by Day Leclaire
“I think an explanation would be very helpful,” Hatcher interrupted, keenly attuned to his partner’s reaction. He strode across the room, firing a quelling glance at Cable. Somewhat chagrined, she reverted to a more professional demeanor.
“I believe you met my brother Pietro Salvatore downstairs,” Luc began.
“He was the one involved in the altercation with the young woman?”
“A small family squabble,” Luc said dismissively. “We’re a very … emotional household.”
“The young woman is … ?”
“His wife.”
Grace’s mouth fell open at the blatant lie — the first she’d ever heard him utter — and a tiny gasp escaped before she could prevent it. She stared at Luc in disbelief; he never blinked an eye. Nor did he look at her. But Officer Hatcher did. Grace quickly shut her mouth and focused her attention on the baby, but she suspected it was too little, too late. Sure enough, he approached.
“You have something to add, Miss . . . “
“Barnes. Grace Barnes. And yes, I do. Could … could you hand me that diaper bag? I believe we’ve had a little accident here,” she murmured weakly.
The officer’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t call her a liar to her face, which came as a relief. He bent down and picked up the bag. She took it with a grateful smile and gently deposited the baby on top of Luc’s desk, smackdab in the center of his leather blotter. Serve him right if it was ruined, she decided. He shouldn’t have lied to the police. She unwrapped the blanket around Tony and made a production of unsnapping the bottom of his jumper.
“To get back to the matter at hand,” Officer Hatcher continued. “The young lady we questioned, her name is … ?”
“Carina Donati … Salvatore,” Luc replied.
“And she left to go to the airport?”
“Yes, her mother in Italy is very ill. My brother asked her to wait until they could all fly together, but she wanted to get home as soon as possible. I’m sorry you had to be involved.” He shrugged. “It really wasn’t necessary.”
“About the baby,” Officer Cable interrupted. “You’ve been left with the infant until your brother returns?”
“It’s only for a few hours.”
Grace kept her head down and removed a fresh diaper, wipes and powder from the bag. Sliding the rubber pants off Tony’s plump, churning legs, she discovered to her relief that he was, indeed, wet. She unpinned the soggy diaper.
The officers conferred in low voices and she could tell they weren’t comfortable with the situation. So could Luc, for he sighed. “Look. I’m a responsible man, respected in the community. I’m baby-sitting my nephew for a few hours. Why is that a problem?”
Grace slipped off the diaper, then glanced, wide-eyed, from the baby to Luc. Uh-oh. If she didn’t move fast, something very nasty would hit the fan. Tossing the dirty diaper toward the trash can with one hand, she fumbled for a clean one with the other. To her horror, it slid to the floor.
“Would it help if I provided references?” Luc offered.
“You have someone who can vouch for your babysitting abilities?” Hatcher retorted. Clearly, he resented Cable’s less-than-professional reaction to Luc and intended to make matters as difficult as possible. “You look like a busy man,” he added, his gaze suspicious. “Are you sure you can provide adequate care?”
Grace saw the fierce expression on Luc’s face and froze. That look did not bode well for any of them. He glanced at her with grim intent, then at her left hand and she knew, before he even moved, what he planned to do.
Without a moment to lose, she whipped a new diaper from the bag, dropping it across Tony’s lower extremities the exact same instant Luc dropped a possessive arm around her shoulders. Fighting his embrace, she struggled to position the diaper and pin it.
“Cara,” he muttered. “Let me show them.”
“Not now!” she whispered frantically.
“Yes, now.” He grabbed her left hand and held it out toward the police officers. “Perhaps I should have said my fiancee and I will be baby-sitting little Tony.”
“Luc, the baby,” Grace whispered. He frowned at her, and she snatched her hand from his grasp. “I have to finish changing … him.”
Not daring to give the police time to come closer, she gave up on the pins. Yanking the rubber pants up the tiny, kicking legs and praying the diaper would stay in place for the next two minutes, she wrapped the blanket around the baby. Then she collapsed into Luc’s chair, lifted Tony to her shoulder and began to pat the baby’s back, as if a brisk burping commonly followed a diaper change.
