“Audrey couldn’t wear it in the scene. Did you see me standing in as they were setting up the scene?”
“Saw it all,” Niccolò said, jerking his thumb back toward the crowd. “Some of my friends are here, too. They want to meet you. They think you’re a star.”
Ruby shook her head. “I’m a stand-in with a bit part.”
Niccolò shook his head. “I told them you’re an American actress from Texas who’s going to be a big star.” He paused to glance toward them, signaling that they’d join them in a moment. “They said you hold yourself like a princess, too. Like Miss Hepburn with her ballet training.”
Ruby laughed. More likely, her posture was from barrel racing at livestock shows. “I was once crowned a cattle princess. Even had a tiara fitted over the brim of a cowboy hat.”
Now Niccolò burst out with a hearty laugh. “Did you know this is the Foro Boario, the ancient cattle market?”
“No wonder I feel at home here,” Ruby remarked, thinking about her family’s ranch. Although she missed saddling up with her father and rounding up the cattle on horseback—when times were better—this life was exciting.
Niccolò crooked his elbow, and Ruby hooked her arm through his. “Introduce me to your friends. I’ll tell them I rode a horse to school.” Although she acted as if this were a joke, it was the truth.
“You’re so funny,” Niccolò said, his eyes roaming over her face. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
His gaze enveloped her in a virtual caress that left her hungering for more.
“Anima mia,” Niccolò whispered to her as he kissed her on the cheek. “You are my soul. How will I ever let you go?”
“Don’t,” Ruby said simply. She gazed around, reminding herself that this was her life now. Rome, films, Hollywood. And Niccolò. As much as she missed her family, how could she ever return to the ranch or the life she’d known before? As long as she made money and was generous with her folks, maybe she wouldn’t have to. And yet, Hollywood was sprawling and impersonal. “Come back with me,” she blurted out.
“You mean it?”
Suddenly, the idea took hold of her, and it seemed entirely plausible. “Let’s figure it out.”
Niccolò grinned. “I know how.”
“How?”
“Just say ‘yes.’” Niccolò’s bright blue eyes sparkled with passion.
Ruby giggled. “How could I ever say ‘no’ to a boy with such dreamy eyes?”
As she and Niccolò chatted with his friends, who seemed a little starstruck even though she wasn’t famous, the messenger boy who’d brought her to the set earlier charged toward her.
“Miss Raines, telegram for you,” the messenger boy called out. He waved an envelope in his hand.
“For me?” Only important people received telegrams. Unless… With a trembling hand, Ruby tore the envelope open, nervous about what news it might contain.
Niccolò slipped his arm around her shoulder, understanding her trepidation.
The message was from her sister, Patricia. Ruby pressed a hand to her mouth as she read it.
No rain, drought worse. Mama and Daddy need help. Can you wire money?
She knew what that meant. The crops had failed again.
Last year, the drought had been relentless. After the crops withered and dried, Ruby burned off the thorns of prickly pear cactus to feed their cattle. Thankfully, the rain had come early this spring, so her parents hoped this year would be better. Yet, by the time Ruby left Los Angeles for Italy, Patricia warned her that the crops and pastures were becoming parched.
If the vegetation had died, Patricia’s telegram meant her parents needed money for food for the livestock—and themselves. For Patricia to reach out to Ruby was a last resort.
Worried, Ruby looked up at Niccolò. “I have to send a wire transfer and a telegram right now.” She would wire the paycheck she’d just received. Her parents had wanted her to save that money for her marriage, but she had to help.
“Andiamo.” Niccolò took her by hand, and they hurried through the crowds.
Ruby gritted her teeth. Acting was no longer just an adventure. She would also send a message to her talent agent and have him arrange more auditions as soon as she returned from Italy. That was the only way she knew to help her parents, along with Patricia and her husband. Her sister didn’t mention their need, but Ruby was sure they were in trouble, too.
Unless Ruby kept earning money, her family would lose their ranches and livelihoods. Now, it was up to her to save them if she could.
Chapter 11
Lago di Como, 2010
* * *
Ruby opened the old address book that she’d carried for decades and ran her finger over blue fountain pen ink that had faded over the years. A piece of paper slipped out, and she bent over to pick it up off the bedroom floor. Pages crisscrossed with yellowed cellophane tape barely held together now.
She unfolded the paper, but it wasn’t what she was looking for. Ruby turned a page with care. In her hands, she held the private telephone numbers of family and friends and fellow stars. Names and numbers were crossed out, written over, added. She didn’t like the electronic gizmos Mari used, or the digital addresses Ariana kept in her phone. This worn book that had traveled the world with her was a reliable friend filled with memories and notes.
“Where is it?” Ruby thumbed through the address book, but the letter was missing. “How can this be?” She drew a hand over her forehead in distress. Of all things to have been lost.
“What are you looking for, Aunt Ruby?”
Ruby looked up. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in.” Although it was tempting to share her concerns with Ariana, the girl wouldn’t understand. Not yet. She closed the worn address book and arranged a smile on her face.
“Come sit with me.” Ruby sat, patting a place beside her on the new duvet cover that Livia had placed on the bed.
How could she have lost that letter she’d carried all these years? Is this how Patricia’s condition began?
“I’m concerned about you,” Ariana said, scrutinizing her with a look reserved for older people who were losing their mental faculties.
Ruby straightened her shoulders. Not Ruby Raines. Not like her sister, for heaven’s sake. She took Ariana’s hand. “I will not have dementia. I’m fighting against it like an old dog with a thorn in its paw.”
That thorn was the constant reminder of what her sister had gone through. Ruby had made sure that Patricia had the best care possible and spent her last days in a beautiful facility. Mari had been too busy to visit much, saying, Mom doesn’t recognize me, so what does it matter? Ruby understood that Mari’s pain kept her away. Beneath the younger woman’s crusty veneer Ruby believed was a wounded heart, so she’d visited Patricia every chance she could. She owed that to Patricia as well as Mari.
As if to make her feel better, Ariana rubbed her hand. “You’re older than Nana Pat was when she was diagnosed.”
“Good Lord, don’t remind me,” Ruby said. “I take all the supplements, get regular physical and brain exercise. I read and write every day. Lately, I’ve been brushing up on my Italian.” She tapped her temple. “I’m as sharp as I ever was.”