Bride Fit for a Prince

by Rebecca Winters

  “Hi. Sorry I’m not in. Leave a short message and I’ll get back to you when I can.”

  “Ann? It’s Callie. I know you can hear me, and I know you haven’t left for work yet. In two minutes I’m going to ring again, so please pick up. This is impor—”

  “Callie?”

  “Thank goodness you answered. I don’t have a lot of time.”

  It wasn’t exactly true, but she was using Nicco’s cell phone which was miraculously working again. The last thing she wanted was to get into a long, personal conversation with her sister while he was watching and listening.

  “I assume you’re on your way home. Don’t worry. We can talk later. I’ll pick you up at L.A. airport tonight just as planned.”

  “No—that’s why I’m calling.”

  “What’s wrong? You sound funny. Is the prince giving you a hard time?”

  “Look, Ann—it’s a long story. Just so you know, I—I’ll have to stay in Torino for the next thirty days.”

  She heard a whoop coming from the other end of the phone. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

  “No—” Callie blurted. “At least, not exactly. Well, yes. In a way. You see—”

  “Oh my gosh!” Ann cried. “You fell for that dreamy prince and got married! I can’t believe it!”

  Nicco was sitting next to her on the couch. He unexpectedly leaned closer so that she could feel his warmth. “It’s my turn,” he whispered before taking the phone from her.

  She relinquished it with a trembling hand.

  “Buongiorno, Annabella.”

  After his greeting, there was silence on his end. At least now he would realize Callie really did have a sister and had been telling the truth all along.

  “This is Nicco Tescotti. Callie told me you are the twin who met my brother in Hollywood at the benefit. I understand you’re a rising film star.”

  No one’s English sounded more seductive than Nicco’s with that Italian accent. As for his comment to Ann, he couldn’t have said anything guaranteed to please her more.

  Wondering what was coming next, Callie lowered her head. To her shock he slid his arm around her shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “If my wife sounds confused, it’s because she married me instead of Enzo. When he sent me to the airport to pick her up, it was love at first sight for both of us. I have to thank you for sending her in your place. It had to be destiny.”

  Don’t, Nicco.

  “After spending the night together, we decided to make everything legal. It was a double wedding. Enzo married his childhood sweetheart.”

  Callie’s groan reverberated throughout the cabin. Nicco held her tighter.

  “Now that we’re related, I’m anxious to meet you, too. Hopefully we’ll get together soon. Just so you know, for the next while Callie and I will be on our honeymoon. Incommunicado.

  “But we couldn’t leave without telling you the happy news first. I’ll give you back to your sister now. She’s dying to talk to you. Ciao, Annabella.”

  He handed Callie the phone.

  “Ann?”

  “Well, well, well. Still waters really do run deep. You’re royalty now. Wait till I tell everyone on the set my sister is Princess Tescotti.”

  “I’m not a princess, Ann. Nicco renounced the throne years ago.”

  “He sounds exciting, if you know what I mean. How old is he?”

  “Older than his brother.”

  She felt Nicco’s lips against her cheek. “I’m thirty-five.”

  “As long as he’s not in Dr. Wood’s age bracket,” Ann teased.

  Callie’s breath caught in her throat. If her sister ever met Nicco, she’d think he was the sexiest male alive.

  “The way he handles his Danelli, Nicco’s not in his dotage quite yet.”

  “He owns a motorcycle?”

  “I’ve driven it,” Callie bragged. For that remark, she received a squeeze on the arm, reminding her of her crime.

  “Now I understand how this happened so fast. Do me a favor and fax me a picture of him.”

  “I—I’ll try. Listen, Ann—I have to hang up now.”

  “Wait— Just tell me one thing. Knowing it was your first time, how was last night?”

  My big seduction scene turned into a disaster.

  “We’ll have to talk about that later. Bye.” She hurriedly clicked off. Nicco’s gaze swept over her rather thoroughly before he took the phone from her and stood up.

  “Before we cast off again, I’m sure you’d like a shower.”

  “I would. Thank you.”

  “I’ll take one after you. Everything you’ll need is in the bathroom. There’s a cupboard with a clean pair of sweats you can put on. Later we’ll do a wash.”

  “You even have a washing machine?”

  “It’s vital for long trips.”

  Thankful for that bit of news, she rose to her feet and reached for her purse that held her toiletries. “I had no idea a barge could be this comfortable.”

  “I bought it several years ago and have been outfitting it in my spare time. River travel in Europe allows you to see sights you’d never discover otherwise. As it is, the press won’t be able to invade us on our three-day honeymoon.”

  Her heart gave an extra beat. Three days alone with him?

  “The best they can hope for are some shots of the barge using a telephoto lens.”

  By the time she’d reached the bathroom her brows had knit into a frown. She turned on her heel. “Does the paparazzi hang around you all the time?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “But you refused the crown years ago!”

  “I’m afraid once a prince…”

  Callie groaned. “How awful.”

  “If they decide to get daring and chase us in another boat, we can always elude them by taking the bike on a side trip.”

