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.“I promise, it won’t happen again.Ever.Don’t do this Isabella.I need you.”She stopped still then and an uneasy calm fell over them both.“You don’t need me.Don’t kid yourself you do.” But she continued to look at him, shaking her head in confusion, as she slipped her hand out of his.He let it fall.There was nothing more he could say.“I’ll leave.”“You’ve not finished your work.”“Surely you don’t expect me to continue under such circumstances.”“The circumstances make it even more necessary for you to continue.You are to complete your work as planned.If you don’t I’ll sue you for breach of contract.”“You know I can’t afford a legal fight.”“Of course I know.You will stay.You will not run away again.”“I’ll do what’s required of me, but no more.”She turned back to the window and it was only when the air shifted once more that she knew he’d left the room as quietly as he’d entered.CHAPTER TWELVELuca leaned back against the castello wall and watched Allegra jump into the pool, closely followed by half a dozen of the village children who’d arrived to help her celebrate her birthday.He wiped the splashed water from his face.“Papa! The water pistols!”He lobbed the pistols into the water and they were immediately pounced upon by the children.“No shooting water outside the pool!” He knew his words wouldn’t be heeded and he didn’t care.He could watch Allegra all day.Somehow, within the space of a few short weeks, she’d managed to become part of an inseparable gang of village kids and he’d never seen her so happy, nor so well.She was thriving.He sighed and leaned back against the wall once more.He wished he could say the same for himself.He’d not sought out Isabella since their return from the US.What was the point? There was nothing he could say that hadn’t already been said.He’d been stupid and he was paying the price.She had to realize he’d changed and he couldn’t help her with that.It had to come from her.But time had just run out.She’d left word she’d be leaving today and there was nothing he could do to stop her.At a shout from Allegra, he looked up to see Isabella step out of the castello into the bright sunshine.He frowned as he noticed the flat shoes, the wide-cut white trousers and the form-hugging strappy top.They were light years away from her usual tight skirts and high heels, but still incredibly stylish.He exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.The change in style didn’t mean a thing.He was grasping at straws.She hadn’t changed and she wasn’t going to.She’d made that quite clear.“Look Papa! Isabella has a present for me!”He watched as Isabella struggled to contain an unwieldy looking present before placing it on the ground.It was immediately surrounded by a group of dripping children.Allegra dropped to her haunches and began untying the pink ribbons that festooned the box.She stopped suddenly.“What’s that?” She bent her ear to the box where there were a series of holes and listened and then jumped up and down excitedly.“It was a bark, I’m sure it was a bark!”Luca laughed and Isabella looked up and caught his eye.Her direct gaze held his and he saw something he’d never before seen in her eyes: something direct and strong.Then she turned away.No, he must be imagining it.He couldn’t put himself on the line any more just to be knocked back again.It was an unguarded glance—that was all.He fisted his hands in his pockets—trying to control the instinctive need to move close to her—and stayed where he was.Allegra opened the box and a chocolate brown labrador puppy jumped out yapping furiously.Allegra chased it, picked it up and gave it a big hug.“Thank you, Isabella.Thank you.I love her.It is a ‘her’, isn’t it?” Allegra held up the puppy with an appraising eye as she checked it out and then turned back to Isabella with a cheeky grin.“Yeah, it is.” She ran off with the labrador firmly clasped to her body, with the other children in hot pursuit.Isabella was left alone: her white trousers sprayed with pool water from the kids and covered in dog hair from where the puppy had tried to climb her legs [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]