Marrying Cade (7 page)

An hour later, Melo pushed her hands through her hair. It was impossible. Marco had used the company money like his own personal bank account. Signed a contract without consulting anyone else, and made no prudent allowances for what would happen if it all went wrong.

As it had done. She stared at the line of figures proclaiming the truth in blood red. Proclaiming the end of life as they knew it.

There were only two possibilities. The first was to bring in a partner to The Bellucci Winery, but with the obvious signs of mismanagement, that would be almost impossible. And Marco would never agree. He was always adamant the company should remain a family business. She puffed out a frustrated breath. If he’d originally let her do what she was so good at, this never would have happened. She’d played the dutiful daughter role too long. Stood on the sidelines while her father gambled with their future. Now there was no option but to confront him on it.

The other option burned in her gut. Marco had suggested they sell land, and it had been no throwaway line either. She’d seen the flash of knowledge in his eyes. The gleam that hinted he’d thought about it, and was concealing something. Something important.

She pulled out the map showing the Bellucci lands marked in diagonal red stripes. The vineyard, a few acres of scrub, unproductive except for the old olive trees her grandfather had planted.

And the land where her grandfather had proposed to her grandmother. That her grandmother had bequeathed to Melo in her will. Cold fingers tightened around her heart, and squeezed. It was the only saleable location.

Marco’s glance had been laced with guilt. The reason hit home, hard. Beautiful, unspoiled, facing the azure sea. The most desirable spot on the island. The place she’d dreamed of building her house.

Paradise Beach.

Chapter Seven

The door creaked open, then the room flooded with light as the curtains were pulled back. Melo’s eyelids flickered open. Her eyes felt gritty, as if she’d been crawling all night through the desert. She rubbed at them, wishing she were still asleep.

A boisterous body compressed the mattress.
Rosa
.

“Where did you get to last night?”

Melo clamped her eyes shut again. Playing dead.

“I know you’re awake. I saw you. Come on, Melo.” Rosa’s tone altered from bossy to persuasive. A finger stroked Melo’s arm. “I brought coffee.”

Melo breathed in and opened her eyes to take in Rosa’s grin. Could there be anything worse than a happy bride? She scooted up in bed, resting her back against the headboard, and felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Rosa’s mood was infectious, it was impossible to stay grouchy at her for long.

“Coffee first,” Melo said.

Rosa obediently placed the china cup in her sister’s hand. Her feet were tapping on the floor and her whole body was doing the tell-me-all-about-it twitch. She bit at her bottom lip as Melo slowly drank, impatience rolling off her in waves.

Melo took her time. Payback for the early morning wake-up call. It was a familiar scenario. When they were children Rosa had always needed to know everything
now
. She hadn’t changed. And her sister taking it slow had always tickled and teased.

“Melo!” A high-pitched, frustrated plea.

They’d always shared everything.

Melo capitulated. “It was a lovely party, wasn’t it?”

Rosa’s gaze held hers steadily. Like a captain navigating the rocks watches the lighthouse. Unblinking. But her hands fluttered on her lap.

“It was wonderful. Until I realized you’d disappeared. And Cade too.” Her voice dropped. “I searched everywhere for you. Adam did too. We checked the garden, the bedrooms…”

“I went out.” Melo focused at the coffee grounds in the bottom of her cup. Rolled one between her front teeth. Talking about Cade seemed wrong. What had happened between them too young, too new to share. Her gaze flickered to Rosa. Her sister wasn’t letting it go. Melo breathed out.
Here goes.
“Cade and I went to the hotel.”

“I knew it!” Rosa’s eyes shone, and the nervous energy bottled up in her slender form exploded out as she sprung off the bed. “You and Cade! Oh, Melo it’s just perfect.”

Melo put the cup on her bedside table, and Rosa sat down again, grabbing Melo’s hands and bouncing them on her knee in a childlike expression of glee.

Melo’s heart clenched. “It’s nothing serious.”

The burning desire to consummate the heat that flared every time they were together had overtaken them both. But Cade thought she was an experienced woman of the world. She’d done all the chasing at the poolside. And he’d been inflamed by her flirting with Sebastiano. After spending the night together, she yearned for him to want her as much as she did him. But in her heart she knew it was different for him. It had been hot, easy sex, nothing more.

“Come on, Melo. It is. You’ve always been in love with Cade. You used to tell me.” Rosa stroked Melo’s hands slowly. “It’s a good thing.” Her glance flicked to Melo’s face. “Isn’t it?”

When I grow up, I’m marrying Cade
.

She’d said it often to Rosa when they were teenagers. Had written it in the diary hidden under her bed. Had believed it with all her heart. She’d been a child-woman, with a wide open heart which had ached for Cade. In her romantic fantasies Cade had returned to the island. Wooed her. Told her how he’d dreamed of her too. Told her he loved her.

