“When we took our vows, we promised to love each other for better for worse,” Philippe said slowly.

“We do! I do!”

“I never intended there to be a ‘for worse’ in our marriage.” His voice grated. “This afternoon I had a visitor. It was a woman I rescued from an avalanche, months before I met you.”

Kellie didn’t need to hear another word to feel as if she’d been dropped from a high building.

“She must have had a good reason to visit a married man at the end of his workday.” Kellie couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.

“All I know is, she’s eight months pregnant and claims it’s my child.”

Rebecca Winters, an American writer and mother of four, was excited about the new millennium because it meant another new beginning. Having said goodbye to the classroom where she taught French and Spanish, she is now free to spend more time with her family, to travel and to write the Harlequin Romance® novels she loves so dearly.

Readers are invited to visit Rebecca’s Web site at www.rebeccawinters-author.com

Look out for The Tycoon’s Proposition

by Rebecca Winters

on-sale December (#3729)

The Baby Dilemma
Rebecca Winters

To Jo—someone who believed in my writing, cheered me on, let me explore to my heart’s content and guided me to greater heights. I will always be grateful.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

September 29

To My Darling Philippe—

In honor of that unforgettable moment in the meadow below Mount Rainier when you proposed to me.

These gold cuff links contain the tiniest petals of the wildflowers you gathered for me. They’re very precious because they represent your love. No woman ever felt more loved by her husband than I do. Happy one month anniversary, sweetheart.

Kellie

Putting her pen aside, Kellie Madsen Didier slid the card inside the envelope and taped it to the present she’d wrapped in black with red, green and gold foil ribbon. It had required painstaking work to arrange the petals in a design which would fit beneath the oval glass overlays trimmed in gold. But the result had pleased her.

Philippe would be walking through the door of their elegant Neuchâtel penthouse apartment any second. The windows gave out on a magnificent view of Lake Neuchâtel, one of Switzerland’s most beautiful scenic sights. Truly he’d brought her home to paradise.

She hurried out of the bedroom to the living room where she’d wheeled in the tea cart for a special dinner.

It was set with their best lace cloth, china, crystal and silver. In the cut crystal vase she’d placed a bouquet of fall flowers backed by an ornate candelabra. She put his gift next to his goblet, then rushed to the kitchen to finish up last minute preparations.

As soon as he’d left for the office that morning, she’d laid her French studies aside to work on a fabulous gourmet meal. After cooking and cleaning most of the day, she’d stopped long enough to shower and wash her hair.

Now that it was dry, it fell over one shoulder, partially hiding the capped sleeve of her new figure-hugging black crepe dress. Philippe had often remarked that with her green eyes and long caramel hair streaked by natural blond highlights, she looked stunning in black.

Wearing dainty black high heels to add a few inches to her five-foot-six frame, she hoped to dazzle him all over again tonight.

She glanced at her watch. Seven-thirty. He was almost a half hour later than he said he’d be when he’d called her that afternoon. It wasn’t like him not to phone again if he’d been detained by a client.

Earlier in the week he’d told her the ambassador from La Côte D’Ivoire had been in to order a fleet of limousines. Maybe there’d been a glitch during shipment from the Didier luxury automanufacturing plant in Paris.

Philippe could still be in the process of ironing out any number of problems. He was meticulous about his work. However until she heard his key in the lock, she didn’t want to light the candles.

Kellie went back to the kitchen to check on everything. Ten minutes slipped by, then another ten. Starting to get worried, she rang him on his cell phone, but she reached his voice mail asking the caller to leave a message.

Growing more anxious she phoned his personal secretary, Marcel, at home. The other man told her he’d last seen Philippe at his desk talking long distance to New York when they’d waved good-night to each other.

Marcel suggested her husband might be discussing something with the night security guard or the custodial staff before he left the showroom office. He urged her not to become alarmed. There could be a dozen reasons why he was late. Perhaps he was entertaining a businessman.

She thanked Marcel and hung up, but she was not reassured. Philippe would have asked her to join him if he’d planned to take a buyer out to dinner.

One of his good friends and climbing buddies, Roger, had dropped by night before last. Was it possible he hadn’t gone back to Zermatt and was still in Neuchâtel? When they got talking about their favorite subject, they forgot anyone else was in the room.

She ran to the study to look up Roger’s number. Before she could find it on the card Philippe kept at the side of his desk, the phone rang.

Pouncing on the receiver, she put it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Madame Didier?” came a serious sounding voice.

A sense of foreboding set her on the verge of panic. Her mouth went dry. “Yes? This is she.”

“I’m calling from the emergency room at Vaudois Hospital. Your husband is going to be fine, but he was in an automobile accident and is asking for you.”

Oh Dear God.

“I’ll be right there!” she cried.

After hanging up, she rang for a taxi.

Kellie could have taken the new little sports car Philippe had bought her for a wedding present. It was sitting in the apartment garage. But she didn’t know the location of the hospital, and didn’t want to worry about finding a place to park. In truth, she was shaking so hard she didn’t know if she’d be able to drive.

Another dash through the rooms to get her purse and turn off the oven, then she left the apartment on a run. Too impatient to wait for the lift, she hurried down the four flights of stairs to the main floor in her high heels and rushed outside, oblivious to the nip in the air.

When she saw a taxi turn the corner, she ran out to the street and waved him down. After climbing in she said, “The Vaudois Hospital, please, monsieur.”

“Oui, madame.”

She hugged her arms to her waist anxiously. If he’d sustained serious injuries, the person on the phone wouldn’t have said Philippe was all right. Still, she wouldn’t be able to breathe normally again until she could hold him and see him with her own eyes.

“Please hurry. My husband has been in an accident. Let me off at the entrance to the emergency room,” she said in French to the driver. He nodded, but didn’t accelerate that much through the moderate nighttime traffic. Switzerland was a very dignified, civilized country with few drivers who took dangerous risks.

She couldn’t say the same for Philippe who was French born. According to his family with whom she’d lived for a month near the Bois de Vincennes in Paris, he’d been a daredevil from birth.

