Bride Fit for a Prince (Harlequin Romance)

by Rebecca Winters

  A teenage boy and his mother followed. The two of them spoke in rapid Italian to Nicco before he introduced them to Callie. Though the mother was very warm and cordial to Callie, she seemed upset about something. The boy looked anxious too.

  “What’s wrong?” Callie whispered.

  “A few days ago they brought their cat home from the hospital. Now it’s sick again and they have no car to transport it back there because her husband is out of town. I told them to crate it and I’d take it on my bike.”

  Without conscious thought Callie said, “Can I see your cat, Giovanni?”

  “Sì. Come this way, signora.”

  Forgetting everything else, she followed the teen through the small apartment to the kitchen where their large, grayish brown Norwegian forest cat lay on the floor, lethargic as could be.

  Callie knelt down beside it. “What’s his name?”

  “Figaro.”

  “Oh, poor Figaro. You’re a lovely cat,” she murmured as she examined it. “What was wrong with him before?”

  “The doctor said he got dehydrated,” the boy answered. “He was fine when we brought him home. Now he’s sick again.”

  “Bring me its water, will you?”

  “Sì, signora.”

  The teenager quickly did as she asked and set the cat’s bowl of drinking water next to her. Figaro didn’t make a move toward it. Callie put her fingers in the liquid, then cajoled the cat to lick the moisture. At first the animal hesitated, but eventually it began to respond.

  Over and over again she dipped her fingers in the water, then put them to the cat’s mouth. Little by little it became more animated until it began drinking from the bowl itself.

  She gazed up at Giovanni. “Your cat is thirsty. Have you kept her bowl of water out for her at all times?”

  “Sì.”

  “Do you know why she hasn’t been drinking from it?”

  The boy turned to his mother who spoke little English. He asked her the question. After she answered he said, “Mama thought Figaro must be sick again.”

  “But didn’t you tell me the doctor said the cat was dehydrated before?”

  “Sì.”

  “So how long has she been staying away from her drinking bowl?”

  He spoke to his mother who at this point was wringing her hands. “She says she doesn’t know. Most of the time the cat climbs up on the sink in the bathroom to drink.”

  “You mean you fill the sink for her?”

  “No. The tap has dripped for months and months, but a few days ago my father finally fixed it.”

  “Ah…that explains it.”

  By now Nicco was down on his haunches next to her. Valentino squeezed in between them. “Explains what?” he asked. His dark, expressive eyes searched hers for a heartstopping moment.

  She smiled at him, then the boy and his mother. “Figaro is a creature of habit. He got so used to taking drinks from the bathroom sink, that when he couldn’t find any more water dripping, he simply stopped drinking.”

  Giovanni laughed before telling his mother. Soon everyone was laughing, including Nicco.

  “You must retrain your cat to drink from his water dish. Stay with him tonight. Help him to lick the moisture from your fingers until he realizes you want him to drink from the bowl all the time.

  “If you see him head for the bathroom, turn him around. Though it may take a few days for him to get the point, he’ll be all right by tomorrow.”

  Giovanni grinned. “Mama says you are a genius.”

  Callie chuckled. After scratching behind the cat’s ears, she got to her feet. “I wish I were. In this case I’m just glad I could be of help. It was very nice to meet all three of you.”

  The signora thanked her and pumped her hand repeatedly. Giovanni did the same. Finally Nicco suggested they leave. After the door closed they walked down the hall of the apartment together in companionable silence. Valentino got in the middle and paced himself to stay even with them.

  The second they entered Nicco’s apartment he shut the door. In the next breath he’d put his hands against the wall on either side of her so she couldn’t go anywhere. The boxer looked on expectantly.

  His gaze played over her face. “How did you know what to do? I don’t want to hear that it’s because you love animals. I already deduced that the moment you met Valentino.”

  She eyed him steadily. “Would you believe me if I told you?”

  After the laughter they’d shared moments earlier, his grave expression surprised her. “I suppose I deserved that.”

  “There’s no great mystery, Nicco. I’m a vet.”

  He studied her as if she were some kind of a puzzle he hadn’t begun to figure out yet. “In Prunedale,” he said at last.

  “Yes.”

  “Evidently I should have been addressing you as Dr. Lassiter all this time.”

  She shook her head. “Like you, I hate titles. Dr. Wood calls me Callie.”

  “Dr. Wood?”

  “He heads the North Monterey County Animal Hospital. I work for him and live there.”

  Something flickered in the recesses of his eyes. “You live there?”

  “In a back room.”

  “Does he live there too?” Nicco’s voice drawled.

  “Next door.”

  “How convenient.” His sarcastic tone was too much.

  “It is!” she fired back. “I’m going to have to live cheaply for the next ten years to pay off my medical school loans. He’s my landlord as well as my boss, and has made it possible for me to earn my living and save a little money at the same time.”

  “Do you do his cooking, too?” he asked in a deceptively mild voice.

  “Sometimes.”

  More often than not he fixed food for her. It was a hobby of his since his wife had passed away. He was a much better cook than Callie ever hoped to be, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.