“It’s early days yet,” Melo replied quietly.

Today’s Cade was different. Older, harder, more determined. In a lot of ways she didn’t know him at all. Her stomach clenched, and she pulled her hands away from Rosa’s. Their lovemaking had been wonderful, but his silence last night had been telling. There’d been no talk of tomorrow. No talk of love.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Melo pulled back the cover and stepped out of bed. She needed distance. Needed time alone to think, before the woes of the world came rushing in. “I’m going to Paradise.”

Rosa’s frantic body movements stopped. She stepped closer, and grasped Melo’s hand. “Is everything okay?” Her eyes searched Melo’s and a tiny frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “Did Cade…”

“Cade was wonderful.”

Melo looked away. Wonderful, but not in love. The realization burned. And she couldn’t really blame him either, she’d been right there, as carried away as he was. But where did they go from here? Tomorrow was the wedding, and then he’d be gone. Back to his life.

“But?” Rosa murmured.

“But I… Oh God, Rosa. I don’t know. What future is there in it?” Her hands clenched into fists. Her head ached with possibilities. And the knowledge today she had to talk to her father and insist they cancel the improvements to the winery. And once again, carry the weight of everything on her shoulders. “I just need to get away for a while. I need to think.”

Rosa leaned forward and kissed her sister’s cheek.

“It’s an easy day today. Everyone’s doing their own thing. No one will miss you, I’ll cover.” She squeezed Melo’s hand. “It’ll all work out.” She stepped back, watching Melo with concern in her eyes. “I’m here when you want to talk about it.”

Melo nodded. “I know.”

Rosa was exasperating, demanding, spoilt. But Rosa was loyal too. Rosa would always be there.

****

The white sand of Paradise Beach was so fine it was like walking on clouds. In the early morning, the beach was deserted, apart from the sea birds that wheeled and cried overhead. Melo walked across the line of tiny shells that formed an undulating line marking the tide’s last foray toward land, fingering the necklace around her neck.

The sound of waves breaking on the beach was soothing. Melo closed her eyes, feeling the silk slide of the mother of pearl under her fingers.
Nonna’s shell.
Her grandmother had worn it around her neck every day. Then, when she was dying, she’d called Melo into the bedroom, and with arthritic fingers had carefully unclasped it.

“
Tesoro
, this is for you.”

Melo’s hand had come up automatically. Palm forward, trying to reject her grandmother’s precious gift. Knowing what it signified.

“No, Nonna, you need it.”

Her voice had broken with the pain of the mere thought of losing the old woman who’d always been her inspiration.

“No, Melo.” Her grandmother’s eyes softened, and she’d reached for Melo’s hand, turning it up and carefully placing the pendant mid-palm, and folding her granddaughter’s fingers around it. “Silvio gave it to me. Now it is time for me to give it to you. Put it on. I want to see how it looks on you.”

Tears stung Melo’s eyes. Made a lie of her forced smile. Her hands had been shaking so badly it made making fastening the clasp near impossible. But eventually she’d managed it. The silver was cold against her skin.

“
Buono
.” Her grandmother leaned back against the pillows. “I have told your father Paradise Beach is for you.”

“But, Nonna…”

“Listen. You know this is all I have to leave. The beach was mine. Your grandfather gave it to me, and now I am giving it to you. I have left it to you in my will. The money and other jewelry I have left to your sister, but you…” Nonna’s voice slowed as the urge to sleep overtook her. “You understand.” She smiled slowly as her eyes drifted shut. “Now, tell me the story.”

It was a story Nonna had told her many times growing up as they walked along the sand, water tickling their toes. Rosa always ran ahead, into the waves. Her bright cries echoing back to the old lady and her small granddaughter, holding hands.

Melo swallowed as her grandmother’s fingers tightened. “When you were young—”

“Eighteen,” Nonna interrupted.

Melo blinked back tears and started again. “When you were eighteen, you were walking along the beach. Your eyes were filled with tears. You had argued with Silvio, the only man you ever loved.”

Nonna nodded.

“You thought your romance was over.” Melo dug deep and the remembered words surfaced. “You thought your dream was over.”

The corner of Nonna’s mouth curved upward.

“Then, suddenly, he was there. Silvio ran across the beach toward you, and at the spot we always stopped at while you told me the story, he grasped your hand.” The story was so romantic Melo’s throat constricted. She breathed deeply, knowing Nonna wanted to hear the story. Needed to hear it. “He fell to his knees, and kissed your fingers. Buried his face in your hand, and told you he loved you, more than life itself.”

“More than life itself,” Nonna echoed.

“He picked up this shell from the beach, pressed it into your palm and asked you to marry him.”

