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CHAPTER ONE

SIX hours, fifteen minutes in the same hard chair at the same desk, in the same cold office, in the same northern town…

She’d lost the will to live

Almost…

Arranging a telephone conference with Signor Rigo Ruggiero in Ro lawyer as tenacious as Katie Bannister, because first she had to get past Ruggiero’s army of snooty retainers

Let me speak to him in person, screeched inner Katie, whilst outwardly Katie was calm Well, she had to be—she was a respected professional

With no inner life at all

No inner life? Hs easy? Unfortunately, Katie was blessed with a vivid ietting her into trouble Du became sharp and confident in the blink of an eye—especially over the phone

In her junior position at the small solicitor’s firh-profile client, but this was a trivialto the senior partner, and if she wanted to work her way up the profession it would be good for Katie to cut her teeth on—

‘Pronto…’

At last At last! ‘Signor Ruggiero?’

‘Sì…?’

The deep-pitched voice speared a shiver down her spine But gut instinct wasn’t enough Did it prove the identity of the speaker? Spoken Italian was sexy; distractingly so Quickly gathering her thoughts, Katie picked up her notes and went through the security checks she had drawn up

To his credit, Signor Ruggiero answered theination insisted on working overtiin to cover it Still, this was going better than she had expected after her run-in with his staff Noas si the Italian tycoon that he was the chief beneficiary in his late brother’s will

‘My late step brother’s will,’ he corrected her

The honey-rich baritone had acquired an edge of steel He sounded stern, cold, uninterested

A man as so hard to contact would hardly want chitchat, Katie reiero, your late step brother’s will…’

As the conversation continued Katie picked up ood at it was reading people’s voices Tier at one of the world’s foremost music conservatoires had allowed her well-tuned ear to instantly evaluate a voice, and this one had both practised chare

‘Can we cut to the chase, Signorina Bannister?’

And cut out print yards of legalese? ‘Certainly…’

Katie’s reputation at the fir with her ability to cal day in a cheap suit in a cold office, she was at the end of her tether It wasn’t as if she was trying to serve a writ, for goodness’ sake; rather she was trying to inforiero that he had come into money

More irls in the office had so helpfully placed on her desk It featured a devastatingly handsoiero on the front cover Not that she was interested Fir her jaw, she continued to explain to one of the richest men in Italy why she ht of going as a singer, once…

‘Well, I haven’t got the time to come over there—’

Katie snapped back to the present ‘Your stepbrother anticipated this…’ Her heart picked up pace as she went on to read out the letter of instruction that came with the will She was normally unflappable, but office tittle-tattle had unsettled her where Rigo Ruggiero was concerned He was not just a successful tycoon, but a high-profile playboy who lived life in the fast lane To say that Katie Bannister and Rigo Ruggiero orlds apart was a massive understatement

Everyone in the

office had thought it highly ain had been appointed to deal with Italy’s most notorious playboy Katie’s public face had reination had run riot After her initial trepidation, she had thought, bring it on What did she have to worry about? Rigo Ruggiero would take one look at dull little Katie Bannister and she’d be safe

‘No, I’m sorry,’ she said ‘I’m afraid your late stepbrother’s personal effects cannot be sent to you through the post, Signor Ruggiero’

‘Why not?’

‘Because…’ She took a deep, steadying breath Forget the letter of intentions—shouldn’t he care a little more? And did he have to snap like that? His stepbrother had just died, for goodness’ sake Surely he was curious to learn what he’d been left in the will? ‘Your stepbrother’s instructions are iero He appointed the firh and Coverdale, as executors to his will, and Mr Flintock has asked me to carry out the requirements therein to the letter—’

‘Therein?’

Mockery now?

‘Do you always speak legalese to your clients, Signorina Bannister? Thatfor the myself…’

No one had ever criticised her dedication to the letter of the law before and it was beco for his stepbrother She could see hi back on some easy chair as he took the call—all preposterously white teeth, inky black hair and dark,her eyes, she willed herself to reiero—’

‘Don’t patronise me’

The tone of voice both stung and acted as a warning ‘I apologise That was not my intention’

‘Then I forgive you…’

In a voice like a caress Was he flirting with her? Unlikely as that seereed ‘So could we fix an appoint determinedly to the point of the call

There was silence at the other end of the line, but soed to travel down it anyway ‘Whenever you like,’ he murmured

The throaty draas enough to make her body quiver with anticipation Katie stared out of theat the cold, autumnal Yorkshire rain That was the swiftest return to reality she could iine Beneath her conventional, even plain exterior, lurked a seam of wanderlust She had dreamed at one time that it would be the opera houses of the world she’d be visiting Did she have the courage to uise as solicitor, or would the loss of her singing voice be a reminder that was too painful to bear?

‘Well,’ the deep norina Bannister When would you like to meet?’