ignored his mockery to stride across to her. He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. Her heart fluttered like a wild crazy thing. ‘Are you okay?’ He uttered the words gently, his eyes as warm as the morning sun on a Thai beach.
While it wasn’t a hug and an ‘it’ll all be okay’ there was no mistaking the sincerity of his effort. She hadn’t expected to see him again. Ever. She’d thought he’d have run for the hills.
‘Marianna?’
She loved the way he said her name. It made things inside her tight and warm and loose and aching all at once. His grip on her hand tightened and she shook herself. ‘Yes, thank you.’ But the sudden sexual need that gripped had her reefing her hand from his. They were no longer Ryan and Mari, free and easy holidaymakers. They were Ryan and Marianna, prospective parents. That put a very different spin on matters and the sooner she got her head around that, the better.
This wasn’t about him and her. It was about him and the baby. Did he want to be involved with the baby? If he did, and if he was sincere, then they would have to sort something out...come to some kind of arrangement.
Shadows gathered in Ryan’s eyes. She swallowed, recalling the way she’d thrown the vase at him. ‘And you? Are you okay?’
She watched him as he let out a slow breath. ‘As you haven’t thrown anything at me yet, then yes—so far, so good.’
Behind him, Nico groaned. ‘You threw something at him?’ he said in Italian.
‘He made me angry,’ she returned in her native tongue, trying not to wince at how rash and impetuous it must make her sound.
With a sigh she glanced back at Ryan. ‘Have you been formally introduced to my brothers?’
‘I’ve not had that pleasure, no.’
His tone told her they’d been giving him a hard time, but he didn’t seem too fazed by it. A man who could hold his own against her two overprotective brothers? Maybe there were hidden depths to Ryan she had yet to plumb. Let’s hope so, mia topolino. She wanted her baby to have a father who would love it.
She couldn’t get her hopes up on that head, though. She recalled all the things he’d said yesterday and her stomach started to churn. He might just be here to offer her some kind of financial arrangement—to buy her off.
Keep your cool until you know for sure.
She tossed her head. She meant to keep her cool regardless.
She pulled herself back to the here and now and gestured. ‘This is my oldest brother, Angelo, and this is Nico. He manages our vineyard.’ She couldn’t keep a thread of pride from her voice. She adored both of her brothers. ‘And this—’ she went to touch Ryan’s arm and then thought the better of it ‘—is Ryan White.’
The men didn’t shake hands.
Angelo gave a mock salute. ‘Paulo.’
Ryan glanced down at her with a frown in his eyes. She waved a dismissive hand through the air. ‘It is a stupid joke of theirs. Don’t pay them any mind.’
‘Marianna’s boyfriends don’t last too long,’ Nico said. A deliberate jab, no doubt, at what he saw as her flightiness. ‘Angelo and I decided long ago it was pointless remembering names.’
Angelo folded his arms. ‘How long do you think this one will last, Nico?’
‘Six weeks.’
‘I’ll give him four. He doesn’t look as if he has what it takes to keep Mari’s interest.’
‘True. I can’t see that he has anything more to offer her than any of the others.’
A clash of gazes ensued between the men and in some dark, dishonourable place in her heart the silent interchange fascinated her.
She tried to shake herself from under its spell. What is wrong with you?
With a snort, Ryan turned back to her. ‘May I take you out to lunch?’
She glanced at Nico, who told her in Italian to take the afternoon off. ‘Give him a chance.’
‘You owe it to him, bella,’ Angelo added.
What on earth...? She pulled in a breath, grateful her brothers spoke in their native tongue. She recalled the raised voices she’d heard when she’d approached the villa. ‘How good is your Italian?’ she asked Ryan.
‘Very poor.’ He glanced at Angelo and Nico. ‘Which is probably a blessing.’
She folded her arms and glared at her brothers, reverting back to Italian. ‘Did you put him up to this?’
Nico shook his head. ‘But if this man is the father of your baby, you need to speak with him.’
‘I did that yesterday!’
His gaze skewered her. ‘Did you? Or did you merely drop your bombshell, throw a temper tantrum and run?’
Her face started to burn. It took an effort of will not to press her hands to her cheeks to cool them. Nico had a point.
Another thought slid into her then and she stared at each man in turn. If Angelo and Nico saw her dealing with the father of her prospective child maturely and responsibly, then that would help them see her as a responsible adult who could be trusted to make sensible decisions about her life, right? Not to mention the life of her unborn child. Maybe this was one way she could prove to them that she wasn’t a failure or a flake.
She glanced down at her hands. Ryan was the father of her child. If he wanted to be a part of their baby’s life...
Lifting her chin, she turned back to Ryan and reverted to English. ‘I need to talk to Nico about the vines for a few minutes and then we can go for lunch.’
He nodded and glanced around. ‘What if I wait over there?’ He pointed to a sofa on the other side of the room.
She pressed her hands together. ‘Perfect.’ She wasn’t so sure how perfect it was when Angelo followed him and took the seat opposite.
‘Is there anything wrong with the vines?’ Nico said, his face suddenly alive and intent.
‘The soil is perfect! You have done an admirable job, Nico.’
‘You set the groundwork before you left.’
Did he really believe that? Did he really think her an asset to the vineyard? She shook the thought off. She would prove herself to him. And Angelo. She was good at her job. ‘The grapes are maturing as they should, but if the long-range weather forecast is to be believed, then we need to consider irrigating the northern slopes sooner than usual.’
‘You mentioned last week something about new irrigation methods you’d picked up in Australia?’
She and Nico moved to the dining table to go over her report, but all the time her mind was occupied with Ryan. She heard him try to make small talk about the vineyard, but Nico asked her a question and she didn’t hear Angelo’s reply.
The next time she had a chance to glance up it was to see Ryan flicking a business card across to Angelo with the kind of mocking arrogance that would’ve done both of her brothers proud.
She dragged her attention back to Nico. ‘From what I’ve seen so far, Nico, the vines are in great shape. I’ll continue with my soil samples over the next week and checking the vines for any signs of pests or moulds, but...’ she shrugged ‘...so far, so good. Seems to me we’re on track for the fattest, juiciest grapes in the history of winemaking.’
It might’ve been an exaggeration, but it made her brother smile as it was supposed to. ‘I’m glad you’re home, Mari.’
Guilt slid in between her ribs at that. She’d been Irresponsible Marianna too long. She’d left Nico to run the vineyard on his own and