Dominic held the baby while she finished her bottle.

She still hadn’t closed her eyes. He smoothed her delicate brows with his thumb, marveling at each sweet feature that reminded him of Hannah.

“You know something important is going to happen tomorrow, don’t you, petite? That’s why you’re still awake.”

After laying her down and covering her with a light blanket, he sat on the edge of the bed where she could still see him. Her eyelids were getting heavier and kept fluttering. In a few seconds they’d be closed.

Instead of an icy-cold shower, maybe he ought to read the latest parenting tips to keep his mind off his bride-to-be. Hannah was as close as the other side of the wall. If he joined her, he doubted she would refuse….

Meet

Dominic, Alik and Zane

Three firm friends…

Three successful business partners…

Three dedicated bachelors…

But life is full of surprises, and these gorgeous men are about to discover the joys of fatherhood—and of marriage—sooner than they think!

Surprised by fatherhood and ready for love!

Find Alik’s story in His Very Own Baby,

coming up next month,

and Zane’s unexpected encounter with fatherhood

in The Baby Discovery

THE BILLIONAIRE AND THE BABY
Rebecca Winters

MILLS & BOON

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ONE

DOMINIC GIRAUD finally came upon the tiny historical museum and store. He’d been told he would find it about twelve miles outside of Laramie, Wyoming. A busload of tourists appeared to have laid siege to the place.

Though he pulled his topless four-wheel drive to a stop, he didn’t immediately get out of his vehicle. Instead, he took advantage of the beautiful, warm June evening to look around him.

The rugged beauty of this Western landscape was so at odds with the skyscrapers of New York City where he lived, or the Mediterranean ambience of his French birthplace in Vence, he could hardly credit he was on the same planet.

However, because he’d been born in the land of the orange tree, jasmine and lavender, he could appreciate more than most the aromatic scents of sage and Indian paintbrush in the dry air wafting past his nostrils. A man native to the sunny French Midi, he thrived under this cloud-dotted blue sky where the sun had disappeared below the horizon some time ago.

Realizing it might be a while before he could talk with the person running the place to discover the name of the owner, he decided to go off-road and explore the property behind it. He needed this section of land to link the two neighboring properties for a project he’d undertaken in the last year, and probably wouldn’t see completed for several more years at least.

The idea of running a bullet train from the east to the west coast of the U.S. had consumed him for years. Now it was on its way to becoming a reality, thanks to a seminar he’d attended in England celebrating the completion of the Channel Tunnel, an unrivaled engineering feat.

Those without vision had said it couldn’t be done.

They were wrong. Just as they would be wrong about the eventual completion of his bullet train.

At that momentous conference he’d met two Americans, a geologist from New York, Alik Jarman, and an engineer from San Francisco, Zane Broderick. They were men who dreamed the same kinds of dreams Dominic dreamed.

Each being pressed because of heavy work schedules, the three of them had only intended to stay in London for the day, the length of the conference. But once the other two heard his idea, all other commitments were put on hold.

For three weeks they spent literally twenty-four hours a day in a hotel suite working out the intricacies of such a massive project, one that had caught hold of their imaginations and wouldn’t let go.

No longer alone with his ideas, Dominic could concentrate on raising the money and procuring the land while he marveled at the genius and speed with which the others put their scientific contributions to paper. Those weeks marked the turning point in all their lives. They came out of the experience not only firm colleagues in the greatest adventure they would ever undertake, but best friends.

Because of that chance meeting in London he was here now, doing his part to ensure the realization of their dream.

Shifting gears to four-wheel drive, he drove around the back of the store where he discovered a small barn and a vintage one-horse trailer. Nearby, a blue compact car stood parked. In the adjacent corral, a saddled chestnut sorrel quarter horse munched on some hay. All the land beyond the two buildings was an untouched vista of sage, grass and wildflowers.

The place looked lonely, or maybe he only thought that because there was this strange sense of loneliness he’d been feeling since driving out here from town. It echoed somewhere deep inside of him, disturbing him in ways he didn’t care to analyze…not when he’d thought himself totally fulfilled by his work.

Impatient, he shrugged it off and headed toward a ridge he could see in the distance overlooking the river.

By the time he reached the top, his mind was once more immersed in thought over his future plans, and he reacted too slowly as his vehicle began the descent. Almost colliding with a medium-size boulder, he swerved to avoid it, then swore softly when the right rear tire caught the side of it. The next thing he knew the world was spinning and he saw lights.

Hannah Carr frowned when the sound of the departing tour bus faded and another sound took its place. Someone’s horn was honking and wouldn’t stop.

She finished changing her little niece’s diaper, then walked outside the museum to see if the car was anywhere in sight. That’s when she realized the noise was coming from the river area behind them.

Someone was out on her property, which had no road and could only be reached by walking, on horseback, or in an off-road vehicle. They could be in real trouble. Unfortunately there were no other people around for several miles.

If she called the emergency number, it would still take the paramedics a good ten to fifteen minutes to reach the museum. On her horse, Hannah could make it to the river in one fifth of the time.

Haunted by the sound of the horn, which continued its mournful blaring din, Hannah went back inside and put the baby in the playpen. By the time she’d given the six-month-old her favorite donut-shaped toy, Hannah had made a decision.

“Elizabeth? I’ve never left you unattended before, but I’m afraid there’s something terribly wrong outside. I have to go see what it is, but I’ll come right back. Please be my little sweetheart and don’t cry. All right?”

It was a wrench to leave her, but Hannah didn’t feel she had a choice. If someone were injured, there wasn’t a second to lose.

Saying a little prayer that Elizabeth would be safe, Hannah crept across the museum and left for the corral, locking the door behind her so no one could get in to hurt the baby.

