, wincing and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “That sounded ridiculous, but it is fitting.”
“Come help me finish setting the table, and I’ll tell you more about the house.”
He’d rather hear more about Amanda, but obviously the house was a big part of her heritage. As they worked together putting napkins and silverware at each place, he enjoyed her stories.
“We spent a lot of weekends in this house when my grandparents lived here. We moved in when I was eight and Jake was ten. There’s tons of family photos and mementos all over the house. It might seem cluttered, but it’s home. Grandma taught me to make apple pies and Grandpa read to me in his favorite rocker. We all helped Dad—he was a firefighter, too—fix toys for the holiday drive every year, and Mom always called it Toy Central.”
Her eyes misted, and she nodded to the tall, live tree in the corner of the living room, brightly decorated with colorful lights and a hodgepodge of ornaments. “Every ornament on that tree represents someone special and a unique memory. Mom led me to the Lord sitting under the Christmas tree when I was six, right after we’d come home from the nativity pageant at the church.”
Giving him a small smile, Amanda pulled the last two glasses out of a corner cabinet and handed them to him. “Tell me about your family. What are they like?”
The question sent a surge of emotion through him. “Typically Italian in a lot of ways. Papa was impatient and had a temper, but he was fair and taught me to stand up for my beliefs. Mama laughed all the time, and nothing in the world pleased her more than cooking big family meals. Both were very strong willed, and they fought as hard as they loved.” He
placed the glasses on the table. “They modeled a great example of what a marriage should be, although one minute they’d be engaged in a heated discussion and the next they’d be kissing like newlyweds.” He hesitated and stared ahead, not seeing, swallowing the hard lump in his throat. “As much as anything, they demonstrated how to live for today and to place my trust in God instead of the ways of men.”
Amanda moved beside him and put her hand on his arm. “You talk about them as if…” She paused and bit her lower lip, an action that drew him to her even more. “Dante, are your parents—”
His eyes met hers. “Dancing in Heaven.”
She moved one hand over her heart, her eyes bright, compassion written in every nuance of her beautiful face. “I’m so sorry.”
His smile came from an awakening in his soul. For a guy who avoided telling anyone about his family—especially nosy journalists—he’d wanted to tell Amanda. Her motivation was pure, and she sought to gain nothing. “I’m sure they’re having a great time, but selfishly, I miss them. The holidays can be rough.” He prayed she wouldn’t ask if he had any siblings. That one he might not be able to answer without risking embarrassment.
“It’s not selfish to feel that way.” The gentle tone of her voice soothed a place inside that no one else had touched in the last seven years. “Do you have plans for Christmas?”
Surprised, Dante lifted his gaze to hers. “I usually spend it with my grandmother in Justis, but she passed away in the last year.” When she said nothing, waiting, he shook his head. “No, I have no plans for Christmas.”
Amanda’s luminous eyes—soft and rich as brown velvet—melted him with their honesty. “We’d love to have you share Christmas with us.”
“Us?” He didn’t think it through before the question slipped past his lips. If he could, he’d snatch the question out of the air and stuff it back in his pocket. The way he’d posed the question was leading, intimating he hoped to create a closer bond between the two of them, one that could go nowhere and one he shouldn’t encourage. Although his brain knew it, free will won out. The more time he spent in Amanda’s company, the less he wanted to leave.
“With me, to be more specific.”
His eyes met hers, and he opened his mouth to speak, but several guests walked into the room, breaking the moment of shared closeness. He tried to concentrate as Caroline introduced him, and then he helped carry bowls and platters of steaming food from the kitchen to the dining room. Everything smelled delicious, the aromas tempting him to the point where his stomach rumbled. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d feasted on a homemade meal, and he’d need to control himself not to eat like a glutton.
The dog nudged his leg. Dante crouched and ruffled her ears before stroking his hand down the length of her back.
“Bailey, come with me.” Taking the dog by the collar, Amanda gave Dante a smile before leading her out of the room.
“Glad you could join us for dinner.” Jake stood beside him with arms crossed, feet planted apart on the hardwood floor. The inquisition was about to commence. He couldn’t help but wonder if Jake had heard any of his exchange with Amanda.
“I’m thankful to be here. Great house.”
“Yeah, it is. Needs a lot of work and upkeep, but it’s worth it. So, Ben tells me you’re passing through town.”
And there it was. He thinks I’m a drifter. Amanda’s protective older brother wanted some answers. In Jake’s shoes, he’d do the same. Given the chance to explain himself, Dante wasn’t sure he could. His brain was full of questions, his emotions a muddled mess. As it was, he’d removed his World Cup ring, partly at Caroline’s suggestion. Wearing it would only arouse questions he’d rather not answer. He embraced the idea of the anonymity of losing himself in small-town living, if only for a week or two.
“That was the plan, but Caroline and Ben have a lot of projects and they’ve—”
“I’d adopt him if I could, but we’ve hired him to get some things done around the house.” Caroline passed by them with a bowl of fruit salad and gave him a wink.
“Where are you from originally?”
