Second Chances in Chianti (Escape to Tuscany Book 2) by T.A. Williams (online e reader .TXT) 📕

foot but, seeing as there was a long walk ahead of her, she opted for the car. Her heart leapt as she saw him waiting for her with his faithful hound at his side. Guinness charged over to give her his usual boisterous welcome and Matt welcomed her with the lightest of kisses on her cheeks, which nevertheless sent sparks coursing throughout her whole body. She checked him out surreptitiously and wondered if that might even be just a hint of nervousness on his face. Was he maybe feeling similarly excited at the prospect of a day together?

‘Hi, Matt.’ She was delighted to hear her voice sounding more confident than she felt.

‘Hi, Alice. So good to see you. I’ve been thinking of you a lot while I’ve been away.’

That sounded extremely promising.

‘I’ve been thinking about you an awful lot, too.’

‘If you can handle a four-hour walk – two hours each way – I thought we could go up to the old monastery at the end of the valley. I’ve put together a picnic, so we won’t starve, and I’ve brought loads to drink. It’s a gorgeous spot, and Guinness and I often walk there. It’s very quiet and for somebody like you, with a love of history, it should be interesting. It was founded in the twelfth century by the Cistercians.’

In spite of her love of history, Alice knew that today she was less interested in the ancient monks than in her companion, but it sounded good, not least as it looked like they would have a full day out alone together.

They set off on foot, passing through Matt’s meticulously maintained olive groves, before leaving his land and heading along a good track that wound around the contours of the hillside high above the river. A lone cuckoo called from a tree behind them and swallows whizzed to and fro overhead, their cries producing just about the only sounds, apart from the bees. It was enchanting, and even the sight of a large brown-and-yellow snake slithering across the track in front of them didn’t lessen her enjoyment. Matt told her it was a harmless grass snake and she took his word for it, although reptiles were far from her favourite animals. The further they walked, the more the valley floor gradually rose up to meet them, until they finally found themselves level with the river. Although it was now little more than a trickle, there was still some water among the stones, and the Labrador wasted no time in leaping in and splashing happily about.

They sat down in the shade of a magnificent old willow and threw sticks into the water for Guinness to retrieve and drop at their feet, barking until they were thrown once more. It was a delightful day in delightful company, and Alice couldn’t have been happier. Well, she told herself, a kiss would have been rather nice… She was just debating whether to throw caution to the winds and kiss him, when he stood up.

‘On we go, okay?’

Reluctantly, she stood up, too.

As he had predicted, it took almost two hours for them to get to the ruins of the surprisingly large old monastery. It was in a state of considerable decay – barely more than four walls with some empty window openings and rounded arches where doors had once stood – and they appeared to be the only visitors. Matt explained that there wasn’t a proper road leading here so, in spite of its antiquity, it had remained off the tourist trail.

‘Guinness and I happened upon it pretty much by chance a year ago and I’ve been back numerous times, not least as there’s a decent pool in the river. I presume it might have been something to do with the old watermill and it’s deep enough for him to have a real swim, even at the height of summer.’ He grinned at her. ‘To be honest, I swim here myself sometimes.’

A tantalising image of skinny-dipping in the pool with Matt flashed before her eyes, but it was dashed as they heard the sound of approaching voices. A group of what were unmistakably Boy Scouts came hiking past with their leader, and Alice realised that this place maybe wasn’t quite as secluded as she had thought. Instead of going skinny-dipping, they found a spot in the shade where they could sit by the water and have their lunch. He had made ham-and-cheese sandwiches, accompanied by little cherry tomatoes, and followed by fresh nectarines and the same strawberry tarts from the local shop that she already knew well. This was all accompanied by mineral water and rosé wine that he set in the stream to cool – he had even brought plastic wine glasses. Unsurprisingly, the prospect of some titbits for lunch caused the Labrador to forsake the river and concentrate on food. Clearly, he had his priorities. So did Alice. She made sure she was sitting on the bone-dry grass alongside Matt, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin next to her shoulder. It just felt right, somehow.

At the end of her food, she lay back and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she heard the dog splash back into the water again and then a movement, as Matt stretched out beside her. She was just trying to summon up the courage to roll over towards him, when she felt his hand grip hers and give it a gentle squeeze.

‘This is wonderful.’ There was a dreamy note to his voice and she felt a wave of affection sweep over her. She turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. His face was barely a few inches from hers.

‘It really is, Matt. I can’t imagine a better way to spend the day – or a better person to spend it with.’

A little smile spread across his face and he leant towards her. She was just closing her eyes in delicious anticipation, when it felt as if somebody emptied a bucket of water