Her horse, Cinnamon, walked over to the gate and waited for her to open it. Hannah grabbed the reins and hoisted herself in the saddle. “Come on, girl. Let’s find out why that horn is stuck.”

More at home on the back of the horse she’d raised and trained from a foal than in her own car, she took off at a gallop and raced toward the rise, which she reached in no time at all.

She cried out when she saw a Jeep lying against an outcrop of rock near the bottom of the hill. A few feet away a man’s body lay face-up in the grass, not moving.

Urging her horse forward, they made a careful descent. As soon as they got close enough, she jumped off and hurried over to the inert male who looked to be in his mid-thirties. The well-honed body dressed in faded jeans and a cream-colored polo shirt had to be several inches over six feet. His bronzed face and hard-muscled arms attested to a lot of time spent in the sun.

She sank to her knees and reached for his wrist to find a pulse. Her touch produced a moaning sound and eventually his eyelids opened. Though the pupils were enlarged, she could tell his eyes were as dark brown as his hair.

In terms of male beauty, Hannah thought him the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on in her life.

When he tried to sit up, she held him down. “Please lie still for a minute. You’ve had an accident and I’m afraid you might be suffering from a concussion.”

He muttered something indistinct and made a determined effort to get to his feet. After a struggle he succeeded, but the second he put his weight on his left foot, he almost collapsed. If she hadn’t been there to hold him up, he would have fallen. Either his foot or ankle, or possibly both, could be broken.

“Come on. I can’t leave you out here. Let’s get you on my horse. Lean on me.” Though this man might be tall and powerfully built, he needed her help if he planned to go anywhere.

Hannah stood five feet four inches, but she’d performed in rodeos and had done trick riding all her life.

More recently she’d been trained in fire fighting and rescue work through her association with Laramie’s Indian Paintbrush Brigade. The group of fifty female volunteers rode horses together for pleasure. They could also be called upon to assist in an emergency.

With a low whistle she summoned her horse. Cinnamon immediately walked up to her. After adjusting the right stirrup to hang as low as possible, she urged the stranger to hoist himself up using his sound leg for leverage.

Standing on tiptoe, she eased his injured limb over the back of the horse and up onto its neck. The man made no noise, but she saw his striking features form a grimace and knew he had to be in excruciating pain. Dazed as he was, she considered it a miracle he didn’t fall off her horse.

With the reins in one hand, she mounted Cinnamon from the left stirrup. Straddled behind the stranger, she used one arm to circle his waist while she guided the horse with the other.

This close to the injured man’s virile physique, she could feel his warmth and smell the pleasant scent of the soap he’d used in the shower. Surprised at the direction of her thoughts, she forced herself to concentrate on the crisis at hand. Cinnamon obeyed Hannah’s clicking sound and started up the hill for the corral.

Soon the man’s body slumped over the horn of the saddle, yet she felt him stiffen with every movement of the horse.

Anxious to encourage him, she whispered, “The museum isn’t far from here. Just a few more minutes.”

Again she heard something unintelligible escape his lips. Only semi-coherent right now, the foreign-sounding words coming through clenched teeth attested to his pain. He needed a doctor as soon as possible.

In a short time the buildings came into view. With the blare of the horn still rending the night air, she half expected to hear Elizabeth wailing from the annoying sound. To Hannah’s relief, all was quiet.

The second the horse stopped, she slid off its rump and hurriedly reached to help the stranger dismount. With him sagging heavily against her, she fumbled in her pocket for the key, then unlocked the front door.

Half dragging him, they reached the bunk at one end of the room. He fell into it with a muffled groan and didn’t open his eyes again, beads of perspiration dotted his upper lip and hairline.

To Hannah’s relief the baby had fallen asleep and all seemed well. She muttered another prayer, this time in gratitude because residue guilt still plagued her for having left Elizabeth at all. But Hannah had sensed a crisis and was glad she’d been able to help the stranger.

Worried about the man’s head, she examined his skull with her fingers. There was a small lump on the back beneath his dark, vibrant hair, but no open wound. It was possible he could have sustained internal bleeding.

Carefully she eased his long, powerful legs onto the thin mattress. With all the gentleness she could muster, she rolled up the hem of his jeans to examine his injured limb. The area around the outside of his ankle looked swollen, unfortunately, she couldn’t tell if it was sprained or broken.

Thankful he wasn’t awake to fight her, she took another peek at Elizabeth who slept on undisturbed, then reached for the first-aid kit beneath the counter. In a few minutes she’d lightly wrapped his ankle with a roll-around elastic bandage.

Looking about her, she took down one of the saddle blankets from the wall and propped his leg to keep down the swelling. If she just had some ice! Not for the first time did she wish there was electricity out here so she could keep a little fridge with a freezer compartment.

Throughout her ministrations, he groaned several times but still didn’t come to.

“That’s just as well,” she murmured to herself as she once more reached beneath the counter for her cell phone. Satisfied that both the baby and the stranger would stay asleep for some time, she tiptoed out the door of the museum, then called for an ambulance.

After a short discussion, it was agreed they would turn off their siren so as not to alarm the baby or Hannah’s patient.

Next, she phoned Jim Thornton at home. He ran one of the local garages in Laramie. When he heard what had happened, he promised he’d be out first thing in the morning to deal with the Jeep.

After she’d made her calls, Hannah walked Cinnamon to the barn. With the aid of a lantern, she removed the horse’s trappings and provided her with fresh water and feed. “You deserve a reward after all your hard work at the river,” she murmured, rubbing Cinnamon’s forehead affectionately. The horse whinnied in response.

