Stealing Luca's Heart (7 page)

“You mean, what’s my job?” Luca asked, clearly amused.

She nodded, forcing herself to focus on his words and not the fact that he was incredibly cute when he raised his eyebrows.

He neatly closed the newspaper, set his reading glasses aside, and unbuckled his seat belt. He slid into the chair next to her. “It’s nice that you’re interested. Phillip manages the entire wool and cattle production on the farm. He’s got his hands full, that’s for sure.”

“How about you?” she asked. “When you’re not sneaking around airports, what do you do?”

“It’s my job to navigate the international relationships, marketing, and investments.

She was skeptical. Those responsibilities required a varied level of expertise. Not the typical day job of a jock. “You had a hand in negotiating an export deal with the Chinese?”

New Zealand had been one of the first countries to achieve this, meaning Luca Tetari had to be one hell of a negotiator and businessman. Or, perhaps, he was just the pretty face in front of a management team who were really the ones rolling their sleeves up on this deal. She’d force herself to reserve judgment for now.

Luca shrugged his shoulders and nodded toward Sean. “And my baby brother over here handles the R & D now that he’s back.”

Glancing over at Sean, she found it difficult to tell if he was engrossed in his reading or was simply ignoring them.

Regardless of who this family was, clearly they were going out of their way to help. “Well, I know I speak for my sister Tara when I say thank-you for what your family has done for Dad.”

Luca reached over and rested his hand on her shoulder. “It’s the least we could do.”

When he removed his hand, he absently wrapped a finger around one of her curls, which rested on her back. This gesture caught her off guard. Maybe that was his way of being comforting, she reasoned, but it felt completely intimate. She narrowed her eyes, but he’d already lowered his hand and was glancing over at Sean.

“You know, just saying we’re sorry this happened seems pretty inadequate, really,” Luca continued, shifting his gaze back to hers. “Your dad was a guest of ours, and for something like this to happen is unthinkable.” He blew out his breath. “We’ve had tourists walking all over the property for generations, and this has never happened. It’s really bizarre. There’s a lot of activity going on at the Station, especially now that it’s summer. You never know who’s going to be out trekking or on sightseeing trips.”

“So what happened?” Maybe he had something new to tell her.

Luca shook his head as if he didn’t know himself. “There are deer out that way, so our best guess is that some idiot was aiming for one and missed. When the deer scattered, so did the shooter.” His face darkened. “The idiot probably never even knew there were other people out there.”

“I guess it plays out when you explain it like that, but for some reason it strikes me as a very odd series of events. That must have been a seriously bad shot to miss a deer and travel down into a creek.”

Luca nodded in agreement, his eyes hard, “We’re already looking into restricting access to parts of the station so this type of thing doesn’t happen again. You can be sure of that.”

She found herself deeply moved by Luca’s sudden intensity. She sensed this man was accustomed to getting things done, and she found that comforting. Luca also was giving her a glimpse of his affection for her dad. Why did a stranger knowing him so well make her feel uneasy?

“We’re going to drive Cal crazy,” he said, his mood brightening. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be sick of all of us hovering around him, especially my mum. He’ll learn one thing from this unfortunate accident—that sometimes it’s easier if you just do what Simone tells you to do.”

She nodded. It had been years since her dad, or herself for that matter, had taken orders from anyone and wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. In the end she assumed he’d just be grateful.

Luca continued, “She’s made it her mission to make sure your dad will be following the doctor’s orders. She apologizes, by the way, for not contacting you herself,” he explained. “We couldn’t reach your sister and didn’t know how to contact you. We knew he was collecting information on our farm for the governor of Iowa, so we put a call into his office to see if someone could reach you. He immediately called back and said he’d personally see to it you were notified.”

“He’s a family friend, so that sounds like him.”

She was still wrestling with her own emotions. She reminded herself that her mom was gone and her dad was lucky to have other people looking out for him. “Your mum sounds tough,” she managed, thinking it odd to say mum instead of mom.

“Tough as old boots,” he admitted, glancing out the airplane window.

“Can you tell me more about what the doctors are saying?”

