Her Dark Dragon (22 page)

* * * *

His horse alerted him to another rider in the distance. Nico didn't let himself believe it was really her. Yet, as her old horse approached, his heart filled, his palms went sweaty inside his gloves, and his stomach knotted, fearing disappointment if his eyes deceived him. Closer and closer, he knew deep inside Danni had returned. Now he had to find out why and for how long?

Nico lit one of his rarely smoked cigarillos from the pack and used it to distract himself from her approach. The options were too many to think about. Was she home for good or to say a last good-bye? He'd wondered through the months if she'd found another lover? If she'd let another touch her as she'd let him? If she'd found another life and was here just to tell him all about it? Nico recognized he was feeling fear. What was said in the next moments would change his life; good or bad was yet to be revealed.

She looked the same, only relaxed. Her hair was braided down her back, only the braid was longer. She still wore washed-out denim and work boots. Today, she had a denim jacket over a white T-shirt.

Slowing her horse as she approached, she paused to look at what he'd been surveying. Then she did a double and third take, realizing the hillside was now neatly planted with small but healthy-looking olive trees. Nico saw her eyes go glassy as she took several long, deep breaths.

"You really did it," she said, sounding half amazed as she moved her horse nearer to him.

"I wouldn't have designed the bottle…Why are you here?"

"Well, that's a fine hello," she said, smiling broadly.

He realized she'd known all along what her timing would be. He was the only one left in the dark. Now it made sense why Maria and Carmen were so happy the last few days.

"Are you really here or a figment of my imagination?" he whispered. She took the cigarette from his fingers and puffed lightly before handing it back.

"I'm real." Her smile was so familiar, yet not seen in so long. "Can you spare me a few minutes? If you're busy…"

"I can spare a few," he started. "That's what you've spared me in the last year. Two posts cards and two e-mails." Even to himself his voice was tight. "And no return address, no phone calls."

"You're really pissed, aren't you?" she said, settling back on her horse, lowering the brim of her old oilskin. "Don't forget I sent Christmas cards and a birthday present."

"How could I forget!" He drew a breath for control. "Why are you here now?"

"I figured you could use another pair of hands for pruning."

"Ah," he said, pulling his hat lower to cover his face. He was fighting himself. What he wanted to do was drag her off the horse and take her there on the ground, not let her up until she promised to never leave again. Suddenly he became embarrassed, remembering how he'd even cried in front of her that last day. "So you want to hire on?" He was trying to keep his anger in check but suddenly the whole year of angst was back with him, inside him, and she was the cause. "Did Tia Maria know you were coming?"

"Yes, I called her a few days ago, and before you go getting all cranky with her, I asked her not to tell you." Danni paused, letting him digest her information. "She said she figured you could use another body, and it came with room and board."

"Whose room?"

"I guess we've yet to determine that."

"And after the pruning?"

"I figured I'd worry about it then. If this was a mistake, I can leave. I realize it's been almost a year. Situations may have changed in your life."

That was it, he'd hit his boiling point. Nico didn't know whether to kiss her or wring her neck. He decided to kiss her first, and figure out the rest later. In a quick move he maneuvered his horse close, reaching out with one arm, dragging her off her horse and onto his lap. Up close, he studied her face and searched for some sign.

"If you plan on staying permanently, fine. If this is temporary, don't bother." He realized that with her on his lap, he wouldn't let her go a second time.

* * * *

Danni had been prepared for his attitude. She figured she'd earned it. Keeping her distance from him had been the most difficult thing she'd ever done. Worse than losing the label or her heritage, staying away from Nico had been the hardest.
Stay calm
, she kept repeating to herself.
He's earned his anger, let him work through it
.

"I'm beginning to think I made a mistake," she whispered, watching his eyes carefully. Something shifted inside him. She saw it on his face. Her hat went flying, and she found herself lying across his lap, his mouth fused to hers. It wasn't just a kiss. It was a demand. One she was now ready to accept. Danni was breathless when he finally released her, not letting her move, only giving her room to breathe.

"Now, are you staying?"

"That depends," she started, her carefully planned speech long gone from her memory.

"Don't play games with me, Danielle. I've a mind to take you over my knee and spank some sense into you. It's all or nothing. I can't live in between anymore!"

"There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you."

What she thought would be an opening line wasn't received that way. He gently let her slip to the ground, holding her until she got her balance. "You came back for the netsukes. Maria can open the safe and get them for you. Your bank statement is there too, all back in trust for you. Take them, Danielle, and go."

"I told you last year, the netsukes are yours. This is something different I wanted to discuss. But now I…"

"What?"

Danni had seen Niccolo in a snit before, but never directed at her. She realized how deeply she'd hurt him; she wasn't strong enough for his anger. Maybe it was too late? Maybe coming back was a bad idea?

"Now I remember why people always referred to you as the dark dragon," she said under her breath, but he heard her.

"Go back to the house, Danni. I'll be back for supper. Visit with Maria and Carmen and settle in." He turned his horse, riding deeper into the vineyard.

"Well, that didn't go as I'd anticipated," she said, pulling herself back onto the horse, heading back toward Casa Maria.

* * * *

It was obvious when Danni returned to the house her meeting hadn't gone as planned. Maria and Carmen were quick to remind her she knew her intentions for the last weeks, but for Nico, it was a surprise. The three women spent the afternoon in the kitchen, preparing their evening meal and hearing about Danni's adventures in the past year. She deliberately didn't bring in her suitcase, not sure which room to put it in. She could still save some dignity if Nico didn't want her. To assume he'd want her back in his bed after being gone so long would be presumptuous. She washed up for supper in the downstairs guest bath. They heard Nico enter his wing from the side door while they were getting the table set on the patio.

