Page 42 of Forbidden Earl

Gigi patted her elbow as they neared the back patio door. “The doctors think I’m making a full recovery now.”

“I’m not at all surprised.” Cassidy hugged Gigi tighter than before and almost picked her up. “That’s amazing.”

Gigi laughed as Cassidy let her go and directed them outside, toward her prized rose garden. “When you didn’t come to your wedding, I knew we had to find you. You’re the closest thing I ever had to a daughter, y’know.”

Her heart melted. Gigi was her only grandmother, really. She’d clipped her hair back this morning, but a gentle breeze freed a strand. “What about Remy’s mother?”

Gigi walked with her, but they paused at a large pink rose bush where Gigi inhaled a fragrant blossom. “She wasn’t married to my son long enough to really get to know her well. She was sweet though.”

“Thank you for everything.” Cassidy stared at Gigi’s slightly wrinkled face. “You’ve always been in my corner. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Gigi let her arm go and bent toward a vibrant purple orchard. “Take care of my Remington. He doesn’t see the blessings in his own character.”

“I agree.” Remy still saw himself as someone fun-loving and looking the part of being Lord Sky when he had a serious side that he hid, like taking care of his people.

Gigi straightened and they continued down the path.

From the end of the walkway, they both saw Remington, fully dressed in gray slacks and a blue shirt waving from the patio. They meandered over as he came toward them and soon, he stood in front of them and kissed both their cheeks. “Grannie, I need to steal Cassidy away. We have to start revitalizing her tenants—it will be fun.”

He took Cassidy’s hand and a thrill raced through her. Remy loved her. She never thought it possible, but now she smiled and met his warm gaze. “I’m ready.”

Gigi waved them off and he walked her around the house toward his Ferrari, opening her door for her.

Every day for the rest of her life, she would wake up next to Remy. Nothing could be better than this.

He drove her toward her parents’ property though technically it would be hers one day. She settled in her seat and didn’t ask anything until he stopped in a small village of maybe ten homes in the area. She opened her own car door, not waiting for him, and asked, “How is this fun?”

He read a sheet of paper he pulled out of his pocket, then left it in the car, walked around and took her hand, guiding her toward the first house. “Come. You’ll see.”

She kicked a rock near her feet but stayed still. “Remy, I have never visited this village—I don’t know these folks.” It had been hard enough taking care of those living on her estate.

He massaged her lower back. “It’s part of your estate, bordering my property. I figured we’d start close and work our way through the villages and towns. It’s important to bring hope to our people.”

Okay. She could do this. She followed him as he walked to the first wooden cottage with a blue wooden door. A variety of wild flowers in pots added color. Remy tapped his knuckles against the frame. Her breath caught in her throat. “You just knock?”

He winked at her, but placed his hand on her lower back. “Yes, we’re the landed gentry, remember?”

Jumpy, Cassidy tried to stay still while the homeowner unlocked her door. The twenty-something woman who answered lowered her gaze immediately. “Hello, my lord, my lady. How can I help you today?”

This was the twenty-first century. There was no need to avert your eyes.

Remy ignored the behavior and asked, “Are you related to the Harnets who lived in this house during the soviet occupation?”

The woman glanced up immediately and held the door like it kept her upright. “Yes, this has always been our home.”

Remy kept Cassidy close but continued to ask the young woman, “Your family used to run a pizza shop?”

She nodded and her gaze narrowed. “Yes, that was my grandparents.”

Remy’s finger traced Cassidy’s spine. “Well, are you interested in opening up a shop like your grandparents?”

The woman gasped audibly, but then she lowered her head again. “I don’t have the cash to be honest and I don’t really like making all that dough. I wouldn’t mind aristorante. I love making pastas far more than I ever liked pizza.”

Remy nodded and wrote something in a black leather notebook he took out of his pocket. Then he handed her a business card. “Well, to revitalize, we’re offering all the affected former owners the start-up funds for their business. If you figure out price and location you’d like in this area, along with the projected money needed, then we can fund the start-up.”

“Why would you?” The woman clutched the card as if it might blow away.

Remy tugged Cassidy closer and into the conversation. “It’s a wedding present to my wife. Her family lost a lot during the occupation and now that she’s secured her inheritance, it’s important to revitalize Avce’s economy, one house at a time.”

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