Apparently he’d raced cars in his early twenties and drove at speeds that terrified most people. His sister, Claudine, Kellie’s dear friend, had confided that though he may have abandoned that pleasure once he’d discovered his great love for mountain climbing, he could still let it rip once in a while testing out one of the new sports models fresh from the plant. If that’s what he’d done tonight, then it was too high a price to pay.

When she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, they reached the hospital where she could see several ambulances outside the doors. The sight of them enlarged the pit in her stomach.

“We’re here, madame.”

“Merci, monsieur.” She climbed out of the taxi, handing him several bills of Swiss francs without bothering to count how much she’d given him. Then she raced inside the entrance.

The reception room was packed with friends and family of casualty victims talking quietly. Their anxiety-ridden faces revealed their stress. As she approached the woman at the desk, Kellie happened to see herself in the glass and knew her expression was no different.

“Excuse me. I’m Madame Didier. My husband, Philippe, was brought in tonight. Where can I find him?”

“Through there on the left. He’s been put in cubicle four.”

“Thank you,” Kellie whispered before hurrying through the swinging doors to the E.R. Again she was struck by the amount of activity going on. Medical staff, paramedics, even police came and went from the busy room. It looked as if every cubicle was in use. Behind the curtain of the first one she could hear a woman wailing in pain.

Full of gratitude it wasn’t Philippe in that kind of agony, she ran to number four and parted the curtain to reach her husband. He was awake, thank heaven! She flew to his side where he lay in a hospital gown beneath a pristine white sheet.

“Philippe?”

“Mon amour— I thought you’d never get here.”

His deep voice sounded so shaken, it astounded her. Philippe was the kind of man whose intelligence and strong personality inspired confidence in everyone around him. Not only physically powerful, he exuded an inner male strength and drive that made him seem invincible.

“I came the second they phoned me, darling,” she cried, utterly thrown by his vulnerability. “I’ve been home waiting hours for you to arrive.”

Beneath his beautiful olive skin there was an unnatural pallor, but the devilishly handsome face with those black-brown eyes and black hair she loved was still the same.

“Mon Dieu. You’re so beautiful, it hurts.” In a swift motion he lifted his right arm to draw her head down, but she noticed he didn’t try to use his left one at all. She was so preoccupied about that, she wasn’t prepared for his kiss which was almost savage in its intensity.

Since they’d been married, they’d made love day and night, under every circumstance and condition. But her husband had never embraced her as if it were going to be their last.

“Philippe, sweetheart—” she whispered after he’d unwillingly relinquished her lips. “I can tell your left arm is hurt.”

“My elbow got banged. It’s nothing.”

Her anxious eyes played over him. “What else is wrong with you?”

“A bump on my left kneecap.”

“Oh, darling,” she moaned. “Let me see.”

“There’s no need. From what the doctor told me, neither is broken, just bruised. They’ll take some X rays in a while to be certain. I’m waiting my turn. Before they come for me, there’s something we have to talk about.”

Again she felt this sense of foreboding. After taking a shuddering breath she said, “All right.”

She heard him invoke God’s help before he murmured, “Maybe you’d better sit down.”

With those fateful words, Kellie needed support. She saw a stool by the shelving and moved it next to the bed where she could prop herself. Grasping his right hand which she kissed and held to her cheek she said, “What’s this terrible thing you have to tell me?”

His expression grew bleak before his eyes filled with pleading.

“Sweetheart?” she begged, unable to stand the suspense another second.

He cleared his throat. “When we took our vows, we promised to love each other for better or worse.”

“We do! I do!”

“I never intended for there to be a ‘for worse’ in our marriage,” his voice grated.

“But there is?” She swallowed hard.

“Kellie, I don’t know how to say this.”

“Say what?” she demanded in agony, freeing her hand to run her fingers through his dark wavy hair. “Don’t you know you can tell me anything?”

His eyes looked haunted. “Late this afternoon while I was finishing up some work at the office so I could get home to you, I had a visitor. It was a woman I rescued after an avalanche in Chamonix months before I met you.”

Kellie didn’t need to hear another word to feel as if she’d been dropped from a high building.

“Her name’s Yvette Boiteux.”

It didn’t sound familiar. According to Claudine, until Kellie had come along, her brother had left a trail of broken hearts that stretched from Paris to Neuchâtel.

“She must have had a good reason to visit a married man at the end of his workday.” Kellie couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.

“All I know is, she’s eight months pregnant and claims it’s my child.”

Kellie bit down so hard on her knuckle, it drew blood.

“Darling—” He gripped her free hand tightly, not knowing his strength. “Please hear me out.”

She averted her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“We only slept together once, and I took precautions. It was a mistake from start to finish. I realize my reputation precedes me, but in reality, there’ve only been a few women. Yvette wasn’t one of them.”

It was hard to breathe. “I believe you.”

By now he was gripping her hand so hard, it hurt. But she invited it to counteract this other pain which had penetrated the core of her being where there could be no earthly relief.

“When she came to my office, she didn’t look well to me. She told me she’d come by bus because she didn’t own a car. At that point I told her I’d drive her home.

“Before I said anything about having a paternity test done, I was praying she would admit that one of her lovers had turned his back on her. Knowing I was good for the money, it would explain the reason why she’d come to me at the midnight hour for financial help.”

Kellie’s eyes closed tightly for a moment. What if the test came up with a match?

“On the way to the apartment where she told me she lived with her mother, a tourist ran into us. He received the citation for driving out of control. Under other circumstances I might have been able to see him coming to avoid a collision.”

She shook her head. “After news like that, I don’t know how you could even function.”

He let out a tortured sound. “As it happens, the impact shoved my car against a parked van. The doctor said Yvette doesn’t have any injuries, but at this stage of her pregnancy, the shock could bri—”

“Monsieur Didier?” an unfamiliar voice broke in on them. “We’re ready to take you to X ray. Madame— If you wouldn’t mind stepping out for a moment, our team will get him transferred to the gurney,” the technician said to Kellie.

“Yes, of course.”

“Darling—” Philippe’s voice sounded frantic.

“I’ll be right outside the curtain.”

She pushed the stool back in place, then lifted the flap to wait in the main room of the E.R. In a minute the technicians emerged with Philippe. Like lasers, his dark eyes burned into her soul.

“Promise me you’ll be here when I get back.”

The tears she’d been fighting spilled down her cheeks. “Where would I go?”

