by Holly Rayner
He chuckled. They walked on in amiable silence for a moment before Ashley guided the group into a small neighborhood.
“So what do you do for a living, that you have time in the middle of the day to walk all of your dogs?” he asked.
Ashley cocked her head up at him before she laughed.
“Oh, no. These aren’t all my dogs! I own a dog-walking business. It’s actually quite lucrative, given the working population in town and their love for animals. I know almost every dog in town.”
His eyebrows danced along his perfect hairline.
“You go for walks with dogs for a living,” he said. It wasn’t a question so much as a statement, like he was trying to figure out how anyone could possibly do that as a job.
Ashley nodded.
“I do. It’s great exercise for me, and I get to hang out with some great company. It also works perfectly for my schedule…which is nice.”
She almost admitted that her schedule revolved around the local elementary school, but she’d caught herself just in time.
Ashley was unusual in a lot of ways, but one in particular. She’d wanted a child from a very young age, and, generally speaking, most younger men didn’t. She was a nurturing soul that craved a family, and when one wasn’t forthcoming, she took matters into her own hands and adopted her son, David. He was the light of her life, for certain, but his presence in her life made it only more difficult to let a man in. Whenever her date found out she had a child, he jumped the fence and ran into the next town.
It had been a lonely five years, romantically speaking. She was incredibly fortunate to have David in her life, but even being tied to Matteo today, being so close to him…well. It was a solid reminder of just how much she craved a man’s touch. To have an adult partner to share her son with and to cuddle up with at the end of the day, to catch up on the events of their lives. It was her greatest wish, and one of the toughest obstacles she had encountered.
Ashley craved love, but her love was a two-for-one deal that most men didn’t want.
Lost in thought, Ashley realized they were just about to pass by Bernie’s house, and she stopped. Matteo stopped too, casting her a curious glance.
“This is Bernie’s stop,” she said. She reached down and rustled the dog’s fur. “Say you’re sorry to the nice man one more time, Bernie.”
Matteo kneeled down and captured the pup’s face between his palms, planting a kiss on his big furry head. To her surprise, Ashley was a little jealous!
“I forgive you, you furry beast. Next time, we shall be civilized, no?”
Bernie panted, his large, wide tongue flapping among his enormous teeth. “Beast” was an apt word, though it also wasn’t, as Bernie was one of the most lovable creatures Ashely had the pleasure of working with. Matteo held out his hand, and she stared at it.
“Would you like me to hold the others while you bring him inside?” he asked.
That was new. Ashley wasn’t used to being helped. She did everything on her own. Usually it involved a lot of juggling, in so many ways, and for once, she let herself take the easy path.
“Sure,” she said. “Thank you.”
She handed Matteo the other leashes and ran around the side of the house with Bernie. She unhooked his leash and released him into the back yard, where she knew he could access the house through a very large doggie door on the other side.
“See you tomorrow, pal!” she called out, though Bernie had already disappeared, likely to go lap up some water after a long, exciting walk.
Ashley returned to the sidewalk to find Matteo perfectly in control, each dog seated and waiting for her to return.
“You’re a natural at this,” Ashley said.
Matteo shrugged, though the corner of his mouth tipped ever so slightly upward, revealing the smallest dimple in his cheek.
Swoon.
“I have a way of inspiring others, when I desire to,” he said.
That accent would be the end of her, she knew. She reached out for the leashes and noticed he hesitated to hand them back.
“Would you like to take one?” she asked.
His face lit up at that, and he nodded.
“Yes, I would love to be helpful. Here,” he said, handing her every leash but Vinnie’s.
“Ah, so you’re a fan of big dogs,” Ashley observed.
Matteo considered that as they walked.
“I suppose. My grandfather was a very big fan of animals and he had a sanctuary, so to speak, in the back of our…family home.”
The way he hesitated had Ashley curious. Something was up with Matteo’s family. He was here because of something his dad had set up, or something? Ashley couldn’t keep her questions to herself.
“Your grandpa lived with you?” she asked.
His face was carefully neutral. Up until that moment, he had been very open and unguarded with her, but as her questions came, she noticed there was a door inside him closing somewhere, and it simply made her want to know even more.
“For a time,” he said.
She waited, but he didn’t elaborate. They continued their walk, turning onto another street peppered with quaint little homes.
“This is Serenity’s house,” she said, walking up the porch steps to a small, white house. She reached under the mat for the key and opened the door, releasing Serenity inside. The small animal scampered across a wood floor and disappeared into the house, and Ashley closed and locked the door, replacing the key.
One thing Ashley had learned as a dog walker was that dogs weren’t as big on goodbyes as they were with hellos.
“Just two more to go,” she said.
Matteo pointed to a gray brick tower that peeped over the houses.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Oh, that’s the old church. Rumor has it that anyone that gets married there is blessed with a happy union for life. It’s like three hundred years old or something.”
