Promises (23 page)

“Where to first?” he asked, breaking into her tormenting thoughts.

“I thought we’d just look around for a while, at all the shops and things, to make it
—
us look believable before we go get the disk.”
 
Her voice sounded weak, and she was amazed she found the energy to speak at all.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
 

They continued down the small narrow road, under archways and passed quaint stone houses.
 
Several times he stopped and asked a passerby to take their picture.
 
She tried to smile, yet knew it never quite reached her eyes.
 
She was still too confused by his behavior.
 
They didn’t need to be quite so convincing in their imaginary role as newlyweds.
 

“Let’s go in here.”
 
He pulled her down a set of stone steps into a small jewelry shop.

Peering into the glass cases, he studied the craftsman’s wares with intense interest while still holding her hand.
 
She was beginning to think he was afraid she would run off.
 

Was that it?
 
Did he think she was going to take off to get the disk without him?
 
Maybe he thought by keeping her confused and bewildered, she wouldn’t think about running away.

“Bonjour,” a tiny woman said, as she stepped up to the counter.

“Uh, hello.
 
I, um, don’t speak French,” Travis said with a wide smile.

“Ah, American?” the woman asked.

He chuckled.
 
“It shows, huh?”

The woman nodded and smiled brightly.
 
“Is there something you like, monsieur?”

“Yes, actually.
 
I’d like to see that ring.”
 
He pointed to a small filigree band of gold.

Bobbi’s interest was peaked.
 
Why would he want to see any jewelry?
 
Was he looking to buy something for one of his sisters?
 
No, it was probably for Sylvia.
 

Her anger strained at the leash.
 
How dare he do this in front of her, after everything that happened?
 
She wanted to rip into him so bad she could taste it.
 
But, she thought with a small sigh, she didn’t have the right.
 
Travis didn’t belong to her and never would.
 
They were play-acting, nothing more.
 

Still, there was that kiss at the entrance to Eze.
 
She couldn’t shake the feeling, or was it hope, that there was something behind it.

The woman lifted the delicate ring from the case.
 
“One of my favorite pieces.
 
My husband did not craft it, however.
 
It is an antique.
 
I do not know how old, but he believes at least one hundred years.”
 
She chuckled softly.
 
“I think he likes to exaggerate, but it is still a lovely piece.”

She handed Travis the ring, and he examined it carefully. Bobbi felt certain the woman was putting on the hard sell, but it was a charming piece.
 
The intricate swirl and spiral of gold was enchanting.

“What do think, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Huh?” she croaked then cleared her throat.
 
He couldn’t possibly expect her to
—
she held on to her growl.
 
“I think it’s beautiful.
 
One of your sisters will love it, I’m sure.”
 
Although she smiled sweetly, she felt certain he heard the venom in her voice.

He grinned that goofy grin again, throwing her completely off balance.
 
“It’s not for any of them.”
 
Pulling their clasped hands to the counter, he slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

She gulped, her eyes opening and closing mechanically.
 

“Ah, a perfect fit,
oui
?” the woman asked.

“
Oui
,” she replied softly.
 
The ring did fit perfectly, but what did it mean?
 
Why was he doing this?
 
Was it part of her starring role as his new bride or was it a real gift?
 

No, she wouldn’t accept it.
 
She couldn’t.
 
There could be no tangible evidence of Travis in her life.
 
The bittersweet memories would be difficult enough to live with.

“We’ll take it,” he announced.

“No, wait.
 
We can’t.
 
I mean, it’s lovely, but I, uh, already have a ring.”
 

“Not like this one.”
 
He gently lifted her hand and kissed the finger bearing the filigree band.

She stared up at his blurry image.
 
Damn it!
 
Now wasn’t the time to get all misty-eyed.
 
This was just pretend.
 
It wasn’t real.

He leaned toward her and brushed his lips against hers.
 
“I want you to have it.”

“Ah, love.
 
C’est
magnifique
!”
 
The saleslady clapped her hands, jarring Bobbi from her trance.

Travis handed the woman some money as she chattered away in French.
 
By the time she returned his change, Bobbi had managed to regain some semblance of control, but she still shook like crazy on the inside.
 
She felt like a spinning top was swirling through her body and bouncing off her heart.

As they said good-bye to the woman, Travis slid his finger back and forth across the intricacies of the ring on her hand.
 
What did it all mean?
 
None of it made any sense.

He pulled her to a stop next to one of the many fountains scattered throughout the village.
 
“What was she saying back there?
 
I lost her after
c’est
magnifique
.”

She concentrated on the rippling water, too confused to look at him.
 
“Nothing really.
 
Just the usual.”
 
Providing the translation would be almost as bad as confessing her feelings.
 
They were both so similar in content.

 
He crouched down from his towering height to look into her eyes.
 
“Why won’t you tell me what she said?”
 

“You know, I just realized.
 
You left your cane back at the hotel.
 
Your leg must be almost healed.”
 
She turned her head and caught sight of another shop.
 
“Let’s go in there.
 
I’ve always loved the marionettes.
 
They’re so beautifully carved.
 
They say this is where Pinocchio was made.
 
Isn’t that sweet?”
 

