The Marcelli Princess

by Susan Mallery

  Daniel stood and crossed to him. “I want to go riding some more.”

  “Tomorrow,” Rafael promised. “Your mother will take you.”

  “Mom will just say no,” Daniel said glumly. “I want to ride when I want.” The boy leaned against him. “Daddy, can I come live with you?”

  Under other circumstances, the question would have pleased him. However, he was now familiar with the mercurial nature of a four-year-old’s emotions.

  Feeling Grandma Tessa’s sharp glare, he said, “You live with your mother and her family. I know you love them all very much.”

  Daniel stepped back and shook his head. “I want to live with you. I want to ride my pony all the time. I’m the heir.”

  Rafael knew he had no one but himself to blame for the “heir” nightmare.

  “I’m the heir,” Daniel repeated, then began to cry.

  Grandma Tessa took a step toward them, but Rafael waved her back. Then he dropped to his knees and hugged his son.

  “You have had so many changes in such a short period of time,” he told the boy. “I think we all need to take a little time and get used to them before doing anything drastic like moving away from home. Besides”—he kissed the top of the boy’s head—“your mother would be lost without you. She loves you so much.”

  Daniel sniffed. “She would cry if I was gone.”

  “Yes, and that would make you feel bad. Do you like making your mother cry? I never did.”

  Daniel stared into his eyes. “You could come live here, like before. That was nice.”

  “It was nice. But remember all the changes? Let’s get used to what we have now.”

  He heard a sound and saw Mia standing next to her grandmother. There were tears in both women’s eyes.

  He hadn’t said the words for her, nor did her tears matter. She’d already made her case very clear. She didn’t trust and she didn’t want to trust him. He had come so very far only to realize he had lost.

  He kissed Daniel again, then stood. “I should be getting back,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  * * *

  Mia groaned at the thought of an eight o’clock class, but it was the only time the stupid subject was offered and she couldn’t risk missing out. She entered the number into the box on the computer screen and hit the Enter key. The screen cleared, then offered to let her print out her fall schedule.

  She turned on the printer and tried to work up some enthusiasm about her upcoming semester. She was nearly done. Shouldn’t she be thrilled at the prospect of finally getting a job in the real world? After all, her compromise with Rafael might have her working in Rome or Paris.

  She tried to convince herself that easy access to Italian shoes was going to be fabulous, only she knew she was lying.

  “It’s all his fault,” she whispered to the empty room. Ever since Rafael had left, she hadn’t been able to think about anything but his backhanded proposal.

  Did the man really think she was willing to play that game again with him? Hadn’t she made it clear she would never, ever trust him?

  Apparently in his world things like trust didn’t matter. He was willing to do anything to be with his son, even marry her. Well, golly, allow her to pause right here and feel the love.

  A sharp pain cut through her. All the sarcasm in the world couldn’t disguise how much she hurt. Love. Rafael didn’t love her. She was a necessary evil in his plan to be a father. Worst of all, she couldn’t blame him. Because if their roles were reversed, she would be willing to marry him just to be near Danny.

  But she didn’t want a duty proposal. That was almost more insulting than a pity one. She wanted the impossible. She wanted him to love her.

  “Grow up,” she told herself. “Men like him don’t fall in love, and if they do, it’s not with women like me.” Regular women. Oh, sure, there was the whole Grace Kelly thing, but seriously, who would consider her normal?

  The library door opened and Grammy M poked her head in. “Is Danny here?” she asked.

  “What? No. I saw him about an hour ago. He was watching a video and said he’d come in when he was finished.” Her stomach clenched. “He’s not in the family room?”

  Minutes later it was clear he wasn’t anywhere in the house. The Grands were hysterical and Mia wasn’t far behind.

  “Call Joe,” she told them as she threw open the back door and ran outside.

  “Danny!” she yelled. “Danny?”

  There was no answer.

  This wasn’t right. He never went outside without telling someone. He never went anywhere on his own. He was a good boy who loved hanging out with his family.

