Brides Of Summer

The girls had finally gotten past it, but now they’d reached another impasse because Dea had met Rini first. Apparently she’d been devastated when he didn’t want to date her. Hearing that Alessandra had been showing him around the property had upset her.

Though the situation was totally unfair, Fulvia had looked him in the eye and asked him if he wanted to be responsible for bringing on more pain between the two of them that might last. It was his decision to make.

In the end, Rini couldn’t do it, so he’d had to let Alessandra go. All he could do was watch news clips on television about the discovery of the Temple of Hera beneath the waters off Basilicata in the Ionian.

Dr. Bruno Tozzi and his team had been given credit for the find and Alessandra’s name had been mentioned. Every few days more information was being fed to the media about more discoveries of a courtyard and temple walls.

Rini was proud of Alessandra and the amazing work she was doing. Thanks to the coverage, he was able to keep track of her without having to make contact with her father. But having said goodbye to her had thrown him into a black void.

Once Rini arrived at the Laurito villa, he was besieged by family. He played with Carlo’s daughter, then took turns enjoying the two baby boys. Giovanni chatted with him for a while, but it was Valentina who sequestered him in the sunroom just off the terrace. He couldn’t get out of it.

“I thought you’d be bringing Alessandra with you. She’s fabulous!”

“That’s over.”

“Why? I know you’re in love with her.”

His eyes closed tightly. “It can’t work.”

“Rini—are you saying she doesn’t love you?”

He inhaled sharply. “She’s never said the words.”

“Have you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does! Alessandra came to your house unannounced. I saw the look in her eyes when you walked out on the patio. If ever a woman had it bad...”

“There are things you don’t know and I can’t tell you. Don’t make this any harder on me.”

“Okay.” She patted his arm. “I’ll leave it alone. Keep your secrets and come on back out. Papà wants to talk to you and find out what new areas you’ve found for drilling.”

“I wish I had better results to report.”

Together they joined the others. Near midnight he flew back to his villa and did some laps in the swimming pool before going to bed. To his chagrin, sleep wouldn’t come. He spent most of the night outside on a lounger.

Three weeks... If he didn’t see Alessandra again soon, he’d go mad. But he had certain knowledge that bound him to stay away from her. Early Monday morning he put his emotional needs in the deep freeze and left for his office, prepared to announce some new sites for drilling that would please the board. He worked steadily until Thursday, when his secretary put through a call from his sister.

“Valentina?”

“Have you heard the news?” She sounded frantic.

His gut clenched. “What is it?”

“The seismic research facility in Malta registered a six-point-nine quake in the Ionian. The impact was felt all along the coast. It affected the diving site where Alessandra has been working with the institute.”

Earthquake? He broke out in a cold sweat. If anything happened to her, his life wouldn’t be worth living. To hell with what her aunt had told him. He needed to go to her and wouldn’t let anything stop him.

“According to the news, apparently two or three divers were injured and transported to chambers at various hospitals on the coast. I found out the institute’s oceanography boat docks at Crotone, so I’m sure some of the victims were taken there.”

“I’m on my way. Bless you, Valentina.”

* * *

He alerted his pilot and flew to the Naples airport, where he took the company jet to Crotone. En route he phoned to make certain a rental car was waiting. Following that he made calls to the three hospitals in the town, but no one would give him information about the injured because he wasn’t a relative. Other injuries over the southern area had been reported and hospitals all along the coast were filling.

Emergency vehicles and fire trucks filled the parking area of the first hospital. He made it to the ER and learned that one diver had been brought there. No one would give him information, but one of the ambulance crew helped him out by telling him they’d transported a male diver here.

Thanking him, Rini drove to the next hospital. Again it was the wrong one. He made the rounds until he reached the last hospital. When he spotted Bruno Tozzi in the waiting room, he knew Alessandra had to be here. Avoiding conversation with him, Rini walked through the hospital to the director’s office. He’d do whatever it took to be granted permission to see her.

* * *

“I’m fine,” Alessandra assured her parents after she’d spent six hours in the chamber.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, not at all. The doctor told me I have a light case of the bends.”

“Dr. Tozzi wants to see you.”

“He worries about all the team, but I’m not up for visitors. Tell him I promise to call him tomorrow when I’m feeling better.”