“You’re engaged?” Officer Cable asked, not hiding her disappointment. Hatcher shoved his hat to the back of his head and grinned.
Grace shot Luc a fulminating glare. “Yes,” she admitted, forcing out the lie. “I am.” Fortunately they didn’t ask if she was engaged to Luc. Lying to the police came low on her list of ambitions in life — not that she hadn’t lied anyway, considering she wasn’t really engaged at all.
Officer Cable gave a philosophical shrug. “I guess it’s a false alarm,” she said to her partner.
Officer Hatcher wasn’t so accommodating. “We’ll be writing this up,” he informed them, without question suspecting that several vital details had been omitted from their story. “Next time I come here — and I will be back — I’ll be having words with the baby’s parents.”
“Of course,” Luc agreed.
He escorted the police officers to the elevators, leaving Grace and Tony behind. The minute they were gone, Grace returned the baby to the desk and quickly and efficiently repaired the droopy diaper. Tony fussed through the entire procedure, undoubtedly annoyed at having to suffer the same fate twice in less than five minutes.
Luc appeared in the doorway. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Changing the baby.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again. I was in such a hurry the first time, I didn’t get it right.”
“Why-“
She turned on him. “Do you realize what would have happened if Officer Cable had come over while I was changing the baby?”
Amusement sparked in his eyes. “She would have seen how a baby gets changed?”
“She would have seen that Tony is actually Toni.”
“Come again?”
“I mean … Toni isn’t your nephew but your niece!” Grace snapped. She picked up the baby and carried her to the couch, nestling her safely among the cushions. “What?”
Grace folded her arms across her chest. “Toni apparently stands for Antonia, not Antonio.”
“You’re kidding!” Luc grinned in amazement. “That’s wonderful. She’s the first female Salvatore in … in four generations. Or is it five?”
Grace struggled to control her temper. “You’re missing the point. If the police had discovered that you didn’t even know the sex of your brother’s child, the whole game would have been up. They’d have thrown us both in j ail and taken the baby into custody.’
‘
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have let them.”
“You couldn’t have prevented it!” She didn’t remember when she’d last been so angry. “How dare you! “
He stood, leaning against the doorframe, watching her intently. “How dare I what?”
“How dare you lie to them! I mean, when you finally cut loose with a fib, it’s a whopper. But did you have to start with the police?”
He shrugged. “It seemed … appropriate at the time.”
“Great,” she grumbled. “So why involve me in your family problems?”
He grabbed her shoulders, hauling her close. “Our problems,” he reminded in a soft, deliberate voice.
“We’re engaged. You even told the police that, remember?”
She shook her head frantically. “No. I … I didn’t. I just agreed that I was engaged, not that I was engaged to —” He cut her off. “That isn’t how they’ll recall the conversation.”
“But, it’
s all a he,” she protested. “Every bit of it. I’m not engaged to you. Pietro and Carina are not married. Darn it, Luc, the baby’s not even a him.”
She saw the storm gathering in his eyes, saw the fury and determination lock his expression into a cold, taut mask. “Let me explain something to you. I will not allow the police or anyone else to take Toni from me. I will do anything, anything, to protect her.”
She didn’t doubt him for a minute. And she could even sympathize with his feelings. The Salvatores were a close, unified family — all for one and one for all had long been their credo. And if truth be known, she did feel a certain obligation to Luc. After all, hadn’t she spent the past year lying to him? She … she owed him a lie. But only a small short-term one. After that, she’d consider them even.
“What do you want from me?” she asked warily.
He had her and he knew it. He relaxed, the fire in his eyes dying until the gold gleamed like banked embers. His grip relaxed into a caress. “Not much. I just want you to stay with me — posing as my fiancee should the need arise — until Carina or Pietro return.”
“Two hours. That’s all you get,” she bargained.