With Cinnamon taken care of, she carried the lantern back to the museum. Little had Hannah guessed she would need it tonight. But since finding the stranger, darkness had crept over the sage-dotted land. Lack of electrical power made it necessary for her to supply enough light for the ambulance attendants to do their job.

When Dominic opened his eyes this time, he let out a moan to discover himself alone on a hard bunk bed inside a tiny log cabin, his head and ankle hurting like hell.

His bleary gaze surveyed the dim interior in an attempt to focus. By the time he could see one image instead of three, a poster hanging on the wall right above his feet, stared back at him.

Wanted For Pony Express

Young, Skinny, Wiry Fellows. Not Over Eighteen.

Must Be Expert Riders. Willing To Risk

Death Daily. Orphans Preferred.

Apply Before April 3, 1860, To

The Central Overland California Express Company.

At first the words had him truly confused, but he gradually became aware of his surroundings and remembered the museum. For the life of him, he couldn’t recall how he’d gotten from the river to here, but someone had brought him. How else could he account for his wrapped ankle which was now elevated! Had he dreamed up the exquisite-looking angel with golden curls and green eyes who’d spirited him away on her horse?

When he tried to sit up, the room spun again. On a groan of defeat, he lay back and closed his eyes. Unfortunately he couldn’t shut out the odd ringing in his ears.

“He’s right in here,” he heard a voice say sometime later. It was the same voice Dominic had heard earlier. A woman’s voice, slightly husky and breathless.

It belonged to the angel.

He opened his eyes to make sure she wasn’t a figment of his imagination. To his disappointment, a man about thirty-six, his own age, was on his haunches staring at Dominic. Another man had brought in a stretcher and placed it near the bunk.

“Hi, there. Glad to see you’re awake. What’s your name?”

“Dominic Giraud,” he muttered, expelling a deep sigh of frustration.

“I’m Chad. We heard you had an accident out by the river. Just rest easy while I take your vital signs, then we’ll drive you into the Laramie hospital where a doctor will examine you.”

“I’m all right,” Dominic groaned his protestation as the paramedic gave him an on-the-spot physical.

“That’s probably true, but you have a small lump on the back of your head, and you might have suffered a broken ankle, which needs to be X-rayed.”

It was one of the few times in Dominic’s life when he didn’t have the physical strength to walk away from a situation he wanted no part of.

“Where’s the angel?”

“You mean the one who rescued you and gave you expert first aid?”

“So I wasn’t dreaming…”

“I’m afraid I’m just a mere mortal, Mr. Giraud.”

He liked the sound of her voice, especially the way she tried to say his name in good French. Most Americans didn’t bother.

Intrigued by this telling bit of insight into her psyche he said, “Move around so I can see you to thank you for saving my life.”

“Later.” Chad grinned. “She’s a looker, and I might get the wrong blood pressure reading from you. Besides, I need her to stay where she is and keep holding the lantern for me.”

Dominic muttered another epithet. He would have tipped his head back to get a glimpse of her if it weren’t for the fact that every time he tried to turn or sit up, the room swam.

“I was in a pileup on the freeway a while ago and know exactly how you feel,” Chad commiserated. “Give yourself twenty-four hours and you’ll be a new man again.” The two paramedics helped ease Dominic onto the stretcher.

He still couldn’t see the woman who walked behind them to the door before she said good bye and wished him a speedy recovery. To irritate him further, the ringing sound in his ears grew worse the second they moved him outside. It took him a moment to realize the noise wasn’t coming from inside his head.

“Mon Dieu!— That’s a horn!”

“It’s your Jeep. The battery will die soon.” Chad spoke up as they placed him in the back of the ambulance. “I understand Thornton’s Garage will be out to get it in the morning. We’ll leave all the details at the hospital with you.”

For the moment Dominic had no choice but to give in to his fate. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be back tomorrow or the next day to thank his rescuer properly. She couldn’t possibly be as beautiful as he’d imagined.

Early the next morning, after Hannah had opened the museum for business, a tow truck from Jim’s garage drove up in front. With Elizabeth propped against her shoulder, she walked outside and gave the men directions to the accident site.

It reminded her to phone the hospital later in the day and find out the condition of the dark-haired stranger who’d dominated her thoughts since last night. She supposed he might be living in Laramie, but she doubted it very much.

He didn’t mention notifying a family member or a friend about his accident. Maybe he was married, but she hadn’t seen any rings on his fingers. Of course that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Some people couldn’t wear rings or didn’t choose to.

Though he spoke beautiful English, his name was French and she’d heard him mutter in French several times on the ride back to the museum from the river. Even in his dazed state, there was an undeniable sophistication about him that made him different from the other men she’d known in her life.

“He’s what you call a gorgeous man, sweetheart.” She spoke to the baby as she settled Elizabeth in the playpen with a noisy rattle to distract her. “I’ve seen them in films and magazines, so I know they exist. But I never met one in the flesh until last night. Whoever he is, I’m afraid I’ll never forget him.”

Up until the last Christmas recess, Hannah had been in graduate school at the University of Laramie where she’d dated various men on campus who’d seemed anxious to get to know her better. But over the holidays her younger sister Lisa had given birth to Elizabeth, and then had run away from home. She’d left no message where she was going or when she would be back.

In order to care for the baby who’d been virtually abandoned and needed her aunt desperately, Hannah’s whole life had been turned around in a matter of hours. It meant putting her studies and social life on hold, but she wasn’t complaining.

Compared to the welfare of a beautiful, innocent child, any sacrifice was worth it, especially when the baby was Hannah’s flesh and blood. She would think about her own personal needs and desires at another time. Right now Elizabeth was her number-one priority.

After pressing a kiss to the baby’s silken blond head, she hurriedly took advantage of the time to get the store part of the museum ready for business.

