Rebecca had advised her to just tell him the truth, and the rest would take care of itself. But Rachel knew it wasn’t that simple. He was still waiting for Paulette to wake up so he could try to put their marriage back together.
Rachel threw off her nightgown and slipped into jeans and a top.
“Shall I open it for you?”
“No—I’m coming.”
Rachel was all thumbs as she unlocked the door. At the sound of the click, he pushed it open.
The first thing she noticed was his formal attire. He was in a black suit and tie, she’d never seen him look more devastatingly handsome. But when she stared up at his face, she noticed he was leaner and wore a hunted expression. The lines around his mouth were more pronounced.
Her hand went to her throat in alarm. “When I told you it was urgent, I didn’t mean you had to tear yourself away from an important dinner party.”
His veiled gaze assessed her features with unsettling intensity before he moved into the room. She backed away to keep distance between them, sensing there was something vitally different about him.
He shut the door, still keeping his eyes leveled on her.
“There was a funeral today. Paulette died on the eighth.”
Rachel stood there like a victim of shellshock.
“W-what took her?”
“Pneumonia. Her family buried her this afternoon. I had just left their house to go home when I checked my messages.”
“Luc—” she cried, utterly horrified that she’d intruded on the most painful day of his life.
She shook her head. “I had no way of knowing.”
“You think I don’t realize that?”
Her eyes filmed over. “I’m so terribly sorry. I can’t imagine the agony you’re going through.”
“Not agony, Rachel. I’ve had three years to come to terms with her death.”
After a long silence he said, “The kind you’re talking about happened when Paulette lost touch with reality.”
He rubbed the side of his jaw where she could see the shadow of his beard.
“It must have been devastating.”
She’d had a month for his revelations to sink in. He’d been living through a horrific experience.
“It was.”
He shed his suit jacket and tie. They landed on the end of the bed. She watched him undo the top buttons of his shirt, as if he needed more freedom to breathe.
“Another man I could have dealt with. But her mental state…”
His dark glance pierced through to her soul.
“Rachel—I swear it was never my intention to keep secrets from you.”
“I believe you,” she murmured, grabbing the chair for support.
But there was one truth Rachel couldn’t get past. Luc had loved Paulette. He’d wanted her back enough to wait three years for her to wake up. He’d paid his hard-earned money to fight Paulette’s parents in court for the right to keep the machines on.
He and Paulette would still be happily married if their baby hadn’t died. You didn’t get over a love like theirs.
That was the kind of love Rachel wanted for herself. But she would never find it here.
Maybe in New York.
Maybe not.
She’d lost her heart to Luc. How could she ever give it to anyone else?
But it wasn’t the same for him. He’d been at his lowest ebb when Rachel had begged him to love her. It had been a moment out of time that shouldn’t have happened.
How unfair was life that she could get pregnant during one careless night of passion outside the bonds of marriage? And his poor wife had been forced to wait three years for a baby they had both wanted so desperately, and ultimately lost.
She felt strong hands close over her shoulders. “You’ve listened to me long enough. Now I need to know what was so urgent, you came all the way from New York to see me.”
“How did you know I’d moved there?”
“Someone at the restaurant told me.”
“Dad?”
“No,” he declared in a note of finality. “What’s in New York?”
Grasping for a plausible answer, she said, “The rest of my life.”
He turned her around so she was forced to face him. More lines marred his striking features.
“There’s nothing left for you in England with your grandfather gone. Is that it?” he asked in a silky voice.
His dark eyes threw out a probing challenge that made her shiver.
“It’s more than that, Luc, but this isn’t a good time to discuss it. However I do want to thank you for the funeral spray. Everyone in the family said the flowers were the most beautiful pink roses they’d ever seen.
“And the model cars. Your gift delighted my father, which was an amazing feat since it’s almost impossible to please him.”
“I’m glad.” His hands kneaded her upper arms through the material of her top, heating her skin. “Now tell me why you’re really here. The last word from your lips was adieu.”
“I know.” She averted her eyes.
Rachel was uncertain what to do. When she’d come here, she’d been on a mission.
But he’d just buried his wife earlier in the day. Tonight was not the time for him to find out he’d made Rachel pregnant.
Heavens—what was she saying? There was no good time for earth-shaking news like this.
He said her name again in a way that broke down her defenses, his breathing sounding ragged. “When you try to avoid me, you remind me of the demure maiden in a certain Italian painting hanging in the Uffizi I’ve admired.
“You both have flawless skin, but the touch of sadness in her is more pronounced in you. I realize losing your grandfather was traumatic.”
“It’s true I’m going to miss him…” her voice wobbled “…but he lived a long, full life and was eager to be with Grandmother, so in that sense it was easier to let him go.”
His eyes played over her. It was hard to believe that instead of an ocean separating them, she was in touching distance of him. But she couldn’t do this.
