The Ultimate Romance Box (6 Bestselling Romance Novels)

by Eckhart, Lorhainne

  "Coffee, please." Maria sat and read the invoice from the package. "What happened to the third CD?"

  "Oh, I listened to it before you came down. It's still in the player. Do you want me to turn it on?"

  "Not right now." She didn't want to share Dino with her mother.

  "That young Italian certainly has a lovely voice," her mother continued. "I wouldn't have thought his music was quite your sort of thing, though. What made you order it?"

  Maria's cheeks warmed and she silently berated herself for being stupid. "Chris's friend Tina loaned me the show songs disc. I liked it, so I bought the others as well."

  "Strange coincidence. I read an interview with Dino Rossi and his girlfriend Rachel Tanner in the in-flight magazine on the way home from Florida. They sound like a lovely couple. They met when he was her mentor on that talent show she won a few years ago."

  The last thing Maria wanted was to hear about Dino's beautiful girlfriend. "Where's Dad?" she asked, changing the subject.

  "Gone to Truro to bank the cash that friend of yours left and run errands."

  Maria ate her cereal and read the track lists on the CD covers, then checked out the booklets inside with the song lyrics and pictures of Dino.

  The photos made her yearn to see him again. As soon as she finished breakfast, she took advantage of her dad's absence and slipped into the office, closing the door behind her. She booted up the computer and searched for Dino Rossi, pulling up the now familiar list of links. She couldn't go a day without looking at photos of him. Like an addict, she needed her Dino fix. She found her favorite video of him performing and stared rapt at the screen while he sang.

  Everything about him was so familiar, the elegant way he moved his hands, his facial expressions, the tiny gestures he made that tugged at her heart. This was torture, seeing him but not being with him.

  Leaning forwards, chin on her hand, she lost herself in memories of him. Suddenly the door opened behind her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She scrambled for the mouse and closed down the video, then cast a furious glance over her shoulder at her dad as he riffled through a filing cabinet.

  "All right, love?" he said, finding what he wanted and shutting the drawer.

  "Yes, Dad." He wandered over and kissed the top of her head, then disappeared out the door, leaving it open.

  She was lucky her dad had been the one to walk in and not her eagle-eyed mother who would have noticed what she was watching. Maria flopped back in her chair and stared at the calendar on the wall. Her parents had been home for five days, yet it felt like forever. Before they went away, she hadn't noticed they treated her like a child. But after the month here alone with Dino, she realized she wanted her own space, her privacy.

  "Maria, darling," her mother said, poking her head in the door, "when you've finished, could you come into the kitchen for a few minutes. Dad and I want to talk to you about the future."

  A jolt of excitement shot through her. A few months ago, her parents had started discussing retirement. Maria would be sad to see them leave the Crow's Nest, but she was ready to take over. Already she had a list of changes and improvements in mind. And if she was in control, she could invite Dino to stay if he ever contacted her again.

  She bounded out of her chair and headed to the kitchen. Her mother refilled the coffee cup Maria had used at breakfast and then sat, facing her. "Dad and I had lots of time to think on the cruise. We've worked hard over the years, especially in the early days when the Crow's Nest was open in the winter. When you were little, we only closed for two days at Christmas. We had to work 24/7 to pay the mortgage. But all that's behind us. It's time to wind down."

  Maria tamped down her bubbling excitement. "So you're retiring?"

  "I think so, love." Her dad smiled, but he looked sad. "We'll be sorry to leave the place, but Mum's keen to travel, and we want to do it before we get too old to enjoy ourselves."

  "I think it's a wonderful idea." Maria gripped his hand and squeezed. She knew her dad was a homebody at heart like her, and leaving the Crow's Nest would be more of a wrench for him than for her mum.

  "I'll take good care of the place for you. You know how much I love it."

  Her mum and dad exchanged worried glances, and foreboding shivered through her.

  "I know we talked about taking out a loan on the place to realize some of its value, but we've taken financial advice. That's not going to work."

  Everything inside Maria froze. "What do you mean?"

