Love in the Vineyard (Tavonesi #7)(41)

“Tyler’s ten. Brandon is maybe eleven.” She eyed Ryan. “It hadn’t occurred to me that there’d be a machine in the batting cage. I thought you might be pitching to them.”

“It’s Iron Mike all the way. Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. Let’s have a look at what these boys bring to the plate.”

Baseball lingo was still a foreign tongue to Adrian. Maybe it was to Natasha as well. She bit at her lip and nodded, and the three of them walked down to the barn.

Adrian held her back as the boys finished helping Zoe brush down one of the horses.

“I’d like to cook you dinner,” he said as casually as he could.

She gave him a look he couldn’t read. Maybe cooking a woman dinner in America was the equivalent of asking her into bed. Though that was what he wanted, he was determined to heed Coco’s advice and go slow. Cooking and sharing a dinner seemed plenty slow. Painstakingly slow.

“I heard you didn’t go near the kitchen.”

“Who told you that? I love to cook.” He studied her face. “Ah, I see. I don’t eat with the staff at Casa del Sole. But not because I don’t want to. I feel that they’ll be more comfortable without the boss around. I would”—he sought the word—“clamp their style.”

Natasha giggled. Outside of the sounds of lovemaking, a woman’s spontaneous laugh had to be the sexiest sound on earth.

“Cramp,” she said, still holding her lips in a curvy smile. “And yes, having the boss around probably would cramp our style.”

She emphasized the word our. But he was in no mood to let a mere technicality get in the way of getting to know her. Now that he’d had a taste, he wanted more. The blasted details of their lives were simply that—details.

“When?” she asked.

His hope kicked into high gear. “Tonight?”

She toyed with the collar of her shirt.

“Maybe that’s too soon? Next weekend? Anytime really.”

“Tonight is good. Tyler has a sleepover at Brandon’s.”

Yes. She’d said yes. He wanted to go down on a knee and thank the heavens.

“But it’ll have to be an early dinner,” she said. “I have a few things I need to do afterward to prepare for tomorrow.”

“Is seven a good time?”

“I’d prefer six.”

He laughed. “Do not tell any of my relations that we’re eating dinner at six—I’d never hear the end of it. No Italian eats before eight or nine. More often ten.”

“That’s not good for the body, eating so late in the night.”

Her fingers still toyed at the edge of her collar. There were other things besides eating that he’d like to do with Natasha late in the night. But Adrian knew that if he didn’t control the urges she fired in him, he might never get beyond a few stolen kisses.





Chapter Thirteen



NATASHA REINED IN HER APPREHENSION as Tyler readied his stance in the mammoth cage that stretched the width of Ryan’s barn. Both he and Brandon had listened carefully when Ryan had showed them the pitching machine and had given them tips about hitting.

Seeing Tyler with Ryan and Adrian reinforced her recognition that he needed men in his life. Men he could look up to. Perhaps a father figure. Someone who could guide him as he hit the rough teen years. A man Natasha could trust to be kind, reliable and not crazy. Three qualifications didn’t seem to be so many, but so far she hadn’t met a man who’d fit the bill. Until Adrian. And though he met every qualification, she couldn’t count Adrian. Not for the long run. It was a fact she’d have to live with.

Just as the guys were wrapping up the batting session, Ryan’s wife, Cara, introduced herself and called Natasha away from the batting cage to help her prepare snacks for the boys.

“Ryan would spend half his time down in this barn if I didn’t come out and retrieve him,” Cara said with a nod back toward the cage. “Liza’s learned how to escape and wander down to find him. Before we know it, he’ll have that donkey chasing balls.”

“Adrian mentioned this is a refuge.”

“Ryan loves animals, and he has a deep connection to them. But some people don’t. We rescue those unfortunate creatures, as many as we can. We find homes for them or keep those we can’t adopt out. Do you like animals?”

“I haven’t spent much time around them.” Tyler had begged every year for a puppy, but their budget and living arrangements had never allowed such a luxury. She dreamt of a time when she could make that one small dream come true.

“Well, if you’re spending time around Adrian, that will change. His whole family is mad about animals. Big ones, little ones—Zoe started a horse rescue and rehab center just last year. Have you seen her new barn?”

“From a distance.”

“Too bad she had to rush off. Ask her for a tour. She loves to show off her barn, but don’t get her started on her rescued horses unless you have plenty of time. Their stories will chill your blood. But they have a good home now. A great home.”

A great home. Natasha would one day say the same about a place she and Tyler could call their own. A smile played on her lips as she realized she’d be the one responsible for it, no rescuing required.