if she had to deal with the building issues at the lodge. “You must understand that there are certain structural specifics I need in place to make my program work—”
“I get that,” he interrupted, tossing his hands upward. “As I said before, you will sit down with my design team and list what is needed. When the plans are drawn up, you will see them again to ensure all your needs are met.”
“I get final approval?”
“Of course.”
She bit her lip, searching for a shadow to pick apart and finding none. “That sounds good.” Perfect, actually.
“It is. I will bring this renovation of your lodge to fruition.” He leaned forward, riveting gaze locked with hers, mesmerizing yet commanding. “Trust me.”
“That’s hard for me to do again.”
He spread his arms wide. “Why? I was nothing but honest with you.”
And he had been. It was she who’d raised her expectations.
My God, had she been that starved for love that she had grasped for scraps? Was she still that emotionally deficient?
“I ended up hurt the last time I put my faith and trust in someone,” she said simply. By my mother first. By you, lastly.
To her surprise, a ruddy flush streaked across his olive-hued cheekbones. “Believe me when I tell you I never intended to hurt you. I was—” he made a face, accented with a sharp upward jerk of one hand “—behaving abominably before the end. I regret hurting you, Caprice.”
Dare she believe him? She wanted to continue thinking he didn’t care about anything but himself.
Except that really wasn’t true. He had come here to enlist her aid to turn his brother’s life around. He was offering her a golden opportunity, albeit with him pulling all the strings.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. Not now and it didn’t. It couldn’t.
“You have my word it won’t happen again,” he said.
She swallowed hard. Those were just the words she’d vowed to herself, with the added caveat to avoid Luciano’s company. Now here she was, straddling the fence about taking his offer when she’d already decided this was her best bet. He was a genius at what he did. In that, she had to trust him.
“Then I will take you at your word,” she said.
“Good.” His magnetic eyes grew more intense. “The length of time the lodge is closed will depend on how long it will take you to establish your program at my Alpine facility as well as my brother’s progress. A month is a generous estimate, considering Julian’s manner of late.”
She shook her head, saddened. “Julian may have appeared laid-back, but I remember him being a force of pure energy,” she said. “He was always moving.”
“People change, Caprice. My brother isn’t the man you remember.”
She would be stunned if the crippling fall hadn’t changed the daring young skier. “I’m aware how an accident can affect an athlete physically and mentally. But I’m an optimist.”
He stared at her, his features vague, unreadable. “I’m a realist. By proceeding with renovations here at top speed and avoiding problems, it will take at least two months to turn Tregore Lodge around.”
Not what she wanted to hear, but there was nothing she could do to change it. Her lodge needed intense work and she needed Luciano’s backing.
“I still intend to return to Colorado within a month when I’m finished with my part of our deal.” She would find a friend to crash with until her lodge was completed.
“An aggressive prediction,” he said, his intense scrutiny stretching the moment and her nerves to the max again. “The timeline doesn’t matter to me. I want my brother to have the chance and drive to live life again.”
“I’ll do what I can to help him, but he must put forth the effort as well,” she said.
“Therein lies the challenge.” He shook his head, firm lips pressed in an unyielding line.
She blinked, unsure what to say. In her profession she had been quick to teach that a family member shouldn’t set the bar so high. Each patient must enter into the rehabilitation process because they wanted change.
Whether that was the case or not, it boiled down to two things. She couldn’t renovate her business without Luciano’s help. Nor could she ignore this opportunity to help his brother.
Julian had been there for her once when she’d needed a friend, helping her get away quickly and quietly. She owed him, at least in her mind. It was time to cease arguing with Luciano over minor points and repay his brother’s kindness.
“Okay. When do we start?” she asked.
“Now. I’ll get the team in place here, then we leave for Italy immediately.”
CHAPTER TWO
SHE WANTED HIM for his connections and his money.
Luc dug his fingers into the leather-covered steering wheel and shot Caprice a pointed glance. She perched beside him in his rented Mercedes, attention trained on the netbook on her lap, oblivious of his annoyance. And why should she pay him any mind?
She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted from him—a financial backer with the added bonus of using his name and reputation in connection with her lodge. In that regard, she was just like Isabella, using him to better her own lot in life.
The comparison had him clenching his jaw so hard it ached.
Seven years ago he’d put Caprice from his mind for one reason. Her congratulatory kiss had stirred feelings in him that mirrored those he’d felt for Isabella. Feelings he’d buried with his wife and refused to ever revisit again.
Now that Caprice had reentered his life, the image of the bright-eyed young woman he clearly recalled was replaced by a determined businesswoman who sought to align with him for her own benefit. Nothing more, nothing less.
Strictly business. He got that. Understood it. Respected her for her drive.
He shouldn’t find her attractive in the least. But he did.
It was her aloofness and passion for her program and her old lodge. That was the only plausible explanation for his fascination with her.
The only difference between Caprice and the score of women hoping to snare him into marriage was the simple fact she could help his brother. That was why he’d agreed to meet with her. That’s the only reason why he didn’t stop this car now and call the whole thing off.
He needed her to help Julian as much as she needed his money and the connections his name would lend to Tregore Lodge and her program. From a business standpoint, theirs was a win-win situation. As long as he kept her at arm’s length, everything would be fine.
No problem, as she’d made it clear she wanted nothing personal to do with him. Their association was all business. Good. That’s all he wanted from her as well.
As they headed toward the airport and Italy, she appeared content to immerse herself in her miniature laptop before the flurry of their combined work began. Unlike his previous traveling companions, she showed no interest in making small talk during the past three hours as they prepared to leave Colorado.
Not that he was complaining.
He just wanted to get home to Italy and back to business while she delved into doing what he’d hired her to do. With space between them, he could find peace of mind.
That was what he wanted. It remained to be seen if he would achieve it after putting himself through so much personal hell.
* * *
Caprice stared out the window,