  She raced around the lawn, checked the garage, then came to a stop in front of Gaspare’s makeshift stable. The pony was gone.

  She remembered how Danny had wanted to keep riding. How he’d had a fit about stopping. Oh, God. If he’d taken the pony, he could be anywhere. He could—

  Rafael! Danny had wanted them to all be a family again.

  But he didn’t know his way to the hotel. Sure, he’d seen it but…

  Panic exploded. He might know enough to try. What if he had? It was hot and he was so small. The hotel was eight or nine miles away, and between here and there were acres of vineyard and a four-lane highway. There were a million places for a little boy to get lost, or hurt.

  Or worse.

  18

  The fear lived inside of Mia, growing, sucking her strength, making her want to fall to the ground and beg for mercy. Only there was no one to bargain with. She left the prayers to the Grands and their rosaries. She preferred action.

  “How long?” she demanded.

  Joe typed on the computer. “Fifteen minutes, tops.”

  “It’s hot,” she reminded him. “Too hot for a little boy to be out riding. The best we can figure is he’s been gone an hour.”

  She tried to stick to facts because thinking about what could be happening to her son could very easily drive her to madness. She paced the length of Joe’s office, then looked out the window.

  “Rafael will be here soon,” her brother told her.

  “I wasn’t sure he should come,” she said. “Maybe he would do better to search the roads.”

  “It’s too early. There’s no way that pony is going to make it through the vineyard in an hour. I’m guessing Danny is lost in the vines, and as soon as the GPS is up and running, we’ll find him. Go back to the house, get your supplies, and wait for Rafael. I’ll call you in less than fifteen minutes.”

  Mia nodded, then ran to her car. Three minutes later she was at the house.

  The Grands had already prepared a backpack containing a first-aid kit, water, and cut-up fruit. There was also a hat for Danny, to help keep the sun off him.

  “You’ll find him,” Tessa said through her tears. “I’ve been praying.”

  “We both have. God protects the wee ones,” Grammy M told her.

  Mia wasn’t so sure God protected little boys who willfully ran away, but she couldn’t say for sure either way.

  “Keep praying,” she said. Maybe it would help.

  Tessa touched her arm. “We’re sorry.”

  Mia paused in the act of dropping her cell phone into her shorts front pocket. “What? Sorry?”

  She looked at their stricken faces, not liking how fear aged them. “No,” she said firmly. “This isn’t your fault. Danny was watching a video when I went in the library to finish my on-line registration. I should have checked on him. I didn’t know he was still mad about Rafael. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”

  “You are not to blame.”

  The statement came from behind her. She turned and saw Rafael standing in the doorway.

  “I am the one who encouraged him to do as he pleased,” Rafael continued. “He ran off because he is the heir, and the blame is mine.”

  Without thinking, Mia rushed toward him. He caught her against his body and held her tight.

  “I am sorry,” he whispered in her
ear. “So sorry.”

  His arms were strong and supported her. He was Prince Rafael of Calandria, she thought. He would insist on finding his son. He would move heaven and earth to make that happen. For once, Rafael’s imperious determination was a good thing.

  “It’s not your fault either,” she said. “He got mad. He acted up. Now we have to find him.”

  “We will,” he promised, and she believed him.

  Just then, the back door burst open and Brenna came in with an armful of maps. As Rafael and Mia stepped apart, she put them on the kitchen table and unrolled them.

  “Once Joe gets the coordinates, I’ll tell you what vineyard that is.” She traced the road that led to the hotel. “This is where he wanted to go, but hey, the kid is four. Who knows where he actually went.”

  Rafael bent over the maps. “There are dozens of acres.”

  “Hundreds,” Brenna said unhappily. “Especially if you consider the Wild Sea vineyards butt right up to ours. If Danny headed that way, he would never find his way out on his own.”

  She squeezed Mia’s arm. “But he’s got the tracking thingy on, right? So it’s okay.”