Matteo chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
He cleared his throat and cast her a sideways glance.
“Nothing, it’s just, you say that as though it is truly ancient. There are buildings in my country that surpass that by hundreds of years.”
“And what country is that?” Ashley asked.
“Golina,” he said.
Ashley searched her brain for every geography lesson she’d ever been given. Golina didn’t come to mind.
“It’s small, near Italy, but it is pretty rare when people know of it,” he said. “I think we tend to prefer it that way. Keeps us out of many conflicts, and we’re able to prosper in ways that more active global powers are not.”
Ashley considered that.
“That makes sense,” she said. She stopped at a two-storied house, painted blue with a white door.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but this is Vinnie’s stop,” she said.
He handed her the dog, this time not bothering to shift his hand, so that it fully connected with hers. She could get used to that touch.
“Goodbye, Vinnie,” he said, his accent melodious as she brought Vinnie to his home and let him back inside.
That left them with Gordon, the black terrier. Gordon trotted happily at her side as they made the final loop through the town neighborhoods.
“This is almost the end of the tour,” she said, gesturing around at the cul-de-sac that was Gordon’s family home. “You have the main road along the coast, the town center just off that, and then a few neighborhoods. We’re nothing if not quaint.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “This town appears very safe and suitable.”
Suitable? For what? she wondered.
She walked Gordon back to his house and made sure he was comfortable before walking back to Matteo. Somehow now that it was just the two of them, she felt like they’d gone from a group party to a date. Her hand itched to reach for his, which was ridiculous. She’d just met the man!
She guided them in the direction of the town center, whic
h was a few short minutes away. A large grassy lawn stretched out, and just before the town hall, a small gazebo stood, draped in spring flowers.
“Well, this is it,” she said. “That’s pretty much the whole town. You’ve had the first-class tour, complete with dog companions.”
He laughed again, and she liked that he enjoyed her sense of humor. Still, there was nothing left for them to talk about. The tour was done.
“Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” he asked.
Ashley grinned, thrilled that her time with him didn’t have to come to an end.
“I’d love to,” she said.
Chapter 6
Matteo
Matteo was enchanted.
While he was glad to get a tour of the town, spending time with Ashley was more illuminating than anything he saw around him. Her eyes were fascinating. Every time he gazed into their depths, it seemed they were another shade of hazel, with flecks of green and sometimes gold. And her hair, also somewhere between blond and brown, but not quite either. Just a warm, beautiful honey color.
She was naturally beautiful, in a down-to-earth, normal kind of way that Matteo had rarely been exposed to. His world had kept him away from women like her, and instead, he’d been surrounded by mostly vapid, often money-minded women that did everything in their power to seduce a man with whatever beauty trend was working at the time.
Obviously, Matteo never had a problem with that. He’d enjoyed the company of women immensely, and he got what he needed out of each relationship he’d been in, and then he left. The usual shame and guilt that plagued him when thinking about the past arrived, and he stared out at the town as Ashley guided them in the direction of a coffee shop.
“This is The Ground Palace,” she said, gesturing toward a cozy little shop front. “You know, because it’s like a grand palace, but for coffee.”
“Yes, I got the joke,” he said with a small grin.
“Oh, good. I didn’t know if it would translate into Golinian,” she said.
“There is much that does, actually,” he said.
He opened the door for her to walk through, and she lifted a surprised brow at him as she stepped past.
“Thank you,” she said.
As she walked by, he caught a whiff of her perfume. It wasn’t anything he’d smelled before, and of course he’d been exposed to all the most expensive and high-class eau de toilettes. Ashley held a scent of flowers and clean soap. Again, simple, but intoxicating all the same.
They stepped up to the counter, and she placed her order, then turned to him.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
He blinked.
“Are you offering to pay for my coffee?” he asked, incredulous.
“Isn’t that what a good tour guide does?” she said.
He shook his head.
“You have done more than enough. Please allow me to purchase you a coffee for your delightful services this morning.”
She hesitated, and he could tell she wanted to protest, but then she let it go.
“As you wish,” she said.
He placed his order, and they palmed two steaming hot cups of coffee as they selected a table by the window that looked out at the bay.
“So, have you lived here long?” he asked.
“Yes, all my life,” she said.
Her phone beeped then, and she pulled it out. The beep sounded like the alarm function, and as she stared at it, her cheeks colored.
Something was wrong.
“What is it? Are you late for something?” he asked.
He didn’t want to part with her. Besides the fact that she was lovely on a physical level, Matteo had much deeper reasons. He hadn’t laughed in two years. He’d barely smiled. His life had become dull and tedious as he took on the mantle of king, alone with his advisers. Today he’d laughed and smiled more than he had in ages. He didn’t want to let this funny, kind woman go. He nearly reached across the table and took her hand, then thought better of it.
“I…have something I probably should have told you earlier,” she said.