You’re my whole life, Philippe. Without you, there’s nothing.

When he’d disappeared through another set of doors, she realized his parents needed to be notified, then Marcel. But her body was slow to obey her brain.

As she retraced her steps to the reception area to make the calls, she heard the hysterical woman behind the first curtain crying out Philippe’s name. Kellie froze.

“Calm yourself, Mademoiselle Boiteux,” said another female voice. “Monsieur Didier will be in to visit you as soon as he comes back from X ray.”

“I need to see him. I love him. He’s the father of my baby. I’m going to have his son. Promise me he’s not hurt, that he’s all right!”

“You mustn’t get upset. It isn’t good for you or the baby. You have toxemia. Your blood pressure’s too high. We need to get it down, so you have to cooperate with us.”

“It was my fault we were in the accident. He offered to drive me home and I let him. I shouldn’t have agreed to it, then he wouldn’t have been hurt. He’s so wonderful. He saved my life once before. If anything happened to Philippe, I’d want to die.”

“No, mademoiselle. You want to live. You’re going to be a mother very soon. Think of the joy you’ll have in raising your child. We’ve called your mother. She’ll be here soon to comfort you.”

“No,” she cried out. “Without Philippe, I don’t care about anything else. Please tell him to come. This is his child. You don’t understand. He’s my whole life!”

This is his child. He’s my whole life.

Kellie felt as if someone had just walked across her grave.

A hand touched her shoulder. “Madame? You look like you’re feeling ill,” one of the nurse’s aides observed. “Do you want to lie down?”

“N-no. I’ll be all right.”

“Let me at least help you to the reception room where you can sit while you wait for your husband.”

“Thank you.”

Her limbs felt wooden as he assisted her to a chair beyond the swinging doors.

“Someone will let you know when he’s been brought back. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Kellie felt like she was in the middle of a nightmare where she was running from something, but everything was happening in slow motion.

“Could you please phone his secretary and inform him of the accident? He lives here in town. Ask him to call Philippe’s parents.” She would phone everyone later, but for the moment her strength seemed to have left her body.

He pulled a notepad out of his pocket. “What’s the secretary’s name and number?”

She gave the aide the information. Once he’d disappeared, she sat there until her terrible weakness had passed. Then she got up from the chair and went over to the woman at the desk.

“Would you call me a taxi please.”

Ten minutes later, Kellie entered the apartment. She walked straight into Philippe’s study and sat down at his desk. Withdrawing the gold pen from its holder, one of their many wedding gifts, she reached for a notepad.

My darling husband—

Never doubt that I will always love you, but Yvette loved you first. We’ve only been married thirty days. She’s been carrying your baby for eight months. The “for worse” part of our vows didn’t cover that.

I heard her call out your name. She had no idea I could follow her conversation with the doctor from the outside of the curtain. She was begging, pleading for you to come to her.

After the things she told the doctor in confidence, there’s no doubt Yvette is pregnant with your son. I don’t blame you for anything, darling. But you must see she needs your help and protection now because she’s very sick with a high-risk pregnancy.

I know you’re not the kind of man to abandon your responsibilities the way my birth father abandoned my mother and me, so I’m going back to Washington. When I get there, I’ll start divorce proceedings. Soon you’ll be free to marry her and be a full-time father to your child.

Be assured the only alimony I want is your promise that you’ll do the right thing for Yvette and your son. No one will make a better father than you.

All my love, Kellie.

She pulled off her wedding ring and left it on top of the note, then she phoned for another taxi to drive her to the airport. She’d worry about what plane to take when she got there.

Before the taxi arrived, she changed into wool pants and a sweater. After putting the food in the fridge and straightening the kitchen, she threw some clothes and toiletries in an overnight bag. When her packing was done, she grabbed her passport out of the dresser drawer, left her car keys on top, then walked out of the apartment without looking back.

The second she got into the taxi, her cell phone rang. She ignored it and told the chauffeur to get her to Geneva as quickly as possible.

During the drive, the phone went off at least twenty different times. Evidently Philippe had come back from X ray and was wondering where she’d gone.

The ringing would stop once the doctors told him Yvette was calling for him and he realized how sick she was.

“Kellie?” Her grandfather’s gray head peered around the door of the restaurant’s kitchen. “The phone’s for you!”

“I’ll have to call them back, grandpa.”

He walked behind the huge stainless-steel island where she was preparing the salads. “It’s Claudine.”

Fresh pain stabbed her heart.

“You’ve avoided every call from Philippe since you got home a week ago. Surely you’re not going to ignore his sister, too. That’s not right, honey. I’ll take over here. You go upstairs to the office and talk to her.”

She took a deep breath, realizing this couldn’t be put off any longer. In any event, it wasn’t fair to her family.

“All right. I won’t be long.”

“Take all the time you need. You’re so bottled up, you’re going to explode one of these days. It’ll do you good to talk to her. She’s a sweetie.”

Kellie’s grandfather, James Madsen, was crazy about Claudine who had lived with them for a month during her American homestay. She was a Didier through and through. Dark good looks, intelligent, high class, charm galore.

He loved talking fractured French to her, and was hurt because Kellie’s marriage to her brother had broken up. Everyone in her family knew the reason why she was getting a divorce. She loved them for never having said a negative word or interfering.

But she was aware that they were very fond of Philippe. Kellie’s mom was still grieving over her daughter’s smashed dreams, yet they’d all honored her wishes by keeping silent.

She hurried to the sink to wash her hands. After leaving the kitchen she raced up the stairs to the next floor where their family lived above the thriving restaurant.

Her grandfather had bought the property and opened it in the late sixties. He’d named it The Eatery, a play on words because they lived in Eatonville, Washington, gateway to the Cascades and Mount Rainier.

Growing up it had been Kellie’s dream to turn it into a French restaurant one day. All her university education in French, plus her subsequent training as a French chef in Napa Valley, California, had been chosen with that end in mind.

Then her grandfather had surprised her by sending her to France on a homestay through the university to improve her French. That was how she’d met Claudine. It was there in the Didier home she’d been introduced to Philippe who just happened to be visiting his family for the day.