Luca turned and crossed his legs. His expression softened as if searching for the correct words. “Well, all I can say is that the gunshot wound was never life-threatening. But the head injury is something the doctors are continuing to monitor very closely.”

“What happened?” This was the same line she’d received from Saren. Her heart was still heavy with fear that she wasn’t being told the severity of the injuries.

Luca downed half his water bottle before continuing. This apparently was hard for him to discuss. “When Cal was shot, he blacked out and fell into the river. The current actually carried him toward my dad, but not before his head connected with a good-sized boulder.”

Ally’s mouth was open, but she was unable to speak. The thought of seeing her dad like that was too much. She felt the tears welling up.

Luca instantly adjusted his seat and brought her in for an embrace. His arms reached around, and she felt his fingers running down her hair, trying his best to comfort.

“I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you. He’s going to be fine. Just remember that, the worst is over.”

Luca’s whispers were soothing. She allowed herself to relax in this man’s arms. He finally pulled back, giving her a long look. Seemingly satisfied that she was better, he then settled back in his chair.

Ally took some time to collect her thoughts. She was trying her best to assess the situation logically, but deep down she knew she couldn’t face the fear of losing her dad. Especially not when she felt like she’d just buried her mother.

What was her dad’s relationship with this family? “How long have you known my dad?”

Luca looked up from his phone, thinking for a moment. “Not really sure. Ten years, maybe longer.”

She nodded.
Ten years! These people were certainly worth at least a mention.

Ally reached for her coffee and slowly sipped. She felt the wheels in her brain slowing down slightly, perhaps from her travels but more so because she knew everything possible was being done that could be for Dad. She wasn’t going to learn any new information until she was at the hospital.

“So the customs officer at the airport seemed like a big rugby fan. Is rugby your day job, hobby, or what?”

Luca faced her and tilted his head. “So many questions, Ally,” he commented, eyes twinkling. “I do play a bit of rugby.”

“Ask him for his autograph,” Sean interrupted without looking up. “He loves that.”

Ally had forgotten Sean was there. She looked over to find him tapping on an iPad.

“Bugger off,” Luca mumbled.

Ally didn’t think Luca looked that bothered and took the bait. “So how about an autograph? My sister lives here, and you can make it out to her.”

Luca shook his head. “I’m just a kiwi farmer who loves to play rugby. That’s hardly a reason to sign autographs.”

“I can only gauge by American sports stars,” she began, “but I’d think it goes with the territory.”

Luca nodded. “You know, I get it that people want a piece of someone who shows up on the tele. It’s just not one of my favorite activities.”

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?” She imagined the women lining up to get close to him. Her sister sounded like she’d be first in line.

“Yeah, I’d like some of his throwaways, come to think of it.” Sean interjected again.

“That’s it!” Luca stood up and grabbed his brother by the collar, pulling him off the couch.

She noticed that Sean was still clutching the iPad and didn’t seem the least bit threatened. She knew he must get sick of both his brothers’ crap, but Sean seemed to enjoy egging him on.

“Ugh!” Luca exclaimed, dropping Sean, and walked down the plane into the galley. He passed by Sue, who was coming in to clear trash.

“What have you done now, Sean?” Sue asked.

“It’s too easy to get a rise out of him,” Sean explained, his voice level. Then maybe as an afterthought, he added, “He’s not allowed to hit me.”

She saw smug all over his face. “Why not? I thought brothers always kicked each other’s butts.”

“Yeah, in most families I suppose.” Sean kicked his legs up on the couch. “Our family tradition,” he explained with air quotes, “is built on respect, responsibility, and relations. God, that’s all I used to hear: the three R’s.”

Ally leaned back again her chair. The sudden disgust was unsettling.

“Luca can go out and kill guys on the rugby field, but he’d be in big trouble at home if he roughs me or any other family member up. It goes back to the fucking Maori thing. It’s all rubbish. I mean times have changed. I don’t see how Luca should inherit the kingdom just because he’s the firstborn.”

