Page 15 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

‘I’m Ryan,’ said the other dark-haired man. ‘And this is my younger brother Ethan.’

‘Hey,’ said the blonde man. ‘I’d like to say we’re here to welcome you temporarily to the village, but let’s be honest, we’re all just here to see the car.’

Nico laughed and led them over to the Ferrari. ‘Then help yourselves,’ he said, unlocking the car door and opening it up for them to see inside.

Ethan blew out a long whistle as he slipped behind the steering wheel. ‘What a machine,’ he said, staring around in wonder.

Joe bent down to peer inside. ‘I had a replica of one of these on my shelf when I was growing up. Probably worth a fortune now.’

‘Not as much as the actual car,’ said Ethan, stroking the steering wheel in a loving manner.

‘It’s really something,’ said Ryan, turning to look at Nico with a warm smile. ‘How long have you owned it?’

‘Only a short while,’ replied Nico quickly. ‘It belonged to my father.’

Instantly, he regretted his words, but Ryan nodded in a knowing fashion.

‘The great Paolo Rossi. Your dad came into my restaurant when I was working in Rome,’ Ryan told him. ‘The man sure knows how to tip. The waitress was beside herself.’

‘I’m sure if she was pretty then it was probably double the normal amount,’ drawled Nico.

‘Great footballer,’ said Joe, coming round the car to join them. ‘That second goal he scored in the World Cup against Brazil. Incredible!’

‘Do you play?’ asked Ethan, clambering out of the driver’s seat.

Nico shook his head. ‘Just enough to kick a ball around. I didn’t inherit his great gift.’

Nor had he wanted to. He loved football, of course, but the attention and pressure wasn’t for him. He had seen from an early age what it could do to a man’s soul if he wasn’t strong enough to handle the trappings of fame and fortune.

He felt his mobile in his pocket, knowing that there had been many missed calls and voicemail messages from his father that Nico had completely ignored. It was all still so painful to think that after everything, Paolo had committed the ultimate betrayal and taken the vineyard away from him. His heritage. His future. It all lay in tatters now.

‘I was just heading down to see the stables,’ he said, suddenly anxious to stop talking about Paolo.

‘We can show you the way,’ said Joe, with a congenial smile.

Normally, Nico could sense when people were fawning over his famous surname to get to his father, but this time he wasn’t picking up on the vibe. And, he had to remind himself, Grams trusted these men.

‘It’ll be quicker if we go in the Ferrari,’ said Ethan, with a gleam in his eyes.

‘That’s a great idea, little bro,’ said Ryan, rushing to get into the passenger seat. ‘We’ll meet you both down there.’

Ethan scowled as he realised his missed opportunity, but Joe merely laughed and said, ‘The fresh air will do us good.’

‘What’s the point in that?’ muttered Ethan.

As the other two men watched, Nico sat in the driver’s seat and started up the engine with a throaty roar.

Ryan broke into a grin. ‘I feel like a kid in a sweet shop,’ he said.

Nico slowly drove the car away, anxious to avoid the potholes on the track down the hill.

‘Sorry if we’ve kind of jumped on your quiet afternoon,’ said Ryan. ‘We heard about the Ferrari and we had to come and see.’

‘That’s okay,’ said Nico, slowing down to turn the corner. ‘So, you mentioned your restaurant. How long were you in Rome?’

‘Three years,’ Ryan told him. ‘I was head chef at Romano’s. Then six months ago, my parents split up unexpectedly so I came back to help Dad. He was pretty broken up about the whole separation so I’ve stayed on and made Cranfield my forever home.’

‘How is your father now?’ said Nico.