  The motorcycle meant a lot more to him than his love of the sport. It represented his freedom in a way that most of the world would never understand. “No wonder you brought it on board.”

  “After a hard day’s work, there’s nothing I crave more than a ride.”

  He was talking to the one person who understood. “What do you do for a living?”

  “Nothing I don’t like.”

  With that comment he’d told her absolutely nothing!

  “Do you realize there are only a few people on earth who can’t tell their pleasure from their work?”

  “When I was twenty-five, I decided to find out what that would be like.”

  She took a deep breath. “Have you found happiness?”

  Shadows crept into his eyes. “That’s an interesting question. I’m not certain such a state truly exists.”

  A few minutes later she was still pondering his lonely comment as she stood under the shower to wash her hair.

  The more she learned about Nicco, the more she could see that in choosing a different path than that of his family, he’d suffered in the process. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t struggling with another kind of problem, too. One that had given rise to his aversion to marriage.

  A woman perhaps?

  Whoever had brought Nicco Tescotti to his knees had to have been someone remarkable. Unforgettable. No matter what had transpired between them, their failed relationship had left a deep scar.

  Oh, Ann—when you begged me to come to Italy in your place, I knew I was flying into danger. I just hadn’t counted on a tortured prince in Italian leather stealing my heart the moment I laid eyes on him.

  Suddenly Callie regarded his comment about a press release to advertise the heartbreak of the Tescotti family’s elder son in a whole new light.

  When she left Italy in a month, there was going to be heartbreak all right. Hers.

  For the next three days they traveled the waterways of the Dora Riparia, Sangone and Po rivers. Though Nicco had warned Callie the press would be monitoring their progress, the matchless scenery of the hill
sides and Alps caused her to forget that the rest of the world existed.

  From morning till night they ate and lazed about in the fall sunshine. While she feasted her eyes on various landmarks—trying hard not to stare at his compelling profile—he drove the barge and filled her head with fascinating information.

  More than a tour guide, he’d led the privileged, well-traveled life of an educated royal who could relate little known facts that brought the history of this part of Europe alive for her.

  “Every time we go around another bend in the river, there’s a glorious new sight. It’s so heavenly, Nicco, I could travel this way forever.”

  “You know what Le Corbusier said—”

  “The French architect?”

  “Sì, esposa mia. It’s his considered opinion that our city has the most beautiful natural position of any in Europe.”

  “I agree!” she cried, aware that she was effervescing too much, but Callie didn’t know where to go with all her burgeoning emotions. Every minute spent with Nicco was pulling her under his spell a little more. The fact that he treated her like his best friend’s sister was killing her.

  Though he’d wanted to stay far away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, he knew what he was doing by getting her alone on the barge. Inside the cabin he was free to be himself. No worry about having to pretend to be in love with his new bride.

  Every night after dark, they’d tie up at a landing and he’d go to sleep on the couch. She slept safely in his double bed, hoping he’d find some excuse to join her, if only to talk, but he never did.

  “What’s the name of that mountain in the distance?”

  “The one behind Valentino Castle is Mount Rosa, the second highest in Europe after Mont Blanc.”

  “Valentino— He’s your dog!” Of course he was.

  “Sì.” Nicco’s lips broke into a half smile.

  “You named him after this castle?”

  He eyed her through veiled eyes. “You thought erroneously that it was inspired by the famous Italian lover of the American silent films?”

  She looked away quickly, wincing from the trace of cynicism she’d just heard. “I didn’t know.”

  “Valentino Castle is one of the domains of the House of Savoy. Maria Cristina, the daughter of Henry IV and wife of King Victor Amadeus I of Savoy, had it rebuilt according to her French taste. Below the Parco del Valentino is the famous Cerea Rowing Club.

  “The area we’re passing through serves as a course for the Silver Skiff race when the various historic rowing clubs compete.”

  “Did you ever race?”

  After a long silence, “Once upon a time.”

  That was the second time he’d used that expression. She shouldn’t have asked him a question that reminded him of his past, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. With a powerful physique like his, he’d probably mastered several grueling sports.

  Being the firstborn son of a royal family, he’d probably been expected to do many things without having any choice in the matter. Callie couldn’t fathom such a life.

  They passed beneath the Isabella bridge and came upon the central section of a submarine which he explained was a relic from World War I. Beyond it was a restaurant converted from a World War I dredger.

  Another bridge came into view. “One day if there’s time before you return to the States, you’ll have to go through the National Automobile Museum you can see there on the left bank. It houses vintage cars and motorbikes you’d find of particular interest.”

  The way he said it let her know he wouldn’t necessarily take her to see it himself. Reading between the lines, it sounded as if he didn’t want her to forget that the time of parting would be here before she knew it.

  So don’t get too comfortable with me. Is that what you’re saying, Nicco?

  Stung by his comment, she left him at the wheel and walked outside the cabin to stand at the railing. The trees along the riverbank were starting to cast shadows from a setting sun.

  In a few minutes they moved toward a private marina in the distance where he drew alongside some moorings. A man who worked there tied the ropes while Nicco bridged the barge to the shore with the wooden plank. As he lowered it into place, it made a thudding sound that echoed in Callie’s aching heart.

