Rush to the Altar

by Rebecca Winters

  “We’d better hurry. The boy’s waiting at the security gate.”

  Riley nodded, drawing Ann’s attention to his vibrant hair. It was as black as Nicco’s, but he wore it a little shorter, probably because it had more curl.

  “Give me a moment to walk the horse to his stall.”

  “That’s all right,” Nicco murmured. “I’ll take care of him. You two go on.”

  “Thank you. Please tell the Prince that Spirito lives up to his name in every way. It was sheer pleasure riding him.”

  Nicco smiled. “You’re welcome to take him out anytime. These days my brother doesn’t get to exercise him as much as he’d like.”

  Ann trembled to think Riley might be a constant visitor to the preserve from now on. This couldn’t be happening! She turned to the man who was responsible for the fluttery sensation in her chest.

  “I’ll run ahead for my purse and meet you at the car.”

  Without waiting for his response, she raced along the path leading to the palace. When she emerged into the dappled sunlight a few minutes later, she could hear his deep, rich laughter and discovered him doing tricks with the dogs who’d followed him from the stable.

  At the sight of his powerful male physique, she slowed her steps to watch the play of rock-hard muscles beneath his T-shirt. A moan escaped her lips. She was as bad as any man who couldn’t help staring at a beautiful woman. Worse even!

  Chloe suddenly darted toward her bringing Riley’s head around. Humiliated to be caught gawking at him, she bent down to give the dog’s ears a scratch.

  “Shall we go?” he prompted.

  She rose up and finished walking toward him. He helped her in the passenger side and shut the door. Chloe barked when anyone left, but she finally gave it up to follow Valentino who had already run off to find his beloved Nicco.

  Since Riley had followed her brother-in-law to the palace last evening, he appeared to know exactly where to go. After they’d pulled through the private gate to the street she turned to him. His handsome profile filled her gaze.

  “Is this your first visit to Turin?”

  “No, but it’s been a long time since I was last here.”

  Ann had promised herself she wouldn’t let thoughts of him take over. But it was a foolish promise she couldn’t possibly keep. In truth she was way past the point of no return where he was concerned. Her interest in him had grown into a need she had to satisfy or go crazy in the process.

  “Were you born in Italy?”

  “Would you believe I’m a native Californian like you?”

  Her breath caught in surprise. “What part?”

  “Santa Monica.”

  So close to Hollywood. “When I was young I used to think how exciting it would be to grow up around the stars. Since then the blinders have come off. What was it like for you?”

  “We didn’t stay there long enough for me to find out”

  “Why not?”

  He fascinated her more than anyone she’d ever met, including Nicco, and that was saying a lot.

  “When I was two, my mother walked out on my father and me.”

  The unexpected revelation was so painful to Ann she reeled in her seat.

  “Dad never finished high school, but he and his friend Bart could do an impressive stunt riding routine on their motorcycles. They made enough money at various carnivals to stay alive.

  “One of the owners of the Rimini Traveling Circus happened to be in the L.A. area looking over prospective talent. He caught their act and offered them a job in Italy. They took it and me, and never looked back.

  “Dad once made the comment they were hired because they were riding Danelli bikes. Oddly enough it was the article in International Motorcycle World with your sister astride her Danelli on the cover that brought me to Turin. I was probably hired for the same reason.”

  The Danelli connection.

  What she’d just heard explained Nicco’s instant camaraderie with Riley Garrow. One man was born a prince. The other a pauper.

  How hard his life must have been for him.

  Her brother-in-law’s innate compassion would have been deeply aroused by Riley’s story, enough to offer him a slot on the racing team.

  What Riley had shared with her had changed her image of him forever.

  She cleared her throat. “When you grew older, did you ever meet your mother?” But she wasn’t destined to hear his answer because they’d pulled up to the security gate.

  “There’s our boy,” he murmured. Riley levered himself from the car to speak to the guard. In a minute he’d helped the young boy into the back seat with the cage and they were off.

  Ann turned her head to smile at him. She was met with a stoic expression that hid his thoughts, yet his eyes didn’t look quite as sad as before.

  “Would you ask him how he knew to bring the squirrel to the preserve?”

  After more conversation took place Riley said, “Every so often he fishes along the river running past the palatial estate across the highway. He’s seen the hospital icon on the sign and watched people bring their animals.”

  He must have been living by his wits for a long time. “What’s his name?”

  When Riley asked the question, she heard their passenger say, “Boiko.”

  There was so much more she wanted to ask, but it was frustrating to have to use Riley to communicate. He was a virtual renaissance man who could handle any situation no matter how difficult or unusual. So far she couldn’t find any fault with him. Except one…

  As Callie had told her, there was no law against being the most lethally attractive male in existence.

  Ann’s only defense against him was to avoid any more conversation until they’d accomplished their objective and she was back in her bedroom at the palace.

  Before long they’d spanned the city limits. Riley knew exactly where to go as he took a road leading to an encampment of people. Ann estimated there must be several hundred tents.

