The Vineyards Of Calanetti

“The village is centuries old and used to be a stronghold against attacks.”

“I couldn’t imagine there being unrest here. I mean, did you ever see anything so peaceful?” There was a distinct note of awe in Kayla’s voice. “There’s something almost magical about it.”

“I used to think that, too.”

“You did?”

He nodded, recalling days of long ago. “I used to come to this spot when I was a kid.” What he failed to mention is that he came here to get away from his parents’ arguing. “I’d pretend that I was the defender of the kingdom. Many sword battles took place where you’re standing.”

“Really? So you were Sir Lancelot?” She eyed him up as though imagining him in a coat of armor.

He was no knight—not even close to it. He’d just been a kid trying to escape the battlefield between his parents, but he didn’t want to get into any of that. A gentle breeze rushed past them and he willed it to sweep away the unsettling memories. He didn’t want the past to ruin this day.

“Look.” She pointed to a flock of little birds as they took flight. They soared up into the sky, circled and swooped low before rising again. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

He was never a bird-watcher, but he had to admire the symmetry of their movements. He couldn’t help but wonder what else he’d been missing. His gaze strayed back to Kayla. How had he missed noticing how amazing she was both inside and out?

“And listen.”

He did as she asked. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly! There’s nothing but the rustle of the leaves. It’s so freeing.”

Now that he could agree on. He’d been searching for quietness like this ever since he’d moved to New York, but he’d never been able to find it—until now. “It clears the mind.”

“Good. We want clear heads when we tour Monte Calanetti.” She turned and pointed off in the distance. “I just love the rows of grapevines. I wonder how they get the lines so straight.”

“I’m betting if you were to ask Nico that he’d tell you anything you want to know about running a vineyard. He’s very proud of his work.”

“You mean all of that is Nico’s land?”

Angelo nodded. “It has been passed down through the family. When my father couldn’t make a go of it, they passed the land down to us kids. I was already working in New York and Marianna was too young, so Nico stepped up. He’s worked really hard to rebuild the vineyard and make a name for the wine.”

“Hardworking must be a trait of the Amatucci men.”

“Some of them anyhow.” His father wasn’t big on work, which was evident by the poor condition of the vineyard when he’d handed it over to his children. “Come on. I thought you wanted to see Monte Calanetti.”

“I do.”

With Kayla’s hand still tucked in the crook of his arm, Angelo took comfort in having her next to him. This was his first stroll through the village since that dreadful day when his father cast him out of their family home. These days when he returned to Italy, he either stayed in the city or at the villa. He just wasn’t up for the curious stares or worse the questions about why he left.

As they strolled through the village, Angelo warned himself not to get too comfortable with Kayla. Soon this vacation illusion would end, and they’d be back in New York, where he’d transform back into Mr. Amatucci and she’d once again be Ms. Hill. Everything would once again be as it should.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

NEVER ONE TO lurk in the shadows, Angelo led Kayla into the center of Monte Calanetti. Their first stop was at the caffè shop. He’d never met a woman who loved coffee as much as Kayla. She savored each sip before swallowing. He loved to watch her facial features when she’d take her first sip—it was somewhere between total delight and ecstasy. He longed to be able to put that look on her face...and not with coffee...but with a long, slow, deep, soul-stirring kiss.

He’d given up the futile effort of fighting his lustful thoughts for Kayla. He couldn’t lie to himself. He found her utterly enchanting. And as long as he stuck with his daydreams of holding her—of kissing her passionately—they’d be fine. It wasn’t as if she could read his mind.

They stepped out of the shop and onto the busy sidewalk. As they started to walk again, he reminded himself not to get too caught up in having Kayla by his side. She was the absolute wrong person for him to have a dalliance with beneath the Tuscany sun. He was her escort—her friend—nothing more. He forced his thoughts to the quaint shops that offered such things as locally grown flowers and to-die-for baked goods. There was a little bit of everything. And he could tell by the rapt stare on Kayla’s face that she was enthralled by all of it.

“Angelo, is that you?”

They both stopped at the sound of a woman’s excited voice. Angelo glanced over his shoulder to see an older woman rushing toward them. She looked vaguely familiar.