  Mia glanced outside and wished it were a little less hot. The weather might be perfect for grapes, but it would be hell on a little boy trapped in the sun.

  Rafael traced possible paths. When Mia’s cell phone rang, she grabbed it.

  “You have him?” she demanded.

  “Yes. Put Brenna on. I’ll give her the coordinates, then meet you.”

  Mia handed over the cell phone. Brenna listened, then looked at the map.

  “Okay, yeah. I’ve got it. Uh-huh.” She glanced at Rafael. “Are the moron twins joining us?”

  He grimaced. “Yes, Oliver and Umberto are waiting by the car.”

  “We have a team,” Brenna said into the phone. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

  She hung up and handed Mia the phone. “Joe has the location. He’s going to stay where he is and monitor the GPS. He’ll call every ten minutes with updates. We’ll take carts as close as we can, then walk in.” Brenna smiled. “We found him, Mia. He’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll believe that when I’m holding him.”

  * * *

  Five minutes later they were in three golf carts and heading out into the heart of the Marcelli vineyards. The sun beat down mercilessly. Mia drove, closely following Brenna’s cart, while Oliver and Umberto maneuvered the last one. Rafael sorted through the contents of the backpack.

  “Your grandmothers have thought of everything,” he said.

  “They feel horrible about what happened. I hate them blaming themselves.”

  “As do I.”

  She glanced at him. “I meant what I said. I don’t blame you.”

  “You do not have to. I still blame myself. If he is hurt…”

  His voice trailed off. Mia didn’t want to think about that either. She wanted to find Danny perfectly healthy and safe, and very sorry for what he’d done.

  “Thank God for the tracking system,” she said. “If he didn’t have on that bracelet, I have no idea how we’d find him.”

  “So my deception has one bright spot,” Rafael said grimly.

  “Not just that one,” she told him. “I can see you’re trying to change and I appreciate it.”

  “But you still do not trust me.”

  “At least I didn’t assume you’d kidnapped him. That’s something.”

  She slammed on the brakes after Brenna did the same. Even as everyone scrambled out of the carts, Mia pulled out the cell phone and tossed it to Rafael.

  She had to. She couldn’t talk, couldn’t breathe, could only panic when she saw the pony standing alone in the center of the path.

  “Are you sure about the location?” Rafael asked into the phone. “We have found the pony and Danny is not here.”

  He listened, then looked at Mia. “Joe still shows Danny about a half mile from here.” His face paled.

  “What?” Mia demanded. “What?”

  “Danny’s not moving. He hasn’t moved since Joe first found him.”

  “Oh, God,” Mia said, pressing a hand to her stomach. “Oh, God.”

  Rafael hung up and handed her the phone. “We must hurry,” he yelled to the others. “Umberto, the pony.”

  The bodyguard raced to Gaspare and led him out of the way. Rafael guided Mia into the passenger seat, then pushed the backpack into her arms and got behind the wheel. Brenna took off at full speed and he did the same. Oliver came up behind.

  “He’s fine,” Rafael said, as much to convince himself as Mia. “It is very hot. He stopped to rest and Gaspare ran off. That is all.”

  Mia rocked in the seat. “Please, God, let him be all right. Please.”

  He heard the pain in her voice and felt it himself. At that moment, he would have given anything to have Danny in his arms. All his money, all his privilege was useless in finding one small, lost boy.

  A few minutes later, Brenna came to a stop. She jumped out of the cart and pointed to a vineyard.

  “In there,” she yelled. “Joe has the coordinates, but we don’t exactly have street signs, so we’re going to have to walk through. It’s this vineyard, though. It has to be.”

  Rafael took the backpack and stepped out. Mia hurried to his side.

  “We’ll split up,” she said. “Brenna, go with Oliver. You have a cell phone, right?”

  Both held one out.

  Rafael reached for Mia’s hand. “We will go this way,” he said, pointing to the right section of the vineyard.