  The subject of her thoughts rapped out something in Romany. Riley pulled off the road and turned off the engine.

  “You’d better stay in the car. I’ll walk Boiko to his home.”

  “This was my idea. I’m coming with you.”

  His eyes captured hers. “You won’t feel welcome here.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me.”

  Without further discussion she opened her purse and pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her wallet. Then she got out of the car and opened the back door to reach for the sack of food. Riley took the cage while the boy followed with his new rabbit.

  To her surprise he pointed to her and shook his head while he said something to Riley.

  She thought she understood. “Why doesn’t he want me to come?”

  “You’re a nice Gadja, but he’s afraid his uncle will be mean to you.”

  Ann was touched by his words. She smiled at him, then turned to Riley and gave him the sack. “Please tell him that if he has any problem with the rabbit, to come to the hospital. If I’m not there, my twin sister will be. She’s the doctor.”

  After Riley translated, the boy nodded. While he stood there holding the basket with both hands, she rolled up the bill and stuck it under one of his thumbs.

  “That’s to buy more food for your pet when you’ve run out.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Avoiding Riley’s probing glance, she got back in the car to wait.

  The two of them took off and were quickly absorbed into the crowd of people inhabiting the camp. Expecting Riley would be gone a while, she was shocked when he returned five minutes later carrying the cage and the sack of food. As he drew closer, she could see the rabbit was inside.

  Something had gone terribly wrong. She felt a pit in her stomach.

  Though she was anxious to know what had happened, she sensed Riley’s reluctance to explain. Not wanting to frustrate him further, she remained silent for the drive back to the city.

  About two miles from the preserve he expelled a heavy sigh. “Those
Gypsies are refugees who’ve made their way here from Slovakia. I don’t believe the man Boiko referred to as his uncle is anything of the sort. Most likely he’s a self-proclaimed leader of the group who rejected everything you gave Boiko out of hand.

  “My instincts tell me the boy doesn’t have any family left. As a precaution, I told him to hide the hundred dollars in his shoe. But God help him if he’s caught with it.”

  Ann swallowed hard. “Why would the man care about a little rabbit?”

  “Boiko has duties that don’t cover taking care of another mouth to feed, even if it’s a pet.”

  She winced. “What kind of duties?”

  “Providing food any way he can. You did all you could, which is more than any other straneri has done for him. The boy won’t forget your kindness. I wager he’s already bragging to his friends that a Gadja who looks like an angel actually kissed him. He’ll keep the money a secret.”

  Her head bowed. “He should be in school.”

  “There’s the rub. The government has laws about children attending school who don’t speak the official language. It takes money to educate them privately. Without language skills, they’re not hired to work.”

  “How can they be if they’ve lost everything and have been forced to move thousands of miles from their homeland?” she cried.

  “That’s the other rub. The erroneous perception that all Gypsies are nomadic, owing their allegiance to no country, is still alive.”

  “Something needs to be done. They can’t go on living under those conditions. They’re unacceptable!”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Riley murmured.

  Deep in thought, she didn’t notice Nicco and Callie weren’t alone until Riley had pulled to a stop in front of the west wing of the palace. The other rental car wasn’t familiar, but the dark blond male visitor was…

  “Colin—” she half-gasped his name. She’d forgotten all about the fact that he was coming to see her today!

  He walked over to her side of the car and opened the door. “It’s about time.”

  His voice sounded gruff before he pulled her from the seat into his arms. In front of everyone he kissed her on the mouth.

  Ann was so immersed in her own troubled thoughts, his kiss barely registered. When he finally relinquished her lips, his sunny blue eyes had darkened in shadow.

  Over his shoulder her eyes met Riley’s shuttered gaze. To her chagrin he moved around the car to join them. For an infinitesimal moment his features seemed to harden before he said, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  “Yes. O-of course,” she stammered. “Colin? This is Riley Garrow, the newest member of the Danelli racing team.”

  “So I understand.”

  Colin’s withering comment was meant to intimidate Riley, but he had no idea of the kind of man he was up against. The situation was so precarious, she could scarcely function.

  “Mr. Garrow? This is Colin Grimes. He’s the writer responsible for the photograph and article you read in International Motorcycle World.”

  “I thought I’d heard the name before.” Riley smiled, then extended his hand like the urbane host welcoming his long-awaited guest. It forced Colin to shake hands with him. “That was a sensational piece of work. It lured me from L.A.”

  “Any credit goes to Nicco who engineered the article with the same mastery he designs machines.”

  Ann felt Colin’s accusing gaze as it swerved back to her. “I didn’t know you two had done a film together.”

  She couldn’t blame Callie or Nicco for this mess. Her family had been given no warning. Being with Riley since early morning had flustered Ann to the point that Colin had been the furthest thing from her mind.

  “H-he worked with Cory,” her voice faltered for a moment. “When he doubled for a scene, I stood and watched in horror like everyone else. If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I need to put the rabbit back in the hutch behind the lodge. Then we can go for a drive.”

