“The two situations aren’t comparable. Nicco married me. I’m his wife, whether American or Italian.” She glanced at the man’s wedding ring. “Tonight when you get home from work, ask your wife what she would do if you left her? I believe you’ll get the same answer from her you’d get from me.”
Callie eyed each of the reporters. “Are there any more questions for me? If not, I’ll defer to my husband.”
Nicco removed his arm from her shoulders and sat forward. “We’ve allowed you forty-five minutes including pictures. I’ll entertain one more question.”
“What did your wife give you for a wedding present?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
The living room went quiet as the group of them blinked in surprise.
“My husband got a late start in life earning his own living. The money represented my belief in him.”
“What did the former prince give you?” Evidently the hostile reporter was still smarting. He hadn’t gotten the story he’d come for.
“The biggest thrill of my life. If you were a cyclist, you’d understand.”
“We all remember your husband’s brilliant racing career,” another journalist contributed.
“That’s because Nicco has a brilliant mind. One day soon people will know him for his engineering genius.” She swallowed hard. “It’s humbling to be the wife of such a man.”
The female journalist got up first and shook Callie’s hand. “Thank you for allowing us inside your home. It’s obvious you and your husband are extremely happy. The very best to you.”
CHAPTER TEN
“THAT was a great shoot, Mrs. Tescotti. International Motorcycle World will be honored to feature you on the cover. You’re easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean.”
Callie had just ridden up to Colin Grimes, the good-looking, thirtyish cameraman who’d flown all the way from London at Nicco’s bidding. She and her Strada 100 were literally spattered by mud from riding around the Oliveras’s farm while he took pictures.
Ignoring her husband who stood a few feet away from the other man who’d also raced bikes at one time she said, “Thank you, Colin. I’m the one who’s honored. You work for the best cycling magazine in the business.”
He winked at her. “Can I quote you on that?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling into his sunny blue eyes. “I’ve read every magazine about sports bikes since I was ten years old. Off the record, yours is head and shoulders above the others in terms of quality stories and photography.”
“Did you pay her to say this, Nicco?”
“He didn’t have to,” she answered for her husband who’d grown distinctly quiet over the last hour. “Now if you two will excuse me, I’d like to get back to the animal hospital. I need to clean off my bike, then shower.”
Colin nodded. “We’ll follow you in my rental car. Don’t forget I’m taking you to dinner before I leave for San Jose.”
“We’re looking forward to it. I’ll even put on a dress for the occasion. Come to think of it, my husband hasn’t even seen me in a dress yet.”
Male admiration shone from his eyes. “With a wife who looks as good as you do, clothes don’t matter.”
In his effort to pay her a compliment, Colin had unknowingly touched on a subject Callie had been trying in vain to forget.
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Colin Grimes,” she teased. “I guess it’s true that in the end women dress for other women.”
Still avoiding her husband’s inscrutable gaze, she started up the motor. “Nicco? I’ll meet you and Colin in the reception room of the clinic in an hour. I need that much time for a transformation. Hopefully neither of you will recognize me.”
Flashing them a beatific smile, she took off down the road.
A few minutes later Callie pulled around the back of the vet hospital. She grabbed the hose and cleaned her bike. After wiping it off, she put it away in the garage and entered the clinic through the back door with her medical satchel.
The second she let herself in her apartment, Ann was there to hug her.
They gravitated to the bathroom where she could lock the door.
“Thank you for pulling through for me,” Callie whispered.
For once in her life Ann looked sheepish. “It was the least I could do after what you were put through because of me. I guess this makes us even.”
Callie nodded. “You look sensational in my dress.”
“We’re the mirror image of each other, remember, Callie? Are you sure you want to do this? Ever since you phoned me from Locarno and told me about your plan, I’ve had this bad feeling.”
Her features hardened. “You weren’t there when he came close to doing the unforgivable.”
“But it didn’t happen because deep down he’s a good man. Look what lengths he went to for his brother.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Because he tricked me into saying and doing things in that guesthouse I would never ha— Oh—none of it matters anymore.”
Ann bit her lip. It was one of the mannerisms she and Callie had in common when they grew nervous or excited. “If Nicco is as shrewd as you say he is, he’s going to figure out we switched places before either of us can blink.”
Callie took a sharp breath. “That’s why I left Chloe playing with Roxy at Dr. Wood’s house. As long as I have time to get away from here before that cunning brain of his computes the truth, that’s all I care about. You’ll need to be prepared to get out of here, too. Just as fast as you can.”
“Don’t worry. I have to be on the set again day after tomorrow. Callie? Please tell me where you’re going.”
“I better not or Nicco will break you down. He has a way…”
“Why don’t you just admit you’re in love with him and see what happens?”
“Don’t you think I would if I thought he felt the same about me?” she blurted in anguish. “He had his chance in Locarno, but he didn’t take it.”
“I don’t understand it, Callie. He sounded genuinely smitten when I talked to him from the barge.”
