“I’m glad you said that because I didn’t plan to wear a veil.”
Callie smiled. “I guess the shopping’s done. Have you thought of something to give Riley for a wedding present?”
“N-not yet,” she stammered. He’d probably laugh at anything she picked out. Ann would never forget what he’d said to her.
I don’t want to marry you, either, but it’s the only way I’d take a woman like you to bed.
She’d never forgive him for blackmailing her into submission…
“Well, as long as my mother-in-law is willing to keep Anna for the whole day, let’s pick up lunch somewhere and eat it at Nicco’s office. He’ll have a good suggestion.”
Ann hadn’t spent five minutes with Riley since the morning he’d forced her into telling the family they were getting married. According to Nicco he was at the plant’s test track during the day, then he rode his new street bike back to the barge alone after hours.
He’d purchased a cell phone and would call her in the evenings. Their conversations were abysmally short since Ann had little to say to him.
Callie had insisted Ann get a cell phone, too. Once they lived on the barge, it was the only way the two sisters would be able to stay in touch with each other.
Riley’s excuse to Ann for not getting together with her boiled down to the fact that he was busy taking care of plans for their wedding dinner and couldn’t trust himself to be alone with his intended bride.
She knew better.
He was having a weeklong bachelor party with some gorgeous woman he’d met. It would serve him right if Ann drove out to the river to surprise him, but she never managed to get up the nerve. The thought of discovering another female in residence, even if it was temporary, was too painful to contemplate.
It didn’t take long to reach Nicco’s office from the shopping arcade on the Via Roma. The thought of seeing Riley caused Ann’s heart to beat too fast the whole way there, but it almost flatlined when Nicco happened to mention that Riley had gone out of town on personal business and wouldn’t be back until Saturday.
After finishing his lunch, Nicco smiled at her from his swivel chair. “I’m sure he’d like anything you picked out for him. We have some sport watches here that are state of the art for a racing pro.”
“I imagine she was thinking of something a little more romantic, darling.”
His black gaze flicked from his wife’s to Ann’s. “Romantic…” He sat forward. “Let me think about it. I’ll be home early.”
True to his word, he walked into the palace kitchen at four where Callie had started to fix dinner. She was trying to talk Ann into the idea of eventually moving into the east wing of the palace with Riley. Their families could be completely separate, yet they’d be nearby.
Callie was being her wonderful, generous self, but she didn’t understand that marriage to Riley wasn’t going to be a normal one.
Besides, Riley wasn’t the kind of man to live off of anyone else. After work on Monday, Nicco told them Riley paid him full price for the street bike he’d picked out to ride to and from work. He didn’t want a free bike simply for being on the racing team.
Her brother-in-law would never have said anything about it if he didn’t admire Riley for his principles.
He’d also shown his fierce independence in other ways by informing Ann they wouldn’t be renting the barge very long. She didn’t know what else he had in mind, but something told her the possibility of moving into the palace wasn’t a consideration he would entertain.
After Nicco kissed his wife, he walked over to Ann and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ve decided on the perfect gift you can give Riley. Come outside with me.”
“Wait for me!”
Callie followed them through the palace and out the west wing doors. Her steps slowed when she saw a new purple and lavender street bike. Nicco had parked it next to his red monster. It was the kind he’d designed with a lower seat height so the medium and shorter woman would be comfortable. There was a lavender helmet and gloves sitting on the seat.
She blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“Between Callie and me, we’re going to teach you how to ride. Riley knows how much you hate motorcycles. It will blow him away if you learn the rudiments so the two of you can go on little trips together. That’s one of the joys of life. I had one of the men at the plant drive it over.”
Ann got this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “No, Nicco—I couldn’t!”
“I won’t accept that,” he fired back. She’d never heard him talk so sternly to her before. “Callie tells me someone you knew at your high school was killed on a motorcycle and it terrified you. I can understand that.
“But she also told me it was the sixteen-year-old’s first time on a bike. He wasn’t wearing any protection and had taken it out on the freeway without the tiniest clue of what he was doing. Those are the kinds of needless accidents that give motorcycles a bad name.”
Ann had only seen Nicco serious mode one other time. It was the night he couldn’t find Callie. He’d been a force you didn’t want to contend with. This was the first time Ann had seen him this wrought up since his marriage. Whoa.
“Your husband-to-be is a true professional. He hasn’t lived to the age of twenty-nine without knowing exactly what he’s doing at all times. Rocky Garrow was probably the finest teacher a cyclist could ever have. Riley’s his son and was born with his dad’s instincts.
“The only accident that ever put Riley in the hospital was because of the explosion that rocked the set where he was doubling as a firefighter. You owe it to him and yourself to at least find out what it’s like to ride one.
“I’m not even talking about riding on the street. There are hundreds, thousands of places off road in the mountains where you can have a lot of fun without the fear of collision or too much speed.