To her consternation, the stranger’s image continued to haunt her all morning while she waited on customers. Finally, when Elizabeth went down for her afternoon nap and there was a lull in tourist activity, Hannah phoned the hospital for information.

She should have been relieved to learn that Mr. Giraud had already been discharged with nothing more than a headache and a sprained ankle. For his sake she was relieved.

What she couldn’t understand was this unfathomable sense of disappointment that he’d already left the hospital. Not that she would ever have seen him again. Of course she wouldn’t have. But it was just the idea that he’d come and gone so quickly from her life.

In ways, she wished the accident hadn’t happened at all. She wished she’d never looked into the velvety-brown depths of his eyes, never felt the strength of his incredible physique, never held him close enough to breathe in his masculine scent, never touched his luxuriant hair, never memorized the strong lines of his darkly handsome features.

What a magnificent man…

The more she thought about him, the more she wondered what kind of business had brought a person like that out to Wyoming of all places. Even more puzzling, why had he been driving around on her property, especially when there was no road? None of it made sense.

At one point she chastised herself for allowing thoughts of him to impinge on her consciousness. All they did was remind her that for whatever reason he’d ventured into Wyoming territory, he probably wouldn’t be staying here long. It was absurd to even entertain the hope of seeing him again or getting to know him better.

In fact she was so angry at her foolish, ridiculous imaginations, she intentionally exhausted her strength by spending the rest of the afternoon between customers unloading a week’s work of saleable merchandise from the trunk of her car.

The latest stack of printed flyers needed to be scrolled and put out on the counter. They’d been made to look like authentic want ads. She tied each one with a thong to add the finishing touch. The flyers, along with the Pony Express Rider outfits and the colorful maps of the Pony Express Trail, were the items tourists always bought first. In fact they sold faster than anything else at the historic Sandhill way station museum.

It filled Hannah with pride that Sandhill stood on Carr property, one of the few stations across the country still remaining and still preserved in its original state since the 1860s.

Literally a crude log hut where the riders of old changed horses and bedded down for the night in a bunk, Hannah’s deceased father, a rodeo champion turned postal worker who’d retired early due to a medical disability, had constructed a counter so they could turn the place into a shop as well as a museum.

Outside he’d restored the original makeshift barn. Hannah kept her mare there. Under her supervision parents paid good money to let their children have a ride around the small corral.

Thankful for the customers who flocked to Wyoming, especially during the summer months, Hannah counted on the revenue for her bread and butter. With Elizabeth to feed and clothe, back tuition fees to pay, plus the heavy expense of hiring a private detective to locate her missing sister, Hannah needed every dime she could save.

Two weeks ago she’d opened the museum to coincide with the end of classes at the university, the signal that summer had come to the state.

Now that the hotter weather had finally kicked in, the tourist season had started to pick up and would reach its peak through July and August. Tour bus groups spent the most money, especially the elderly couples.

While the men purchased maps and argued points of history, their wives thronged to the counter to buy Pony Express rider hats and trinkets for their grandchildren.

As soon as Hannah showed them the flyers, most of the women bought one, but so far Elizabeth had been the greatest attraction to date. The minute the women caught sight of the baby, everything stopped while they oohed and ahhed over her. Even the men couldn’t resist patting her on the head. While everyone lingered, the sales continued to mount.

After this long Hannah had thought Elizabeth would have grown used to the attention, but she invariably burst into tears and would cling to Hannah, hiding her head so no one could get a good look at her. In fact she’d been fussy since the last busload pulled away.

The museum was no place for a baby. Mr. Moench, an attorney and old family friend who’d helped find a reputable private investigator to look for her sister had intimated as much, and no one knew it better than Hannah. The heat could be suffocating by the end of the day.

But even if she could have come up with the money for a woman to baby-sit Elizabeth at the claustrophobic apartment in Laramie, Hannah couldn’t bear to be parted from her all day long. Her heart would have ached for the baby if they couldn’t be together. Hannah loved Elizabeth every bit as much as if she’d given birth to her.

The baby was thriving and doing the most amazing things. She was a miracle. Hannah didn’t want to miss a second of her development. Besides, Elizabeth needed her. She depended on her for literally everything…So there was no other choice but to make a difficult situation work, despite the obstacles.

Unfortunately after Hannah’s last trip to the car, the baby seemed worse and refused to be comforted. Hannah had fed her and changed her diaper, but still her tears increased. Maybe she’d caught a cold and her tummy was sick.

“There, sweetheart. Don’t cry,” she crooned to her, reaching out a hand to feel her cheeks and forehead. In this heat Hannah couldn’t tell if the two of them were just hot, or if the baby was running a temperature.

Growing more anxious, Hannah picked her up and started rocking her. When the baby cried harder, there was nothing to do but close the museum an hour early and take her to the nighttime pediatrics clinic in town. No matter how much she needed the money the store generated, Elizabeth’s health came first.

She quickly placed the Closed sign in the window, then emptied the money box in an envelope, which she put in her purse. Grabbing the diaper bag she headed for the door with Elizabeth, only to be bombarded by another group of tourists making their way through the entry.

Hannah couldn’t believe it. In her haste to get back to town, she hadn’t heard another tour bus drive up. The confusion and noise upset the baby even more. She began crying at the top of her lungs.

On the verge of telling everyone they would have to leave because she was taking the baby to the doctor, she heard a deep, rich male voice say, “Allow me.”

The next thing Hannah knew, a pair of bronzed, masculine hands came out of nowhere and plucked Elizabeth from her arms.

Caught off guard, Hannah spun around to find herself looking up at the breathtaking stranger from last night who seemed perfectly recovered after his accident.