  "We're selling, love. The Crow's Nest is our pension."

  Maria's hand went to her heart. Her chest burned as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. "I don't want to leave," she whispered. "This is my home too. You can't just sell it. Please."

  "I'm sorry, love," her dad patted her arm. "The truth is we need the money. Mum wants to go on a world cruise, and it doesn't come cheap. And if we're going to buy another home, we must sell this one."

  "What do you expect me to do?" Maria's voice rose on a note of panic. The guesthouse was her safe haven.

  "It'll be good for you to move on," her mum said. "You need to get out and see the world, meet a young man, make something of your life."

  "But I planned to run the Crow's Nest with my husband, raise my kids here like you did."

  "What husband?" her mother asked softly.

  Maria bit her lip.

  "You've been down here burying your head in the sand since you broke up with Tom. There's a world out there, darling. That's where you'll meet a husband. Not here."

  "I've been out in the world," Maria said defensively. "I spent three years at college. And I went to Austria with Tom."

  "Three months in Austria is not seeing the world," her mother replied.

  Tears blurred Maria's vision, and she blinked them away. "But this is where I want to spend my life."

  Maria's mother reached out and stroked the hair back behind her ear. "If we let you hide down here, we won't be doing you any favors. This is for your own good."

  Maria held tight to her wildly fluctuating emotions. Shouting and screaming would not convince her parents she was a responsible adult capable of running the guesthouse. "Look," she said in a controlled voice, "give me a year operating the place alone. I'll show you I can make a go of it. I'll bring in enough profit to fund your trips."

  "But not enough for us to buy another house." Her mother gave her a sad smile. "It's all decided, darling. We have two commercial real estate agents coming around this afternoon to give us a valuation." She reached across the table and pulled a stack of realtors' details out from under a newspaper. "When Dad went into town this morning, he signed us up with some agents to look for a new home."

  Maria's last shred of hope unraveled. They had made their decision. Nothing she said would change their minds. She'd lived her whole life at the Crow's Nest. Porthale was her home. She had no idea where to go...unless she followed Dino. But even if she were brave enough to go to New York alone, she didn't have the money. Her parents had never paid her a wage, they simply paid her living expenses. All this time, they had treated her like a child, and she hadn't realized until now.

  Her dad picked up a catering magazine and placed it on the table before her. "There are five pages of job advertisements in the back. Why don't you take a look? I'm sure a young woman with your qualifications and experience will find something in no time."

  "We'll give you money for a deposit on a flat," her mum chipped in. "You'll enjoy being independent."

  Maria stood, her chair scraping on the floor tiles with a grating screech, and headed to the office. She shut the door behind her and leaned back against it, her hand over her eyes. What was happening to her life? First Dino arrived and tied her emotions in knots, now this.

  She plunked down in the office chair and halfheartedly searched for flights to New York. There were none from the local airports, which meant traveling up to London. After doing a rough cost calculation, she tossed down her pencil in disgust. T
he only way she could go to New York was if her parents paid the costs. Anyway, she couldn’t travel all that way alone, and by now Dino had probably forgotten about her.

  Chapter Eight

  After Maria's parents had been home for a week, she went down to breakfast to find her mother looking at a postcard. "Who do you know in New York, darling?"

  Her mother turned the card over to read the message. Maria darted forwards and snatched it from her hand. A quick glance at the front confirmed it was a picture of the Metropolitan Opera House. With a thundering heart, Maria checked the back.

  Dino hadn't written much, but what he had said was enough. He missed her.

  She collapsed in the chair, a hand over her mouth and tears of joy in her eyes, momentarily forgetting her mother's curious appraisal. "Is that from a boy?"

  "A man, Mum. He's a man."

  "So who is this mystery man?"

  "Someone who's important to me. Look, can I have some money?" Maria finally tore her eyes away from Dino's handwriting to meet her mother's worried gaze. "I want to go to New York to see him. I'll need to pay for travel up to London, the flight, a hotel, and probably other stuff I haven't thought of yet."