“If it suits his purpose, he can act circles around anyone, even you.”
Ann looked vaguely alarmed. “How long are you going to be gone?”
“I told Dr. Wood a week at the most. Any other boss would have fired me long before now. He’s such a sweetie he told me my marital problems needed to be resolved first.”
“In your case he’s right.”
“It won’t be long before Nicco grows tired of this absurd game he’s been playing and flies back to Italy.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Don’t even think it! He can’t run his business from here forever.” Her anxious eyes searched Ann’s. “Did you pack a bag for me?”
“Yes. I put your purse inside it. Everything’s in the rental car I parked in Dr. Wood’s driveway. I left it unlocked. The keys are in the ignition.”
“Okay. You already know everything about Nicco, but I need to fill you in on the latest. You’re going out to dinner with a very attractive man from International Motorcycle World named Colin Grimes. He’s from London and used to race sports bikes. Now he’s their head photographer.
“Nicco was in a rather foul mood when I left them at the Olivero farm, so pay more attention to him than Colin.”
“It sounds like your husband’s jealous.”
“No,” Callie said on a shaky breath. “I’m fairly certain he senses something’s not right, but he can’t put his finger on it.”
“He sounds scary to me.”
She eyed her sister solemnly. “He is… Good luck.”
“Callie—”
It was the middle of the night when Callie heard a knock on the motel room door. She hadn’t been asleep. The sound of waves crashing on the beach along the Big Sur had kept her awake.
If the knock hadn’t been followed by her sister’s voice, Callie would have phoned the desk for help.
“Ca
llie? Wake up! Let me in.”
Something terrible must have happened.
“What’s wrong?” she cried in fear. Scrambling out of bed in her nightgown, she was all thumbs trying to unlock the dead bolt. “How did you know I would come here?”
She opened the door, then let out a gasp. “Nicco!”
“Did you really think you could get away from me?” His tall, dark frame filled the doorway. Then he was inside the room and there was nowhere for her to hide.
He nudged the door shut with his foot. In the semidarkness he looked big and powerful, acting very much like the prince he’d once been.
She lifted her softly rounded chin in defiance. “No. I just needed some time to myself. We’ve lived together day and night for an entire month.”
“That’s what newlyweds do.”
“Please, Nicco. Don’t start that again.” When she saw his gaze travel over her body in intimate appraisal, she sprang for her robe lying on the end of the bed.
After she’d slipped it on and tied the belt, she faced him once more. “We’re on the verge of being divorced.”
To her consternation he walked over to the queen-size bed and sat down on it. Still staring at her he said, “Did you file?”
“You know I didn’t.”
He shrugged those magnificent shoulders of his. “Neither did I.”
“Listen here, Nicco.” Her hands had tightened into fists. “You were the one who drafted that ghastly document. You led me to believe you’d taken care of everything!”
“I would have. But after being married to you for a month, I decided I didn’t like the terms. I’m here to draw up new ones. Fortunately your sister decided to cooperate and led me to the place she figured you had to be. It saved me hiring a private detective.”
“I should have known I couldn’t trust her.”
“In all fairness to her, she did her best to vamp me. Ann Lassiter is quite a woman. However I’d know my own wife anywhere and I recognized the imposter for who she was the second she waltzed into the reception room at the clinic.
“I’d have been here sooner, but I had to get rid of Colin first. He found himself charmed by the real Mrs. Tescotti, but I’m afraid it was your sister who brought the poor devil to his knees.
“When he sends me the proofs, I’ll fill him in on the beautiful Lassiter twins’ latest caper and end his misery. If I’m not mistaken, Ann hasn’t seen the last of him.”
Anger filled her cheeks with flame. “My sister has a lot to answer for. I wasn’t the one who signed the marriage contract from hell.”
“That’s an apt description. My bride has never been at a loss for words. I’ve decided it’s your greatest trait.”
“You’re totally amoral, do you know that?”
“I’ve known it for years. Otherwise I wouldn’t have turned my back on the throne.” He was sounding bored again, increasing her fury.
“If you think I’d sign anything conceived by the master of deceit, then you don’t know me at all. I grant you your freedom. Take it and go!”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said in Locarno.” He went on talking as if she hadn’t said a word.
“I said a lot of insane things,” she bit out. “How dare you remind me!”
“Did you mean it about being there for me in any capacity? About being the mother of my child?”
She hugged her arms to her waist. “You’re cruel, you know that?”
“I had a talk with Father last week while I was at the office. I promised we’d make him a ‘papo’ as soon as it was humanly possible. He told me Mother has already bought two christening gowns. One for Enzo and Maria’s baby, and one for ours. We can’t disappoint her now. Don’t you want a baby we’ve made together?”
Callie struggled for breath. “Someday I want several. With the right man.”
“What would I have to change about myself to be that man? I come with connections. Enzo and I had a long talk over the phone the other day after he returned from his honeymoon.