He began whispering little French phrases to the baby that made Hannah’s insides quiver for no reason. Slowly he started kissing Elizabeth’s flushed cheeks.

At first the baby fussed, and though Hannah appreciated the stranger’s attempts to help, she was ready to take Elizabeth back when by some miracle she started to quiet down.

Each kiss he bestowed silenced her a little more until a smile quivered on her rosebud mouth and she forgot to cry. Her moist, awestruck green eyes stared at his incredible masculine looks in rapt absorption.

Hannah had to suppress a moan. Even Elizabeth at her tender age had fallen under this man’s powerful charisma and had become mesmerized by him. Within seconds she actually seemed content to be held close against his broad shoulder.

In absolute wonderment Hannah stood there and watched as the baby burrowed her face in his suntanned neck. That telling gesture not only meant Elizabeth felt secure, she craved the attention and comfort this man was willing to give her.

“Your husband certainly has a way with that adorable little girl of yours,” one of the elderly female tourists said loud enough for everyone around to hear. But Hannah was so stunned by what she was seeing, she couldn’t find the words to correct the woman’s erroneous assumption.

The stranger’s gaze found Hannah’s once more. His intelligent dark brown eyes, fringed by even darker lashes, slowly traveled over her upturned features, reducing her limbs to water.

In a quiet aside he said, “This is the least I can do after your heroic gesture for me last night. Go ahead and finish waiting on your customers while this golden cherub and I get better acquainted. What do I call her?”

“E—” Hannah had to clear her throat. “Her name is Elizabeth.”

CHAPTER TWO

“ELIZABETH.” She heard him repeat the name in the French way before he kissed her tiny nose and cheeks once more.

The baby’s mouth kept breaking into a smile. She was loving this! If she had a tummy ache, it didn’t seem to be bothering her right now.

Hannah couldn’t believe Elizabeth’s reaction to the stranger. The baby had never let anyone else get this close to her except Hannah. For one ridiculous moment Hannah actually found herself envious of the infant who appeared to have captivated the man’s attention so thoroughly.

He was so natural with her, Hannah imagined he must be a father several times over to know how to stop those tears. Of course a man like him would have a wife and family of his own, ring or no ring! It was ludicrous to believe anything else, let alone fantasize about him.

She quickly looked away and began waiting on the tourists lined up in front of the counter. For the next twenty minutes there was a steady stream of customers.

Every so often she stole a glance at the arresting stranger who moved back and forth with a slight limp while he rocked Elizabeth in his hard-muscled arms. Obviously content, the baby’s eyelids had lowered to half-mast. So far not one peep had come out of her.

Judging by his demeanor, you would never have guessed he’d been semiconscious from a car accident last night.

Eventually the museum emptied. His gaze captured hers. “Are you going back to Laramie tonight?” There was a hint of compassion in his deep voice and eyes as he scrutinized Hannah’s hot face.

She felt at such a disadvantage. Not since noon had she touched a brush to her curls or freshened her lipstick. With such intense heat she needed a shower and a change of clothes.

At one point Elizabeth had spit up. Part of it had come off on her blouse instead of the diaper she’d placed on her shoulder. Though she’d rinsed the material with some bottled water, she couldn’t wait to get back to the apartment to start a wash.

“Yes.”

“I am, too. When you’re ready to close, why don’t you let me help by taking the baby out to your car while you lock up. Then I’ll follow you into town. Perhaps after you’ve put her down for the night, we can talk.”

Her heart started to trip over itself. “Talk?”

“Yes. Yesterday I came out here for that very purpose, but you were busy. So I decided to ride around while I waited for that tour bus to leave. I’m afraid my concentration wasn’t what it should be, and you know what happened.”

Hannah was very much afraid that she did. The incident had started up a curious ache that wasn’t about to go away.

“But I’m not complaining,” he murmured in a husky voice. “Last night I found out for myself there really are golden-haired angels.” His intent gaze traveled down the length of her curvaceous body, filling her with a different kind of heat. “I just didn’t know they came to earth wearing cowboy boots.”

Hannah swallowed hard at that sensual perusal. “Perhaps it would be better if you stated your business now, Mr. Giraud.”

“The name is Dominic. And yours?” he inquired mildly.

“I—it’s Hannah,” she stammered. “Hannah Carr.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so defensive just now, but it was the only way she knew how to deal with her chaotic emotions. While he stood this close to her, she was too confused to think straight.

Hannah couldn’t take much more of this or she would lose any objectivity she had left. “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you bother driving all the way out here again?”

“To thank you properly for saving my life.” He reached in his back pocket. The next thing she knew he’d placed a five-hundred-dollar bill on the counter next to the infant seat.

She didn’t make a move to pick it up. “I didn’t save your life, Mr. Giraud, and I would never take your money.”

“Please allow me to repay you in some small way. Spend it on this precious baby if you won’t use it for yourself. You played the good Samaritan, and I’m very grateful.”

Hannah shook her head. “Are you aware I might have done real damage by removing you from the accident site without knowing if you had a broken neck or spine or some such thing?”

His penetrating eyes narrowed on her classic features. ‘The memories are somewhat vague, but I do recall insisting on getting to my feet. You couldn’t stop me. Which means I didn’t leave you with any other choice than to assist me. Let’s be clear about that, shall we?”

His voice had taken on an edge that held more than a trace of steel. For a brief moment she had the strongest suspicion he was an intimidating, powerful force among his peers.

Some men were natural-born leaders who lit their own fires. He was that kind of man, and all the more intriguing because of his unfeigned display of loving tenderness with the baby.

Some of Hannah’s male neighbors and friends had been around Elizabeth enough times for her to recognize them and respond. But she always shied away from any attention they tried to give her.