He waited for her to continue. She cleared her throat.
“I have a son. He’s five, and he goes to the local elementary school for kindergarten. Dog walking works well for me because it allows me the ability to pick him up and have dinner and bedtime together. Anyway, the alarm means I have to walk over to be ready to pick him up.”
She stared at him, and he could tell this was a sensitive subject. Clearly he was not the first man she’d told about her son, but it appeared none of the others had given her a positive response. Matteo could understand that—were he younger, meeting a woman with a child likely would have sent him running, too.
Not anymore.
“That’s wonderful,” he said with a smile.
She released a breath, very clearly relieved by his reaction.
“Yes, it is. He’s wonderful, but if I don’t head there now, I’ll be late to pick him up. You wouldn’t be up for another walk, would you?” she asked, hope lighting her eyes.
“I would love to,” he said.
She beamed at him, and everything in him screamed to take her in his arms and never let her go. It was such a curious sensation. For several years now, Matteo had been convinced that he was incapable of having true affection for another human being. Ashley seemed to be proving this theory wrong, but he didn’t want to overthink it. Besides, there was another thought taking up residence in his head.
What if his son was at the same school?
They left the coffee shop with cups in hand and walked along the boardwalk once again. Ashley pointed out a few of the stores, showed him where the grocery store was and a small arcade, in case he enjoyed playing games.
“Do you like to play there with your son?” he asked.
Ashley nodded.
“When we have the time. Life can get pretty busy.”
“I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid I forgot to ask you his name,” Matteo said, embarrassed by his lack of manners.
“Oh, it’s no problem. His name is David,” she said.
A lightning bolt shot straight down Matteo’s spine. David. It couldn’t be. Could it?
“Is that a common name?” he asked, fishing.
Ashley nodded.
“In America it is, though there are only two Davids in his class.”
Matteo’s mind reeled, and he did his best to focus as Ashley continued on with her tour until they reached the school. He sipped his coffee and realized it had gone cold. He’d forgotten about it completely.
“So this is the school. The bell should ring any—”
Before she could finish, a loud bell did go off, and after a pause a wave of children came pouring out of the building.
Matteo stared out at the crowd, then he noticed a small blur as a child brushed past him and straight into Ashley’s arms. When Matteo glanced down at the boy, the first thing he could see was the apple-shaped birthmark on his knee.
He was standing right next to his son.
Matteo’s throat went dry, and swallowing didn’t help. Ashley smiled up at him and held the boy at arm’s length.
“David, this is my friend Matteo. He’s visiting our town from a faraway country called Golina,” she said.
David gazed up at Matteo with wide, green eyes.
His eyes.
It was the strangest experience of his life. David’s hair was lighter, though, an earthy brown color, likely given to him from his birth mother. All of this registered in a blink as David held out a small hand.
“How do you do?” he said.
Matteo couldn’t help but chuckle at his good manners. He reached out a hand and wrapped it around his son’s.
His son! Here, in the flesh, holding his hand. Matteo was tingling all over, but he did his best to hide it. Now knowing Ashley too, he didn’t want to scare them away.
He had to relax, so he could figure out the best way to proceed.
“I do very we
ll, thank you,” Matteo said.
“Cool accent,” David said.
Matteo grinned, repressing the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair.
“Thank you. I like yours as well,” Matteo said.
“I don’t have an accent!” David said.
“Of course you do,” Ashley replied. “To Matteo, we’re the ones with the accents.”
“Whoa,” David said, his world opening up.
Before Matteo could reply, Ashley placed a gentle hand on his arm, the sensation warming him to his core.
“Would you like to join us for dinner tonight? That is, unless you have plans with someone else?”
Matteo shook his head. He couldn’t imagine anywhere else he’d rather be.
“No one. You are the only two people I know in town,” he said.
“We’re your only friends?” David asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Matteo said.
“Well then, you have to come to dinner. My mom makes the best macaroni and cheese in the whole world!”
“Well, at least the best macaroni and cheese in our house,” Ashley said.
She shouldered David’s backpack, which was nearly as big as he was, and the boy slipped his hand into hers as they headed away from the school.
Matteo listened in as mother and son shared stories about their day.
“I learned about the letter P,” David said, clearly proud of his work. “Did you know that porcupines play polo on the playground?” he asked eagerly.
“I probably thought that was plausible, but pathetically nothing I truly pondered,” Ashley replied.
“I only know like two of those words, mom,” David protested.
Ashley laughed, and Matteo realized that he was smiling.
“Well, now you know a few more,” she said.
David looked up at Matteo. “You’re really tall,” he said.
“Yes, my father was also a tall man. It runs in my family,” Matteo said.
“What’s your favorite word that starts with the letter P?” David asked.
Matteo considered that a moment. It certainly wasn’t something he’d ever thought about before.
“Pamplemousse,” he said. David giggled, and Matteo’s heart soared.