One look at him and she’d fallen so deeply in love, her entire world had changed. Evidently it had for him, too, because when the homestay came to an end, he’d followed her back to Washington. Before the month was out they’d celebrated their wedding.

After experiencing euphoria in her thirty-day marriage to him, she realized life would never hold that same magic for her again. Not ever.

She’d been trying so hard to put the past behind her. But she knew the second she heard his sister’s voice, the pain was going to come crashing through.

Her hand trembled as she picked up the receiver in her grandfather’s study. “Hello, C-Claudine?”

“Kellie—” her friend let out a mournful cry. “At last.”

She could hardly swallow, let alone talk. “I—I’m sorry it has taken me so long to face you.”

“Don’t apologize, chérie. I love Philippe, too, and cry myself to sleep every night for what has happened.”

“H-how is he?”

“If you mean physically, he’s recovering. The bone on his elbow was bruised, but he no longer has to wear a sling. His knee required surgery. Otherwise he would have come after you.”

A quiet gasp escaped Kellie’s throat. His injuries had been worse than he’d made out. Who had been taking care of him?

“Now he’s on crutches to keep the weight off it until it’s healed.”

Every word from Claudine’s lips tore her apart a little more.

“Kellie—you have to know that mentally my brother’s devastated you left him,” she confided in a tremulous voice.

By now the tears were dripping off her cheeks. “Did he ask you to call me?”

“No. He isn’t talking to anyone about anything. His pain is too deep. I’ve been praying you might have had time to reconsider your decision.”

“It’s all I think about.” She half-sobbed. “But no matter how I view it, divorce is the only answer. Cutting ties with me frees him to fulfill his moral obligation. You and I both know what kind of a father he’ll make. You’ve seen him interact with your nieces and nephew. It’s one of the qualities about him that made me want to marry him.”

“My brother can be a model father without marrying her!”

“Visitation isn’t the same thing as belonging to one family. He mustn’t deprive Yvette’s baby of its father. I had to live my whole life without mine, and I don’t want his son to know the same deprivation. Not only that, Philippe has wanted to get started on a family. Well, now he has one… Yvette adores him, and their child will be born any day now.”

“That’s not the point, Kellie. He’s too deeply in love with you to consider marriage to anyone else.”

“But there was a time when he cared for Yvette. Given a chance, those feelings could turn into love. He’s going to worship his child. If you were in my shoes, would you deny him the chance to raise their infant in his own household with the baby’s birth mother?”

A brief silence ensued. “I can’t answer that. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up without a father. Obviously it has scarred you much more than I’d realized.”

“Claudine— I heard Yvette confide in the doctor at the hospital right after they’d brought her in. The pain and the longing in her voice for Philippe killed me. I knew then what I had to do.”

Again there was a hesitation before Claudine said, “What about your pain and longing for my brother?”

“It doesn’t matter about me.”

“That’s what you say now. But there’s going to come a day… I hope you won’t live to regret it.”

“Please don’t hate me, Claudine,” she begged.

“I won’t dignify your comment with a response. As for Philippe, I’m sure he wishes he could hate you. It would make things easier all the way around. Have you been to an attorney yet?”

She sucked in her breath. “Yes. Philippe will be receiving the papers next week.”

“It’s going to kill him.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I have to say it because I know my brother. You think a divorce will force him to marry Yvette, but you’re wrong. He loves you. Our whole family loves you.”

“I love all of you, too,” her voice trembled. “I love you for caring so much, but Yvette and her baby are the important ones here.”

There was a pause. “Kellie?”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand. “Yes?”

“You’re the only wife he wants.”

“He’ll change his mind when he’s there for the delivery and lays eyes on his little lookalike for the first time.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“Claudine—”

“I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t put pressure on you, and that’s all I’ve done since I rang.”

“You have no reason to apologize. I’m so awful I haven’t even asked how things are going with Jules.”

“They’re not.”

“Why?”

“Unlike my brother, I think he’s a real playboy who’ll never settle down. He’s too attractive, has too much money. He can put on a convincing act that I’m the only woman for him, but I know deep down that’s not true.

“One day he’ll get bored and move on. I feel it in my bones. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve had my last date with him. I’ve got to keep looking for Mr. Perfect. Unfortunately no one ever measures up to Philippe.”

It always came down to Philippe.

No one could compare to him, but Kellie did know one man who had many of her husband’s sterling qualities. It was his good friend, Roger. Ever since she’d met him, she’d thought he and Claudine might hit it off. It was a subject she’d intended to broach with her husband.

Now there was no more Philippe. At least not in her world.

“I can tell you want to hang up, Kellie. Please call me once in a while. I couldn’t take it if you cut me off, too.”

“I would never do that. You’ll hear from me soon. I swear it.”

“A tout à l’heure, chérie.”

“À bientôt, chère Claudine.”

Kellie hung up the phone, dissolved in fresh tears.

Unable to bear the pain, she ran through the house to her room and collapsed on the bed.

CHAPTER TWO

KELLIE?”

Her head swerved toward the nurse. “Yes?”

“Dr. Evans wants to talk to you. As soon as you’re dressed, just step into his office.”

“All right.”

Dr. Evans had been the Madsen family doctor for as long as she could remember. He’d seen her through everything from tonsils and stitches to fractures and flu.

Lately she’d been having headaches and could pinpoint the onset of them to the day Kellie’s attorney had sent Philippe’s solicitor the divorce papers by express mail. The packet had gone out a week ago. Since then, the calls from Philippe had stopped.

It was what she’d wanted, but she couldn’t help but be anxious about him and needed to know if the baby had been born yet. She could always phone Claudine. However a part of her was afraid that if she did that, she’d break down crying again and it would make her headaches worse.

Hopefully Kellie’s doctor could prescribe something to take them away. The normal over-the-counter drugs weren’t helping.

A few minutes later she left the examining room and walked into his office. He was waiting for her. “Sit down, Kellie.”

After she’d taken a seat opposite his desk he smiled at her. “I believe I’ve discovered the source of your headaches, but I’ll leave it up to your obstetrician for a final determination.”

Kellie blinked. Obstetrician?

He stared at her. “You didn’t have any idea you were pregnant?”

She lurched in the chair. If she hadn’t been holding on to the sides, she might have fallen out of it.