“If you’re still insistent about not taking my money, will you at least allow me to buy you dinner tomorrow night to show my gratitude? That invitation includes your husband and Elizabeth, of course.”

She sucked in her breath. “There’s no husband. It’s just the baby and me.” Until Lisa comes back on her own, or is found. Please, God, let her be safe. Let her return home soon.

Upon that admission, his dark gaze collided with hers. “I’m staying at the Executive Inn in Laramie. If you’ll tell me where you live,” he said in a silken voice, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“It really isn’t necessary, Mr. Giraud.”

“The name is Dominic,” he affirmed forcefully, “and I beg to differ with you. Without your help the other night, I might have stumbled into the river and lost consciousness.”

As she shuddered at the very idea of such a ghastly scenario, she felt him watching her.

“Do we have a date?” he prodded. Hannah had the impression this man wouldn’t give up until she’d accepted his invitation. “I’ll let you decide where we eat. Over our meal I’ll tell you the reason why I was driving behind the museum in the first place.”

Her pulse raced.

The idea of going anywhere with him, let alone to dinner, filled her with too much excitement. She had to remember that he could be a married man, and that he wasn’t asking her out for romantic reasons.

Because she wouldn’t take his money, this was the only other way he could think of to pay her back for getting him to a hospital. To read anything else into his invitation was ridiculous, especially when he’d suggested that her husband join them.

What she needed to do was treat this like she would any business dinner. Moistening her lips nervously she said, “The Executive Inn has a good restaurant. Why don’t I meet you there at seven-thirty? If Elizabeth cooperates, we should be on time.”

His veiled eyes played over her face. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

For no good reason her heart took up its crazy pounding again.

“I believe you’ve got customers.”

Hannah jerked her head toward the door, hoping to hide the blush that started at her toes and quickly enveloped her entire body, including her face. She should have been the one to notice what was going on at her own establishment!

“Before I leave, why don’t I put Elizabeth in her playpen and make certain she stays asleep before I go. How does that sound?”

It sounded heavenly, too heavenly.

She darted him a quick glance once more. “Much as I appreciate your offer, surely you have other pressing business.”

One dark brow dipped ominously as a string of tourists filed into the museum. “I thought by now you understood that you’re my pressing business,” he muttered, staring hard at her before he moved behind the counter with the baby.

While Hannah waited on customers, she glanced repeatedly in his direction, unable to resist watching the gentle way he treated Elizabeth. Something told Hannah that if she wasn’t careful, Dominic Giraud had the power to infiltrate her mind and heart until she didn’t know herself anymore.

Long after he’d left the museum, she was still haunted by the private message his eyes had conveyed before he’d walked out the door.

Maybe it was a trick of light in the museum, but for a brief moment his regard had seemed intimate. She gasped softly just remembering it, then regretted her foolish behavior when the customer she was waiting on asked her if she was all right.

Embarrassed, Hannah assured the woman she was fine. But of course she wasn’t fine at all. She was a jumbled mass of nerves and anticipation all rolled together. There’d be no sleep for her tonight!

In a testy mood, which was rare for him, Dominic limped out to his rental car and headed for town, missing his Jeep that was still being repaired and wouldn’t be ready for pick up until tomorrow.

To his recollection no female of his acquaintance had ever refused a gift from him before, monetary or otherwise. If he were really being honest with himself, no woman had ever been as resistant to his attention.

On the contrary, of the limited number of relationships he’d had since his twenties, he’d always been the one to walk away first, unable to commit.

What surprised him was how much it rankled to have to talk Ms. Carr into joining him for dinner. He wondered if she was still emotionally involved with the baby’s father. The possibility that she might have a new lover and intended to spend the night in his bed sounded equally distasteful to Dominic.

However, a lover he could deal with. A husband was something else. He gritted his teeth, unconsciously gunning the accelerator at the same time as he drove away.

Though his father held to no such code of ethics, married women had always been off limits to Dominic. Furthermore, unlike his womanizing parent whose infidelity had caused incalculable grief to Dominic’s mother, marriage had never figured in Dominic’s plans.

Just remembering the past caused a blackness to envelop him. Not wanting to go down that treacherous path tonight, he reached for his cell phone to call Zane.

“Salut—” he said as soon as his friend answered.

“Dom! How are things progressing?”

“I’m not sure,” he muttered before he realized how revealing the comment sounded.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’ve run into snags before, but they’ve never bothered you.”

Dominic rubbed the side of his jaw absently. He wouldn’t exactly describe Hannah Carr as a snag.

After a pause, “What’s going on?”

He sucked in his breath. “I wish I knew.”

“You’re being cryptic, buddy, and that’s making me edgy.”

“You’ve hit on the right word.”

“So, how long are you going to keep me in the dark?”

“I’m pulling into my hotel now. Give me a minute to get up to my room and then I’ll call you back and tell you about my accident.”

Another silence. “Were you hurt?”

He shut off the motor. “It could have been worse if this angel hadn’t saved me.”

“Angel? What on earth are you talking about? Dom?”

Elizabeth woke up hungry from her afternoon nap. Since there was a lull between customers, Hannah decided to call it a day and close up shop early. She could no longer function with any coherence.

After putting Cinnamon in the barn, and making sure the mare had enough water along with her oats, they headed for home. There were a dozen things to be done and little time to accomplish everything before they left for the hotel.

Once inside the apartment, she fed the baby, gave her a bath, then put her in a playpen in the bedroom. That freed up Hannah’s time so she could shower and wash her own hair.

It felt good to get clean and put on fresh underwear. The problem was finding something suitable to wear. She had no intention of dressing up for Mr. Giraud, but naturally she wouldn’t wear trousers.

