The Italian's Wife

Three months earlier, Holly had given birth to the twins. It had been an

easy but very tiring pregnancy and Rio had fussed over her to an almost

embarrassing degree. He had also fainted dead away in the delivery room

on the day of their daughters' birth, a reaction which he was still

trying to explain away as the result of over-excitement. With three

children in the household, Alice Lombardi was in her element when she

visited. She adored children and that had

been clear to Holly from the instant Timothy had crawled across the

floor into the older woman's eagerly extended arms. Alice made no

difference between Timothy and the more recent arrivals in the family,

and Holly loved her for that.

Furthermore, although Rio's mother still had bad days with her

arthritis, her health had improved a great deal. But then, Holly did not

think Rio had ever understood quite how bored and depressed the older

woman had been with her life prior to their marriage. But Holly had

begun to understand as she watched Alice slowly lose her concept of

herself as an invalid to become more active.

Leaving the older woman in peace to enjoy the children, Holly thought

about how her own parents had also benefited from their marriage. Well

aware of how independent his father-in-law was, Rio had not made the

mistake of offering direct financial help, which would have been

refused. Instead, her husband had Invested in the farm, enabling her

father to hire a worker to help out. Holly had had the pleasure of

seeing her own father take on a new lease of life, no longer stressed by

worry about how he would cope as he got older.

Yes, there was no doubt about it, Holly reflected as she changed into an

elegant blue shift dress. Rio was one very special bloke, who went to

endless trouble to help those he

loved.

She respected him for what he had done for Christabel as well. Feeling

that his former fiancée was having enough of a struggle getting her life

back on track after leaving the rehabilitation clinic, he had asked

Holly if she would mind if he simply signed that apartment of his over

to Christabel. And no, she hadn't minded, and she had even been pleased

when the blonde spoke to her months later at a charity function.

184

'Rio's a really great guy,' Christabel had proclaimed with genuine

warmth and had then lowered her voice to groan, 'But, to be honest, he

was way too good-living for me!'

Christabel's life had moved on too and she certainly seemed content.

Having set up a successful modelling school, she had then caused a great

stir with the announcement that she was bi-sexual and a reformed addict.

That confessional session in front of the cameras had gained her

enormous publicity but she had recently started dating men again.

Holly went to say goodnight to her children. Timothy was almost asleep

and she straightened the bedclothes and removed half a dozen toy cars

from the spread before dropping a kiss down on his smooth brow.

'Night...night,' Timothy mumbled and then revived slightly as he focused

on the tall dark male who had appeared in his bedroom doorway. 'Hug...Dad.'

During the hug, a whispered exchange took place. The toy Ferrari that

Holly had removed from the bed was slid back under the covers but she

turned a blind eye to that evidence of male complicity. Timothy was such

a happy toddler, full of affection and little-boy liveliness.

'One down, two to go, cara,' Rio quipped as he curved an arm round her

and accompanied her into the nursery. 'After having you around