“All right. We’ll find him out in the reception area and be back in two hours. The doctor said you’ll be here overnight. We’ll stay with you and drive you home in the morning. Try to rest in the meantime. Love you.” They kissed her before slipping from the room.

No sooner had they gone than the door opened again. It was probably the nurse coming in to check her vital signs. When she saw who entered the room, her heart fluttered dangerously fast.

“Rini—what are you doing here?” After three weeks of not seeing him, the sight of his tall, well-honed body wearing a navy blue business suit was too much to handle in her weakened state.

“When I heard what happened, I couldn’t stay away.”

She turned on her side, trying to hide from him. “Did you talk to my parents?”

“They don’t know I’m here.”

Her breath caught. “You shouldn’t have come. We’ve said all there is to say.”

“I had to be sure you were going to recover,” he said, his voice throbbing.

Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let him see them. “I don’t see how you found out where I was.”

“A simple deduction after Valentina phoned me with the news about the epicenter of the quake.”

She sighed. “How did you get past the desk? No one is allowed in here.”

“I have my ways. Alessandra, you could have died out there. The doctor said you lost consciousness. It could have been fatal. Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through thinking I might have lost you?”

“Maybe now you know how I felt when you let me leave Positano and I knew it was over with you.” A bitter little cry escaped her lips. “My parents will be taking me home in the morning. The only reason I can imagine you’re being here is because of your guilt.

“What a surprise I’m going to survive! Surely it’s a relief to you. That way you don’t have to tell me what you’ve been holding back. It would only add to your guilt.”

“Alessandra—” His mournful voice reached that vulnerable place inside her before he’d come around the side of the bed. She felt him cup her face with his hand. “Grazie a dio you’re alive and safe.”

She kept her eyes tightly closed. “I admit I’m happy about it, too.”

His fingers toyed with her hair, sending fingers of delight through her exhausted body. “I once came down with a case of decompression sickness and know how it feels.”

“One of the hazards when you’re having fun.”

“You don’t need to pretend with me. I know you’ve had a fright and need sleep. Do you mind if I stay here with you for a little while?” He leaned down and kissed her lips. It felt like the touch of fire.

“The doctor won’t like it, but that’s up to you.”

Peering at him through slits, she watched him draw a chair to the side of the bed next to her. He looked like a man with the weight of the world on his powerful shoulders. She needed him to go away and never come back, but she couldn’t find the words.

In a minute a nurse came in to bring another bag for her IV. She checked Alessandra’s vitals and left without saying a word to him. The man could get away with murder. “What did you do to get permission?”

“I told the administrator that Montanari Engineering would make a generous donation to the hospital if they’d let me in to see you.”

There was no one like him, her heart cried out. “Rini Montanari. That was a naughty thing to do.”

“It worked. That’s all that mattered to me. To find you alive means everything. These last three weeks without you have been a hell I never want to live through again,” he admitted, his voice breaking.

His pain was tangible. “Now you’ll have to make good on your offer and work all hours of the day and night to recoup the loss.”

“It’ll be worth it since the hospital helped save your life. You’re the most precious thing in my world. I love you, bellissima,” he said in the huskiest voice she’d ever heard. “Now go to sleep and don’t worry about anything.”

When Alessandra woke up in the middle of the night, she decided she’d been dreaming that Rini had come to visit her. Had he really said he loved her? There was no sign of him. The night nurse came in and helped her to the restroom, then walked her back to bed.

CHAPTER SIX

THE NEXT MORNING Alessandra awakened to find her parents in the room. They’d brought her a fresh change of jeans and a soft top, which she slipped into. At 11:00 a.m. the doctor discharged her with the proviso that she rest, stay hydrated and do no diving for at least fourteen days.

It felt good to be wheeled outside to her parents’ limo. They made her comfortable before driving her back to the castle. Yet not at any time had they or the medical staff mentioned that Rini Montanari had been a visitor.

She’d really experienced a whopper of a dream to imagine he’d left his office to fly to Crotone in order to find out if she was all right. Alessandra was terrified it would take years, maybe a lifetime, to get over him. But what if she couldn’t? The ache in her heart had grown acute.