Hannah possessed several nice winter outfits to wear at university functions. What she needed was a new summer wardrobe, but she couldn’t afford one.

That meant she would have to settle for her sundress. It was a sleeveless pale yellow cotton with a modest neckline, always in style. She could wear her white sandals and a single strand of pearls.

After she’d dressed and fixed herself a lemonade, she phoned Bob Arnold, the P.I. working on Lisa’s case. To her chagrin he told her the same thing he’d been telling her for months.

He still hadn’t found Lisa, but Hannah wasn’t to give up. Often these situations took a long time.

Hannah told him she understood, but it was hard to wait. Every day Lisa was gone put more emotional distance between mother and daughter. As for the financial side of it, Hannah’s money was running out, but she kept that news to herself. It was vital that Lisa be found no matter how much it cost!

With a mixture of aching sadness and anxiety over her sister, Hannah checked herself in the mirror one more time. The worry, combined with several sleeplessness nights had put hollows beneath her eyes. They looked more like smudges.

If she wore thick makeup, she could probably cover them up, but Hannah had never put anything on her skin except lotion.

After their mother had died giving birth to Lisa, their father turned into a very strict parent. As both girls matured, he forbade them to use anything artificial.

“You have been given golden hair, green eyes and a peaches-and-cream complexion like your mother’s. You need no other embellishment, so let that be the end of it.”

Probably because Hannah had been the elder sister by eight years, she’d obeyed him without question. Lisa, on the other hand, fought his unyielding authority every step of the way. Their fights had always upset Hannah.

She would slip out the back door and ride her horse until she was sure their latest quarrel was over. Then she would go back to the house where inevitably she would find her sister in the bedroom crying.

The pattern continued until their father died. At that point Hannah tried to keep their little household going and oversee their meager finances, but Lisa loved the freedom and became more defiant than ever.

Now she was gone, and Hannah began to wonder if she would ever come home. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she dashed to the closet for the baby stroller. After she put it in the car, she hurried back inside the apartment for Elizabeth.

Unable to resist, she leaned down to kiss her pink cheeks. “Right now it’s just the two of us. Thank heaven for you,” she whispered emotionally, then straightened.

“Now, are you ready to have dinner with Mr. Giraud? We really shouldn’t, you know. He’s an experienced man of the world. Far too sophisticated and fascinating for us to handle, so don’t get too attached to him, sweetheart. After tonight we may never see him again.”

It was good advice.

Too bad Hannah’s heart hadn’t heeded the warning when she’d first seen him lying in the grass.

Just the anticipation of being with him again made her breathing shallow. To her alarm, by the time they reached the hotel parking lot, her cheeks were flushed even though she’d been running the air conditioner at full strength.

“Oh!” she cried when her door was opened for her and she saw him standing there in a pearl-gray summer suit and white shirt. He’d been waiting for them.

His appeal overwhelmed her.

“Good evening, Hannah. You’re right on time.” Their eyes met before hers looked away in confusion, but she could feel his frank leisurely appraisal. It missed nothing.

She felt his hand on her bare upper arm assisting her out of the car. His touch sent a river of warmth through her body.

“I’ll get Elizabeth.”

Before she could gather her wits, he’d relinquished his hold of her to open the back door and lift the baby from the car seat.

“Hmm, mignonne. You smell as sweet as you look,” he murmured into her neck, then kissed her on her cheeks and chin. Elizabeth laughed out loud.

Hannah could see her advice had been wasted on the baby. They were both in deep water as far as this man was concerned.

Thinking of his immaculate suit, Hannah lifted a clean cloth to Dominic’s shoulder in case the baby spit up. She had to rise on tiptoe and it brought her head close to his. Inadvertently her fingers grazed his strong jawline,

“Here, you better have this, Mr. Giraud,” she said nervously.

This time his eyes, dark and unexpectedly fierce, trapped hers. “Why do you find it so impossible to call me Dominic?”

Shaken by his intensity, she backed away from him with a jerky movement. “Probably because I was raised to be formal around people just passing through.”

His brows knit together in a frown. “I’m afraid I did a lot more than simply pass through. I trespassed on your property, forcing you to leave Elizabeth alone to rescue me from a precarious situation. You had no idea who or what you’d find when you got out there.

“The Jeep could have exploded into flames, but that didn’t deter you. Most people wouldn’t have known how to handle the situation, let alone been ingenious enough to put me on a horse and get me to safety. You held me so I wouldn’t fall,” he added in husky tone. “That night we became more than strangers, Hannah.”

There was a trace of accent when he said her name. She loved the way it sounded on his lips.

Breaking free of his piercing glance, Hannah went to get the stroller.

“From the way Elizabeth is behaving, it appears she agrees with you,” she observed in a wry tone to cover her chaotic emotions.

Without waiting for his response, she began walking toward the restaurant entrance of the inn and pushed the stroller in front of her. He adjusted his stride to keep pace, his limp barely noticeable. As they entered the foyer, a couple of girls around nine or ten standing with their parents at the checkout counter caught a glimpse of Elizabeth and skipped over to Dominic. The one in glasses looked straight up at him. “Your baby girl is so cute!”

“I think she is, too,” he said with all the tenderness of a proud, new father.

His answer, especially the way he said it, caught Hannah unaware. She found herself swallowing hard.

“Will you let us look at her?” the other one piped up.

He flashed them a smile that took Hannah’s breath. “Elizabeth is a little shy around strangers, so don’t feel bad if she starts to cry.”

In a deft move he turned the baby and lowered her to their eye level. On cue, her lower lip quivered. Within seconds her face screwed up and she burst into tears.

“You just want your daddy, huh.” While one tickled her chin, the other tried to grasp her tiny fingers.