His expression grew solemn. “I take it you and your husband hadn’t planned on starting a family yet.”

“No— I—I mean we did want a baby. But we c-can’t have one now. We just can’t!” she cried in anguish.

He leaned toward her, looking at her in that confiding way. “Kellie? In twenty-five years I’ve never seen you this emotional. Obviously something traumatic is going on in your life, thus the reason for the headaches.”

His confiding tone had the effect of opening the dam. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

He passed her the box of tissues on his desk. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Dr. Evans had always been like a father confessor, but for the first time in her life, she found she couldn’t talk to him. Not about this.

How could she explain her feelings over finding out she was pregnant with Philippe’s child when he was awaiting the birth of his son right now? Maybe Yvette had already delivered.

“I’m sorry,” she said a few minutes later, lifting her head to wipe her eyes. “Please forgive my outburst. Thank you for seeing me, but right now I’m afraid I have to go.” She shot out of the chair.

His concerned gaze followed her to the door. “I’m the one who’s sorry. In light of your pregnancy, promise me you’ll get hold of an OB right away. Dr. Cutler’s one of the best. His office is on the second floor. Tell him I referred you.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Evans.”

“You want to have a healthy child. Don’t wait too long to start your prenatal care, and don’t take any medication unless you’ve cleared it with your OB first!”

“I won’t. Goodbye.”

Kellie couldn’t get out of his office fast enough.

She hurried down to the car park and drove back to the café. It opened for lunch in half an hour. She needed to get busy going over the dinner menu.

Her family didn’t know she’d been to the doctor. Until she’d made a decision about what to do, she didn’t want to tell them what she’d learned. At the moment she was still trying to absorb the news with all its ramifications.

In order to avoid conversation, she parked behind the restaurant and slipped in the rear entrance which was used for delivery people. Luckily the other chef and the serving help were working at a steady pace. There was no unnecessary talk, especially on Fridays which brought in the large weekend crowds of tourists on their way to and from the Cascades.

Her grandparents did the cashiering while her mom ran the dining room. That left Kellie in the kitchen to hide her grief over an untenable situation. But by four o’clock that afternoon her head was splitting.

She told the other chef she needed to quit for the day. Excusing herself, she went up to her room and called Dr. Cutler’s office for an appointment. The receptionist fit her in for the following Friday.

When Kellie explained about her headaches, the nurse came on the line and told her of one painkiller she could take that wouldn’t hurt the baby.

Kellie thanked her for the information and hung up. She’d already tried it, but she’d received no relief. The only thing to do was go to bed and hope she could sleep it off.

To some degree her solution worked. A short nap seemed to stave off the worst of the pain.

Over the next seven days while she waited to find out if Philippe’s solicitor had responded, she would excuse herself to lie down as soon as she felt a headache coming on.

After her appointment with Dr. Cutler on Friday, Kellie made the decision to tell her family about her condition. As soon as they closed the restaurant for the night, she would sit down with them.

“Kellie?”

“What is it, Roy?” she asked the college age waiter who’d come in the kitchen for the steak dinners she’d put under the warmer.

“Someone’s out in front wanting to speak to you. The woman said she’d wait until you had a break.”

“I’ve already had mine for today. Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before or believe me, I would have remembered.” He smiled. “It was Lee something. Her last name started with an M, but I can’t pronounce it.”

Kellie didn’t know a woman named…wait a minute— No. It couldn’t be that Lee, the wife of Philippe’s best friend, Raoul.

While Kellie had lived in the apartment with Philippe, Prince Raoul Mertier Bergeret D’Arillac, ruler of the French-Swiss cantons and his new twenty-six-year old American bride who was the same age as Kellie, had still been out of the country on their honeymoon.

Though Kellie had never met either of them, she’d seen the news clippings of their royal wedding among the things in Philippe’s desk. He also had hundreds of photos and various videos of Raoul and his friends out climbing.

If the prince and his wife had taken up residence in Neuchâtel since Kellie’s flight from Switzerland, they couldn’t possibly be here. Could they?

“Hey— Kellie— What do you want me to say?”

His question brought her thoughts back to the present. “Roy—did her last name sound like Mertier?”

He nodded. “That’s it exactly!”

Kellie’s legs started to shake.

If Lee Mertier of all people was in The Eatery dining room, then the only reason she would be here was that something terrible had happened to Philippe. Maybe his injuries were worse than Claudine had made them out to be.

“Tell her to meet me in the foyer. I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he left the kitchen with the dinners, Kellie told the other chef she needed more time off. After washing her hands in the sink, she hung her apron and hair net on a peg in the back room. On trembling legs she made her way through the kitchen and dining room to the restaurant lobby.

The reality of the lovely, vital woman with short silvery-gold hair and violet eyes who turned in Kellie’s direction surpassed her image of the princess in the newspaper photos. Yet in jeans and a knit top, Lee Mertier looked completely down to earth and approachable.

As Kellie hurried past a line of customers to reach the other woman, she was so terrified to hear bad news about Philippe, she could hardly breathe.

“Princess?” she said in a shaky voice.

“Call me Lee.” She flashed her a sweet smile. “I knew you had to be Kellie. You’re more beautiful than the picture Philippe carries around with him.”

“Maybe he did once,” she said in a tortured whisper. “I was about to tell you no news clipping could do you justice.”

“Thank you.”

“Please—” Kellie struggled to keep her emotions under control. “I know you wouldn’t be here if something weren’t seriously wrong with Philippe. Were his injuries from the car accident more severe than his sister led me to believe?”

Shadows darkened Lee’s eyes, increasing Kellie’s fears. “He’s not dying, so let me put your mind at rest about that.”

“Is there something wrong with the baby?”

“Kellie?” she said quietly. “Can we go someplace to be alone and talk?”

“Yes. Of course. Forgive my lack of manners. I—I admit I’m scared to death.”

Kellie opened the door to the stairway, urging Lee to follow her up to the living room of the house.

“Please sit down. Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you.” She found a place on the end of the couch. Kellie took a chair opposite her.

The other woman spoke first. “I know my presence has alarmed you, but after discussing it with Raoul, we agreed this wouldn’t work over the phone.”

“Did your husband come with you?”