Instead of going upstairs, she told her mom she wanted to stay in the day room and curled up on the couch under a quilt to watch television. Supplied with water and nuts, she didn’t lack for the creature comforts. Alfredo wandered in and jumped up on her lap. He supplied the love she craved.

“Alessandra?” She lifted her head to her mother. “Are you up for company?”

“If it’s anyone from the diving group, could you tell them I need a few days?”

“It’s Rinieri Montanari.”

She reeled in place.

“He said he visited you at the hospital, but the nurse put something in your IV and you fell asleep. He’s anxious to know how you are.”

Rini had been there!

She hadn’t dreamed it after all and couldn’t believe it. Thrilled, yet tortured by what her mother had told her, she couldn’t concentrate on anything else. “I—I look terrible.”

“That would be impossible,” her mother assured her, “but if you want me to send him away, I will.”

“No—but don’t tell him to come in yet. Could you hand me my purse? It’s over on the credenza.”

Her mother did her bidding. Alessandra’s hand trembled as she brushed through her hair and applied a coat of lipstick.

“Ready?”

Alessandra nodded. While she waited, she checked her phone to find a dozen texts from friends, one of them from Bruno, who wanted to know how soon she’d be back. Fulvia had sent her love and condolences. She wanted a good talk with her when she was feeling better.

Alessandra’s editor was thankful she was all right and told her not to feel pressured about delivering the book. He hadn’t given her a deadline. But there was no message from Dea, the one person Alessandra wanted to talk to. The pit grew in her stomach as she realized her own sister hadn’t tried to contact her. Why?

“You don’t look like you’ve been sick,” said the deep, familiar male voice she was dying to hear.

She looked up at the sinfully gorgeous man. “You’re right. I’m a fraud.”

Rini walked over to her. He’d dressed in jeans and a pullover sweater in slate blue. Combined with the soap he used in the shower to assail her, his presence had put her senses on overload. He reached down to scratch behind the cat’s ears. “You have the right instincts, Alfredo. I’d trade places with you if I could.”

In the next instant he leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to her mouth. “Welcome back to the land of the living. Your doctor told me you lost consciousness down there.”

“Only for a moment. My buddy Gino knew exactly what to do. It all happened so fast.”

“We can be thankful the divers with the institute are experts.” He stood there looking down at her with an intense expression.

She squirmed. “Rini?” Her voice shook. “Why are you here?”

“Though I had my reasons, I treated you badly when I left here the first time without saying goodbye. My behavior was worse when you flew to Positano to see me and I wouldn’t explain myself. I thought I was doing the right thing both times, but your accident has changed the way I feel about everything.

“I love you and I’ve never said that to another woman in my life. Almost losing you has made me realize I could no longer let my reason stand in the way of being with you, so I’m back to find out if you’d be willing to start over again with me.”

While she sat there in shock, Liona wheeled in a tea cart laden with a meal for them. “If Alfredo is bothering you, I’ll take him out.”

“Oh, no. I love him right here. Thanks, Liona.”

After she left, Rini got up and served both of them a plate of food and her favorite iced tea. His gaze found hers. While they ate he said, “Life has given both of us a second chance. What I’d like to do is invite you to my villa for a week where we can spend real time together.”

Alessandra couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She said the first thing that came into her head. “Can you take a vacation?”

“Of course. I want to get to know you without work or interruptions getting in the way. The nice thing about being CEO is that I can arrange it when I want. The doctor told me you shouldn’t dive for at least two more weeks. You’ve shown me your world. Now it’s time I showed you mine.”

She smiled. “Like fishing?”

“Only if you’d want to.”

“Rini, I adore the outdoors. Hiking, camping, all of it.”

“The mountains are beautiful this time of year. Could you talk to your editor and ask for an extension to turn in your book?”

“He already told me to take all the time I need.”

If only Rini knew she loved him so much she felt like she could move mountains for him, but she was afraid. “When the week is over, then what? Will you consider you’ve done everything possible to obtain my forgiveness?

“Will we say goodbye like sensible people who’ve enjoyed their interlude together but knew it had to come to an end? You’ll go your way because you can’t offer me any more than what you’ve already done? I’ll go mine?”

His jaw hardened. “Why don’t we stop worrying about the future and just take things one day at a time? I need help because I’ve never done anything like this before.”