“It is you.” The woman couldn’t be much more than five feet tall, if that. She beamed up at him. “I knew you’d come back.”

It took him a moment, but then the woman’s gentle smile and warm eyes clicked a spot in his memory—Mrs. Caruso. He hadn’t seen her since he was a teenager. Back then, she’d had long dark hair that she kept braided over one shoulder. Now, her dark hair had given way to shades of gray, and instead of the braid, her hair was pinned up.

Kayla elbowed him, and at last, he found his voice. “Mrs. Caruso, it’s good to see you.”

“What kind of greeting is that?” She grabbed him by the arms and pulled him toward her. When he’d stooped over far enough, she placed a hand on either side of his head, and then kissed each cheek. “You’ve been gone much too long. You’ve been missed.”

She pulled him back down to her and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her back. Heat warmed his face. He wasn’t used to public displays of affection...no matter how innocent they might be. This would never happen back in the States. But then again, Monte Calanetti was a lifetime away from New York City, and the same rules didn’t seem to apply here.

They chatted for a bit as she asked one question after the other about what he’d been doing with himself. The years rolled away as she put him at ease with her friendly chatter. The best part was that she really listened to him—as she’d done all of those years ago when he was a kid. Mrs. Caruso and her husband ran the local bakery. They’d never had any children of their own. Angelo always suspected that it wasn’t from the lack of wanting or trying. Without little ones of her own, she’d doted on the kids in the village.

“You are going to do the royal wedding pitch, aren’t you?” She smiled and clapped her hands together as though she’d just solved the world’s problems.

“Nico asked me to work on it. My assistant and I just extended our stay here in order to work up a presentation for the royal family.”

“Wonderful!” Mrs. Caruso beamed. “Now I’m more certain than ever that the village will host the wedding. Everyone will be so grateful to both of you.”

“I don’t know about that—”

“You’re just being modest. You always were.” Mrs. Caruso’s gaze moved to Kayla. “Now where are my manners? Angelo, introduce me to your girlfriend.”

His girlfriend? Hadn’t she heard him say Kayla was his assistant? His gaze moved from her to Kayla, who was smiling. Why wasn’t she correcting the woman? Was she just being polite? Or should he be concerned that she was taking this friendly outing far too seriously?

“Hi, I’m Kayla.” She held out a hand while Angelo struggled to settle his thoughts. “I’m actually Mr. Amatucci’s assistant.”

Mrs. Caruso’s brows rose as her gaze moved back and forth between them. “I could have sworn that you two were— Oh, never mind me. I’m just so glad that you’re both here to help with the wedding.”

They promised to stop by the bakery soon and moved on down the walkway. He still didn’t know why Mrs. Caruso would think they were a couple. Then he glanced down to where Kayla’s hand was resting on his arm. Okay, so maybe from the outside the lines in their relationship appeared a bit blurred, but they knew where they stood. Didn’t they?

He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry about back there with Mrs. Caruso jumping to conclusions about us.”

“It’s okay. It was a natural mistake.”

A natural mistake? Wait. What exactly did that mean?

He glanced over at Kayla. “But you know that you and I...that we’re, um...that nothing has changed. Right?”

She smiled up at him. “Relax. We’re just two business associates enjoying a stroll through the village. It’s a mission. We have to learn as much about this place as possible so that you can do some brainstorming about the pitch when we return to our suite.”

She said all of the right things, but why did they sound so wrong to his ears? Maybe he was just being hypersensitive. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Exactly.” Now he needed to change the subject to something a little less stressful. “Mrs. Caruso certainly seemed hopeful about the royal wedding.”

“She did. It seems as if the whole village is buzzing with excitement about it.”

“I just hope they don’t end up disappointed.”

She lightly elbowed him. “They won’t be. You’ll see to that.”

At this particular moment, she had a lot more faith in his abilities than he did. “I don’t know if I’m that good. This is just a small village and we’re talking about a royal wedding—the sort of thing they write about in history books.”