Listening to Sean complain so openly about what was clearly a family matter made her very uncomfortable. The fact that he would air family laundry to a complete stranger was really odd. She also felt the urge to defend Luca in his absence.

“I know we just met, Sean, but as I sit here in your private plane with my dad in the hospital, I’m having a tough time feeling sorry for you.”

“It’s not that great, trust me. That’s why I’ve been gone for three years.”

*

Luca listened to the conversation from inside the galley when Sue came back from the pilot’s cabin. She followed his gaze. “Nice lady.”

“Hmm-hm. She’s a professor.” Luca was busy listening to Ally put Sean in his place. Good for her.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said quickly as Phillip lumbered into the galley.

Phillip stood next to Luca and followed his gaze. “Cal was holding out on us. Maybe I’ll make a play there,” he said, giving Luca a shove with his elbow. When Luca didn’t take the bait, he continued. “You know Cal talked about those girls constantly, but did you see those legs in there? Sorry, Sue, your legs are nice too.”

Sue finished fixing a plate of fruit, ignoring the brothers as she walked up to the pilots.

Phillip took out an orange juice from the mini bar. “I met her mom once.”

Luca turned to face his brother. “When?”

“She came down with Cal once, just the two of them. I remember her mentioning how it was her dream to spend winters in New Zealand. That’s a nice family,” he said, putting the juice away and heading back to the bedroom.

Luca shifted his attention back at Ally, who was admiring the view out her window. He knew he’d made up his mind about her on the Auckland tarmac. He’d heard all about Ally for years from Cal. He knew where she went to school, what sports she played, how she’d busted her butt to get through college early, and how she wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps. Luca had admired Ally as a person long before there was face to go with the name. Still, the stories did not at all reflect the beautiful woman on his plane. He planned on getting to know her better, very soon.

*

Ally watched Luca return from the galley. He sat across from her next to Sean. She assumed Luca had cooled off toward his brother. There was definitely a sibling rivalry there.

“We should be just north of Wellington by now,” Luca offered.

The jet was making good time. They were already approaching the bottom tip of the North Island. Once past the capital and Cook Strait, she’d be able to see the mountains of the South Island quickly thereafter.

“Making the arrangements for me at the airport must have been a hassle. I could have easily managed that myself.”

“No worries, there,” Luca said. “The jet was in Auckland already, and I put in the request to have you ushered off. The three of us were up in Auckland for different reasons, and all the pieces just came together. Picking you up was just another piece of the puzzle. Actually, our mum is the one who makes our lives hum. We just go where we’re told.”

Looking relaxed, he sat back and stretched his legs out in front of the couch. She tried not to stare at how he looked in his jeans, work boots, and fitted black T-shirt. Were there tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves?

“I hope you don’t mind my asking if you own or lease the plane? It’s impressive.”

Luca nodded. “It is. The extended family along with some other farmers have ownership. We need to travel throughout the country and to Australia regularly. This makes it easier,” he said matter-of-factly. “We also have a helicopter that takes us around the farm, especially in the winter, so we can check on the Merino sheep in the mountains.”

“So, from a business perspective your plane sounds like a solid investment. It would take too long to trudge up the mountains on a quad or truck, I’m guessing.”

“You could use wheels, but the area we need to cover is too great and steep. Our helicopter isn’t all that flash, but it gets the job done.”

“So, again, a good investment.”
Damn, it would’ve been easier to peg him as spoiled or a pampered athlete. He was so easy to talk to.

“Exactly, professor.” He sat up. “Do you want something to eat? We have sandwiches.” He reached over to his right and opened a cabinet that housed another mini fridge equipped with sandwiches and small prepackaged meals.

“Sure. I’m not a professor, by the way,” she blurted out. “I’m just an instructor.” She wasn’t sure she appreciated the way he said “professor”.

“Not a professor, huh? Slacker,” he mused. He chose two sandwiches and closed the door. “Maybe you’re not old enough to be a professor?”

“Actually, it takes years to become a full professor, and I’m not sure that’s the direction I’m headed anyway.” Not that she had to explain herself to him. She was sure this guy could give a rat’s ass about her life’s aspirations.