“Yes,” Nonna breathed out, long and hard. Her eyes flickered half open. “He inlaid the shell in silver to make the necklace, and gave it to me on our wedding day.” A half-smile teased her lips. “Of course, he gave me an engagement ring too, and my wedding ring. Those are for Rosa. She’ll appreciate them more than the necklace. But this, the shell in silver, this showed me your grandfather’s heart. It is the most precious thing I own, Melo. Wear it with love.”

Her eyes closed, the fingers clutching Melo’s loosened, and before Melo had time to call the doctor, Nonna had drawn her last breath.

Melo stood and brushed the sand off her shorts. She turned away from the sea, and walked up onto the dunes. Here, on the flat, she’d dreamed of building her house. She’d sat here with Cade, dreaming fanciful dreams of the two of them living there. Now, the dream was in jeopardy. Someone else would build their home here. Maybe Marco had been talking to a conglomerate who wanted to build a whole estate of houses here. Melo’s hands grasped into fists, and her jaw tightened.
Over her dead body.
The land belonged to her; her family would have to find another way.

“Melo!”

Melo glanced up, shaken out of her reverie.

Cade had crested the dunes, and was walking across the sand. He dropped down next to her, leaned close, and dusted his lips across hers. Gently. “Good morning.”

Warmth flooded Melo’s features. Somehow she was shy around him this morning. Hesitant.

He brushed a hand across her cheek, then cupped her head, pulling her closer in, and kissing her harder. “I missed you this morning when I work up.” A wicked grin teased the corner of his mouth.

“So you decided to come find me?” Melo asked huskily.

“No. I decided to come and take some photographs.” Cade indicated the camera slung around his neck. “Finding you was an unexpected bonus.”

Any other woman sitting on a beach in old jeans, and a well-worn T-shirt might have looked ordinary. Not so Melo. Cade’s body tightened as he breathed in her perfume. Even stripped of the artifice of make-up and fancy clothes, she was totally gorgeous.

He’d snuck out before breakfast, and borrowed a car from the hotel’s owner to come and take photographs of the beach, needing to have pictures to feed his imagination. And now his imagination was racing overtime, but not with thoughts of what a new hotel would look like if he decided to buy the beach, but rather of Melo. His mind replayed in an endless loop all the suppressed images of the night before. Melo, with her long hair curled around her bare shoulders. The little noises she made as they made love. They were alone on the beach. Blissfully alone. It seemed almost sinful to resist the opportunity.

Cade gazed into her eyes. There was an air of wistfulness around her. A sadness that hung around her like mist. He swallowed, and damped down his attraction.

“Are you okay? You look sort of sad.”

Cade didn’t really want to probe. After all, if she had a problem she’d probably tell him. He’d learnt that about women. If they had an issue they’d bring it up. Surprise niggled at him for asking the question. And for holding his breath until she gave him an answer. It must be because Melo wasn’t just any lover, but had been his childhood friend.

“I was thinking about my grandmother.” Her fingers fiddled with the pendant she wore around her neck. “Just remembering…you know?” She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, and guilty relief flooded Cade.

“Will we walk?”

Melo nodded, and he pulled her to her feet.

“So, everything ready for tomorrow?” Cade asked.

“Yes, except for the church. I’m meeting the lady who’s doing the flowers there later today to decorate it. What are you up to?”

“I wanted to take some pictures. Then I’m meeting up with Adam, who wants to check I’ve got everything straight for the wedding. I think he’s worried about my speech.” Cade grinned. “He’s made me promise not to embarrass him, but wants to check it over anyway. He’s always been a bit of a control freak.”

“He just likes to make sure he knows what’s going on.” Melo bit her lip, and her eyes clouded. “You can’t blame him. There’s nothing worse than being left out of the loop.”

Cade glanced at her quickly. Could she have any idea he was keeping something important from Adam?

Melo gazed out over the clear azure water and stayed silent.

Cade relaxed. It was just an off the cuff comment, nothing barbed or laden with innuendo. He took the lens cap off the camera and fired off a couple of innocuous shots, including a few of the little hill they’d sat on when they were younger.

Paradise Beach was the perfect location. His mind drifted back in time to the first time he’d seen it. He’d been trailing behind Melo, carrying the picnic basket as she ran excitedly ahead.

“Wait till you see it, Cade. It’s just perfect.” Her eyes shone as she tossed her long mane of hair back to grin at him.

He remembered how his arms ached, being the human packhorse carrying everything. It was a long trek from the main road.

“Here.”

They’d rounded the corner onto the most beautiful slice of paradise he’d ever seen. He’d stood, silent and awestruck at the scene before him. Long white sand. Clear turquoise water, with little silver glints of reflected sunshine dancing across its surface. Melo had climbed up onto the dunes facing the sea.