Rush to the Altar

“I can understand that,” he answered in a low, quiet voice. “I remember reading about his death doing a stunt over Iguasu Falls in Brazil last year. I’m sorry for your loss. He was part of the reason I fell in love with motorcycles in the first place.”

Upon that admission Riley felt an intangible bond with the man.

He could scarcely believe this person had seen his father perform. He looked to be in his thirties, only a few years older than Riley. How strange to think of him as a boy in the audience while Riley waited anxiously behind the tent flap for his father to survive another jump.

“It was his time to go. He died on his old Danelli, doing the only thing that made him happy.”

“Would that we could all bow out of this world the same way. It’s a pleasure to meet the son of the man who gave me so many thrills in my youth. My name’s Nicco Tescotti.” He removed his glove so they could shake hands.

Nicco Tescotti?

“According to the magazine article, you’re the CEO. I presume Signore Danelli’s death puts you at the head of the company now. This is a singular honor for me, but not a good time for you with such heavy responsibilities. Forgive the intrusion.”

As he turned to leave he heard, “Do you ride as well as your father did?”

Riley spun around. “Better!”

They both grinned.

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“What’s that?” Riley fired back, too full of elation to consider his bodily needs for the moment.

“I prefer to discuss important business over a good meal. If you have no other plans for this evening, why not follow me home where we can relax and talk.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“You won’t. My wife loves motorcycles as much as you and I do.”

Riley smiled once more. Maybe he was dreaming. “She sounds remarkable, but she still might not want to be surprised.”

“Half the time she surprises me.”

“How so?”

“She’s a vet. When I get home, more often than not she’s brought a baby something or other from the surgery we have to nurse through the night. And then of course there’s our daughter Anna who’s two and half months old. She’s hungry for her breakfast at the crack of dawn which in turn wakes up the dogs.

“I’m afraid ours is not a conventional marriage.” He got on his bike. “But I love it,” he added with enough emotion for Riley to know Nicco Tescotti was one happy man.

“If we should get separated, ask anyone for directions to the Valentino Animal and Bird Preserve. The security guard at the gate will tell you where to go from there.”

After closing his shield, he started up his bike. Riley chased after him in the rental car.

He recognized a pro racer when he saw one.

Though they might not be on the track, Nicco Tescotti rode with the kind of flawless precision and technique only a handful of the world’s top racers demonstrated.

Riley tried to figure the odds of running into the new head of the Danelli company, let alone being invited to his home for a job interview. They had to be in the billion to one category.

“Keep saying those prayers, Sister,” he whispered to the air as he stayed on the other man’s tail.

Their journey followed the river back to the city. They’d been passing several miles of woods and verdant parkland when Nicco slowed down and signaled before making a right turn into a private driveway with a security guard at the gate.

Riley did the same. The guard nodded him on through.

Once past the thick hedge, he marveled at the cathedral-like atmosphere of trees and shrubbery as the path wound its way deeper and deeper into the greenery. But he didn’t know real surprise until he glimpsed a small Baroque palace beyond the dense foliage.

Nicco came to a stop at the entrance to the west wing where several other cars were parked. He climbed off his motorcycle.

Riley blinked. He lived here?

As he got out of the rental car, two dogs came racing out to greet their master. One was a fawn-colored boxer with white feet who jumped up on Nicco’s leg. The other was a toy pug. It stayed at a distance and barked with ferocity until Nicco removed his helmet to reveal hair as black as Riley’s. Then the pug leaped toward him.

Laughter rumbled out of Riley. Nicco’s chuckles joined his as he scratched the ears of both dogs. Riley moved closer.

“This big boy here is Valentino. Put your hand out and he’ll give you five.”

Riley got down on his haunches and did as Nicco suggested. The boxer was almost human the way he hit his paw against Riley’s hand. More laughter ensued from both men.

The pug proceeded to run laps around Riley.

“Chloe, on the other hand, is a complicated lady who hates my helmet and doesn’t trust strangers. Give her time and she might allow you to rub her head, but don’t hold your breath.”

After she’d run out of steam, she sat there panting. Riley had made pets of several stray dogs in his youth. On impulse he put his hand on the ground and started walking it slowly toward the pug with his fingers.

The dog made a strange cry in her throat, then got down on her belly and shimmied toward his hand. Riley kept it going until the pug’s flat nose came up against his fingers. She butted at him several times, then turned over on her back in invitation.

Triumphant, Riley began rubbing her belly. He noticed she was missing a toe from each front paw.

“The man with the velvet touch,” Nicco murmured in awe. “Chloe’s my wife’s dog. She should be out here to witness this.”

“I just did, and still can’t believe it,” a female voice answered in a tone of wonder.

Riley lifted his head, but he received the shock of his life when he found himself staring into the fabulous green eyes of the only woman in the world who’d ever turned him down flat for a date. Her rejection, delivered without the slightest hesitation, explanation or apology, had been a wound to his pride he’d never forgotten.

Annabelle Lassiter as he lived and breathed!

Less than a year ago she’d been the gorgeous American blonde on the set of the latest Cory Sieverts film, a big Hollywood box office hit. At the time there’d been no talk about her being married.

What in the hell was going on?

Nicco had said his wife was a veterinarian who loved motorcycles. They had a daughter Anna who was almost three months old. That meant she’d been pregnant when she’d cut Riley to the quick in front of the film crew.

The unpleasant experience still had the power to twist his gut if he allowed himself to think about it.

Had she become a vet before she’d ventured into acting?

How and where had she met Nicco Tescotti of all people? A man with whom Riley already felt a rare camaraderie.