Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,36

noise, a crush of people and the overwhelming reek of sweaty horses – and humans – in the air. Seeing it from above did sound rather good, but she knew it would not be a good idea to humour Tommy.

‘That was a nice thought, but I went to see the Palio some years ago, thanks. All a bit too claustrophobic for me.’

‘Well, if you change your mind, the next one, the Palio dell’Assunta, is only just over a month away. Let me know if you’re interested.’

They stood and chatted for a while until he asked her to have dinner with him yet again and, after a lot of pushing from him and a good bit of hedging from her, she finally ran out of excuses and decided she had to say yes. He did work with her best friend after all, and she didn’t want there to be any bad blood between them. She told herself afterwards she was just being sociable and trusted he would realise this wasn’t a real date – besides, he had said he could tell her all about Castelnuovo Superiore, seeing as his aunt and uncle lived there.

* * *

Sunday was another very hot, sunny day and she decided to go for a walk in the morning and then take refuge in the shade after lunch. She followed a slightly different path up through the olive groves until she found herself once again at the fallen tree where she had stopped for a banana the previous month.

History repeated itself. She had only been there for a few minutes, sipping water from her bottle and admiring the view, when she heard familiar paws running towards her and turned to see Boris the Labrador.

‘Hello, dog. Haven’t they mended the fence yet?’

This time he managed to scramble up onto her lap before she succeeded in shooing him off. There was no doubt he liked his new chum, even though this time she wasn’t bearing a banana. As she was bending down to scratch his tummy, she heard footsteps and glanced up to see a tall figure walking towards her, limping slightly. Even in the shade, she recognised him immediately and it came as a major surprise.

Boris’s reclusive master and her landlord was none other than David Lorenzo, the tennis champion. She stood up and realised this was the first time she had seen him on his feet and he towered over her – and she wasn’t short.

‘Good morning, Mr Lorenzo. Boris and I have just been renewing our acquaintance.’

He stopped and looked genuinely surprised. ‘Doctor Young? And you know my dog’s name?’

Keen to keep the conversation light, Lucy decided to tease him. ‘He told me. I bet you didn’t know I speak Labrador.’

She was delighted to see a hint of a smile on his lips and there was no getting away from the fact that beneath his normal air of gloom, he was a very good-looking man. He had a fine head of dark hair, a strong clean-shaven chin and, as she had already noted at the clinic, his body was very well-honed. He reached up and slid his sunglasses onto his forehead and she saw that his eyes were an attractive deep blue colour, although the dark rings beneath them were still there.

‘A woman of many talents – not only speaking English and Italian, but Labrador as well. Good morning to you, Doctor Young. Fancy seeing you here.’ Although his tone was formal and reserved, he sounded noticeably less grumpy than during their previous encounters. She decided she had better explain about Boris.

‘I found him walking down the road outside my house when I first moved in and I phoned Armando who came to pick him up. So, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t speak dog after all.’

Comprehension – and considerable surprise – dawned on his face. ‘So you’re renting the old cottage. And you’re going to buy it as well, or so my lawyer tells me.’

‘It was love at first sight, I’m afraid. Everything about it’s just perfect. Please don’t tell me you’re going to change your mind.’

‘No, I’m keen to sell, so if it suits your needs, then go for it. As far as I’m aware the papers are all going through.’

There was a momentary pause and she did her best to keep the conversation going before he decided to go off and leave her. Just why she wanted to keep talking to him was something she would ponder over the days to