She took a deep breath, surprised to hear the vulnerability in his voice. “Like what?”

“Invite a woman I care about to stay at my house.”

“I’ve never done anything like it, either.” Talk about needing help...

“The doctor told me you need rest and that you shouldn’t fly until tomorrow. So if I leave you now, will you think about my invitation? I’ll call you in the morning. If you decide you want to come, I’ll arrange to pick you up in the limo and we’ll fly in the company jet to Positano.” He stood up.

“Where will you be in the meantime?”

“At the airport in Metaponto. I’m working in my office on the jet and will stay in the bedroom overnight. I’ll give you until ten a.m. to get in touch with me. If I don’t hear from you by then, I’ll be flying back to Naples.”

She knew he meant it. This was it.

“If you’ll give me your phone, I’ll program my number for you.”

Alessandra handed it to him. “Rini, whatever my answer is, I promise to call you.”

Lines marred his arresting features. “I can’t ask for more than that.” He put the phone on the table. “You need rest now. Take care of yourself, adorata.”

The second he disappeared from the day room she wanted to call him back and tell him she’d go with him right now. But she needed to keep her wits about her. The decision to spend a week with him would change her life forever.

She kissed the cat’s head. “Who am I kidding, Alfredo? My life changed beyond recognition the day he approached me in the foyer.”

He said they’d take things a day at a time. She had no choice but to do what he wanted because at this point she knew she couldn’t live without him. If it was only for a week, so be it. The man was so complicated it was driving her crazy. Somewhere in the mix, Rini’s inability to give a woman a child had stunted his vision of life. She wanted to help him explore the world of adoption so he’d realize he could know total fulfillment.

With her heart ready to burst from the joy his invitation had brought her, she lay down and didn’t awaken until hours later, when she heard her parents’ muffled voices talking about her sleeping her life away.

Alessandra sat up, disturbing Alfredo, who jumped to the floor. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to be in bed. Let’s get you upstairs.”

Later when her mother tucked her in bed she told her about Rini’s invitation. “I want to accept it, but I’m afraid.”

“Don’t let what Francesco did keep you from reaching out for your own happiness.”

If her mother only knew this had nothing to do with Francesco. But at least she had her parents’ blessing.

Liona brought her breakfast at eight, after which Alessandra pressed the button programmed to phone Rini.

“Am I going to hear what I want to hear?” he answered in that deep voice. She thought she heard a trace of nervousness and loved him for it.

“Maybe, unless you’ve had a change of heart during the night.”

“Alessandra—don’t keep me in suspense.”

Her mouth had gone dry. “I want to come, but I need time to pack.”

“How much?”

She chuckled. “Do we have to leave by ten?”

“I don’t care when we leave today as long as you’re with me.”

“Then can we say noon?”

“I’ll be at the castle at twelve and we’ll eat on the plane during the flight.”

“It sounds wonderful. Ciao, Rini.”

After ringing off, she hurried around her room to get ready for her trip. She needed to pack everything under the sun. Normally she traveled light, but not this time. Besides sportswear for their outdoor activities, her plan was to bring a few new bikinis and evening dresses that would knock his socks off.

She turned on her radio to some light rock music. The cat wandered in her room and probably thought she was out of her mind as she danced around filling her two suitcases.

“Alfredo? You should see his gorgeous villa.”

“Whose villa would that be?” asked a familiar female voice.

Alessandra spun around. “Dea!” After being caught off guard, she hurried over to her sister and hugged her. “I didn’t know you were coming.” With Rini coming for her, she couldn’t believe the bad timing.

“Evidently not. Papà told me about your accident so I came home to see how you are. I thought you’d still be in bed recovering. I never expected to find you flying around your room having a conversation with the cat. What’s all the packing for?”

“I—I’m going on a trip,” she said, her voice faltering.

“I gathered as much.” Dea’s eyes looked at the bags on the bed. “I do believe you’ve emptied your drawers and closets. Are you finally giving Bruno Tozzi a chance? He’s been after you for over a year.”

“Not Bruno. I’ve never been interested in him that way. Actually I’m going to be a guest at Rini Montanari’s villa.” She’d had no choice but to tell her sister the truth.