“His first official act as prince is to donate the estate with the hunting lodge where you operated on Valentino to the public. He’s turning it into a national wildlife sanctuary and animal shelter.
“It’s part of a vision he’s had for years. All creatures great and small, homeless or unwanted, will find a home there. He’s already looking for someone to oversee the whole program and keep it running smoothly. Someone with Dr. Donatti’s credentials and an instinctive love for animals.”
Don’t say any more.
“Mother and Father are insisting that Enzo and Maria move into the palace with them; therefore the small palace on the estate will be available for the head of the foundation to live in and work. I told Enzo he need look no further than my bride.”
“Enough! You turned your back on your heritage years ago. Now you expect me to believe you’d live there?”
“I’m not the prince. As you pointed out to those journalists who’ve never been the same since that interview, I leave for my own work at eight o’clock in the morning and don’t get home until six at night. If it’s my wife’s job description to live on the estate where she works, then of course we’ll make our home there. Ours is a partnership.
“You have to admit the apartment is already cramped with Valentino constantly underfoot. If you can picture it with the addition of Chloe and the children we’re going to have, then your imagination is better than mine.”
Nicco had gone too far. Without love on his part, everything he was saying had become pure punishment.
“Get out of here right now or I’ll call the police.”
He flashed her a satisfied smile. “I dare you. When they learn we’re on our honeymoon, they’ll realize it’s a domestic squabble and leave.”
Her brows met in a frown. “You have honeymoon on the brain. What you need is a woman who can stand to put up with you. Why don’t you arrange for a new Hollywood benefit with the real you offered as the grand prize?
“It would be entitled, Who Wants To Marry An Ex-Prince? Hosts of beautiful women won’t be able to resist signing up as a participant. Anyone knows that an ex-prince is twice as exciting as a prince. You’ll tap into the bad boy jaded royal image and find your perfect mate.”
“I’m looking at her right now. She gives as good as she gets.”
“I’m not available. Apparently Princess Benedetta still is.”
“Valentino has already bonded to you. Did you really mean it when you said I gave you the greatest thrill of your life?”
“I never say what I don’t mean.”
“Were you referring to the bike I gave you for a wedding present?”
“Nicco—” She shook her head in despair. “When is this going to end?” she cried with tears in her voice.
“When you tell me you love me. When I hear that you’re so in love with me, you can’t breathe for wanting me. When you lie in my arms like you did at the guesthouse and beg me to make love to you for the rest of our lives. How long are you going to go on torturing me?”
His question set her on fire, a fire that filled her whole body and soul. She lifted her head, staggered by the revelation that he’d been suffering too.
“W-when did you fall in love with me?” She still couldn’t take it in.
“The moment you asked me if I was one of Enzo’s bodyguards. Your withering response to my answer was like an intoxicant I couldn’t get enough of.”
“I lost my heart to you even sooner than that,” she finally confessed, unable to hold back any longer.
“It happened the second you caught me staring at you in the airport lounge. Oh, Nicco. You were the most exciting man I’d ever seen in my life. I fell for you on the spot and love you so terribly, you can’t imagine. The pain of having to hold back my feelings has almost destroyed me.”
“Don’t ever hold them back again, Callie,” he whispered in an aching voice. “I need you too much. Come over here, darling, so we can end the pain and really
start to live.”
She didn’t remember touching the floor. His strong arms reached for her and then their mouths and bodies began to move as one flesh. She’d thought riding on the back of his bike where their bodies seemed to meld together had been ecstasy…
EPILOGUE
‘I BAPTIZE this infant Anna Lassiter Tescotti, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
Father Luigi passed their perfectly behaved baby girl back to Nicco whose happiness seemed to have taken ten years off him. It gave her a glimpse of the younger Nicco, but she was thankful she hadn’t met him when his tortured soul held him in its grip.
The time hadn’t been right for either of them.
Callie’s gaze drifted back to Anna with her cap of glossy black curls and cherub face. She had tiny black eyelashes that brought attention to her deep-set eyes. It looked like they were going to be green. Her determined chin was exactly like Nicco’s.
He was crazy about her. So was her papo.
Poor Valentino. He’d never had competition before. It was a good thing Chloe was out of quarantine and had moved into the palace with them at last. The boxer didn’t know what to make of her, but she’d definitely provided a needed distraction for him.
For some reason, Chloe seemed to respond to that indifference and had been following him around, not only inside the palace, but out on the estate. It was very strange considering the pug was really a house dog and afraid of her own shadow.
Chloe kind of reminded Callie of herself. Nicco’s splendid indifference to her at the airport had changed the course of her life forever.
She lifted her shimmering green gaze to her husband once more and found him smiling at her. It wasn’t like any other smile he’d ever given her.
This one held such sweetness, she knew that every lingering shadow in his heart had fled.
How come I’m so blessed, she mouthed the words to him.
Father Luigi chose that moment to clear his throat. “Nicco? In as much as you wish to renew your wedding vows, if you’ll relinquish your daughter to one of the family, we’ll proceed.”
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