“You’re an excellent driver, and Callie tells me you two rode everywhere on pedal bikes when you were young. There’s no reason in the world why you can’t ride a motorcycle with the same expertise once you’ve learned the fundamentals.
“My wife is a perfect example of someone who was taught the correct way. She practiced on the back country roads. In time, when she’d built her confidence, she was ready to be out on the freeway.
“If you try it and hate it, then so be it. But don’t let one accident that happened to a kid years ago who didn’t have the sense he was born with, keep you from an experience you might end up loving as much as your husband.”
He’s not going to be my husband very long, Nicco.
Even if she didn’t lose him in an accident, she’d lose him when he decided he wanted someone else.
“Ann?” he prompted. “Have you heard anything I’ve been saying?”
“Yes, Nicco,” she answered in a docile voice.
“If nothing else, you’ll have a better understanding of your husband. That’s vital if a marriage is going to work.”
He doesn’t love me. That’s why it’s not going to work.
She took a deep breath. Nicco had never asked anything of her, except for the time he’d forced her to show him where she thought Callie was hiding. That was a night she’d never forget.
After everything he’d done for her, what choice did she have now but to humor him?
Callie was staying exceptionally quiet. Ann didn’t even have to look at her twin to know how much this would mean to her.
“How come you brought a purple one home?”
“Because I caught Riley admiring it the other day.”
“Oh, all right!” she cried out in frustration. “But if I crash, I don’t even own it.”
He chuckled. “Let me worry about that.”
“Okay…what do I have to do first?”
She’d never seen two people scramble so fast to enlighten her.
The helmet took some getting used to.
Learning how to work the clutch reminded her of those painful experiences at the fa
rm when their mom taught them how to shift the truck gears. Ann liked the idea of her hands being in control of the brakes and the clutch.
Whatever Nicco had done, the bike seemed to be a perfect fit. After learning how to start the motor, she got used to pushing off. The hardest part seemed to be keeping her feet on the pegs. She had the urge to spread her legs in case she started to fall.
Pretty soon she was riding in big circles around the courtyard in plain view of them. She had to admit it was kind of fun, but she wasn’t going to tell them that. Not yet. These were early days. Compared to the kind of riding Riley did at the track, she felt like a toddler trying to manage her first tricycle.
It was dark by the time she made her last circle around. Once she’d turned off the motor and set the kickstand, she pulled off her helmet and gloves to hand to Callie.
“I’m tired. Can I go in now?”
Nicco plucked her off the bike and swung her around in his arms. “That’s my girl. I knew you could do it!”
My gosh! What was it about a motorcycle that sent men like him and Riley into ecstasy?
“Tomorrow we’ll all ride around the track together after hours. I’ll also take you on the back of mine so you’ll be comfortable when you need to ride double with Riley.”
What if she didn’t want to?
But of course she wouldn’t have dreamed of saying that to Nicco. He was acting as excited as a boy who’d just found his favorite toy under the Christmas tree.
Besides, she did wonder what it would feel like to go faster than a snail.
Later that night after her shower, she fell into bed exhausted. She’d been so tense learning how to ride, she noticed some sore muscles. While she rubbed them, the palace phone rang. Then a buzzer went off in her room. That meant the call was for her.
No doubt it was Riley. With pounding heart she picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Ann—I’ve been looking all over for you. Why didn’t you tell me you’d left for Italy?”
“D.L.? I’m sorry. It was a last minute decision.”
“That’s all right. I had your sister’s number.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, honey. I’m just on my way to lunch, but I have some news that will knock your socks off.
“They’re going to do a sequel to Cory Sieverts’ last movie. This is totally hush hush. I don’t have official word yet, but it looks like you’re going to be starring in another film with him as early as a couple of weeks.”
She shot up in bed. That was the same time as Riley’s first race at Misano. Since he had appeared on the scene, she’d forgotten all about her career. He’d managed to wipe her memory clean of everything but him.
“How come you’re so quiet? This time we’re going for the big bucks!”
She pushed the hair out of her face. “I don’t know what to say, D.L.”
“Hey—you’re not on something are you?” He was starting to get upset.
Yes. I’ve developed an addiction for Riley Garrow. I’m afraid it’s fatal.
“You caught me in a sound sleep. Of course that’s great news,” she said, but the thought of being in another film sounded awful. And she knew why. It would mean being away from Riley.
Dear God. She was in love with him.
“Ann?” he bellowed.
“I’m still here, D.L.”
“How long are you planning to stay there?”
“I—I’m not sure yet.”
“Well you’d better get home soon!”
“Will you let me know when it’s official?”
There was a long pause. “Whatever happened to the woman who called my office every morning for any news at all?”
That woman no longer exists.
“Things are a little complicated here.”
She didn’t dare tell him she was being married. D.L. didn’t know how to keep a secret like that.
The last thing she wanted was for her friends and colleagues to learn she was about to become Mrs. Don Juan. By the time the news got around to everyone, she’d probably be divorced. The thought of that sent a pain through her heart.