  A thoughtful expression crept into Nicco’s darkly handsome face. “No doubt he expected you back several days ago.”

  With him standing so close to her, she could hardly breathe. “Not really. Ann cleared it with him before she ever talked to me about her problem. My sister made up a story that I’d won a month’s vacation in Europe or some such thing. He was kind enough to give me the time off.

  “In actuality I’m the one who expected to turn right around and fly back. The Selanders’s mare is ready to foal and I wanted to be there for the delivery.”

  “Instead the black prince of the Tescotti family has you locked up in his own private dungeon.” He stared her up and down. “If I hadn’t forced you to marry me, you’d be back on the job you love right now.”

  She averted her eyes. “Yes.”

  “Surely Dr. Wood will be able to handle being apart from you twenty-seven more days.”

  Tired of his taunts she cried, “He can handle anything!”

  One black brow lifted. “Well, with that kind of testimonial, I’ll stop feeling guilty for depriving him of his remarkable assistant any longer than necessary.”

  Callie could have sworn Nicco didn’t have a penitent bone in that incredible male physique of his.

  “In fact after witnessing the way you diagnosed Figaro’s problem within seconds of examining him, I would say Dr. Wood’s loss appears to be our gain in more ways than one. Isn’t that true, Valentino?”

  He finally let her go and leaned over to rub his boxer’s ears. The dog barked as if he understood every word. Maybe he did. Callie had worked with animals long enough to know there was a telepathic connection between them and humans. The recent shows on television of the woman pet psychic had led Callie to believe anything was possible.

  Suddenly Nicco lifted his head and stared hard at her. “You wouldn’t have mentioned Valentino’s snoring problem if you weren’t concerned about it. What’s wrong with him?”

  She bit her lip. Valentino meant the world to Nicco.

  “Let me ask you a question first. Did you raise him f
rom birth?”

  His jaw hardened. “No. Eight years ago I found him behind the rear of the apartment looking half dead from hunger and neglect. He was just a puppy, probably not even weaned from his mother yet. I brought him inside and took care of him. By the time he’d recovered, I couldn’t part with him.”

  A man after her own heart.

  “Your dog’s breed has a snoring problem, Nicco. If you catch it early on, some of the flesh can be removed at the back of the throat to relieve the blockage. If left, labored breathing can result later on in life.

  “After eight years of Valentino not being able to breathe at full capacity, I’m uncertain whether an operation at this late date could fix the problem.”

  Lines marred his features. “The vets at the clinic where I’ve taken Valentino have never mentioned it.”

  “When they were in vet school, it probably wasn’t emphasized. In all fairness, I didn’t realize how serious snoring could be in short-nosed breeds until after I started working for Dr. Wood. He continues to teach me things that were glossed over in class.”

  He stroked his dog’s back. “If I could arrange for it, would you do the procedure on Valentino right away?”

  Callie’s eyes widened in astonishment. “You mean here? In Torino?”

  “Where else? If we were to fly to California so you could perform the surgery there, Valentino would have to go into quarantine for weeks first. I don’t want to make him wait that long to relieve his misery.”

  Callie closed the expanse between them and knelt by the dog. She smoothed her palm over his beautiful head.

  “He’s not as miserable as you suppose. His difficulties have come on slowly and grown with him. As I said, an operation might not improve his condition. On the other hand, it could lengthen his days.”

  “By how much?”

  “Anywhere from six months to two years depending on his general health. Boxers usually live ten to fourteen years. But you must remember something. Though the risk is minimal, some animals don’t survive a general anesthetic.”

  His black eyes trapped her gaze. “What if he were your dog?” It was as if his soul were reaching out to hers.

  She swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever I could to improve the quality of his life.”

  “That’s what I thought. Tomorrow we’ll see about it.”

  Her hand stilled on the dog’s head. “Nicco—I doubt any vet hospital would allow some foreigner to come in and use their facilities. It’s just not done.”

  “You’re right, but I know a place where there won’t be a problem.”

  “Where is that?”

  “The Tescotti estates are very large with many animals. Father retains a vet who takes care of them. There’s an operating room at the stable with everything you’ll need.”

  Her head reared back. “I thought you—”

  “So did I,” his deep voice cut in on her. “But I’ve just discovered I’m not above using my family after all. Not when it comes to Valentino’s welfare or my brother’s.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I phone my father to ask his permission for my veterinarian wife to use the hospital’s facilities to cure my dog, he and Mother will be convinced our marriage has substance. That’s a plus for Enzo I hadn’t counted on before you and I left on our honeymoon.”

  Callie looked away and stood up. If his parents were like most people she knew, they’d have a hard time understanding how a marriage that seemed to get off to such a good start could suddenly fall apart a month later.

  It was one thing to be photographed as Nicco’s wife where his parents would see her in the newspapers. But it was quite another to act the part of his loving spouse on the royal estate where news of them being on the grounds would travel directly to the palace. Callie didn’t like that idea at all.