“Not good enough. I need you until my brother picks up Toni.”
“No.”
He gave her a wounded look. “You’d desert me in my hour of need?”
“Yes.”
“You’d leave Pietro and Carina in the lurch?”
“Without question. We’ve been through this before. Remember?”
“So we have,” he agreed softly, releasing her. “I believe this is where I ask if you’d turn your back on a helpless baby. As I recall that seemed to make a difference last time.”
She really, truly tried to refuse. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t desert Toni, no matter how mad she was at Luc. “You don’t play fair,” she complained.
“No,” he agreed. He caught her hand in his and raised it to his lips in a graceful gesture. Then he smiled, a most charming, dangerous smile. “I play to win.”
CHAPTER THREE
The Great Lie
Day 337 continues to worsen …
“No, no! That’s too much. It says here three scoops of formula to six ounces of water. Dammit, Grace, now look what you’ve done. You’ve spilled it!”
“I spilled it?” Grace shoved a tumble of curls out of her eyes and glared at Luc. “You jostled my arm.”
“Well, your arm was in my way. This time watch what you’re doing or you’ll knock it to the . . . “ The bottle clattered to the ground, milk soaking into the rug. “Floor?” she inserted with a long-suffering sigh.
“Get another bottle. This one’s contaminated. We’ll have to start over.”
“We can’t.”
He planted his hands on his hips. “And why not?” he demanded aggressively.
“Simple,” she retorted, struggling to remain cool, calm and collected in the face of staggering odds — namely one Luc Salvatore. “We’re out of bottles.”
“Not for long.” He marched to the phone, snatched it from the cradle and punched some buttons. ‘
‘Edward? We’re out of bottles. Order up another batch. And send out for more formula, too. Grace has gone clumsy on “How could I have ever thought he was charming?” she muttered, struggling to repin her hair in its customary knot. “Charming, in a pig’s eye. I must have been out of my mind.”
He slapped his hand over the receiver. “What’s that? Did you say something?”
“I said, make sure he gets the right kind.”
“Edward. Make sure you get the right kind of formula. Grace is afraid you’ll screw up again.”
She raced to the phone and yanked it from his hand. “Edward? It’s Grace. I did not say that. I didn’t even think it. Hello? Hello?”
Luc lifted his finger off the plunger. “Hang up on you, did he?”
She returned the phone to its cradle and confronted him, poking her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose. “That was really low, even for you. And considering how much you need my help, I suggest —”
“Shh. The baby, remember?” As though in response, a tiny squawk drifted from across the room. “Uh-oh. Too late.” He folded his arms across his chest and regarded her accusingly. ” You made her cry.”
“Ohh. I ought to —”
“Temper, temper.” He grabbed for the phone again, raking a hand through his hair as he dialed. “Edward!
Edward, she’s cryingWhat? How do I know? I haven’t been a baby for years. Oh, really? No, kidding. Diapers or bottles, you say?”
Grace winced at the sarcasm. Time to take matters into her own hands. She headed out of Luc’s office and into the reception area. Luc’s voice drifted to her through the open door.
“That might prove a little difficult since you haven’t sent any up! And another thing —”
She settled a hip on the edge of her desk and lifted the extension phone. “Edward? It’s Grace. Just so you know, I did not say I thought you might screw anything up. I want that clearly on the record.”
“Yes, Miss Barnes,” Edward said with a deep sigh. She opened her steno pad. “Now. You’ve ordered the correct formula? It has to be exactly like the can Carina left. The one with extra iron.”
“Yes, Miss Barnes.”
“He’s not an idiot, Grace. He’s not going to make the same mistake twice,” Luc informed her. “Are you, Edward?”
“No, Mr. Salvatore.”
“Luc, hang up. I can handle this.”
“Like you handled the bottle and formula?”
“That wasn’t my fault! Hello? Hello?”
“He hung up, Miss Barnes.”
