fall over the edge of the mountain before she could make it to safety.
“Give me your hand,” the man said. “That’s it. You’re doing fine. Out you come.”
She fell onto her hands and knees, never so happy to see blades of grass up close. Fisting big clumps of them in her hands, she shut her eyes, pressed her cheek to the ground, and breathed in the heady scent of the earth.
A hand came to rest on her back. “Are you hurt?”
She sat back on her heels. When she finally lifted her gaze, she saw Freddie rising unsteadily to his feet beside her and realized she was shaking uncontrollably.
The man who had come to their rescue knelt beside her. His green eyes studied her with concern. “Can you stand?”
“I think so. I’m just a little shaken up.”
“No wonder.” He helped her rise, then spoke to Freddie. “Are you all right as well?”
“I think so.”
The man glanced up the steep slope. “My car is up there. Can you both make it up the hill?”
“I can do it,” Lillian replied.
“Me too,” Freddie said.
The man remained at Lillian’s side, helping her stay balanced as she made her way up to the road and finally to a silver Mercedes convertible parked on the shoulder.
Lillian hobbled toward Freddie, who had reached the top first. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” He was cupping his bloody nose.
“We should get you to a hospital,” she said.
The man stayed close. “I can take you. It’s not far. Hop in.”
Lillian got into the front seat, and Freddie slid into the back. As the man turned the key in the ignition, Lillian shaded her eyes and pointed at the buildings on the hilltop. “That’s where we were going. I’m supposed to start work there today.”
“At the winery?”
“Yes.”
It was madness to worry about her job at such a moment, when Freddie’s nose was bleeding all over his trousers, but she obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.
The man spoke with understanding. “It won’t be a problem. That’s my winery.” He pulled onto the road. “What’s your name?”
Lillian’s heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, “Oh . . . that makes you my boss. I’m so sorry about this. I’m Lillian Bell. This is my husband, Freddie.”
The man glanced at Freddie in the rearview mirror. “It’s good to meet you both. I’m Anton Clark.”
Lillian exhaled heavily. “Well, this is awkward, Mr. Clark. I swear, we weren’t speeding or anything.”
“No need to apologize,” he replied as he turned the car around to head back toward Montepulciano. “You’re not the first to run into trouble on this curve. I’ll call a tow truck for you, but I think your car’s probably beyond repair.”
Freddie spoke with defeat. “Wonderful. We just spent everything we had on that car, Lil. We can’t buy another. How am I going to do my research if I can’t get around Tuscany?”
Mr. Clark interjected. “Where are you living?”
Lillian turned to him as he picked up speed, and the wind blew her hair in all directions. “We just rented an apartment for the summer. It’s near the train station on the other side of Montepulciano.”
Seeming unconcerned about their commitment to the landlord, Mr. Clark waved a hand. “It won’t be a problem. You can stay on the property, at the winery. The shed is usually empty.”
Freddie gave Lillian a quick look. “A shed?”
Mr. Clark looked at Freddie in the rearview mirror again and tried to explain. “It’s not an actual ‘shed’ in the literal sense. We just call it that because it was part of a farm in a previous century, but now it’s expanded and renovated for tourists. We usually keep one suite empty for overbookings or emergencies like this one. You’re welcome to it, if you like. You’ll be able to walk to work, Lillian, and Freddie, we might have a car you can borrow for your own purposes, until you make other arrangements.”
Lillian turned in her seat to look at Freddie, who was wiping blood from his nose. “That sounds wonderful,” she said. “Thank you.”
“It’s not a problem. I’ll make a phone call and arrange for you to start tomorrow, Lillian, instead of today, if you’re up to it.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate this.” She settled into the leather bucket seat and looked at the dashboard with fascination. She’d never been in a Mercedes before.
“I’m so sorry about all this,” she said as Freddie buckled his seat belt behind her. “I’m sure you had better things to do today.”
“Nothing that can’t wait,”