  The idea of the two of them spending another second in the same proximity as Riley Garrow was unthinkable.

  “I’ll take care of everything,” Riley inserted in a smooth tone, reading her mind with uncanny ease. She watched him pull the sack and cage from the back of the car. He acted as if he lived here. It was no wonder Colin’s body had gone taut with anger.

  “Thank you,” was all she could manage to say to him before he headed for the lodge.

  Anxious to shield Colin from any more hurt, she put her arm through his. “Let’s take a drive into the mountains. See you later,” she murmured to Callie and Nicco who turned to go inside the palace. But not before her sister flashed her a private message of commiseration for the difficult task ahead.

  Colin walked her around to his car and helped her in. Before long they’d left the estate. He merged with the traffic on the highway, then took the first exit that led them into the mountains.

  They must have driven a half hour before he followed a sign to a small village. After finding a shady spot beneath a huge pine, he parked the car at the side of the road.

  When he turned to her, his face was marred with lines. “Since the moment we left the palace grounds, I’ve been waiting for you to say something to me. Anything! The fact that you don’t have one word for me is more telling than you know.”

  He’d stung her with the truth of his words.

  “I was waiting for you to stop so we could look at each other while we talked.”

  “And what do you see?” he bit out.

  “A wonderful man who deserves all the love of the right woman.”

  He let out a strange sound. “The classic rejection. I never thought I’d hear those words from you.”

  “I think on some level you were waiting for them,” she refuted him.

  His head reared back in surprise.

  “It’s truth time, Colin, and the truth is, you met my sister first and fell for her, not me.”

  “What in blazes are you talking about?” he cried out, but she noticed he couldn’t quite meet her eyes.

  “You know exactly what I’m saying,” she came back. “That evening in Prunedale a year ago when Callie and I changed places so she could get away from Nicco, she gave me strict instructions. I’ll tell you exactly what she said.

  “‘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 sport 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.’

  “I told her it sounded like her husband was jealous, and reminded her she ought to be thrilled with his response. It meant Nicco was insanely in love with her as she’d hoped. But Callie was too fearful at the time to believe it.

  “The second I joined you and Nicco, I could tell by the way you responded to me that my sister’s charms had already knocked you sideways. And trust me, Nicco noticed!

  “That’s why he was in such an impossible mood that night around you and me. He was still waiting for Callie to admit she was madly in love with him.

  “Your interest in the wife he’d married so Enzo could be married and receive his title didn’t help matters. Not when Nicco was already at his most vulnerable. He saw you as an attractive man who could be tough competition in case Callie didn’t really love him back.

  “Later on, after Nicco went after her and told her he couldn’t live without her, you know what happened. She admitted her love for him and they returned to Italy to live. Everything’s been perfect for them ever since.

  “But not for you… I’m sorry you got stuck with the wrong twin.”

  “You weren’t the wrong twin!” came his emotional declaration. “I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if I didn’t love you.”

  “I believe that, but I also know you fell in love with my sister before you ever met me and discovered I’d been impersonating her. On a subconscious level I think y
ou’ve been hoping I’d turn into Callie, the woman who lit your fire in the first place. But we know that’s impossible.”

  Colin just kept staring at her because he knew what she’d just said was true.

  “It’s all right. At the time I didn’t mind because I wasn’t ready to get serious about anybody. Living so far apart made it easier for both of us to go on with a relationship that was never destined to end in marriage.”

  “I’m sorry, Ann.” He sounded devastated. “I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t. If I’d truly been in love with you, I would have stopped seeing you immediately rather than come in second best.”

  After a silence he said, “You changed during the filming of your movie. Now I find Hollywood’s famous stunt man in residence under your brother-in-law’s roof. The sparks flying between the two of you a little while ago speak for themselves.”

  “He’s not the marrying kind.”

  “I have news for you. No man entertains marriage until the right woman tames him.”

  And I have news for you, Colin Grimes. There’s no woman in existence who could tame Riley Garrow.

  “We should have had this talk last year, Colin. You’re free to fall in love again. Who’s to say what would have happened if Callie’s heart hadn’t already been taken by Nicco? Maybe you’d be my brother-in-law by now. But he got there first.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “So, go back to London and find the woman who’s been looking for you all her life. She’ll be the luckiest woman in the world.”

  “Ann…” He grasped her hand and kissed the back of it. “I want the same happiness for you.”

  “I know you do. But not everybody is destined to end up married with children.”

  He let go of her. “You sound serious.”

  “I am.”

  “How soon are you going back to Hollywood?”

  She lowered her head. “I’m not sure.”

  “For you of all people to be uncertain, you must be in love.” He started the car and turned it around so they were headed for Turin.

  “Let’s not talk about Riley.”

  “I’m afraid I wasn’t the one who mentioned his name. Now I have the answer to a question that has puzzled me for a long time. As long as I’m here, let’s stop and have lunch somewhere for old times’ sake.”