The Count's Christmas Baby

by Rebecca Winters

  Again the years seemed to have fallen off him. Despite her effort not to feel anything, his excitement was contagious, infecting her. He was right about one thing. For the rest of their lives they’d be parenting Ric. A few more days together while they got to know each other better would pave the way for harmony in the future.

  Sami had to be honest and admit she wanted this, too. Knowing what made Ric tick would give her more insight into him when their son was older and wanted to talk about him during times of separation.

  She’d had hundreds of talks with her grandparents about the mother and father she never knew. Without their input, her life wouldn’t have been as rich. For her baby’s sake, she would stop worrying about Eliana for the time being and amass as many memories as possible with his father for the time they had left.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SAMI had done some snorkeling in Southern California, but nothing as exciting as this trip to the sea caves near Cape Gata. Taking advantage of the warm weather, they’d gone snorkeling to different spots over the last two days. In that time she’d become addicted. With Mara and Daimon along, they could all take turns spelling each other off to swim and watch the baby.

  Today, after climbing some cliffs, Sami followed Ric around in the crystal-clear waters while he identified new varieties of fish for her. He’d spent a lot of years in these waters and had obtained his SCUBA certification in his teens. This afternoon had been their coolest day; the temperature had only climbed to sixty-seven degrees. It was warm enough to enjoy being in the boat, but her wetsuit felt good once she’d entered the water with her goggles and fins.

  Every time they returned to the cruiser for a snack and a drink, Ric asked her if she’d had enough, but she shook her head and rolled over the side to hunt for new species. He stayed right with her. This round he pointed out mullet and a school of colorful perch. What a delight! But the next time she lifted her head out of the water, she was surprised to see the sun much lower in the sky. Feeling herself getting tired, she made a signal to Ric that she was ready to get back.

  Sami hadn’t gone far when an ugly-looking brown fish she hadn’t seen before swam directly for her. Before she could think, Ric grabbed her hips and pulled her out of its path. When they reached the ladder on the back of the boat, she pulled off her head gear. “What happened out there?”

  Ric removed his gear and tossed both apparatuses in the boat. “You barely escaped the sting from the front fin of a weever fish. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  For the last while they’d had such a wonderful time swimming in different waters, she’d forgotten he could look that forbidding. Their bodies brushed against each other from the wake of some other boats passing in the distance.

  “I’ve been stung by one before, so it’s obviously not fatal, but its poison is stronger than a wasp sting. They sink in the sand to hide. He came in front of you so fast, I almost didn’t get you out of the way in time.”

  Because of his protective instinct, his dark eyes continued to peruse her features, as if he were still doubting her. By now she was feeling fragile, but it was his nearness that had brought on a need for more oxygen.

  “Thank you for saving me,” she whispered. With their mouths so close, she ached to her bones to taste him. From sunup to sundown she’d had the time of her life playing with him. There was no one more intelligent or exciting.

  But so much togetherness had resulted in her desire for him growing out of control. If she gave in to the temptation to press her lips to his right now, then she was worse than a fool. Calling on the little self-control she had left, she turned back to the ladder.

  As she hoisted herself into the boat, she wasn’t able to escape the touch of his hands on her hips. He might be trying to help her, but they clung to her as if he were having difficulty letting her go. Weakness attacked her body, making it almost impossible to function.

  Thankfully Mara and Daimon were there to greet them and provide towels. Otherwise she would have proven Ric right and thrown herself in his arms because she could no longer resist him.

  Without looking at him, she dashed down to the galley to remove her wetsuit. After a shower, she changed into the sweats and T-shirt she’d bought in Paphos the other day. Once dressed, she hurried back up to lavish her emotions on the baby, but Ric was holding him.

  As she came forward, he gave his son’s dear little head a loving kiss before handing him over. The baby immediately snuggled into her neck. “Our son has missed you,” Ric observed. “There’s nothing like a mother’s love.”

  “I noticed him clinging to you before I came along. He knows his papa now.”

  Her comment produced a light in his eyes. “I think you’re right.” On that note he helped them into their life jackets and took his time buckling her up. His gaze rested on her. The look of longing in his eyes sent warmth spiraling through her bloodstream. Her desire for him was so palpable, he couldn’t help but notice. Yet he still kept his promise not to do anything she didn’t want him to do. That was the problem.

  The other two stayed in the rear of the boat, leaving Ric to take the wheel. He finally started the engine for the trip back. En route he surprised her by pulling into a marina where there was a wonderful seafood taverna. The place featured dancing and bouzouki music. When he asked her to dance, she declined. No more touching.

  Ric didn’t seem to mind she’d turned him down. He ate up the attention their little boy drew from waiters and patrons alike. Everyone raved over the beautiful baby. Daimon and Ric took pictures. At the rate he’d been snapping photos on their outings, he’d fill that second scrapbook in no time.

  After experiencing another halcyon day, they cruised home through the calm blue water. Except for certain breathless moments she was never prepared for, Sami discovered she was comfortable with Ric. Whether they built sand castles on an isolated beach with their son, or walked along in companionable silence, she relished every second with him.