“No. I left him hosting an international bankers’ conference he’d already put off once before.”

“But you’re barely home from your honeymoon, aren’t you? To think you had to leave him to fly this far—”

“My husband loves Philippe like a brother. He’d do anything for him. I’m pretty crazy about your husband myself. The problem is, he’s not the same man who introduced me to Raoul in Zermatt. All traces of the dashing Frenchman who lost his heart to you have vanished.”

Kellie’s head was bowed.

“He’s in such a severe emotional crisis right now, my husband I are deeply concerned.”

“I’m sure that being a new father, plus trying to help Yvette with their little boy must be—”

“Kellie—” Lee interrupted. “Yvette died during the delivery.”

“What?” she cried out aghast, unable to remain seated. Claudine hadn’t phoned to let her know. “I thought Philippe said she wasn’t injured in the car accident.”

“Just listen,” Lee cautioned her in a gentle tone. “Her death resulted from eclampsia in labor. It’s very tragic. She had convulsions, then fell into a coma. Yvette passed away without ever seeing her son. That was a week ago. The baby wasn’t released from the hospital until after the funeral.

“It was the grandmother who took him home with her. So far she has refused to let Philippe see his son because she blames him for her daughter’s death.”

Kellie’s groan reverberated throughout the living room. She could hardly comprehend it, or the guilt he must be suffering unnecessarily. “My poor darling husband,” her voice shook.

“He’s in agony, but he won’t talk about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you left him, he cut himself off from everyone. His family couldn’t get through to him. His brother Patrick left Paris to take over for him at the office.

“Raoul is the only person Philippe has let into your apartment. My husband was shocked to discover he hasn’t been eating or taking care of himself for the last month. Apparently he’s lost at least ten pounds, maybe more.

“But the thing that alarmed Raoul most was to learn from the maid that your husband was getting his climbing gear together. When Raoul asked him what was going on, he said he was planning an ascent of the Matterhorn this weekend.”

“He can’t!” Kellie blurted in anguish. “Claudine told me he’s still recovering from surgery on his knee.”

“She’s right. But he’s beyond listening to reason. Somehow Raoul managed to get him to agree to wait until the bankers’ conference was over so he and Roger and Yves could go with him.

“The guys have a plan to do everything in their power to prevent him from trying anything dangerous. Unfortunately my husband hasn’t ever seen Philippe like this before. He isn’t sure they’ll be able to stop him.”

At this point Kellie’s whole body was trembling. “I’ve got to go to him! It was only because of Yvette’s love and need for him that I initiated the divorce. Nothing could keep me away from him now. I love him so desperately you’ll never know.”

“I think I do. Raoul and I feel you’re the only one who can make a difference. That’s why I came. To fly you back to Switzerland with me tonight in Raoul’s private jet. I rented a car at Sea-Tac airport. We can drive to Seattle whenever you’re ready.”

What wonderful people they were.

“Thank you for your generosity, but I couldn’t accept your offer,” she whispered, fighting tears. “I’ll arrange for a commercial flight just as soon as I let my family know.”

Lee got to her feet. “Kellie? Before you turn me down, there is one more thing you should be aware of.”

Sickness welled up in Kellie’s throat. “What is it?”

The princess seemed almost hesitant. “Philippe has changed.”

“In what way?”

“He wants the divorce now.”

She was trying to understand. “Now? But if Yvette’s no longer alive…”

When Lee didn’t say anything else, the significance of her words started to sink in.

Kellie felt the room tilt. She clung to the first available chair. Lee was at her side in an instant.

“You look ill. Sit down.”

When Kellie was seated, Lee knelt next to her. She stared into her eyes. “Tell me what caused you to almost pass out. Surely you must have realized what your continual rejection was doing to him? Sending Philippe those divorce papers absolutely shattered him.”

Lee’s gentleness and sincerity slipped past her defenses. Tears gushed down her cheeks.

“I was t-trying to bow out so he could do the right thing for Yvette and his baby. Now to hear that she’s gone, a-and he doesn’t want me back—you see I’ve just learned that I’m pregnant with his baby.”

It was Lee’s turn to let out a soft gasp before putting her arm around Kellie’s shoulders. Several minutes went by while Kellie tried to come to terms with what the princess had told her.

“D-do you know if he’s already signed the papers?”

“Not yet. Raoul talked him into waiting until after they’d made their supposed climb, when he had a clearer head.”

“Oh, Lee—” She fought to break down sobbing. “What am I going to do?”

There was a long silence. “What do you want to do?”

“I want my husband back, but I don’t want to use the news that we’re having a baby to be the reason he doesn’t go through with the divorce.”

“I wouldn’t want that, either.”

“What if he refuses to see me?”

“There has to be a way. But as I told you before, he’s not the same man.”

Kellie got up from the chair. “Then I’m going to have to fight for his love because I can’t lose him!”

Lee rose to her feet. “I’m glad to hear you say that because it is going to be a fight.” She opened her handbag and pulled out what looked like a newspaper clipping. “Read this, then you’ll understand part of your husband’s turmoil.”

With trembling fingers Kellie unfolded it to discover the front page of a major French-Swiss newspaper. The date September 30 stood out as if it had been stamped in red ink.

On the bottom half was a picture of Philippe’s car jammed against a van. There was a smaller picture of him in a business suit. Kellie’s shock turned to horror as she started to read the accompanying story.

Last night an accident sent well-known wealthy French auto-magnate Philippe Didier and an unidentified pregnant woman to Vaudois Hospital in Neuchâtel. Hospital authorities would not give out details, but it’s rumored that Kellie Didier, the new American bride of Monsieur Didier has fled the country. Speculation of an affair between M. Didie—

A moan escaped Kellie’s throat. She couldn’t read anymore and handed it back to Lee. “I—I had no idea—”

“Forgive me, Kellie, but Raoul made me promise I would show this to you if you decided to fly back with me. First, he wanted you to understand what Philippe has been forced to deal with on top of everything else.

“Secondly he says you need to be prepared for an invasion of the press. If you arrive with me, you can clear customs on board the jet. Raoul will have a limousine waiting to drive us to the château. He’ll make certain there aren’t any journalists around. That way you can slip back in the country without being bombarded with questions and camera flashes.”