“And who better to sell the royal couple on the merits of Monte Calanetti?” She gazed up at him with hope in her eyes. “You just need to loosen up a bit and enjoy yourself.”

“I am relaxed.” As relaxed as he got these days.

She sighed and shook her head. “No, you aren’t. Let down your guard and enjoy the sun on your face.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Because I want you to really see Monte Calanetti and get excited about it.” Her gaze met his and then dipped to his mouth. “I think if you’re passionate about something it will show.”

The temperature started to rise. He knew what she was thinking because he was thinking the same thing. He zeroed in on her inviting lips. He was definitely feeling passionate. Would it be wrong to kiss her again?

Someone bumped his shoulder as they passed by, reminding him that they were in the middle of the village. Not exactly the place for a passionate moment or even a quick peck. Besides, he couldn’t give her the wrong impression. He didn’t do relationships.

Before he could decide if he should say something, Kayla slipped her arm in his and they started to walk again. They made their way around the piazza, taking in the various shops from a shoe boutique to a candy shop. Monte Calanetti offered so much more than he recalled.

Maybe it wasn’t quite the small backward village he’d conjured up in his memory—the same village where he’d once got into a bit of mischief with harmless pranks. Those were the carefree days that he hadn’t known to appreciate as they flew by.

“What are you smiling about?” Kayla sent him a curious look.

He was smiling? He hadn’t realized his thoughts had crossed his face. “I was just recalling some antics I’d gotten into as a kid.”

“Oh, tell me. I’d love to hear.”

“You would?” He wouldn’t think something like that would interest her. When she nodded, he continued. “There was this one time when I glued a coin to the sidewalk outside the market. You wouldn’t believe how many people tried to pry it free.”

Her eyes twinkled. “So you didn’t always play by the rules.”

He shrugged. “What kind of trouble did you get into?”

“Me? Nothing.”

“Oh, come on, confess. There has to be something.”

She paused as though giving it some serious consideration. “Well, there was this one time the neighborhood boys attached some fishing line to a dollar. It was similar to what you did. They’d lay it out in front of my parents’ market, and when someone went to pick up it up, they’d tug on the line.”

“See, I knew you weren’t as innocent as you appeared.”

“Hey, it wasn’t me. It was them. I...I was just watching.”

“Uh-huh.” He enjoyed the way her cheeks filled with color. “It’s good to know you have some spunk in you. That will come in handy in this business.”

* * *

Kayla was in love—with the village, of course.

Brilliant sunshine lit up the heart of Monte Calanetti. The piazza was surrounded by a wide range of small shops to satisfy even the most discerning tastes. But it was the large fountain in the center of the village square that drew Kayla’s attention. She tugged on Angelo’s arm, leading them toward it.

The focal point of the fountain was a nymph draped in a cloak. She held a huge clamshell overhead. The sunshine sparkled and danced over the fine billowing mist from the continuous jets of water. Kayla stopped at the fountain’s edge. She smiled, loving the details of the sculpture that included a ring of fish leaping out of the water.

“I take it you like the fountain.” Angelo’s deep voice came from just behind her. “You know there’s a tradition that if you toss a coin and it lands in the shell, you get your wish.”

Her gaze rose to the clamshell—suddenly it didn’t look quite so big. “You’d have to be awfully lucky to get it all the way up there.”

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

“I...I don’t think so. I was never good at those types of things.”

Angelo held a coin out to her. “Here you go.” His fingers pressed the money into her palm. “I made a wish once and it came true.”

“Really?” She turned to him. “What was it?”

He shook his head. “You aren’t supposed to tell your wish.”

“But that doesn’t apply if your wish has already come true. So, out with it.”

The corner of his very inviting lips lifted. “Okay. I wished that someday I’d get to travel the world.”

“Wow. It really did come true.” She thought really hard, but was torn by what she should wish for. She could wish for the fund-raiser to be a huge success. Or she could wish for her promotion to ad executive. But fountains should be for fanciful dreams.

“Don’t look so worried. Turn around.”

She did as he said. The next thing she knew, his body pressed to her back—his hard planes to her soft curves. His breath tickled her neck. Her heart thumped and her knees grew weak. Thankfully he was there holding her up.