"Give him some time, Danni," Maria said, squeezing her hand over Danni's when they heard him arrive.

"I know. It's just not how I pictured our reunion."

"Maybe that's the problem. Nico doesn't know what you expected of him."

Maria watched Danni's face as she digested the information, understanding the meaning of her words, trying to see the situation from Nico's perspective.

Promptly at seven, Nico appeared on the patio, showered and seemingly in control. He saw the table set for five and relaxed a bit more. Supper wouldn't be the tense showdown he'd anticipated. For the first time since he saw her approach, he wondered if Danni was nervous too. He knew he'd been rude, but the surprise of her appearance shook him. It all came back too quickly, the memories with the emotions. He'd dispatched her back to the house before he said or did something stupid that would send her away permanently. He'd ridden to clear his mind, to prepare for her 'discussion' as she'd termed it. He was ready now, only on his terms and his mind set.

* * * *

Supper was a success with Maria, Carmen, and Antonio present. Danni regaled them with some of the highlights of her trip. She told them about working for a few months in a Manhattan restaurant as sommelier, of spending the harvest at a Long Island winery.

"What did you do in Canada? That was the postmark on your Christmas card."

Danni laughed and blushed. "Actually, nothing!" She smiled, wanting to reach across to grasp his hand under hers, wanting to feel the strength and heat of his skin. "I went there a week before Christmas and stayed through the first of the year." She shrugged, adding, "I gave myself a vacation for my birthday."

"What part?" asked Carmen.

Danni was beginning to become uncomfortable, fidgeting with her napkin.

"I started out at Niagara Falls and traveled west over the weeks. Mostly back roads and small motels. There's some beautiful country up there, but I'm not very good on skis as it turns out." Everyone laughed and reminded her she hadn't been good on roller skates as a child.

An image ran through her. She'd been maybe eight to Nico's sixteen, trying so hard to learn and it wasn't coming easily. Nico appeared in her driveway one afternoon, tethering his horse near the water trough. Without any words, he'd picked her up, dusted her off, trying to help her find rhythm and balance. After what seemed like an eternity, he'd sat down next to her with a smile, telling her to stick to horses.

And she had. From that day on, she'd learned everything she could about riding and caring for them. Matteo had been thrilled to see her interest. Felice said it was dirty and undignified.

Danni turned to Carmen with a smile. "It was you who always tended my scrapes and bruises, never Felice. Thank you for that. At the time, I didn't understand." The older woman blushed at the compliment, her husband Antonio pulling her closer for a hug.

"Where else did you go, what did you see?" she asked quickly, changing the subject, taking the focus off her.

"Well," Danni said, pausing to clear her throat and gather her words. She sat back in her chair and brought the wine glass to her lips but did not drink. "I found my birth mother." Her words were strong and clear, the statement surprising everyone.

Glancing from face to face, Nico was caught off guard. She didn't know he'd hired a private investigator to do that very thing, but with no luck.

"What?" he asked, before putting his tone in check. "How did you manage that?"

"It wasn't as hard as you'd think." Danni knew her tone was on edge, and reeled back her emotions at the memories of the first contacts. Antonio moved to excuse himself and Carmen, but Danni asked them to stay, reminding them they were her family too, and she wanted them to know.

"The Internet is an amazing tool, once you learn to navigate it properly. It also helped that she was registered with an adoption reunion site. They specialize in people who want to communicate with children they've given up." This time she paused and sipped her wine.

"Have you met her?" Maria asked, leaning forward to hear better.

"Yes, just last month. Her name is Anna Sullivan. She lives just north of San Francisco." Danni glanced around the table before continuing. "She's a registered nurse working at their county hospital. She's a nurse in the neonatal unit." There was a pregnant pause as they all assimilated the information she'd just given them. "It's okay," she said with a slight tilt of her lips. "Ask your questions."

"How did your first meeting go?" Maria asked, holding Danni's hand tight.

"Easily actually, we'd been corresponding through e-mail since last fall. She wanted to be very careful and up front. She'd had two near misses in the past. Both were devastating to her and the women who thought they'd found their mothers. Her DNA had been on file since the first mix-up. I had my test while I was in New York and sent to her lab. We were a match."

"Why wait so long to meet then?" Carmen asked before Nico could find his voice for the very same question.

"It's hard to explain. We both wanted to get to know each other a bit. See if we should go further. She's been very careful not to intrude on my life with what she feels is her guilt and need. I've felt the same way. I didn't want to show up on her doorstep one day and say, 'Surprise, I'm the kid you gave away!'" Everyone tensed, and Danni laughed. "If I didn't want to talk about this, I wouldn't have mentioned it."

"What's she like?" Nico asked, his tone finally sounding in control.

"Similar to me, brown hair and eyes, same height. Her face is more round while mine is more oval. She tends to shred things when she's nervous, too." Danni dropped the napkin from her hands to her lap.

"Did she tell you why―" Maria's voice trailed off, her sentence incomplete. "I shouldn't ask," she added.

"Why she gave me away? Yes. She was just seventeen when I was born, the product of a high school first love. My father was into science and math before computers were mainstream. Their families felt it best they both went on to college, which meant they really didn't have a lot of emotional support for getting married and keeping me. Anna left school her senior year and worked from home for her GED while she was pregnant.