  Mia squeezed his fingers. “What if he fell off? What if he’s hurt?”

  “Then we will take him to the hospital.”

  He spoke with a calmness he didn’t feel, but there was no point in upsetting her more.

  “Danny,” she yelled as they stepped between the rows of vines heavy with ripe grapes. “Danny, where are you?”

  “Danny,” he called, hearing Brenna and Umberto in the distance. “Danny.”

  He paused to listen. There were only the sounds of insects and the rapid beating of his heart. If something had happened to his son…

  He pushed the thought away. He would not consider it. Danny was fine. He had to be fine. Rafael could not imagine any other possibility.

  They walked deeper into the vines. Both called. Brenna’s and Oliver’s voices came from farther and farther away. Beside him, Mia stumbled, then began to cry.

  “Why isn’t he answering? What if he has sunstroke? It’s hot and he’s so small.”

  “We will find him,” he promised, then yelled, “Danny? Can you hear me?”

  For a moment, he thought he’d heard something. Mia stared at him.

  “Was that a cry?”

  They listened again. Sure enough, in the distance came a small sound.

  “Danny?” Mia screamed. “Danny, is that you?”

  Rafael began to run. He pulled her along with him. “Danny,” he called. “Danny, answer us. Answer us so we can find you.”

  “Over here. I’m over here. Mommy? D-Daddy?”

  Rafael heard the voice more clearly now and he knew his son was crying.

  “He’ll be fine,” he promised Mia and himself. “He’s just scared.”

  He saw a flash of color and broke through one of the neat rows. Danny sat in a small patch of shade. His T-shirt was torn, his face dusty and red, and his eyes filled with tears.

  “Danny!” Mia dropped to the ground and hugged the boy. Rafael sank next to her and put his arms around both of them.

  “Are you all right?” she asked. “Are you hurt?”

  “My head hurts and I’m thirsty.”

  “Of course,” she murmured. “We have water.”

  But she didn’t let him go. Rafael slipped off the backpack and pulled out the water. He gave one bottle to Mia, who offered it to the boy, but only let him take small sips, and used the other to dampen one of the washcloths the Grands had packed.

  “Put this on the back of his neck,�
� he instructed. “It will help cool him down. He might have heatstroke.”

  Mia did as he told her. He saw her hands were shaking. His weren’t that steady either. Relief joined with the fear of what could have been.

  Danny stared at them both. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was bad.”

  “Yes, you were,” Rafael told him. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, let’s get you back to the house.”

  He opened Mia’s cell phone and called Brenna. Next he phoned Joe. Once they had been notified, he picked up Danny and carried him back to the cart. Mia walked with him, constantly touching Danny’s hand and arm, as if reassuring herself that the boy was really all right.

  Rafael understood her actions. Had he not been carrying the child, he would have needed reassurance as well. Danny was no longer just his heir. Danny was a piece of Rafael, as much as his arm or his thoughts or his heart. They could never be apart. Not him from Danny or Danny from his mother.

  Which made for an interesting quandary.

  * * *

  “Wine and cookies,” Katie said as she sat in the chair by the desk. “This is the good life.” She nodded at Mia’s barely touched glass. “You okay?”

  “No,” Mia admitted. “Every time I think about what nearly happened, I start to shake.”

  “It’ll take a couple of days to feel better,” Francesca told her. “The doctor said he was fine and Danny said he was fine. You need to start believing that.”

  “When I think about what could have happened…” Not that she wanted to, but she was having trouble thinking about anything else.

  “Let it go,” Brenna said. “We found him. You may not be drinking, but I am. Pass the wine, please.”

  Francesca handed the bottle over to her twin. They were sprawled on Mia’s bed. Mia sat in the window seat and did her best to forget the horrible afternoon.

  “You guys didn’t have to come all the way over here,” she told her sisters. “Katie, that’s such a long drive.”

  “I was already on my way,” Katie admitted. “More details for David’s wedding. But I’m happy to stay and offer support. You must have been terrified.”