She took a shaky breath. “How can I ever repay you and the prince for all this?”

Lee’s gaze searched hers. “If you and Philippe can works things out and be happy again, it’s the only payment we want. We’ve been looking forward to meeting the woman who brought Philippe to his knees.”

“I’m afraid it’s always been the other way around,” Kellie whispered in pain. “After what you’ve told me, getting on my knees isn’t going to be nearly enough.”

“Love will find a way.”

“I pray that’s true because I love him more than life itself!”

They regarded each other for a long moment before Lee said, “You have to admit it’s an amazing coincidence that our husbands married American women. To find out you and I are the same nationality has been so exciting for me.”

“Me, too. The truth is, Philippe and I could hardly wait for you to return from your honeymoon. We had this whole evening planned to welcome you back and really get acquainted.”

“So did we! You should hear Raoul talk about all the things the four of us are going to do together in the future.”

“If there is one,” Kellie’s voice broke.

Lee’s expression sobered. “When we found out you were divorcing him, you have no idea what a crushing blow it was to us. My husband has taken it very hard. He’ll do anything to facilitate a reunion.”

“Your presence here is testimony of that fact. Philippe’s blessed to have such friends. He told me about the time Raoul saved him on the mountain. Now you’re here to rescue him again.”

“It’s no more than Philippe did for Raoul.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it weren’t for your husband, Raoul and I would never have met. I’ll tell you about it on the plane.”

“I want to hear everything. Please excuse me while I talk to my family and pack. I’ll try not to take long.”

“Don’t worry. In the meantime, I’ll call my husband and let him know what’s happening.”

“Come in my grandfather’s den where there’s a phone and you can have your privacy.”

Thirteen hours later their private jet landed in Geneva where the official came on board to stamp their passports. When he left, Lee and Kellie went out to the black limousine bearing the D’Arillac royal crest. It sat parked a few feet beyond the stairs. The tinted glass prevented anyone from seeing inside.

One of the stewards stowed their bags in the trunk while Kellie followed Lee into the back of the limo. The door closed and they were off to Neuchàtel.

“Petite—” she heard the prince cry an endearment before pulling his wife into his arms.

Kellie took the seat opposite them and tried to look anywhere else while he kissed her. Talk about two people in love! They reminded her so much of the way it had once been between her and Philippe, she was wounded all over again.

“Raoul, darling?” she heard Lee finally say in a husky voice. “Meet Kellie Didier.”

“How do you do, your highness.”

His brilliant blue gaze flicked to Kellie. “Please—call me Raoul,” he said in English with hardly a trace of accent. With one arm still hugging his wife tightly, he clasped Kellie’s hand for a moment before letting go. “Thank God you came. Philippe is badly in need of his wife.”

Kellie struggled not to fall apart. “I need him even more. Thanks to you and the princess, I know what’s happened. You have no idea how grateful I am for all you’ve done to make this easier for me. As I told your wife, someday I’ll find a way to repay you.”

A grave expression spread over his attractive features. “The only thing of importance is that you’re here now. You do understand his fragile emotional state?” he asked with an underlying trace of demand.

She couldn’t blame him for being protective of his best friend. In fact she loved him for it.

“Darling,” Lee cautioned softly. “Kellie’s in a pretty fragile state herself.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t tell him?” Kellie asked her.

Lee shook her head. “I didn’t think it was my place.”

Raoul stared at Kellie. “Tell me what?”

“I found out I’m going to have a baby.”

He shook his handsome dark-blond head. “Unbelievable.”

Her news had shocked him. But not as much as it had shocked Kellie who still couldn’t comprehend the fact that she was going to be a mother.

“I should be congratulating you,” he added. “Instead all I can think of is that when Philippe hears the news, he’ll believe it’s the only reason you came to Switzerland.”

“I’m way ahead of you,” Kellie’s voice shook. “That’s why he mustn’t be told about it until—until—”

“How can we help?” he broke in.

“You’ve already done so much, I’m ashamed.”

“Kellie— I know in my gut you and Philippe would do the same thing for us if our positions were reversed.”

“Of course we would,” she avowed. “Philippe looks on you as a brother.”

“The feeling’s mutual so there’ll be no more talk on that score.” He sat back in the seat while he clung to his wife. “Do you have a plan of what you want to do first? It goes without saying that our home is at your disposal.”

“Thank you.” She smoothed the hair out of her eyes. “During the flight I thought of several ways to approach him, but in the end I was afraid they’d all fail. Then Lee told me about Philippe’s plan to help you when you found out your marriage date to Princess Sophie had been brought forward. That’s when an idea came to me.”

“What a black day that was,” he confessed.

“As I understand it, Philippe talked you into luring the princess to your chalet in Zermatt with the hope she’d call off your wedding when she found out the two of you had nothing in common.”

Raoul nodded before smiling at his wife. “Then you showed up in her place.” He kissed her again.

Kellie cleared her throat. “I—I was thinking we might try his strategy in reverse?”

The prince was quick on the uptake. He turned his head and looked at Kellie with a shrewd regard. “So Philippe shows up at the chalet before the climb and finds you in residence.”

“Yes. For one thing, it might be better for us to meet on neutral ground where we’re away from his work or any associations to do with us. The apartment has too many memories that could tear both of us apart.

“For another, I left my keys on the dresser before I left Neuchàtel. I’d have to ask the concierge to let me in the apartment. He’d probably warn Philippe firs—”

“There’s no probably about it. The penthouse has become a fortress,” Raoul was swift to respond. It gave Kellie a deeper glimpse into Philippe’s tortured psyche. She shivered at the uphill battle ahead of her.

“Beyond surprising my husband at your chalet, I don’t have any other ideas yet.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re as inspired as Philippe was,” Raoul murmured.

She bit her lip. “I’m not at all certain it will work, but since he was already planning a climb, he won’t be suspecting any subterfuge. If the only thing I accomplish is to prevent him from going up on the mountain in his condition, I’ll be thankful.”

“We all will, believe me,” Raoul said in an emotion-filled voice.

“There’s only one problem. Philippe’s going to realize you made this possible for me. I couldn’t bear it if he turned on you. You’re his dearest friend.”

Raoul eyed her with a glint of what looked like admiration. “Let me worry about that.”