  "Well, I don't know." Her mother frowned. "Isn't this a bit sudden, darling? When did you meet him?"

  "I don't ask for much, Mum. I've worked for nothing more than board and lodging for years. That must give me some credit to call on."

  "We paid you a bit more than board and lodging," her mother said indignantly. "What about your car and your clothes?"

  "Yes, I know. I'm not saying you didn't look after me. But I couldn't save for a holiday. You told me to see more of the world. Well, I want to see New York."

  "Let me have a chat with your father. We're talking about a few thousand pounds, I expect. That's not small change."

  It was considerably less than her parents had spent on their recent four-week cruise in the Caribbean.

  She went to the office and started searching for flights that left in the next few days, hoping for a late deal. If Dino was missing her, that meant he wanted to see her. At the thought of traveling to America, memories of Austria rose into her mind, but she pushed them aside. She would not let her fear stop her going to see him. She would not let the men who'd attacked her ruin her life.

  ***

  Maria pulled her suitcase out the doors of New York's JFK international airport with Chris at her side. Maria's mum and dad had been reluctant to fund her trip, but Chris had found a four-night deal and loaned Maria the money on the condition she could come along. Maria was too focused on Dino to think about the shopping blitz Chris planned, but she was grateful to her sister for the loan and the moral support. Maria felt light-headed with fatigue after traveling for hours, but the thought of seeing Dino fizzed through her like a large dose of caffeine.

  They climbed into a yellow taxi and told the driver to head for the Metropolitan Opera House. Maria shut her eyes and was lulled into a daze as the vehicle slid through traffic while blues music played softly on the radio. They had been driving for nearly an hour when Chris squealed with excitement. "Oh my God, look. I can see the Empire State Building." Maria peered out and anticipation ticked in her chest, her body a mass of jangling nerves. Soon she would see Dino again. Or she hoped she would. She hadn't let herself dwell on the problem of making contact with him.

  Finally, the taxi drew to a halt at the bottom of some wide, shallow steps that ran the length of the Lincoln Center plaza. "We're here, ladies." The taxi driver pointed across the open space to a spectacular building with five massive arches along the façade.

  Maria paid him and he fetched the bags from the trunk. "Wow, this place looks like a modern day palace. It's fantastic." She placed a hand over her bounding heart and stared at the building. It was magnificent. They pulled their cases up the steps and gazed at the imposing structures that lined three sides of the plaza.

  "Dino's here," Maria said a little breathlessly. "I just know he is." Excitement energized her as she set off at a brisk pace, tugging her case behind her.

  "Hang on!" Chris traipsed after her, wobbling on the heels she'd worn. "God, my feet are killing me."

  "I told you to wear flat shoes for traveling." Maria scuffed the toe of her comfortable training shoe against the ground as she waited for her sister to catch up. At a more restrained pace, they walked across the plaza side by side.

  At the entrance to the opera house, she asked a security guard for directions to the stage door. As instructed, they headed down a staircase and an escalator to the underground parking level and found the corridor he'd mentioned. "This is uninspiring," Chris said wrinkling her nose. "I thought the stage door would be really impressive. Surely they don't make the stars come in through the parking garage. It's more like a service entrance."

  Their footsteps echoed along the concrete floor then Maria halted at a set of double doors leading into the bowels of the opera house. Her stomach churned like a washing machine on spin cycle.

  "How are we going to get in?" Chris said.

  "Knock, I guess." Maria raised her hand and gave three hard thumps on the door. "That should get someone's attention."

  Chewing her lip, Maria waited for the door to open. It didn't. "Blast," she whispered.

  "Maybe we should go to the box office and ask there," Chris offered.

  Maria had hoped when she reached New York everything would fall into place. But even if Dino was inside the opera house, she might not gain access. What she'd really done was come racing over here on a wing and a prayer with no idea how to contact him. A frustrated sigh hissed out between her lips.

  Chris's hand settled on her arm. "Don't worry. We've got four days to contact him." Suddenly four days didn't sound very long.