“Small town in West Texas. Grandparents were first-generation Italians and moved to the States to open a jewelry store.”
“Interesting. What part of Italy?”
“Near Milan.”
“Why Texas?”
“A lot of wealthy immigrants settled the area, and the store serviced a large region.” He lifted his shoulders. “That, and my grandpa really liked John Wayne.”
Jake’s chuckle eased the tension between them. “Makes sense to me.”
Starlight’s fire captain was taller than most men. Dante lifted his chin to meet the other man’s gaze, sensing Jake garnered a certain satisfaction with the height advantage.
“I’m not looking to start anything with your sister, Jake.”
One corner of Jake’s mouth lifted. “I never thought you were.” He clamped a big hand on his shoulder. “I do now.”
9
After Jake asked the blessing for their meal, Amanda recognized the spark in his eye as he glanced at Dante across the table. She knew it all too well from when Jake had grilled some of her boyfriends. The signs were all in place. Poor Dante was about to be on the hot seat of her brother’s questioning. She’d been shocked when she took her seat to find Dante seated next to her. How had Julia managed that? Surely, Warden Jake intended to keep the handsome stranger as far away from her as possible. Heaven forbid their elbows above the table—or knees beneath the table—might touch by accident.
“So, tell us about yourself, Dante,” Marge Kennedy said. The dark-haired, middle-aged woman was seated next to her husband, Tom, Starlight’s mayor.
Anyone new in town would be subjected to questions, Amanda reasoned, and it was nothing more than healthy curiosity. For the most part, the Starlight natives were friendly.
“My grandparents on my dad’s side were first-generation Italians from Milan. They settled in Texas and opened a jewelry store. I went to West Texas A&M on an athletic scholarship.” Dante scooped mashed potatoes from the bowl before passing them to Ben.
“Which sport?” Amanda asked, selecting a roll from the basket, noting how Caroline shot a glance at Dante with raised brows.
“Soccer.”
“Amanda, honey, you went to Iowa State on scholarship, didn’t you?” Angie shook her head when Harry asked for the gravy.
“Yes, swimming,” she said and then took a bite of her roll.
After making sure everyone’s glass was full, Julia took her place next to Jake. “Where do you call home now, Dante?”
“For the past five years, I’ve lived near Rome, but I travel around a lot in Europe.”
“You mean Rome, as in Italy? Vatican City, the Pope, the Spanish Steps…that Rome?” Angie gaped.
Several others around the table stopped eating and waited until Dante nodded.
“I mean, I know you speak Italian and all, but I didn’t know you live there,” Angie said. “Well, doesn’t that beat all?”
Jake poised his fork above his plate. “That’s a long way from Texas. What’s your line of work?”
“I’m in…sports and recreation.” Dante thanked Angie after she passed him the meat platter. “I help promote athletic events.”
Caroline coughed, waving aside offers of more water. The glances she gave him were interesting, but Dante didn’t seem to notice.
Considering all the questions, Amanda was impressed how well he handled them. Maybe he was used to dealing with the public. Surely he understood their natural curiosity. Why would a man with an important-sounding job in a foreign country hang around their little town as a…handyman? It did seem rather ludicrous, after all. Still, she couldn’t help but hope lots of little projects might creep up all over town between now and Christmas. What am I thinking?
“Do you work for an Italian company or an American one?” Jake again.
“What difference does that make?” Amanda p
ut down her fork and counted under her breath. Maybe she should have used more tact, but she didn’t appreciate Jake’s implication. At least she’d maintained some semblance of calm. “I, for one, think his job sounds exciting and...kind of exotic, especially being in Europe.”
Mayor Tom whispered to Marge, loud enough for everyone around the table to hear. “Did Mandy just say ‘erotic’?”
Amidst the chuckles, Ben thumped his hand on the table. “Tom, if you’d put in those hearing aids Marge got you last year, you’d be doing us all a big favor. I have to say, you worry me leading the town if you can’t even hear things straight.”
“And don’t call her Mandy. She hates that.” Marge patted Tom’s hand.
“Are you in public relations?” Amanda attempted a reassuring smile, not sure she succeeded although Dante bumped her knee beneath the table. As if to make sure she knew it wasn’t a fluke, he did it a second time.
“Something like that, yes.” Dante cleared his throat. “I have some time off, so I’m taking a break and traveling around the U.S.”
Mayor Tom huffed. “Sounds like a fancy way of saying you got laid off and you’re between jobs. No shame in that, though. Happens to a lot of good people in this economy.”
Trying to squelch her rising irritation, Amanda thumped her foot under the table. “Mayor Tom, with all due respect…”
“How long do you plan on staying in Starlight?”
Amanda’s breath caught. She should have known Jake would ask that one. If he kept this up, she’d be on blood pressure medicine within the week. What was with him?
“I’ve asked Dante to stay on for a while if he’s willing,” Ben said. “He can swing a mean hammer, and everyone around this table knows there’s an awful lot to fix around our house. If anyone’s noticed, he strung up the Christmas lights on the roof today.”