glowering at her. She wondered curiously what he would look like when he smiled. Her gaze drifted from his mouth, with the generous, sensual lips, to his eyes. There was a slight tilt to the corners of them, they were nearly almond in shape; large, wide, and startlingly blue. The warm brown tone of his skin made the color of his eyes more pronounced. His nose was wide, yet finely tapered, and as she stared at his exotic features, she was struck by the memory of the Roman statues she had seen adorning the fountains of Genoa.
But cold marble could not compare to this man who radiated such quiet strength. He stood silently awaiting an explanation.
“I ... I’ ma... I look for husband.” She shook her head. Nervousness hampered the use of her newly acquired language. Before she could explain, he spoke again.
“You aren’t going to find one in there. What kind do you need?”
“Kind?”
“Of husband.”
“I have already one,” she explained.
He crooked a brow. “Oh?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Giovanni. Giovanni Audi. I’m told by the train man to come here.”
Rosa watched him turn away, and faced with the broad width of his shoulders, she suddenly realized how very tall he was. Much taller than Giovanni. Much taller than anyone she had ever seen. Were she to stand beside him, the top of her head would barely reach his shoulders.
She watched as he shoved his hands into the pockets of the close-fitting denim pants—pants more closely fitted than any of the men at home would have deigned to wear—and stared out the window.
“Sit down, ma’am.”
A dry, metallic taste filled her mouth, and she realized her heart was pounding. Rosa started to protest. “But—”
Slowly the man turned around, and she felt his cool blue stare assessing her. He stretched out a hand.
“Please”—he indicated the empty chair—“sit down.”
Except for the fact that she obviously possessed a pair of well-developed breasts beneath the unrelieved black velvet bodice, the woman poised stiffly on the edge of his chair might have been mistaken for a child. He guessed she was not much older than his half sister, Annika, who was only fourteen. Kase swallowed, glanced at the cluttered desktop, and then met her eyes once more. They were a rich golden topaz, as warm and sweet as dark honey. For a moment he forgot what he was going to say as he lost himself in her steady gaze. He swallowed again.
“Ma’am, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you.”
He cursed himself for having to be the one to tell her, wished there was an easy way, all the time knowing there wasn’t. Not an hour ago as he spoke with Zach, he had casually mentioned the Italian bystander killed during a shooting spree. He had been so preoccupied with his own problems that not once since the accidental shooting had he stopped to think that the young man might have had family and friends somewhere. No one in town knew where the Italian had come from, or anything else about him except his name.
“Signore?”
Her soft question interrupted his thoughts, and Kase cursed himself again for making her wait, but damn, if this wasn’t one of the hardest things he’d ever done.
The girl’s heart was in her eyes, and she looked tired enough to drop right where she sat uncomfortably on the edge of his chair.
A. soft mass of waving ebony hair had slipped out from beneath the huge hat on the crown of her head. He thought of his half sister again and was well aware that Annika would scoff at wearing anything so outdated as this girl’s black velvet dress. Muttering a swear word under his breath, Kase wiped the palms of his hands on his thighs and hunkered down until his eyes were on a level with hers.
“Mrs, Audi...” He cleared his throat. “Your husband isn’t here any longer.”
“Not here?”
He would not have thought it possible for her to look any more wary, but suddenly her eyes widened and she reminded him of a wide-eyed rabbit frozen in fear.
But cold marble could not compare to this man who radiated such quiet strength. He stood silently awaiting an explanation.
“I ... I’ ma... I look for husband.” She shook her head. Nervousness hampered the use of her newly acquired language. Before she could explain, he spoke again.
“You aren’t going to find one in there. What kind do you need?”
“Kind?”
“Of husband.”
“I have already one,” she explained.
He crooked a brow. “Oh?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Giovanni. Giovanni Audi. I’m told by the train man to come here.”
Rosa watched him turn away, and faced with the broad width of his shoulders, she suddenly realized how very tall he was. Much taller than Giovanni. Much taller than anyone she had ever seen. Were she to stand beside him, the top of her head would barely reach his shoulders.
She watched as he shoved his hands into the pockets of the close-fitting denim pants—pants more closely fitted than any of the men at home would have deigned to wear—and stared out the window.
“Sit down, ma’am.”
A dry, metallic taste filled her mouth, and she realized her heart was pounding. Rosa started to protest. “But—”
Slowly the man turned around, and she felt his cool blue stare assessing her. He stretched out a hand.
“Please”—he indicated the empty chair—“sit down.”
Except for the fact that she obviously possessed a pair of well-developed breasts beneath the unrelieved black velvet bodice, the woman poised stiffly on the edge of his chair might have been mistaken for a child. He guessed she was not much older than his half sister, Annika, who was only fourteen. Kase swallowed, glanced at the cluttered desktop, and then met her eyes once more. They were a rich golden topaz, as warm and sweet as dark honey. For a moment he forgot what he was going to say as he lost himself in her steady gaze. He swallowed again.
“Ma’am, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you.”
He cursed himself for having to be the one to tell her, wished there was an easy way, all the time knowing there wasn’t. Not an hour ago as he spoke with Zach, he had casually mentioned the Italian bystander killed during a shooting spree. He had been so preoccupied with his own problems that not once since the accidental shooting had he stopped to think that the young man might have had family and friends somewhere. No one in town knew where the Italian had come from, or anything else about him except his name.
“Signore?”
Her soft question interrupted his thoughts, and Kase cursed himself again for making her wait, but damn, if this wasn’t one of the hardest things he’d ever done.
The girl’s heart was in her eyes, and she looked tired enough to drop right where she sat uncomfortably on the edge of his chair.
A. soft mass of waving ebony hair had slipped out from beneath the huge hat on the crown of her head. He thought of his half sister again and was well aware that Annika would scoff at wearing anything so outdated as this girl’s black velvet dress. Muttering a swear word under his breath, Kase wiped the palms of his hands on his thighs and hunkered down until his eyes were on a level with hers.
“Mrs, Audi...” He cleared his throat. “Your husband isn’t here any longer.”
“Not here?”
He would not have thought it possible for her to look any more wary, but suddenly her eyes widened and she reminded him of a wide-eyed rabbit frozen in fear.
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