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"Until then I owe my soul to the colanced at the open room Plain old-fashioned lust overrode co wasn’t about Nic’s body or what he could do to hers Instead she wanted this for her wine

"I don’t suppose you’ve recently replaced your grape-processing equipment"

"As a matter of fact, I have"

Brenna tried not to make moany noises when she saw the collection of conveyor belts and pressing equipment Yes it was old and would probably break down every fifteen et their own grapes pressed as soon as possible She could work all night and not have to worry about being in the way

"I don’t kno to thank you," she said when Nic ushered her back outside "You’re doing so ive you two cases of wine"

"Maybe I’ll have you create a blend foron Giovanni wines? Wouldn’t the heavens crack open?"

"Probably"

She squinted slightly into the sun and saw that it was ht

"I should be heading back," she said "I need to ets suspicious, and you have to feed Max"

Nic chuckled "You’re convinced I can’t take care of him on my own, aren’t you?"

"Puppies are a lot of responsibility"

"I think I can handle it"

At this point she figured he could handle anything "I had a good ti reed

Too late she realized this was the wrong conversational tack Suddenly things see to step closer to him, or maybe have him step closer to her She wanted to lose herself in his brown eyes, letting past and present blur Her body was convinced it would be as good as it had been before, and she wasn’t sure the rest of her didn’t agree

She wanted…a lot of things

It seeood time to run

"Okay, then," she said and stuck out her hand "Thanks for everything"

He glanced at her hand The corner of his ot to her Maybe he did Maybe he was doing it on purpose If so, it was a small price to pay for the loan

"I’m happy to help," he said solenore the sensation of his skin brushing hers For reasons that made absolutely no sense, she remembered a line from Rorade English about a hundred years ago

"Palm to pal, she told herself Not palms or lips or any other body parts

She pulled free of hiuess I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up the loan papers"

"That would be fine"

"And, u equip else"

"Sure I will"

She tripped as she reached her car, but caught herself before she fell After giving Nic a quick wave, she slipped into the driver’s seat and quickly started the engine It ay past tiht as she drove away Avoid Nic at all costs The ht possible

That night Nic stretched out on the sofa and picked up the old leather-bound diary he’d been trying to read for the past couple of weeks It wasn’t just the s that defeated hi ritten in Italian

He’d studied the language at college, but his working knowledge was liood sords Which lish dictionary than ress in Sophia Giovanni’s diary

He’d come across the journal nearly two years before, when he’d been cleaning out his grandfather’s study The old one for nearly five years, but Nic hadn’t been in any rush to get rid of his things The house was plenty big, and for the most part Nic simply closed off rooms But one winter afternoon he’d decided to rid the house of the re relative

Nic’s parents had been killed in a car accident in Spain nearly fifteen years ago, although they’d abandoned their son ages before that His parents hadn’t been interested in ood party--preferably in Europe Nic had been four when he’d awakened to find therandfather left to raise hiain They’d sent occasional notes, had called froe For hi like the Marcellis, where relatives lived in the old hacienda, loving and laughing and curing all ills with pasta

A soft whine interrupted hisroom The puppy looked small and lost and scared When he saw Nic, he whined a little louder

Nic glanced at his watch "It’s getting late Aren’t you tired? I could take you back to your rooly A shiver rippled through the puppy Max flopped onto his belly, put his head on his paws and began to whi around so his feet were on the hardwood floor and swore softly "You’re lonely," he said "I bet youto hi, then returned to the sofa "How do you feel about baseball?" he asked as he settled back on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table