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‘I’ve seen you on the dance floor, Bella, and I’ve seen you retreat into your shell. What I don’t understand is why you don’t just let go for once—take a risk, taste life,’ Nero tempted, refusing to have his good mood squashed by Bella’s sudden change of heart.
‘And if I did?’ She laughed. ‘I only get it wrong.’
‘Do you think you’re the only one who makes mistakes, Bella?’ Nero demanded.
She had just thrown the reins over Misty’s head and was about to put her foot in the stirrup when Nero held her back. ‘When I was a little boy, idiot was my middle name. I was always getting into trouble. I never did what I was told.’
‘Am I supposed to be surprised?’ Bella said wryly, leaning back against Misty’s flank. ‘From what I can see of your grandmother from her portrait and from what Ignacio told me about her, I’m guessing she soon sorted you out.’
Nero laughed. ‘You could call it that. She warned me that if I was determined to run wild, I should have a real challenge.’
Bella stroked Misty’s neck. ‘How old were you?’
‘I was about nine when my grandmother took me for this particular ride on the pampas. We were both riding crazy horses.’
‘Do you breed any other type?’ Bella laughed.
‘We didn’t take a lot of food.’ Nero’s eyes grew thoughtful. There was a self-deprecating curve to his lips, as if he couldn’t believe how badly he’d been sucked in. ‘You think you know everything when you’re nine—you’re immortal and invincible.’ Refocusing, he went on. ‘Grandmother told me she wouldn’t be out long enough for us to need much in the way of food.’
‘I bet she did,’ Bella said, her eyes twinkling. ‘And you weren’t suspicious?’
‘Why should I be?’ Nero frowned. ‘This is my grandmother we’re talking about.’
‘Exactly,’ Bella said wryly.
And now Nero was laughing too. ‘I should have known when she asked if I had plenty of water with me, but I was very trusting in those days.’ His lips pressed down as he rasped his chin.
‘I guess we were both destined to learn our lessons young,’ Bella commented. ‘So your grandmother abandoned you on the pampas?’
‘Yes, she did,’ Nero confirmed. ‘We made camp. She made sure I had something to eat, and then, while I was lying back relaxing, no doubt planning my next mischief, she sneaked off.’
‘And you didn’t hear her ride away?’
‘My grandmother had learned the ways of the gaucho. She tied cloths over her horse’s hooves and led him away. By the time I looked around and wondered where she’d gone she was probably back at the ranch.’
‘How long did it take you to find your way home?’
‘Two days.’
‘And what did your grandmother say when you finally turned up?’
‘We never spoke of it—she wasn’t exactly noted for showing her feelings.’
Like Nero, Bella thought.
‘But she had—shown her feelings, I mean,’ he murmured as he thought about it. ‘In her way.’ He grinned. ‘Anyway, after that, Ignacio started playing a larger part in my life, or perhaps I started listening. I knew now that I would need all the tricks Ignacio could teach me to make sure I was never caught out again—like knowing where to find food and water on the pampas. How to catch a runaway horse. How to understand women…’
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sp; ‘Ah, the hardest lesson of all.’
‘And one I’m still brushing up on,’ Nero admitted with an engaging grin.
‘And were you still a bad boy after this period of study?’
‘What do you think?’
‘I think you channelled your energies in a different direction.’