“Don’t put me off any longer, Rachel. You came for a specific reason.”
Floundering for an opening, she said, “Why don’t we wait until tomorrow when we’ve both had some sleep?”
His eyes narrowed. “There’ll be no sleep for me tonight, and I dare say not for you either. What’s eating you alive?”
Her head flew back. She didn’t know how to begin.
This was so much harder than she’d imagined it would be. Remarkable as he was, finding out he was going to be a father would throw his painful world into upheaval of a different kind.
She moistened her lips nervously. “I never meant to come back to Alsace.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
His barely leashed impatience caused her to take a step backward, but he didn’t let her go altogether. His sensual mouth had thinned even more.
“I wish I could have saved us this moment, Luc, but some things in life have to be said in person. This is one of those times.”
At those words, he relinquished his hold on her. His hands went to his hips in an undeniably male stance. He was waiting…
A nervous shiver raced through her body.
“All right, Rachel.” He’d reached the end of his tolerance. “What’s put the haunted shadows in those blue eyes? Just say it—”
She drew in a sharp breath. “I’m pregnant.”
There was instant stillness before Luc’s eyes blazed with a strange light.
“Say that again?”
She realized he needed time for his mind to wrap around what she’d just told him. How well Rachel understood. It had taken her over a month to believe it herself.
“I realize it seems way too soon for me to know something this vital, Luc, but my period was late.”
She bowed her head. “I haven’t been late since my college days. At first I thought it was my worry over grandfather that had thrown my
body off kilter.
“But on the outside chance that I could be pregnant, I took an early detection test.” Her voice was shaking. “It came out positive, and two days ago my doctor in New York confirmed it. I’m expecting our baby March third.”
“Rachel—”
She heard so much emotion in that one word, she couldn’t tell what exactly he was feeling beyond total shock.
“Neither of us planned for this to happen. I blame no one but myself, and don’t want anything from you.
“But I felt that before any more time passed, you needed to be told.”
She buried her face in her hands. “Forgive me for coming on this terrible day. I can’t believe my timing. But since we can’t change that now, let me say one more thing.”
She raised her head. “I speak from experience when I tell you that our baby will want your love if you want to give it. But it’s going to be complicated because I live in New York and—”
“If I want to give it—” He cut her off angrily, not hearing the rest. “Mon Dieu—”
Rachel wasn’t prepared when he crushed her against him. With every breath she tried to take, he molded her more firmly to his body.
“You’re really carrying my child?”
“Yes.”
Rachel couldn’t formulate words. It felt like years since she’d been in his arms.
“Let me hold you for a minute while I get used to the idea that I made you pregnant.”
He rocked her in place, kissing her cheeks and temple as if she were a cherished possession.
“To think our one night of loving resulted in a baby— You don’t have any idea what this news means to me, Rachel.” He pressed his face in her silky hair.
“Forget New York. You need care and waiting on. I lost one child. I’m not about to lose this one,” he vowed, wrapping his strong arms more firmly around her.
Somewhere deep down she’d sensed Luc was the kind of man who would embrace fatherhood and all it meant. She knew he’d make a remarkable parent.
He was bigger than life. That was what made him such an extraordinary man.
No matter the circumstances, no matter the impact on his life, any son or daughter of his would know the depth of his love.
Their child wouldn’t have to hang around waiting for his approbation, or beg for it. Luc would give it freely.
That was the only reason she’d been willing to face this crucible on his territory.
But before any more time passed, she needed to assure him that taking care of her wasn’t his responsibility.
Slowly she tried to ease out of his arms, but he was too strong for her.
“Why are you pulling away from me?”
“Because we have to talk.”
“I thought that’s what we were doing.”
“We are, but I can’t forget that you’ve just come from burying your wife.”
With those words she moved away from him. “I know how much you were hoping she’d wake up and I can’t comprehend your pain. Three years of waiting. And then for it to turn out like this. It hurts me that I’ve intruded on your private time.”
Emotion threatened to overwhelm her, but she steeled herself to continue. “I wanted to do the right thing by telling you about the baby. Now that you know, I have to leave in the morning. When I go into labor next spring, I’ll phone you. Hopefully by then your pain won’t be so raw, and we can discuss our baby’s future.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m exhausted and need sleep before I board that flight tomorrow.”
He stared her down. “I’m the father of our baby. If you think I’m going to let you out of my sight now, then you don’t know me at all.”
“You don’t know me either—” she cried. His possessive tone made it difficult for her to keep her head on straight.
“That’s the problem. Luc. We didn’t spend more than five days together. We’re practically strangers, yet we created a child while your wife was still in the hospital. We can’t do this! I can’t do it.”
“What can’t you do?” he demanded.