  Her honeymoon was over.

  If they’d been lovers, no bride could have asked for a more idyllic three days.

  “Callie?” It was the first time he’d called her by her correct name. She loved the way he pronounced it with an emphasis on the last syllable. “Come put on your helmet. I want to get out of here before every reporter in Torino descends on us.”

  She hurried inside for her purse, then scrambled to do his bidding. Within minutes she’d climbed on behind him. Displaying his usual expertise, he drove off the barge and up the embankment in one smooth sprint. On the way out to the street they passed several television vans turning into the marina.

  Nicco hadn’t exaggerated about the media. How ghastly to be dogged like this every time he appeared in public.

  She felt him change gears. As if he’d shifted to warp speed, they shot forward. On the short ride to his apartment, it was surprising to her that their tires ever touched the ground.

  When his building came into view, she thought they were home free, but she was wrong. Once he’d turned into the driveway, they were forced to deal with a barrage of flashes from photographers who’d probably been hiding near the bushes for some time, waiting for a glimpse of Nicco and his new bride.

  Like lightning he drove around back to his parking stall. They both jumped off the bike and he hustled her inside the building past one pesky reporter holding a microphone.

  To her surprise and disappointment, Valentino wasn’t there to greet them when Nicco unlocked the front door of his apartment for her to enter.

  She pulled off her helmet and put it on the side table in the front foyer. “Where’s your dog?”

  “At the other end of the hall. I’ll ring the Loti’s. Their son Giovanni watches him for me. He’ll bring him along.”

  “Can’t we go get him instead?”

  Nicco removed his helmet and jacket. His eyes swept over her in swift appraisal. “If you want to come face-to-face with that reporter, be my guest.”

  Callie shook her head. “You mean they actually have the gall to come inside the building?”

  “They do anything they want if they’re hungry enough.”

  “So that’s why you had the police escort me to the apartment that first day. Anything to avoid more scrutiny from the press.”

  He nodded. “Drastic measures were called for to keep our wedding plans a secret from the public. However now that I’m married, the press has learned about it and is clamoring for close-ups of you.”

  “Then let’s give them what they want so they’ll go away.”

  He darted her an enigmatic glance. “You don’t mind?”

  “I haven’t lived with it before, but since you want to convince your parents we’re happily married, then what will it hurt? If we don’t run from the press, maybe they’ll show us some mercy. We’ll just bluff our way through any questions asked. It might even be fun.”

  He looked like he’d never heard the word before.

  There was a prolonged silence as Nicco rubbed the back of his neck where several tendrils of black hair clung to the nape. Little whorls she’d wanted to unravel with her fingers while he drove the boat.

  “I’ll leave it up to you to do the talking,” he finally muttered. “Let’s go.”

  Callie had never looked a worse mess. Right now she was minus any makeup, and her braid was coming loose. As for the clothes she’d worn on the plane, Nicco’s parents would wonder if she had another outfit to her name. But in the end, none of it mattered as long as Enzo’s dreams were realized.

  One thing she did know. Nicco loved his brother and had proved it by going through with a marriage he wanted no part of. Knowing all the facts, Callie really would have
been a selfish monster if she hadn’t agreed to stay the month for Enzo’s sake.

  Now whom are you trying to convince, Callie Lassiter? You little hypocrite! If you weren’t in love with Nicco, you’d have jumped off the barge and disappeared three days ago.

  Angry with herself, she opened the door first and stepped out in the hall.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “HEY, Princess—look this way!”

  She turned her head toward two reporters who took a dozen pictures in succession.

  “Come on, guys. I tell you what,” she said to them, still dazed by the flashes. “If you promise not to call me princess, I’ll be happy to cooperate with you. My name is plain old Mrs. Tescotti who is married to plain old Mr. Tescotti.

  “I’m a new bride, and just like any other bride, I would like to have a few days privacy in my own home with my brand-new husband.

  “If you would pass the word around, then any reporter who wants to come here two weeks from this evening at six o’clock is welcome. Provided there are no more incidents of you jumping out of doorways, I’ll invite you in and give you a half hour to take pictures and ask questions. How does that sound?”

  “Will your husband be here, too?” the other reporter asked.

  She felt Nicco move behind her. He slid his arms around her waist. “Of course.”

  More flashes went off.

  “Thanks! Molto grazie!” they said in both languages before leaving the building.

  When quiet reigned he whispered, “You managed to perform a minor miracle just now.”

  His comment thrilled her. So did his arms that tightened briefly before letting her go.

  “Let’s get my dog, shall we?”

  She could have cried to find herself free again.

  Callie walked down the hall with him, afraid he could hear her heart pounding too hard. He’d never know how much she’d wanted him to go on holding her.

  Nicco rapped on the end door. Behind it she could hear voices. The minute it opened, Valentino came charging out in the hall to greet his master with great yelps of joy. Three days’ separation was a lifetime to an animal who was loved. Callie had been feeling the pangs of being away from Chloe since she’d left her with Dr. Wood.