Men of Power. Кэрол Мортимер

to adore her. He groaned, haunted by the possibility he’d made a mistake in letting her come to Italy.

      In retrospect he shouldn’t have allowed his compassion for her pain to get to him. Those drenched blue eyes half despising him for being named guardian had caught him off guard in the hotel room. That, and her obvious love for the baby.

      Normally he didn’t make errors in judgment like this. Being unencumbered by marriage, he’d had the freedom to immerse himself in his archaeological pursuits. That was the way he’d planned it long ago. Even if he was back in Italy, he had every intention of working on the book he’d started in his spare time.

      He punched his pillow, but no amount of rearranging made him more comfortable. There wasn’t any way around the fact that Nicky wasn’t the only one who’d developed a bond with Julie. Something had to be done before things went too far.

      According to Julie’s watch it was four in the afternoon Bellagio time. She and Nicky had been asleep for hours. Both their clocks were off, but it didn’t matter. He was being the best boy on earth right now!

      She’d taken a shower before getting in bed; however, he still needed a bath. “Let’s try the sink, shall we?”

      Julie set out a towel and clean diaper, then filled the marble basin halfway.

      “Here we go.” She lowered his wiggly body into the warm water. He immediately began kicking. “You love that, don’t you?”

      She couldn’t help but wonder if any baby had ever had a bath in surroundings that looked as though a princess lived here. Except for loving parents, Pietra and Massimo had lacked for none of the monetary things of life. History had repeated itself with Nicky.

      Julie fought back tears. “As soon as we’ve finished and I’ve given you a bottle, we’ll go exploring.” The sight of the town from the helicopter had been so glorious, she couldn’t wait any longer. After they came back she’d unpack everything and get settled.

      Ten minutes later he’d drunk most of his formula and they were both ready to go. She’d dressed in a pair of pleated tan pants and a short-sleeved white top. After arranging her hair in a loose knot, she put on a coat of frosted-pink lipstick, then dressed Nicky. He looked adorable in a little blue play suit with a superhero motif on the bib.

      “Now for this new hip sling.”

      It was a padded pouch affair in khaki twill to cushion his legs while she walked around with him. After buying some things before leaving Sonoma, the clerk had convinced her to get one.

      “They’re the latest rage for tourists with a baby. Easy to pack and don’t take up much room.” Julie figured that until Massimo bought Nicky a stroller, it was perfect.

      She left the room and made her way downstairs to the elegant foyer, where she saw one of the maids she’d met earlier.

      “Gina? I’m going out for a walk. Please let Lia know.”

      “Have you told the signore?”

      “No. I haven’t seen him. Is there a problem?”

      The last thing she wanted was for Massimo to think she was waiting for him at every turn. Julie had been the one to beg for this job. Though he’d hired her to be Nicky’s nanny, she was never at ease with him.

      For her own peace of mind, the less she saw of him the better. It would be disastrous if on top of her secret fear of him, he knew how attracted she was to him.

      Gina looked concerned. “He left instructions I should bring Niccolo to him.”

      “I’ll do it then. Where is he?”

      “No … no …” She spread her hands. “The signore is sleeping.”

      Julie wasn’t surprised. She was sure he hadn’t gotten any sleep on the plane. “Then he shouldn’t be disturbed. I’ll be back in an hour. He won’t even know we’ve been gone.”

      Gina didn’t seem pleased about the idea, but Julie wasn’t about to sit around until he got up. Waiting made you think. She’d already done too much thinking and looking at Massimo on the plane.

      Now that she was in Italy, she planned to keep herself and Nicky so busy Massimo’s anger with her would pass. Since that terrible moment in his hotel room, she didn’t think she’d done anything else to arouse his wrath, but she couldn’t be sure. Nicky had to be her first priority now.

       CHAPTER FOUR

      ONCE Julie slipped out the door of the villa, she stopped to breathe in the scent of flowers filling the balmy air.

      Paradise found. She wondered if Milton had come here.

      The villa faced out on the terraced stone stairway leading down to gardens filled with camellias and orange trees. Cypress trees delineating the property stood tall against the vista of Lake Como and the colorful town below.

      Massimo had pointed out several famous eighteenth-and nineteenth-century villas to her before they’d landed in the grounds of his villa. It might be smaller, but as far as she was concerned his home stood out on the lower hillside like a jewel in a gem-studded crown.

      Where to go first? The delights of the grounds called to her, but she could enjoy them anytime while she lived here. After the long flight, she was anxious to get her bearings along with some much needed exercise.

      Opting for the side stairs off the deep porch, she made her way to the courtyard that led to the main road. Almost at the gate, she noticed an open top sports car turn in, the kind Brent would have killed to own. She quickly moved out of its way.

      The light-brown-haired man at the wheel pulled over and got out wearing shorts and a tight-fitting body shirt. He was her brother’s height and looked to be about her own age. His hooded brown eyes reminded her of Lazio’s. They swept over her in male admiration.

      “Good afternoon, signorina. You have to be Pietra’s sister-in-law, Julie,” he said in excellent English. “I had no idea you were so bellissima.”

      “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.” His flirtatious manner reminded her of Brent, not necessarily a good thing. It depended on one’s character.

      “Since I couldn’t make it to the funeral, I determined to offer my condolences as soon as possible. How fortunate for me to find you out here with Niccolo. My name is Vigo.”

      “Vigo who?”

      His mouth turned down in a mock frown. “I can see Massimo didn’t tell you about me.”

      She couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sorry.”

      “Don’t tell him I said this, but I’m the nicest Di Rocche in the family.”

      Something clicked in her memory. “You must be Sansone’s son.”

      His expression brightened. “Si.”

      “I haven’t met him yet.”

      “I never met your brother. Now that I’ve seen you, I can understand why Pietra ran away with him.”

      She could do without his flattery, especially when the mention of Shawn triggered the usual reaction. This time however she was able to prevent her tears from falling. “They were very much in love.”

      “Believe it or not, I envied them.” With that comment she couldn’t help but warm to him.

      His gaze dropped to the baby sling. By his expression he hadn’t seen anything like it before.

      “It does look odd, but Nicky likes it,” Julie explained. “This way he stays right against me.”

      He moved to her side to get a better view of the baby, who was still awake. “I would say Niccolo was your bambino except for the eyes. They’re