She tried to tug him along as he had done to her earlier, but he wouldn’t budge.
 
His feet were firmly planted next to the fountain.
 

“Come on.
 
It’ll be fun.”
 
She tugged a little harder, but instead of him moving toward her, she moved toward him.
 
He reeled her in like a trout, only most of the fight had gone out of her.

“What did she say?” he asked, his tone soft and serious.

“She said she hoped we enjoyed our stay and to come again.”
 
That sounded credible.
 
Didn’t it?

He brushed the tip of her nose with his.
 
“Wasn’t Pinocchio the one whose nose grew when he lied?”
 

So innocent a touch and yet so powerful.
 
She pulled back and thrust out her chin.
 
“I am not lying.”

“Yes, you are.
 
Your voice jumps an octave higher when you lie.”

“No it doesn’t,” she said with a much lower voice.

He threw back his head and laughed.
 
“Sweetheart, you are a terrible liar.
 
Now tell me.
 
What did she say?”

She blew at the hair tickling her forehead then took a fortifying breath and stared blankly over his shoulder.
 
“She said a blessing over us.
 
One that promised a long and happy life together with many children.
 
She said she knew it would come to pass because our love shone so brightly that it rivaled the sparkle of the summer sun on the ocean and the brightness of the spring flowers in the fields,” she recited with zero feeling.
 
On the outside, at least.
 

He didn’t say anything for a very long time.
 
She forced her gaze back to his, noting the odd expression on his face.
 

He abruptly cleared his throat.
 
“You, um, wanted to go in the marionette shop?”
 

She managed a nod, too sick inside to speak.
 
He had no comment on the woman’s blessing.
 
If that didn’t make things clear as crystal, nothing did.
 

They wandered into the shop and looked at the many marionettes hanging from the racks lining the walls and dangling from the rafters.
 
Each one intricately carved and painstakingly painted.
 

Bobbi slipped from his side, a wistful look in her eyes.
 
She placed a tentative finger to the nose of one of the marionettes, and Travis suspected she envisioned one of the dolls coming to life.
 

He felt a broad smile spread across his face.
 
She had no idea how transparent she was.
 
The way she’d reacted to his gift in the jewelry shop left no doubt she felt something for him, but was it love?

So many times since they’d stepped off the plane he had started to tell her how he felt, and each time he stopped himself.
 
Somehow it never seemed like the right moment.
 
The atmosphere couldn’t be more romantic or the day more beautiful, but reality still dangled over their heads like the sword of Damocles.
 
Waiting to drop and slice them in two.
 
Steele wasn’t going to give up until he had what he wanted.
 
Bobbi.

Looking around the shop, he moved toward the entrance.
 
The prickly feeling at the back of his neck was absent as it had been all day.
 
They weren’t being followed, but they still had a long way to go before the job was done.

He glanced at his watch.
 
Almost noon.
 
That was when she said they could retrieve the disk.
 
He looked back over his shoulder at the brave and beautiful woman he’d come to love, wondering how he had managed so long without her.
 

She seemed transfixed on a pair of marionettes, a prince or so he guessed and next to it a princess, but why the long face?
 

Crossing the shop, he stepped up behind her.
 
She didn’t move, completely lost in thought.
 
A painful thought by the looks of things.
 
He slid his hands around her waist, clasping them over her belly, and pulled her back against his chest.
 
She stiffened slightly, but he could feel her racing heart pounding in rhythm with his.
 

God, how he loved her, but he had to wait.
 
He had to wait until things were settled and they could start fresh.
 

He bent down and pressed his cheek to the side of her face.
 
“Ready to go?”
 

She gave a faint nod.
 
Resisting the urge to lay a path of kisses down the smooth-as-silk column of her throat, he slipped his hand down to hers, to the ring he had given her, his silent pledge of love, and led her out of the shop.

They wandered deeper into the city, stopping to look into various shop windows until they came to a stop at the top of a narrow path winding down and around a stone wall.
 
She hesitated a moment then started down the steps.

“Are we going someplace specific or just being nosy?” he asked.

“You wanted the disk.
 
I’m taking you to it.”

They could no longer walk side by side, and he felt a slight twinge in his heart at not being able to hold her hand, but he did have a spectacular view of her lithe body as she trekked along the ancient trail.
 
He did so love those stretchy legging things women wore these days.
 
They hugged every delicious curve, teasing him to distraction.

Cobblestones gave way to dirt as they walked further down the side of the cliff, past cottages and private gardens.
 
He didn’t care for the limited amount of maneuverability on such a narrow trail, and there were far too many places for someone to hide and take them by surprise, but he had little choice.
 
He would have to rely on his instincts, which at the moment said they were safe.

After several more turns and twists the trail widened, the houses grew fewer and farther between, and the path began to resemble a road.

With long strides, he came up beside her and reclaimed her hand.
 
She flinched slightly.
  

“How much further?” he asked.

“A couple of more turns and we’ll be there.”

“And where is there?”

“Henri’s house.”

He bit back the sharp retort threatening to pop out.
 
He didn’t need to remind her of the danger they were still in.
 
This friend of hers may not even be aware of the situation.
 
Then again, he could be working for Steele.