wealth, power and influence of a De Leon could?
He could make sure she never worked again. That she never had a penny to eat with. That anything she might achieve could be seized in reparation for the terrible mistake of crossing Naldo De Leon.
The fire in her flickered back to life. “I know you must hate me. And why not? I’m hard and tough and unfeminine. I’m ambitious and aggressive and competitive and all those things that women aren’t supposed to be.” She lifted her chin. “I’m a bitch. There I’ve said it. It’s nothing I didn’t already hear a hundred times from my ex- husband.” She paused and sucked in a shaky breath. “You can hate me all you want, and trust me, you won’t hate me as much as I hate myself right now, but don’t poison your life or mine by seeking revenge on me.”
She searched his face for his reaction. His brows had lowered and his eyes narrowed to dark slits. A storm cloud of angry emotion covered his features.
“Damn it, Anna-” His eyes flashed.
She had no idea what he was about to say next, because he grabbed her around the waist and arrested her lips with a brutal kiss.
Heat surged through her, roaring along her limbs, firing her heart and lungs. As Naldo’s tongue pushed into her mouth, she pressed herself against him, desperate to hold tight to his hard body. Thoughts deserted her in a wash of stinging relief at being in Naldo’s arms again.
Nothing mattered but being here, right now, in Naldo’s angry, hungry embrace. His long fingers shoved into her hair, gripping her skull, pressing her face to his with feverish intensity.
She heard his groan, low and coarse, and felt the strength of his feeling in the way he held her like he couldn’t ever let go. She clung to him even tighter.
“I love you, Naldo.”
She didn’t care if he knew. If he’d mock her for it. All the mistakes she’d made stemmed from that simple fact.
“I know.” He pulled back a few inches, holding her face in his hands, his eyes and lips inches from hers. His hot breath tickled her skin. “I love you too, Anna.”
Her heart tightened into a fist as feelings too powerful to name or comprehend surged through her.
Naldo pushed a strand of hair roughly but tenderly off her face. Passion burned in his eyes. “I love the way you fight for what you want, that you can’t settle for less.”
He lowered his lips to hers and kissed them. His touch was gentle, but the force of his emotion stung her. He pulled back again, his breath and hers coming in unsteady gasps.
His broad thumb caressed her cheek. “I know you love the estate. I’ve seen it in your eyes, and in the way you couldn’t sell out and give up your home here, even for more money than most people ever dream of.” His black eyes shone. “Stay here with me, Anna.”
Every nerve in her screamed the word yes, but it didn’t emerge from her mouth. Her brain was more cautious. “I don’t want to be your girlfriend, Naldo. Here at your discretion, until you tire of me.”
“Of course you don’t. That’s why I love you. All-or-nothing Anna.” Humor flashed in his eyes, then faded. “When they told me you’d gone-” He shook his head and blew out a breath. “I need you, Anna. I need you here, with me.”
Still holding her hand he lowered himself heavily down onto one black-suit-pant-covered knee in the sandy soil.
Anna’s pulse pounded at her temple as her hopes soared far beyond any safe level.
He took her hand, which was shaking like an orange blossom. “Anna.” His face was solemn. “I love you and I promise to care for you and cherish you always if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
His words swam in her brain and she wasn’t sure she’d understood them right. He held her gaze with frightening intensity. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” The word flew from her mouth, and in an instant Naldo was on his feet, enveloping her in his strong embrace.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she wasn’t even embarrassed.
Naldo’s big hands roamed over her back, chafing her skin through her T-shirt, sending shivers of happiness through her. “You belong here, just like I do.”
His strong arms wrapped around her and held her tight. She pressed her cheek to the hard muscle of his chest, tears wetting his shirt and skin. “I do. This is the only place I’ve ever felt at home, and you’re the only man I’ve ever truly loved.” Her voice emerged as a whisper.
Naldo threaded his fingers into her hair. “Sometimes you have to lose something to know how much you need it.” His voice resonated with emotion. “I don’t ever want to lose you again, Anna.”
She shuddered at the realization of how close she’d come to losing Naldo along with everything else. “I’m so sorry about the trees and the jewels and the cottage. If only I’d…”
“Shh.” Naldo put his finger on her lips. “They’re just things.” He kissed her wet lashes and drew in a ragged breath. “They have no value compared to a lifetime together.” He buried his face in her neck, his breath hot on her skin, and she hugged him with all her might. Her heart swelled painfully and she wondered if it could just burst from too much joy.
“I’m glad to be home.” She breathed the words into his warm, fragrant skin. Birds chirped in the trees and the horse nickered peacefully nearby as Naldo held her steady in his powerful embrace.
The warm sun and gentle breeze kissed their skin, and Anna could almost feel herself sending down roots into the rich, fertile soil, drawing strength to grow a vigorous new branch on the four-hundred-year-old family tree planted here.
Epilogue
“It’s like a miracle.” Anna sat on a blanket next to Naldo, as sun filtered through leafy branches in the Summer’s Shadow orchard. Less than six months had passed since the fire and the trees were ablaze with lush green foliage.
“It’s nature. I guess it is a miracle.” Naldo rubbed a broad hand over the rough bark of the trunk. “You can see how the burned bark has healed over and trees have put out new shoots where the dead branches were cut away.” He reached up and took a shiny new leaf between finger and thumb. “The life force of the tree is strong. It’s in their nature to heal and recover.”
“Just like it’s in ours.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “Your dad would be so proud of what you’ve done in the orchards, and how you’ve brought the family back together.”
“Me? You can take the credit for making Isabela happy. I can’t believe you talked me into buying her that big vineyard in the Loire Valley.”
“She deserves it after what I put her through.” She still cringed inwardly when she remembered that night.
“Stop feeling guilty.” Naldo stroked her cheek with his knuckle. “That whole experience knocked down a lot of the walls between us. We’ve been getting along much better since then.”
“True. She had a blast at the wedding. No wonder the paparazzi love her, she knows how to party. I can’t believe all those photographers flew here from Europe.”
“It was ‘the wedding of the decade.’” Naldo winked.
“Geez. We only had a thousand guests! I don’t know what the big deal is. You ask a few buddies over and suddenly you’re big news. At least we don’t have to worry about not having enough wedding pictures.” She pretended to take a picture of Naldo. “Seriously, though, I’m glad I made up with Isabela. I’m looking forward to visiting her. She even suggested I should come up with some products to make with the grapes from her estate. I guess she’s not horrified by my culinary roots anymore.”
“Yeah, not since you turned out to be a genius in the kitchen yourself. Speaking of which, don’t you have a new product to test on me?”
“I might.” She reached into the old picnic basket and pulled out a small mason jar with a mischievous smile on her face. She couldn’t help a rush of pride that she’d inherited her mom’s talent for cooking.
Naldo lay back, hands behind his head, as she unscrewed it, dipped a finger into the jar and brought it out