Hannah fought the instinct to reach for the baby. If anyone tried to take her from Dominic right now, Elizabeth wouldn’t stand for it. As it was, she was already creating a fuss. Heads turned in their direction.

By the glint in his eye, Dominic found it all very amusing as he put the baby back in her favorite place against his heart. Content once more, she quieted down.

The girls thanked him and ran over to their parents.

He darted Hannah an amused glance. “Shall we go in?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure if Elizabeth will hold out through a long meal. Perhaps it would be better if we put her back in the car and went to a drive-in. LaRue’s at the other end of town makes good homemade hamburgers.” Hannah was suddenly sure that sharing an expensive meal with this compelling man wasn’t a good idea.

“That’s hardly what I had in mind for tonight.”

“I realize that, but a baby has a way of changing the best-laid plans.” After a hesitation, “I’ll remember the thought, Dominic,” she added quietly.

“Will you?” he murmured, his gaze suddenly inscrutable. All mirth had vanished, making her the slightest bit uneasy.

She hoped he couldn’t tell her hands were trembling as she opened her purse. “Here are my keys if you’d like to drive. Oh, and here’s that five-hundred-dollar bill. You forgot to take it with you.”

As Dominic pulled to a stop at the drive-in, he decided the change in plans suited his purposes much better. Eating together in the small confines of her car kept things more intimate. Best of all, the baby seemed content in her infant seat. As long as she was being good, her mother couldn’t use her as a shield to avoid concentrating on him.

He’d never had Hannah Carr’s undivided attention except at the accident scene when he’d only been semiconscious. Things were about to change.

A middle-aged woman walked up to them and put a card under the windshield wiper. “Hi! What can I get for you?”

While he gave the waitress their order, he could feel her unsolicited scrutiny.

“Excuse me, but haven’t I seen you before?”

Throughout his life this sort of inquisition had happened so constantly, he’d been forced to learn to live with it. But tonight the intrusion on his privacy made him angry.

“I’m afraid not.”

“But I have. I saw you on TV.”

“I probably resemble someone you saw,” he muttered. So much for anonymity here. The fates continued to conspire against him and his desire to be alone with Hannah.

“No. You were on the America Today show, but you’re even more handsome in person. I told my husband you have a French name. I remember it because I love the sound of it. Dominic.”

He winced.

“I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you, but this is so exciting. The two men on the program with you were good-looking, too. I have to tell you—that was the most fascinating program I’ve seen in years!”

“Is that right?”

“Absolutely! I hope this means you’re running your bullet train through Laramie. I’ve got a husband who won’t get on an airplane, and hates long drives in the car. When that thing is built, we can go anywhere we want in a hurry and never leave the ground. Just like that!” She snapped her fingers.

“After I bring your food, can I have your autograph? Unless I show proof, my husband won’t believe you really came to LaRue’s to eat with your family. That’s a little doll you’ve got back there. She’s going to grow up to be a real heartbreaker just like her daddy, I bet.”

While he attempted to suppress a groan, he felt Hannah lean across him to talk to the waitress.

“If you’ll bring back a menu with our food, I’ll make sure Dominic signs it. What’s your name?”

Her eyes lit up. “Marie. Marie Gates. Thank you. Thank you so much! Since you’re his wife, I want you to sign it, too. All right?”

“She’ll do it,” Dominic assured the woman with relish before his gaze shifted to a pair of eyes whose impossibly green color rivaled the grass he’d seen growing in an Oregonian rainforest. The combination of dark lashes and delicately shaped eyebrows beneath those natural golden curls highlighted their beauty.

Every perfect feature of her oval face, particularly her sculpted lips, a larger version of Elizabeth’s, drew his attention so he didn’t want to look anywhere else. He’d never known a woman who had such a seductive mouth and flawless complexion. It would be as soft and silky as the baby’s.

Except for lipstick, she wore no makeup. Nature had blessed her with creamy skin that millions of women spent billions of dollars on cosmetics to replicate. Dominic knew this to be true more than any man. Those billions made up his family’s vast fortune. He bet if he looked in her purse or bathroom, he wouldn’t find one House of Eve product anywhere. What an irony.

With such a face and voluptuous curves, how on earth could any man have walked away from her and Elizabeth?

Was she still in love with him?

It made no sense to Dominic unless she was a widow. If that was the case, it might explain the faint shadows beneath her eyes.

He let go of the breath he’d been holding. So many questions needed answers, but he would have to proceed slowly.

“You shouldn’t have told the waitress I would give her an autograph, Dominic,” she said at last.

His lips twitched. “What’s sauce for the gander…”

“May be, but this goose doesn’t happen to be your wife.”

“Since I’m not married and never have been, I don’t see the problem. Don’t you know there’s an old adage that white lies are the good kind?”

“You made that up.”

He chuckled. “Even if I did, it’s true. Think how happy it will make her.”

“Uh-oh. She’s coming with our food.”

“Dieu merci! I’m ravenous.”

“Here you go.” The waitress fastened the tray of food to the lowered glass of the car window.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Since you’re going to autograph this for me, not one cent.” She handed him a new menu and pen through the opening.

He signed it, then gave everything back along with a twenty-dollar bill.

“‘Dear Marie.’” She read the words aloud. “‘We hope you and your husband enjoy many train rides across the country in the near future. With sincerest regards, Mr. and Mrs. Dominic Giraud.’”

Her head lifted. “Oh, my. This is wonderful. But I can’t take the money.”

“I insist.”

“Well, thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.”

“When you’re through, just blink your lights and I’ll come for the tray.”

As she hurried off, Dominic turned to his lovely companion who’d remained silent during the exchange. He put a straw in her drink and handed her what she’d ordered.

“Alone at last.”

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