“Oh,” Ruby said, unsure if it was proper that she should be alone with Niccolò.
Niccolò kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, amore mio. You’re safe with me. Come, I’ll show you around.”
He led her through the villa graced with hand-painted tiles, antique furniture, and fresco ceilings. Pausing, he swung open the door to a bedroom. “And this is where you can sleep.”
Ruby peered in. A snow-white cotton duvet and fluffy pillows covered the bed, and antique furniture lined the walls. “It’s perfect,” she said.
“And I’ll be in the room next door,” he said with a silly grin. “Hey, are you hungry?”
“Famished.” They’d had some coffee and bread on the train, but it wasn’t the kind of breakfast she was used to in Texas with over-easy eggs, venison sausage, and a short stack of flapjacks. In Hollywood, her aunt served freshly squeezed orange juice with homemade yogurt and buttered toast, but Ruby was always hungry before lunch. At least they fed the cast and crew well on the movie set.
“Let’s make paninis,” Niccolò said, guiding her outside. “We’ll pick tomatoes and basil and peppers.”
Niccolò led her to the garden, where she almost cried when she saw the abundance. Ruby told him about the crops on her family’s ranch that had been lost this year in the drought. Corn, okra, squash, green beans, tomatoes.
“In comparison, this area is like paradise,” Ruby said, filling a corner of her skirt with plump tomatoes and peppers. She raised her hand to the sun, which was warm, but not as brutal as the Texas sun that scorched the soil until it cracked. “Last year, the rains didn’t come, and our shallow well might still run dry this summer.” Ruby had wired money from her last paycheck, and she’d keep sending as much as she could.
“How are they doing now?” Niccolò asked. He’d been with her when she’d received the telegram from Patricia.
“The crops are a total loss. My parents bought food, and they’re rationing the water they have left.” Without rain, the cattle were close to starvation, too. Her parents needed to drill a deeper well, but they didn’t have the money. Still, even a well couldn’t water all the pasture land the livestock required.
When Ruby thought about how desperate the situation was on the ranch, she felt guilty about being in this lush environment. Acting in movies was even more critical for her now to support her family.
“I feel bad that there isn’t more I can do for my family,” Ruby said, her throat constricting at the thought of what they were going through.
“You’re doing what you can.” Compassion shone in Niccolò’s eyes. “The recovery after the war has been hard for people in Italy, too, especially in the south. Films made in Rome create a lot of jobs for people. This is our future. We have our whole lives ahead of us; imagine what we can do together, Ruby. And with your talent, you can give your family a palace someday.”
Ruby laughed at that thought, but some actors in Hollywood did live in splendor. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford lived in a lavish Beverly Hills estate called Pickfair. Anything was possible if she was willing to work for it.
And she was. Ruby folded her skirt around the vegetables.
They made their way back into the kitchen, where Ruby helped Niccolò wash and slice the vegetables. Niccolò roasted the peppers and piled them onto rustic slices of bread, adding provolone cheese and thin prosciutto. He pressed the sandwiches onto a hot grill. While he watched the paninis, Ruby sliced soft mozzarella cheese, stacked it on top of thick slices of tomatoes, and sprinkled sprigs of basil over it all.
“Mangiamo,” Niccolò said with a flourish. “Time to eat this masterpiece.”
He poured a splash of wine into glass tumblers, and they carried their meal outdoors to eat under the shade of the rose-covered pergola. They enjoyed a leisurely lunch, watching yachts and ferries cross the lake and clouds drift across the sky.
After they finished eating their paninis, Niccolò brought out a plate of purple grapes. Ruby plucked a handful. “Open wide,” she said, aiming for his mouth. He did, and she tossed a plump grape toward him that bounced off his nose.
“Try again,” he said, laughing. The next one, he caught.
They took turns with their silly antics, dissolving into a fit of laughter. Between the delicious food, the mild sun on her shoulders, and the beauty surrounding them, Ruby thought she’d never had such a beautiful afternoon. The wine was making her a little giddy, but she liked the feeling. She pushed her glass toward him. “More, please.”
“Oh, no, no, no. I think you’ve had enough.” Niccolò moved the bottle away.
Ruby stifled a yawn. “Maybe I need a nap instead.” She hadn’t slept much on the train. Now, after a good meal and maybe a little too much wine, she was growing drowsy.
“That’s a great idea,” Niccolò said. He took her hand and led her inside, up the stairs, and to her room. Niccolò flung open the windows, and a gentle breeze lifted the white cotton curtains.
As Ruby collapsed onto the bed, she reached out for Niccolò and pulled him down with her.
“Hey,” he said as he turned to face her. Brushing her hair from her face, he peppered her forehead and cheeks with soft kisses.
Ruby raised her lips to his. A moment later, she was lost in the warmth of his mouth. Swept away on waves of pleasure, Ruby succumbed to his embrace. She slid her fingers beneath his shirt, feeling the strength of his heartbeat, which matched hers.
Niccolò caught her hand in his. “I should go,” he whispered. “You stay here and sleep. Alone.”
“Please stay.” Ruby often felt alone, and she hated it. Away from her family and those she loved, she now bore a huge responsibility of providing for her family—and doing it alone. Here with Niccolò, she could be herself, and she knew she had his support.
“Are you sure?” Niccolò smoothed her hair from her cheek.
Ruby sighed and turned into his palm. His simple touch caused an avalanche of feelings in her that she’d never felt before.
She flicked the top button of his shirt. Niccolò gripped her hand, but she fumbled open another button. Moments later, his shirt slid to the wooden floor beneath them.
“Quanto ti amo,” Niccolò murmured, and she answered him in kind.
His kisses filled her with the sweetest desire, and she brought herself to him, calling his name, unwilling to resist. Whatever separate paths they might have been on before, they joined together as one now. One heart, one destiny, one life.
This was the man she would love for the rest of her life.
* * *
Ruby opened her eyes and lifted her head from Niccolò’s chest. Outside, the sun was setting, and the breeze had grown stronger. Niccolò snored softly, but as she rustled, he tightened his arms around her.
This togetherness felt so right to her. Yet instantly, a thought gripped her. What have we done?
Her hot tears trickled onto Niccolò’s chest, and she turned away from him.
“Hey,” he said, lifting himself onto one elbow and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Don’t cry, mio tesoro. You are so beautiful. You’re my heart, my soul.”