At the mention of his name, any goodwill Alessandra had hoped could be resurrected between her and Dea on this visit had vanished. Her sister paled. Rini really had hurt her by not asking her out again. “Are you talking about the one in Naples or Positano?”

Of course her sister would know all about Rini. She’d danced with him on his friend’s yacht. “I assume Positano.”

“Is this because you showed him around the property for Papà?”

“Dea? Please sit down so we can talk.” Alessandra closed the lids on her bags. “He’d been scuba diving with me. It’s a sport we have in common. When he heard about the earthquake, he flew down. Yesterday he came by the castle to invite me to stay with him for a week.”

“You mean he hasn’t been here all month?”

“No. He’s been gone for weeks on business. I was surprised to see him again.” So surprised she’d thought she’d been dreaming when he came to her hospital room.

Dea’s eyes followed her around while she packed her cosmetics. “I was shocked to learn he had business with Papà in the first place.”

“Let’s agree it was a shock all the way around.” Alessandra was so uncomfortable she could hardly bear it.

Her sister studied her for a minute. “Be honest with me. Are you going with him because of what happened with Francesco?”

“No, Dea—not at all! How can you even think that?” Alessandra cried. “Whatever happened is long since buried in the past.” She sank down on the end of the bed. “What do you want me to say?”

“Have you fallen for him?”

“I care for him very much.”

“As much as you did Francesco?”

“You can’t compare relationships. Francesco was my first boyfriend. I was young. As you reminded me, he ended up being a loser.”

“Don’t you know why I told you that?”

Alessandra frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He wasn’t interested in me. Within a day of his arriving in Rome, he was chatting up another model.”

“Oh, Dea—I didn’t know that.”

“I thought Mother would have said something. I’m telling you this to warn you about Rinieri Montanari.”

Alessandra didn’t want to hear it.

“On the yacht, his best friend’s father, Leonides Rossano, confided in me that Rinieri was Italy’s most eligible bachelor—as if my best friend, Daphne, and I didn’t already know it. I read between the lines and deduced he’d been a player for years. Alessandra—he might end up breaking your heart after he gets what he wants from Papà.”

“You’re wrong about that, Dea. He doesn’t want anything from him,” she replied, defending Rini. “He withdrew his proposal weeks ago and has been looking elsewhere for oil in the southern part of Italy.”

“I didn’t know that. Sorry.” Dea stood up, but Alessandra could tell the revelation had shaken her. “How soon is he coming for you?”

“At noon.”

She looked at her watch. “It’s almost that time now. I don’t want to be around when he arrives, so I’ll join the parents while you get the rest of your packing done. I’m glad you’re recovered. Even gladder that I wasn’t the one under the water when the quake struck.”

A rush of warmth propelled Alessandra toward her sister. She put her arms around her again. “Thank you for coming. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Dea hugged her back. “You’ve always been the brave one.” She kissed her cheek before disappearing from the bedroom. Alfredo followed her out the door.

The brave one?

An hour later those words were still chasing around in Alessandra’s psyche as Rini helped her out of the limo to board the Montanari jet.

Once they’d attained cruising speed, his steward served them an incredible lunch of lobster pasta with sfogliatelle for dessert. The shell shaped pastry had a divine ricotta filling with cinnamon. The wonderful flavor was beyond description.

They sat in the club area by the windows. His dark eyes never left hers. “I’m glad to see a smile. When I picked you up, you seemed preoccupied. For a moment I was afraid you still didn’t feel well enough to come. We could have left tomorrow.”

“I’m fine, Rini, but I have to admit I’m still a little tired.”

“After what you experienced, that’s understandable. When we get to the villa, you can rest all you want.”

She looked out the window, wishing she felt the same excitement he’d engendered in her when she’d told him she would accept his invitation. But Dea’s unannounced arrival had taken her by surprise. Though touched that she’d come to see her after her scuba-diving accident, her sister’s questions about Rini had put a damper on this trip.

He was doing everything in his power to make her comfortable and had no idea Dea had been at the castle when he’d picked her up. She didn’t want him to know, let alone tell him what her sister had said. Dea hadn’t been unkind. Alessandra had been grateful for that, but she couldn’t help feeling that her sister was suffering in some way.