“I have a job in New York. If I stay here any longer, people will talk. Your mother will find out I was here on the night of Paulette’s funeral. What would her family say if they knew you’d come to this hotel straight from their house?”
“I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. None of it will matter anyway when they find out we’re married.”
“Married? But we’re not!”
“We’re going to be.”
Her face paled. “Surely you’re joking.”
Luc shook his head. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.
“Tomorrow I’ll fly to New York with you. We’ll get married civilly and take care of what needs to be done before coming home to live.”
She stood there reeling in disbelief. “I couldn’t possibly marry you. Everyone would go into shock. Your mother and Paulette’s family would despise me.”
“When they remember that Paulette divorced me three years ago. they’ll get over it. Even if they don’t—” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “We’re going to be parents in a little less than seven months, so this isn’t about us anymore, Rachel. A new life is growing inside you. It puts everything that’s gone on before in the past where it belongs.
“This baby is our future. Our child deserves everything we have to give. That includes my name and my constant companionship.”
Rebecca’s words kept swirling in Rachel’s head. Tell him the truth… The rest will take care of itself.
“No child of ours is going to be torn apart because I live on one continent and you on another.
“Look what that kind of arrangement did to you and your sister.”
Rachel had no comeback for his logic. He’d managed to touch on that core of pain where he knew she’d been the most vulnerable.
One dark brow dipped ominously. “History’s not going to repeat itself where our child is concerned. There’ll be no divorce. We’ll stay married, Rachel.”
She knew those weren’t empty words. Luc was an all-or-nothing man. It was the way he was made. That was one of the reasons she loved him so much.
But he didn’t love her. To commit herself to him under these circumstances meant she’d be missing out on the one thing she’d hoped to find in life.
“Luc—I agree our child shouldn’t have to travel back and forth on visitation, so I’m willing to move to Alsace after the baby’s born.
“Ever since I flew here on my first trip, I made up my mind that one day I’d buy a little house in one of the villages. At the time I was thinking years down the road…but my pregnancy has changed the timetable. If I found a property somewhere in the province, then you could see the baby all the time without it disrupting your work”
His expression darkened like the thunderhead in the storm that had propelled her into his arms.
“Forget it, Rachel. If you’re that worried about what people will think, then we’ll live in New York.”
Panic set in. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a vintner.”
“I’ll open a distributorship to expand Chartier wines on the North American continent. All that really matters is that we give our child a stable home life with a mother and father under one roof.”
“It’s not all that matters,” she retorted, because he refused to consider any other alternative. “We both know your mother’s not going to welcome me.”
“Then it’s her loss.” He reached for her hand and clung to it.
“I’m aching to be a father who takes turns getting up in the night to tend to our son or daughter.
“When the doctor told me our baby didn’t make it, I felt something die inside of me. But just now I came back to life when you told me we’re expecting a baby.”
Unaware of his own strength, he tightened his fingers around hers, giving her physical evidence of the magnitude of emotion driving him.
“You’ll never want for anything and I promise to look after
you and our child for as long as I live. You’ll have no regrets—I’ll make sure of it. I need to be a father to our baby, and I need you there to help me. Don’t deny me that joy.”
When she felt his lips kiss her forehead, her heart let out a little death gasp.
For better or for worse, she would have to take this man for her lawfully wedded husband. Now that he’d borne his soul to her, she couldn’t possibly do anything else.
He finally released her, then paused at the door. “I’m leaving so you can get some sleep, but I’ll be back in the morning to drive us to the airport. Considering you came to me as soon as you could, I’m confident you’re not going to disappear on me. Dors bien, ma belle.”
Knowing his family wouldn’t be in bed yet, Luc drove to his mother’s home and let himself in the back door.
He was glad to discover the adults congregated around the kitchen table drinking coffee. While the women talked, Jean-Marc dipped the end of his baguette in the hot liquid before devouring it.
The second Luc’s grieving mother saw him, she got up.
“I was hoping you would come over. We’ve been trying to reach you on the phone.” Her arms went around him. “Where did you go after you left the Brouets’? I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Do you want coffee?” Giselle piped up, anticipating that he wouldn’t like their mother fussing over him after a day like today. But this was one time his sister needn’t have worried. Their mother’s question had given him the perfect opening.
“Non, merci, Giselle.”
He guided his mother back to her chair. After she sat down, he kept his hands on the back of one of the empty chairs.
“I’ve just come from Colmar.”
Three pairs of dark eyes fastened on him in surprise. He could read their minds with ease.
“Rachel Valentine was there.”
As his mother gasped he saw Giselle give her husband a secret look.
“I’m flying to New York with her in the morning. That means you’re in charge, Jean-Marc.”
While his brother-in-law stared at him in astonishment, his mother erupted on cue.
“Have you lost your mind, mon fils? Does she have no scruples? You just buried Paulette. I absolutely forbid you to go anywhere with that woman!”
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