His voice was soft as he spoke. “You make the wish and I’ll help you get the coin in the shell. Ready?”

She nodded. Together with their hands touching, they swung. The coin flipped end over end through the air.

Let Angelo kiss me.

Plunk! The coin landed in the clamshell.

“We did it!”

At that moment, Angelo backed away. “Did you ever doubt it?”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” She turned around, hoping her wish would come true.

“Did you make your wish?”

Disappointment washed over her. Of course he wasn’t going to kiss her. She’d let herself get caught up in the moment. That wouldn’t happen again.

“We should keep moving.” She turned to start walking. “We don’t want to miss anything.”

“Wait.” He reached out for her hand. “Aren’t you going to tell me what you wished for?”

“Um...no. I can’t.” When he sent her a puzzled look, she added, “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Her hand remained in his warm grasp as they continued their stroll. Was it her imagination or was Angelo’s icy professional persona melting beneath the Tuscany sun? She smiled. He was definitely warming up.

CHAPTER TWELVE

SIMPLY CHARMING.

At this particular moment, Kayla had no better word for it. And she wasn’t just talking about the village. She gave Angelo a sideways gaze. Handsome, thoughtful and entertaining. “Quite a combo.”

“What?”

Oops! She hadn’t meant to vocalize her thoughts. “I...I was just thinking Monte Calanetti has quite an amazing combination of old-world charm and modern day functionality.”

They meandered away from the fountain. On the edge of the piazza, they passed by a well that she was certain had seen its days of women gathering to fill their buckets. While waiting for their turn, she imagined they’d shared the happenings of the village—the historic form of gossiping around the water cooler. It was so easy to envision how things used to be. Something told Kayla that this village hadn’t changed a whole lot over the years.

The sunshine warmed the back of her neck, but it was Angelo’s arm beneath her fingertips that warmed her insides. She resisted the urge to smooth her fingers over his tanned skin. She was in serious danger of forgetting that he was her boss—the key to her future promotion.

As the bell towers rang out, Kayla stared at the cobblestone path that wound its way between the brick buildings. A number of the homes had flower boxes with red, yellow and purple blooms. There were also flowerpots by the various shaped doors painted in every imaginable color. In other places, ivy snaked its way along the bricks. This area was quite picturesque and made Kayla forget that she was in the center of the village.

A rustling sound had her glancing upward. She craned her neck, finding fresh laundry fluttering in the breeze. She couldn’t help but smile. It was a lovely, inviting sight. But as much as she liked it, it was the man at her side that she found utterly captivating.

Angelo Amatucci might be icy cool in the office, but she’d found that once he thawed out, he was a warm, thoughtful man. Not that she was falling for his amazing good looks or his dark, mysterious eyes. Her priority was her career—the reason she’d left her home in Paradise. And she wasn’t about to ruin her future by throwing herself at her boss.

She chanced a quick glance his way. But then again—

No. She pulled her thoughts up short. This wasn’t getting her anywhere.

She was supposed to be touring Monte Calanetti to get ideas for the wedding pitch. If they were going to sell the royal couple on this location for the wedding, she needed to know as much about it as possible. And of what she’d seen so far, she loved it. This village and its occupants would give the wedding an old-world feel with lots of heart.

The villagers sent puzzled glances their way as though they should know who Angelo was but couldn’t quite place his face. And then there were a few people that ventured to ask if he was indeed Angelo. When he confirmed their suspicions, he wasn’t greeted with a simple hello or a mere handshake; instead, he was yanked into warm hugs. She could see the frown lines etched on his face, but to his credit he didn’t complain. There were even a few tears of happiness from the older women who remembered him when he was just a young boy.

Angelo took her hand in his as though it were natural for them. Kayla liked feeling connected to him—feeling his long fingers wrapped around hers.

“I’m sorry about that.” Angelo started walking again. “I didn’t expect anyone to remember me.”

“You must have spent a lot of time in the village as a kid.”

“I did. It was my escape from the monotony of working around the vineyard.” His jaw tensed and a muscle twitched.

“I take it that’s why you let your brother have the run of Calanetti Vineyards?”

