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CAROLINE
For the second time in less than a week, Caroline was in Italy. This time, she arrived in style, and she didn’t have to worry about the man in black.
Her would-be stalker hadn’t found her back home in New York, and chances were, he wouldn’t find her again. Not when she was with Ryland. They didn’t use any public transportation, only his private plane and a car he rented.
Caroline seriously doubted that any man would dare attack her when she was with Ryland.
He was handsome and polished, but there was a primal glint in his eyes. She really only saw it when she kissed him, but it returned now as he scanned the tarmac. His gold eyes darkened as he took in their surroundings, and his gaze didn’t lighten until they reached their hotel. Even in the lobby, he watched everyone with an intense suspicion that made even the security guards look away.
“Whoareyou?” she found herself asking again. She’d never gotten an answer the first time she asked. There was something otherworldly about Ryland Wolverton, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Thankfully, she was a natural at sussing out information.
It wouldn’t take her much longer to figure out Ryland’s secret. She would make sure of that.
Much to her surprise, Ryland had booked them a suite. Two bedrooms were linked by a richly decorated living room and kitchen. She would have her privacy, but Ryland would be sleeping only a door away. It was both exhilarating and dangerous.
Especially after that kiss on the plane.
Caroline didn’t know what had overtaken her, but she couldn’t let it happen again. They were here for a reason, and it had nothing to do with the way Ryland made her feel.
They dumped their luggage and took a quick power nap before they returned to the rental car. Ryland continued to assess every new twist in the road as he drove them out of the city center. He was on edge and primed for a fight.
One of Ryland’s staff members had given him an address for the old Bonetti olive groves. Though it was only a thin lead at this point, it was better than nothing.
Ryland’s rented sportscar was out of place, parked in front of the charming farmhouse. The home’s walls were in need of a good wash, and a paint job, but lovely flowers brightened the veranda. Caroline knocked, and soon, an old man was standing at the door, gawking at the car.
“Si?” he said in his native tongue.
Ryland asked him something in rapid Italian, and it was Caroline’s turn to gawk. Ryland could speak Italian? Clearly, he had more than one secret.
“Signore Bonetti speaks English, and he’s agreed to speak with us. Isn’t that kind of him?” Ryland said, an edge of warning in his voice.
Caroline feared that the old man didn’t really want to talk about the loss of his family’s olive groves. Yet, Signore Salvatore Bonetti invited them into his home, where they settled in a comfortable living room. The wallpaper was yellowing and obviously from another century, but Caroline was lulled by the big velvet couch and family portraits.
She was sure this was the old family home. The one Luigi had sold before moving to America and vanishing from the world.
“Have you lived here long?” she asked, wanting to confirm her suspicions.
“Yes. All my life. Even when my father …” He stopped and shrugged.
This was her opening. “What happened to the olive groves?” she asked gently.
“My father sold them all.”
“Do you know why?”
Salvatore winced with the desire to avoid the question. When he spoke, it was with rough reluctance. “He said we were cursed.”
“The land?”
“No. Us. The Bonettis. We had something that didn’t belong to us, and we had to give it all back.”
“The land?”
“No, the land was in the family for centuries. No one knew what he meant, not even my mother. One day, he came home from the city, and he announced he had sold the groves and the business. He fired all the workers and sold the house. They were gone before anyone could try to convince him.”
“You stayed behind?”
“I was a young man, already had a family of my own here. My wife wouldn’t have wanted to leave. Neither did I.”