Alessandra remembered how she’d felt when she’d first talked to Rini in the castle foyer. The immediate, overpowering attraction she’d felt for him had to be swallowed in the knowledge that he’d already been with Dea. She’d wondered then if she’d ever be able to get over him.

Yet today, her sister had to handle the news that Rini wanted to be with Alessandra enough to invite her to his home. If Dea had felt the same overwhelming attraction to him that night on the yacht, then who knew how long it would take her to get over Rini, especially if he ended up being in Alessandra’s future. The thought haunted her.

“I think you really are tired.” Rini got out of his seat and adjusted hers so she could lie back. “Our flight won’t last long, then we’ll put you to bed in the guest bedroom until you’re feeling your old self.”

“Thank you.” But she no longer knew who her old self was. Life had taken on new meaning since she’d met him.

* * *

Something was wrong beyond Alessandra’s fatigue. Rini had sensed it the moment she’d met him outside the castle doors with her suitcases. He’d expected to be invited in to speak to her parents, but she’d whisked them away as if she was in a great hurry. Rini hadn’t questioned her about it. In time he’d get answers. They had a whole week. Today was only the beginning.

Once the jet touched down, the helicopter flew them to the villa. He carried her luggage while she made her way along the path that led to the back patio. She looked over her shoulder at him. “You truly do live in a garden. At home I smell the sea air. Here, I’m assailed by the most heavenly scents.”

“After living in Naples with the occasional scent of sulfur from Vesuvius in the air, I chose this flower-filled mountaintop on purpose. Follow me through the house. Your room faces on the pool. You can walk out the French doors at any time and take a swim. Come on. Let’s get you in bed.”

He saw her eyes widen in appreciation when they entered the bedroom off the hallway. “It’s a lovely room. Those blue hydrangeas on the coffee table take my breath.”

“I’m glad you like them. Go ahead and freshen up. I’ll be back in a minute.” He put her cases down and left to get her a bottle of water from the kitchen. Rini had given Bianca the next three days off so he could be alone with Alessandra and wait on her himself.

When he returned, he found her sitting on the side of the bed still dressed in white culottes with a sharp front crease. She’d layered them with a multicolored blue silk top and looked so sensational, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“I thought I’d find you under the covers. This is for you.” He put the water on the bedside table before opening the shutters to let in the early evening light from the pool area.

She smiled up at him, but it lacked the joie de vivre he’d seen while they’d been out diving. “I’ll sleep tonight. Now that I’m in your world again—but only because you invited me this time—I want to talk to you. Please sit down.”

He sat in one of the upholstered chairs by the coffee table.

“Where’s Bianca?”

“On a short holiday.”

“So it’s just you and me?” He heard a slight tremor in her voice.

He frowned. “Are you worried about being here alone with me?”

“Of course not.” She got up from the bed and walked over to smell the flowers. “Can we have a frank talk? You said you wanted to start over again. I want that, too, but I need to understand you better.”

Rini sat forward with his hands clasped between his legs. “Would I have brought you here if I didn’t want the same thing? We’ve got all the time in the world. Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

She darted him a curious glance. “You say that, but I wonder if you really mean it.”

“Where’s this doubt coming from?”

“I don’t know exactly. Tell me about what happened when you first met Dea. Being twins, she and I have shared a unique past. Sometimes it has been eerie.”

“In what way?”

“It’s hard to explain, but there are times when even though we’re two people, we think as one.”

Rini got to his feet. “I’ve heard that happens to twins. But what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m not sure and am only feeling my way,” she cried softly before turning away from him.

He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her against him. “You sound frightened,” he whispered into her fragrant hair.

“I am.”

“Of what? Of me? Tell me.” He shook her gently.

“I’ve been going over the conversation that my aunt had with you about me and Dea. You told her that you felt no connection with Dea, but it was different with me.” Alessandra turned around in his arms. “But it doesn’t provide all the answers.”

“What more do you want?”

Her eyes searched his. “Will you bear with me a little longer and tell me your feelings when you realized I wasn’t Dea?”

His hands slid to her face. “After I left your father’s office and went back to my hotel in Metaponto that first night, I couldn’t get you off my mind. Make no mistake. It was you I was thinking about. From a distance you had Dea’s superficial features, the same features that had drawn me on the yacht. But the second you said you weren’t Dea, I realized my mistake.