  On the ride home, she stayed up in front of the boat with him to shield the baby from the wind, glad for the obvious excuse because she didn’t like to be apart from him. Last night had been the worst. After they’d bathed the baby together and put him down after his bottle, Ric got out some maps and talked about their plans for today before he’d disappeared from her room. She hadn’t wanted him to go. She’d almost begged him to stay. That was forbidden.

  Sami decided he’d left the villa to conduct the vital business he’d mentioned. It had to be then, or early in the morning. She didn’t know and didn’t dare ask. One thing she was certain of: he continued to see to the baby around four every morning. Mara told her he was always up before she could take a turn. That brought a secret smile to Sami’s lips.

  Tonight as they neared the point, she verged on panic because it dawned on her they only had two more days left until he had to return to Genoa. So far Ric had honored his promise to keep things under control by including Mara and Daimon in their activities.

  Perversely she hoped he would ask her to stay up with him for a little while tonight after everyone else had gone to bed, if only to talk. Even though she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea, the realization that there’d never be nights like this again once she went back to Reno tore her apart.

  Within minutes he drove the boat to the dock. Before long they entered the villa. Ric carried the baby while Sami followed him with the carrycot and diaper bag. As they walked down the hall past the living room to the stairs, an unfamiliar female voice called to him.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Sami watched a stunning visitor with stylish black hair hurry toward him dressed in elegant eggshell pleated pants and a peacock-blue sweater. She resembled Ric. If it weren’t for the baby, Sami was convinced his sister would have thrown her arms around his neck. A stream of Italian escaped her lips. She sounded distressed.

  “Claudia?” Ric said in a low voice. “Speak English, per favore. If I’d known you were coming, I would have met you
r plane. Is Marco with you?”

  “No.”

  Ric’s eyes glittered with emotion, enough to convince Sami something was wrong. “Meet my house guest Christine Argyle from Reno, Nevada.”

  The introduction proved to Sami he hadn’t told anyone about her. Otherwise he would have added something like “You know—the woman I was entombed with in that avalanche.”

  “How do you do,” Claudia responded. Though polite, she was clearly impatient to talk to him alone.

  “Sami? This is my only sister, Claudia Rossi. She and her husband, Marco, live near the family palazzo in Genoa.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Claudia. We’ve just returned from snorkeling and are a mess and exhausted. Since you and your brother will want to talk alone, I’ll get the baby’s bath started.”

  “I’d rather you stayed.” Ric spoke before she could take the baby from him. He turned to his sister. “What emergency has brought you down here?”

  “That’s what I came to find out.”

  * * *

  Ric’s brows formed a black line. “Are Vito and Donata having problems again? I’d hoped they were doing better since he’s taken over the operations of the company.”

  Claudia shook her head. “That’s not what this is about. Yesterday Eliana called and asked me to go Christmas shopping with her.”

  His lips formed a thin line. “So this has to do with my fiancée.”

  “Yes. We had dinner afterward and I asked her how the wedding plans were coming. She told me you would know the answer better than she did. Then she got up from the table and said she had to go home. She walked off without her packages.”

  “Eliana should never have involved you.”

  Claudia’s gaze flicked to Sami, then back to him. “I didn’t know what to do. I’ve tried to reach you, but you’ve turned off your phone. I told Marco this was serious and he agreed I should fly down here and find out what’s going on.”

  Ric wasn’t at all surprised Eliana had engineered Claudia’s visit. She knew how far to go to create an emergency without giving away her secret.

  Eliana had been waiting for him to break the silence and tell her he was giving up his son for her and he’d had the title reinstated. But the wait had gone on too long, so she’d resorted to other tactics. By involving his sister when Eliana had promised to keep quiet until Christmas Eve, she’d made a fatal mistake.

  Trust was everything to Ric. Without it a marriage could survive, but for all the wrong reasons.

  “Let’s sit down, shall we?”

  When they were seated around the fireplace he said, “Sami and I have a story to tell you. It’s a true story.”

  As the revelations about the avalanche and Sami’s pregnancy unfolded, Claudia’s worried expression underwent a drastic transformation. “He’s really your baby?” she blurted in complete shock.

  It was so shocking, no one would ever understand what had happened to two desperate people trying to hold on to life eleven months ago.

  “Si. Already he’s the joy of my life. Why don’t you hold him, then you’ll know beyond a doubt he has the Degenoli genes.”

  Ric walked over to his baby-hungry sister and put his son in her arms. He undid the quilt so she could see his limbs, too. The movement brought the baby awake. His eyelids with their black lashes fluttered open.

  She looked down at him. “Oh—you little angel—”

  Her cry of emotion was so heartfelt, he and Sami exchanged glances.

  Claudia lifted a wet face. “I see the whole family in him. I see his mother in him, too.” She smiled at Sami. “He’s the most adorable baby I ever laid eyes on.”

  The second she spoke, little Ric burst into tears, not liking the strange face and voice. He turned, looking for his father. It caused Ric’s heart to leap that his son wanted him. He had never heard him cry like that before, and he picked him back up to hold him. Once in his arms, the baby calmed right down.