“You’ve changed.”
He’d said that to her before. “I’m sorry.”
“The hell you are!” He slammed down the phone.
She reached over to put the receiver on the hook, then lay back with a troubled sigh. It would have been better if she’d told him the truth tonight, that she’d decided to put acting behind her.
But she could only deal with one crisis at a time. Right now she wasn’t in a fit state to handle D.L. who would be apoplectic when he heard the bad news.
All she could think about was Riley. Where was he tonight? Was he alone?
The phone rang again. Like before, the buzzer sounded. It was probably D.L. calling her back to rage a little more. If that was the case, then she would tell the truth and be done with it.
Once more she reached over to pick up the receiver. “D.L.?”
“No. It’s Riley.”
At the sound of his deep, rich voice her heart pounded in her throat. “Where are you?” She knew she sounded like a hen-pecking wife, but she couldn’t help it.
“I’m in Imola for the night.”
Her hand tightened on the receiver. “Isn’t that where you’re going to race at the end of the month?”
“Yes. Since I haven’t been on the racing circuit before, I had to get signed up so I can be in the qualifying test runs.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It’s a formality I won’t have to go through again. Tell me about your conversation with your agent. I assume he was calling you about another film.”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I hope you told him you’re going to be unavailable from here on out.”
His arrogance was the last straw. “I haven’t made a hard and fast decision about that yet.”
“If that’s the case, I’m calling off the wedding. Nicco just answered the phone so I know he’s still up.”
“Don’t you dare call him, Riley!” she almost screamed into the phone. “I don’t plan to make any more films, but I didn’t want to get into that with D.L. tonight!”
“Why not?”
“Because they might be doing a sequel to the Cory Sieverts film, and there may be a clause in my contract on the first film that says I will be available if there’s a second. I honestly don’t remember.”
“If there is, you’ll have to break it.”
“That could cost me all the money I’ve saved in the bank from my last film!”
“On Saturday you’re going to become my wife. Any money problems we have will be my business.”
“Just now you sounded like my father.”
“Is that good or bad?”
She bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “He was the kind of man who saw his role as the protector and provider. He made my world so secure that when he died prematurely, I fell apart.”
“Thus the reason you focused on a career that could bring you financial security.”
“My mom had a hard time of it, Riley.”
“I don’t doubt it, but there are other jobs you could do that wouldn’t require you to leave the country for weeks on end.”
“What about you?” she cried out. “Racing forces you to travel from continent to continent on a monthly basis.”
“I’m expecting you to travel with me so we’re never apart. That’s what marriage is all about.”
Good marriages, Riley. Marriages based on love.
“You sound tired, sweetheart. I’m going to let you get to bed. The next time we see each other will be at the chapel. I don’t dare come near you before then.” His voice had fallen to another octave.
“The way I’m feeling right now, I want to make love to you until we’re one pulsating entity, mindless of anything or anyone but each other. It’s something I fantasized about too many nights in that hospital bed. The ache has become a need. Do you hear what I’
m saying?”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered, despising herself for loving a man who’d spoken words of physical need for her, nothing more.
The taxi was waved on through the grounds of one of the other royal palaces where Prince Enzo lived with his family and the elder Tescottis. When it drew up to a private side entrance, two uniformed guards stood ready to assist Riley and Mitra from the car.
She looked elegant bedecked with all her jewelry. A new black dress had been purchased for the occasion. She’d tied her favorite purple scarf around her head.
As she turned to him, there was a light in her dark eyes. “Before we go in, give me your hand.”
They’d just come from the barge where other members of her family were making preparations for the wedding dinner. Riley smiled, wondering why she’d waited this long to read his palm, but he complied all the same.
To his surprise he felt her fold something warm and metallic into his palm. “A baro manursh gave this to me when I was a girl.”
A baro manursh meant a great man. Riley wondered where this was leading.
“Everyone in the tribe recognized it as the symbol that we were to be married. But he became ill and whispered all his secrets to me before he died in my tsara.”
It thrilled Riley to know she’d had a great romance in her life.
“Because of the money he left me, my family told me I didn’t need to work. But I had a secret, too. In the tea leaves I’d seen a lost child wandering outside a tent. I saw clowns and balloons. It was the child he and I should have had. So I joined the circus.”
Riley’s throat started to swell.
“One day I heard a child crying and found this beautiful little boy who was lost, clutching the string of a balloon in his hand. That day brought me great happiness.
“When you grew older, I was able to send you to my family where they made sure you were given the proper Gadja schooling. I would have gone home with you, but I didn’t want your father to fear I had run off with you. Otherwise he would have taken you away from me much sooner.”
Now Riley understood.
“Your father and I had many battles, but down here—” she pounded her breast, “he knew it was the right thing for you. His drinking was a sickness, but he always loved you. Do you know how I know that? Because he could have given you to strangers.”
Rush to the Altar Page 9