He nodded. “Nico is as passionate about the winery as I am with advertising. How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Kayla shook her head. “My parents wanted more children, but that didn’t work out. So with me being an only child, they heaped all of their hopes and dreams onto me.”

“Hmm...sounds a bit daunting for one person.”

“It is. That’s why I had to leave Paradise.”

“Somehow I just can’t imagine life in Paradise could be such a hardship.”

She shrugged. “It’s great. The people are wonderful. It’s the perfect place to raise kids.”

“But you weren’t ready for kids?”

The thought of taking on that sort of responsibility still overwhelmed her. “I have to figure out me first and accomplish some things on my own before I can be there 24/7 for others. And my parents, as much as I love them, didn’t understand this.”

“They wanted you to graduate high school and settle down.”

She nodded. “They had it all planned out. I’d get married, have lots of kids and when the time came my husband and I would take over the family store.”

“Doesn’t sound so bad.”

“No. It isn’t. But I always had a dream of going to college and making a name for myself. I wanted to move to the city. I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. I wanted to—”

She bit off her last words. Heat rushed up her neck and warmed her face. She couldn’t believe that she’d gotten so comfortable around Angelo that she’d just rambled on about her dreams. For a moment, she’d forgotten that she was talking to her boss.

Not good, Kayla. Not good at all.

She freed her hand from his. It was time she started acting like his employee, not his girlfriend. The time had come to get back to reality.

Angelo stopped walking and turned to her. “What aren’t you saying? What do you want to do?”

“Um...nothing. It’s no big deal. Let’s keep going. I want to see the whole village.” She turned to start walking again.

Angelo reached out, catching her arm in his firm grip. “Not so fast.” She turned back, glancing up at his serious gaze. “Kayla, talk to me.” His hand fell away from her arm. “I’ve told you all sorts of things that I don’t normally share with people. I’d like to know what you were about to say and why you stopped. Surely by now you know that you can trust me.”

Could she trust him? She supposed it depended on the subject. With her safety—most definitely. With her dreams—perhaps. With her heart— Wait, where had that come from?

“Kayla, what is it?”

She wasn’t good at lying so that left her with the truth, but she didn’t know how Angelo would take it. “I came to New York because I wanted...er...I want to be an ad executive.”

His brows scrunched together. “And?”

She shrugged. “And that’s it.”

“That’s what you didn’t want to tell me?”

Her gaze moved to the cobblestone walkway. “It’s just that I got comfortable around you and forgot to watch what I was saying.”

“Oh, I see. Since I’m the boss, you feel like you have to screen what you say to me?”

She nodded.

“How about this? For the duration of this trip, I’m not your boss. We’re just business associates or how about friends? Would you like that?”

Her gaze met his and she found that he was being perfectly serious. “But what about when we return to New York?”

“Obviously things will have to change then, but for right now, I’d like to just be Angelo, not Mr. Amatucci. I’d forgotten what it’s like just to be me again.”

“And I like you calling me Kayla.” Her gaze met his. Within his eyes she found a comforting warmth. “Consider yourself a friend.”

He held out his hand to her. She accepted it. A shiver of excitement raced up her arm. They continued to stare deep into each other’s eyes, even though it was totally unnecessary. She knew she should turn away. She knew that it was the proper thing to do with her boss. But as he’d just pointed out they were friends—for now.

His voice grew deeper. “I couldn’t think of a better friend to have.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest. What had just happened?

Angelo turned and tucked her hand back in the crook of his arm. Why did it suddenly feel as though their relationship had just taken a detour? How would they ever find their way back to just being boss and employee now?

* * *

Monte Calanetti is a diamond in the rough.

Had that thought really just crossed his mind?

Before he’d left the hotel a few hours ago, he’d envisioned Monte Calanetti as he had when he was a child—suffocating with its traditional ways and its resistance to growth and to modernization. But somehow, with Kayla by his side, he’d seen the village from a different perspective—he’d seen it through her very beautiful, very observant eyes. With her passion and romantic tendencies, she might just be the key he needed to pull this wedding pitch together. But did he dare ask for her help?