  “Oh, Ric.” Claudia laughed through her tears and stood up so she could get another look at him. Already his sister was smitten with her new nephew. She deserved a baby of her own. If it hadn’t been for the avalanche, she might not have lost hers.

  But if it hadn’t been for the avalanche...

  “Eliana won’t consider visitation.”

  “What?” With that one exclamation, he knew which side his sister stood on.

  “Eliana asked me to give him up by signing away my parental rights. She’s given me until the twenty-fourth to tell her my answer. Otherwise the marriage is off.”

  Claudia’s eyes closed tightly for a minute. “If she said that, then she doesn’t know the most important thing about you.”

  Ric was gratified to hear that. “There’s something else, Claudia.” He told her he’d had the title abolished. “You’ve always known I find it an archaic custom that should never have existed in the first place. Once the word is out, I’ll have made a lot of enemies, but it doesn’t matter.”

  Her eyelids flew open. “How long ago did you petition the court?”

  “After Papa’s funeral. Two days ago my attorney called and told me it’s official. I’m no longer Count Degenoli. The title’s gone forever so no one in our family’s future will ever have to be hurt by it.”

  “Does Eliana know what you’ve done?” she cried.

  “Yes. I told her when she came down here earlier in the week. But I’ve told Mario I don’t want this story leaked to the press until Eliana and I have resolved things. I’m not about to embarrass her or her family.”

  “Of course not. You wouldn’t do that.” She suddenly threw her arms around him, baby and all. “I’m so glad, Ric! When Vito hears this, I honestly believe it could make him a new man. He never felt good enough for Papa, and has always felt inferior to you.

  “I think it’s the real reason he’s always had problems, especially since he got back from military service. He hasn’t felt as though he fitted in. This will force him to reevaluate his thinking.”

  “It would be nice if we could be brothers again in the real sense. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  She hung on to his arm. “Ever since the avalanche, you’ve been different. What’s happened to you and Sami defies description.”

  “Discovering I have a son has changed my entire world. I’ve been committed to Eliana, but without being able to have Ric in our lives, I can’t marry her if she won’t agree to visitation.”

  “Of course you can’t.” His sister eyed the baby. “I’ve learned to care for her very much and am so sorry for this terrible hurt, but if she thought I would come to her defense on this, then she doesn’t know me either. I’d give anything to have a son like baby Ric, even if he weren’t mine.”

  Bless you, Claudia.

  “By forcing you to choose between her and your child when it doesn’t have to be that way, she’ll be making the greatest mistake of her life.” Her voice shook. “I need to talk to Eliana in person and convince her of that. Maybe I can get her to put back the date of the wedding for a little while longer until she gets over the worst of the shock and can think clearly.”

  Ric shook his head. “It won’t do any good. It’s the title she wants back, but that can’t happen now.” If anyone could succeed, it would be Claudia. But in his gut, Ric had the premonition neither Eliana or her father would give an inch.

  “Thank heaven!” She kissed his cheek. “If you and Sami will excuse me, I’ve got to phone Marco and tell him I’ll be flying back in the morning.”

  “While you do that, Sami and I are going to get our son ready for bed. Tomorrow we’ll all have breakfast and see you off at the airport.”

  His gaze fell on Sami who said goodnight to his sister, then walked out of the living room with him. After they reached the bedroom at the top of the stairs to start Ric’s bath, she glanced at him. “She sounded so emotional when she held the baby. Aren’t they able to have children?”

  “Yes, but in the aftermath of the avalanche that kill
ed our father, Claudia suffered a miscarriage. She’d been two months along at the time.”

  “Oh, no— That would have been so devastating for her.”

  “Our babies would only have been two months apart.”

  Sami made a soulful sound. “The poor darling. To see you with a baby you had no idea was alive has to be bittersweet for her. She needs to get pregnant again.”

  “I agree. The doctor says it would be the best thing for her, but Marco says she’s been fighting it for fear of losing another one.”

  “Pat had a miscarriage between children. She went through the same fear before she got pregnant again. It’s a very frightening time.”

  Ric dripped water on the part of the baby’s tummy that wasn’t submerged. His little legs kicked so hard, he splashed water. He was a miracle. The idea of a permanent separation from him and the mother who had born him was anathema to Ric.

  “I saw that fear with Claudia,” he murmured, “but tonight that all seems far away. I’m still celebrating the birth of our son and there’s no room for sadness right now.” He kissed his cheeks. “You know, I think he’s hungry.”

  “I’m sure he is since it’s an hour past his usual time. I’ll get a new bottle for him and you can feed him.”

  “After he’s asleep I need to talk to you privately, away from the villa. I’ll ask Claudia to listen for him. Between her and Mara, he’ll be well taken care of while we take a drive to the harbor. It’s one of the major attractions I think is best seen at night.”

  * * *

  Sami felt all fluttery inside as Ric drove them along the coast road to the city’s harbor.

  She’d been waiting to be alone with him. Tonight he looked marvelous in a dark green crew-neck sweater and jeans. The estate car smelled of the soap he’d used in the shower. Combined with his own male scent, her seduction was complete, but he had no idea what his nearness was doing to her. Except that wasn’t true. She was sure he did, but he wouldn’t act on it.