“Oh. Well, good. Let’s see … What else do we need? Here it is. We must have those sterilized bottles as soon as you can get them.” She made a quick notation, then asked, “And what about diapers? We’re almost out. Perhaps disposable would be a good bet.”
“What size?”
That stopped her. “Small?”
“They go by weight.”
Grace nibbled on her lip. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
“Yes, Miss Barnes.”
“Damnation!” The shout came from Luc’s office. “Grace? Grace! Get in here, quick!”
“Gotta go, Edward.”
“I couldn’t be that lucky.”
“Grace!”
She frowned. “What was that, Edward?”
“I said, er, that would be just ducky.”
Luc appeared in the doorway. “Get off that phone. Now. And get in here. There’s something wrong with Toni.”
Without another word, she hung up and hurried after him. He crossed to the makeshift crib they’d constructed out of couch cushions and winter coats. “What is it?” she asked, standing beside him and peering down at the baby. “What’s wrong?”
“Look at her,” he ordered. “She’s foaming at the mouth. That’s bad, right? Don’t they shoot you when you do that?”
“She’s blowing bubbles,” Grace explained. “At three months, we say it’s cute. We frown on it when a child turns six. At thirteen, a stem reprimand is in order. It’s only bubble-blowing adults we shoot.”
“You’re certain?”
“Absolutely.Now for the next problem.”
He relaxed. “You mean the problem of getting any work done today?”
“No. The problem of diapers.”
“I’ll call Edward-“
“No, you won’t. I’ve already spoken to him about it and we need to know what size to order.”
“Small. Very small,” Luc decided promptly.
She flashed him a superior look. “It goes by weight.”
“Light.Very light.”
Her lips twitched, and an instant later Luc laughed, a low, rumbling sound that drew her in and before she knew it, forged yet another bond of intimacy between them. Unable to resist, she laughed, too. “This is crazy, isn’t it?” she asked with a wide, open smile.
“But fun. I have a niece.
That’s a nice feeling.”
He slid an arm around Grace’s shoulders, tucking her close, and together they stared down at Toni. It was a comfortable fit. Too comfortable. She should move away. But she didn’t want to. With a tiny sigh, Grace gave in to the companionable mood and accepted his embrace. Hardly aware of what she did, she snuggled her head into the crook of his arm and relaxed her curves into his angles.
Just for this moment, she’d let down her guard and enjoy what the gods offered. It didn’t mean anything. She knew better than to take it seriously. But right now, after all she’d been through, she needed his touch as much as she needed food and drink. Maybe even more.
“Listen . . . “ His head bent closer to hers. “What’s she doing now?” he whispered.
“She’s cooing,” Grace whispered back, shivering at the warm brush of his breath across her face.
“What does cooing mean? Is she hungry or is she wet?”
“I think it means she’s happy,” she murmured.
“Ah … Happy. That’s good.”
“Yes. Yes, it’s very good. Happy is excellent.” She turned into his arms and looked up at him, the strangely intense expression on his face catching her by surprise. Her hands clenched. “Luc . . . “
“Yes, Grace?”
“We need diapers.” Somehow she’d managed to gather a fistful of his shirt, clinging to him as though her life depended on it. Self-consciously, she splayed her hands across his chest, smoothing out the wrinkles she’d created, her fingers lingering on the hard ridge of muscle beneath.
He shook his head. “I don’t need diapers. I do need something — and I need it very badly. But let me assure you, it’s not diapers.”
Hot color flooded her face. “I mean, the baby needs diapers. Toni. She needs them. Not you. I know that you don’t.”
“Very observant. Though if you keep rubbing my chest like that, you’ll find out precisely what it is I do need.” She jumped back as though scalded. “I didn’t mean to — it was an accident.”
“Let me guess. You confused me with Will-William.” Horror filled her. How could she have been so foolish? How could she have let her defenses down for even one tiny second? She knew what Luc was like. She knew how dangerous he could be. And yet she’d allowed him to touch her. Worse, she’d touched him back.