  They turned to head back to the lobby but had only gone a few yards when the stage door opened. Two men in overalls came out chatting. Maria left her case and dashed back. "Excuse me. I need to see Dino Rossellini. Is it all right to go in?"

  One of the men held the door open for her. "Go for it."

  "Where are the dressing rooms?"

  He shrugged.

  "Wow, that was lucky!" Maria caught the door and held it open while Chris dragged both cases over the threshold.

  "Fate," Chris said whimsically. Maria didn't know if fate had a hand in this, but her heart jigged with renewed excitement. To think Dino must have passed through this very door and along the corridor. Her feet might be treading on the same tiles as his had.

  A man passed them pushing a brush along the floor. At her question, he pointed out Dino's dressing room. Chris clasped Maria's hands and squealed. "Oh my gosh. We're here!"

  Maria knocked on Dino's door, nerves fluttering in her stomach. When he didn't answer, she rapped again and waited.

  "Oh, come on. We're so close." Chris shoved down the door handle and to Maria's surprise it opened. After sharing a wide-eyed glance, they both stared into the small, neat, and very empty dressing room. He wasn't here. But Maria's gaze alighted on something that made her heart bound with joy: Dino's leather jacket hung on a metal railing with some costumes.

  Without making a conscious decision to enter, her feet carried her into the room. She pulled Dino's jacket off the hanger and hugged it, breathing in the fragrance of leather and his oh-so-familiar spicy smell. Tears filled her eyes and all her worries of a moment ago fled. She was here! Soon she would see him, kiss him, tell him how much she'd missed him. A burst of adrenaline made her giggle. She danced around the room with his jacket clutched to her chest.

  Chris watched from the doorway, her grin fading to a frown. "You really love him, don't you?"

  Maria stopped, and met her sister's gaze. "Of course. Why would I come all this way otherwise?"

  "I hoped you were just infatuated by the glamour of it all like me. He's hot, but he's so not right for you, Mari." She pulled both cases into the room and flopped wearily in an armchair.

  Stunned by her sister's comment, Maria pl
opped onto the upright chair at the dressing table, Dino's jacket clutched possessively in her arms. "Why did you even come with me if you think that?"

  The silence stretched between them for a few minutes. "I have a confession," Chris said.

  "What?" A shock of foreboding passed through Maria.

  "I told Mum about Dino staying at the Crow's Nest."

  "Christine! Why?"

  "She was worried about you. She had some weird idea Tom had visited and upset you. I don't know where that came from, but I had to tell her the truth." Chris released a weary breath. "That's why Mum and Dad wouldn't pay your fare to New York."

  "That is so unfair. Mum doesn't even know Dino."

  "She doesn't want to see you hurt. Neither do I. You hardly said a word to me about Dino after he left Porthale. I thought it was just a holiday romance. Then out of the blue you want to race over here. I thought you were just starstruck and when you got here you'd see sense."

  Chris's words swirled around Maria's mind. Both Chris and her mum thought she was silly yearning after a man she could never have. She swiveled her chair away from Chris and stared down at the leather jacket in her hands. She hadn't imagined the time she'd spent with Dino, his affection for her. Even though it felt like a dream sometimes.

  "We got along so well," Maria said softly.

  "I know." Chris leaned over and squeezed Maria's hand. "But he walked away without leaving you his phone number. When a guy wants to see a girl again, he gives her his number."

  Maria's bubble of euphoria burst and she sagged in her chair. She'd told herself this very thing until the postcard arrived. Maria pressed her fingers to her temples. Sudden weariness throbbed in her head. "I wish you'd said this before we left home." Not that it would have stopped her coming.

  "I'm sorry. I like Dino a lot. He's cute and charming. I can totally see why you fell for him. But it was never going to come to anything. I did try to warn you."

  Maria hated when her sister said 'I told you so.'

  "Do you want to go and find our hotel?" Chris said gently.

  "Not yet. Now we're here, I want to talk to Dino. I've come all this way."