  “I—I don’t think you shoul—”

  “The matter is settled,” he interrupted her in a steel-edged tone. Traces of the prince still lingered no matter how hard he’d tried to distance himself from his unique heritage.

  She took a fortifying breath. “Won’t your father’s vet be hurt when he finds out you’ve brought in someone else?”

  Nicco shot her a defiant glance. “You’re my wife. He’ll have to handle it.”

  So saying, he walked to the foyer for his helmet and jacket. She and the dog followed.

  “While I’m gone, go ahead and eat what you want from the fridge, it will have been stocked up while we were away. If you feel like a shower, there’s hot water for two minutes only, so be warned.”

  She tried to hide her smile as she imagined how different life had been for him since he’d left the palace for good.

  “When you’re ready for bed, use my room. You’re welcome to any of my clothes. Tomorrow we have a lot to accomplish including a move, so get a good sleep.”

  A move?

  Before she could ask him what he meant by that exactly, he’d disappeared from the apartment, leaving her alone with a dog who made moaning sounds because his beloved master had gone.

  Something told her Nicco had decided to pay a visit to his parents. He probably wouldn’t be back for a while.

  Callie felt just as abandoned as the dog. After four days and nights, she’d been spoiled by his constant presence.

  “Come on, Valentino. You can sleep with me. I know I’m a horrible substitute, but what else can we do? I need comfort, too.”

  Valentino followed her around until she’d climbed beneath the covers of Nicco’s bed in one of his T-shirts. As soon as she’d settled, the dog climbed on the bed and nestled next to her, placing his head on her leg.

  She put out her hand to rub his ears. In the darkness, he snored just like Chloe. It was almost like having her dog back, except that Chloe was smaller and slept on top of the covers between Callie’s legs. Still, she derived great comfort from Valentino and knew nothing else until morning.

  Before Callie had gone to sleep, she’d had every intention of getting up early the next day to fix breakfast. Though their temporary marriage was in name only, it was time she pulled her own weight. So far Nicco had done everything for her, including the cooking.

  But when Callie put on her clothes and went into the kitchen, she discovered Nicco was already up and dressed in another T-shirt and a pair of jeans that molded his powerful thighs.

  His dark hair still looked damp from the shower. He smelled wonderful. So did their breakfast of ham and eggs.

  There was fresh bread on the small dinette table. He’d probably bought it at a corner bakery earlier that morning.

  Valentino looked up when he saw her, then dropped his head and went on eating his dry dog chow as if it were the last meal he would ever have. She and Nicco chuckled at the same time.

  In the next breath his dark eyes wandered over her in slow appraisal. “Never separate a dog from his food,” he murmured as he sipped hot coffee.

  “Never,” she whispered in a shaky voice, scrambling for the other chair before she fell down. When he looked at her like that…

  Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing, but she could hardly function. Afraid he would realize what kind of an effect he had on her, she helped herself to the food he’d prepared and began eating.

  “As soon as you’re through, I thought we’d do some shopping at a department store so you won’t have to live in one outfit for the rest of the month.”

  She nodded, but didn’t talk. Her mind was too busy remembering a certain conversation they’d waged at the airport. Nicco was probably remembering it, too.

  You won’t be taking me anyplace because I have no need of a new wardrobe.

  Then you truly are a dream come true, signorina. I will let the prince know you intend to keep him happy in the marriage bed for the entire thirty days and nights.

  “I—I was going to suggest that we stop someplace,” she said before digging into her eggs.

  “After we’re through, we’ll come back here for V
alentino and drive him to the stable for the operation.”

  Her eyes darted to his. “You’ve arranged everything that fast?”

  “It’s all set. Father spoke to Dr. Donatti. The surgery will be free for our use after lunch.”

  “He must have been surprised to hear from you.”

  “Shocked would be more like it. He and Mother both got on the phone. I told them we cut our honeymoon short to deal with Valentino’s problem. When they found out you were a vet, they couldn’t have been more eager to help us.”

  She detected a nuance in his voice. “What’s troubling you, Nicco? Did they sound too happy?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You mean you’re afraid they’re going to hurt Enzo by putting pressure on you again to take back your title?”

  Nicco shook his dark head. “No. For once in their lives they didn’t have a word to say about that.”

  Callie was trying to put two and two together.

  “Then you must be referring to our marriage. They’re too happy about it. Is that what you’re saying?”

  His expression darkened like a thundercloud, telling her everything she needed to know.

  “Unfortunately you’re feeling major guilt because marriage isn’t for you, and you can’t wait for it to end. I’m so sorry, Nicco. I guess when you and Enzo were working on your plan, you didn’t consider this aspect of it.

  “I realize now that the last thing you want to do is disappoint your parents again. But I’ve been thinking about it, and there is hope.”

  “How so?” His voice grated.

  “Well, for one thing, they’re going to become grandparents in the near future. A new baby will take away some of their sadness.”

  His stony silence not only alarmed her, it prompted her to keep talking to fill the void.

  “Some day they’ll become reconciled to the fact that not every man is cut out for married life. I’ve lived with you long enough to realize you’re the epitome of the perfect bachelor. You don’t need a woman.”