“When is your banking conference over?”

“Today’s the final day. My suggestion is that you and Lee get some sleep while I’m in attendance. I should be through around four-thirty. We’ll fly to Zermatt in the helicopter and spend the night. I’ll give the staff a few days off.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll have Philippe flown in. After I bring him to the chalet, I’ll conveniently disappear and the rest of us will wait things out at Roger’s condo.”

Tomorrow Kellie would see Philippe.

Her heart thudded so hard with excitement and anxiety all rolled into one, she feared something was wrong with it.

Lee moved forward to touch her arm in concern. “Are you all right?”

She let out a shaky breath. “There’s a strong possibility he won’t let me into his life again. I’m petrified our marriage could really be over.”

When neither of them refuted that statement, her fear escalated.

Weary both physically and emotionally, she rested her head against the back of the seat. Her eyelids felt heavy. Before they closed, the last thing she saw was Raoul’s grave countenance.

Like a revelation it came to her he knew things about Philippe he hadn’t told his wife or Kellie. She didn’t know what exactly, but a frisson of terror attacked her body worse than before.

CHAPTER THREE

KELLIE walked Raoul and Lee to the back door of the chalet to see them off.

“I’ll be praying for you,” Lee whispered, giving Kellie a hug.

“Thank you. I’m going to need it.”

Raoul placed his hands on her shoulders. “You have my cell phone number. Call us at anytime.”

She nodded.

His eyes looked a darker blue beneath the overcast sky. “Do your magic as only you know how to do.”

Kellie let out a half sob. “I’m afraid I’ve destroyed that for him. But if loving him desperately counts for anything—”

“It counts.” He kissed her forehead before throwing an arm around his wife’s waist to walk her to the car. It was one of those little electric ones, the only kind allowed to get around Zermatt.

She watched until their car disappeared down the slope. Then she ran through the hallway to the front of the rustic chalet where the picture window gave out on the Swiss resort town famous for its skiing and mountaineering.

Raoul had told her that in good weather she’d be able to view the Matterhorn. Kellie had never been to Zermatt, and had always wanted to see the mountain. But this morning it was shrouded in gray mist.

Another reason why she wouldn’t allow Philippe to attempt a climb, she’d do anything to prevent him from leaving.

She propped herself on the couch near the window trying to imagine what she’d say to him when he arrived. When an hour had passed and there was no sign of the car yet, she began to worry that bad weather might have prevented the helicopter from landing.

However if that were true, Raoul would have phoned to let her know there’d been a delay.

Her gaze wandered to the end of the room where a circular staircase wound its way to the loft. Philippe had spent many nights up there before a climb, or a day of skiing.

She’d been put in the guest bedroom on the main floor. Though she knew it was impossible, there was still this tiny part of her that fantasized about a reconciliation. After a month’s deprivation, she was dying with love for him. Whenever she thought about them sleeping together, she could hardly breathe.

Too nervous to sit still, she walked to the bathroom down the hall and ran the brush through her hair one more time. She’d put on tan wool pants and a cream-colored cable-knit sweater he hadn’t seen her in before. They were colors he particularly liked on her.

But as she looked at herself in the mirror, she remembered what Lee had said.

Philippe has changed. He wants the divorce now.

A sharp pain pierced her heart to realize he wouldn’t care what she was wearing because he wasn’t going to look at her the same way again.

Almost immobilized by the fears plaguing her, she hurried from the bathroom to the kitchen at the rear of the chalet. From the window over the sink she’d be able to see Philippe arrive.

Earlier she’d prepared fruit and ham and cheese croissants for him. The coffee was hot. She knew he’d lost weight during the last month, but was determined to get him to eat.

She wanted to do everything for him.

She wanted to be all things to him.

She wanted to be his wife again.

It had been so long…

Just when she decided something had gone wrong and Philippe wouldn’t be coming, she heard the sound of a car.

With her heart pounding out of control, she moved to the side of the sink where she could still see out the window without being observed in return.

Pretty soon she saw it pull around the slope and stop about thirty feet from the back door. The plan was for Raoul to let Philippe out and tell him to go inside the unlocked door while Raoul did a quick errand he’d remembered at the last minute.

So far it seemed to be working. Raoul kept the car running, but by this time her eyes were riveted on the man climbing out of the passenger seat.

If she hadn’t known it was Philippe, she wouldn’t have recognized him. His black hair was overly long. In the last month he’d grown a moustache and beard.

He’d always been heartbreakingly handsome to her. He still was, but in an entirely different way. The change in him fascinated and terrified her all at the same time. She felt distanced from him by his outward appearance; it was symbolic of the trauma he’d experienced in the last month.

Six feet two inches of powerful muscle beneath his climbing clothes, the noticeable weight loss gave him a lean, hungry look. Kellie was so mesmerized by the transformation, she hardly noticed the cane he used to help keep the weight off his left leg.

His limp appeared almost nonexistent. Once again she found herself thanking providence that he hadn’t sustained worse injuries in the accident.

Raoul waved to him, then took off. Philippe gave a slight nod before walking the rest of the way to the chalet.

As she heard the back door open and close, perspiration broke out on her brow. Her body went hot, then cold.

She detected the slight tap of his cane as he walked down the hall past the kitchen. Then suddenly, everything went quiet.

He’d seen her.

On unsteady legs, Kellie crossed the distance to the doorway, coming face to face with a man who bore a superficial resemblance to the husband she adored. But this close to him, those dark slits glittering with accusation couldn’t be his eyes.

Beneath his facial hair, the features she loved so well looked chiseled in stone. Combined with his forbidding stance, she sought the doorjamb for support.

“You should have come to the apartment instead of using Raoul to get to me,” he said in a wintry voice she didn’t recognize. “I would have signed those divorce papers before showing you the door.”

Dear God.

“As it is, you’ll have to go back where you came from and wait five more days for your long-sought freedom.”

“Philippe—”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you would stoop so low as to presume on my relationship with the prince in order to achieve your own ends. To think there was a time when I thought I knew you…”

His hostility went beyond anything she could have imagined. How in heaven would she be able to break through the formidable barrier he’d erected against her?

“Please, sweetheart—we have to talk.”

“Don’t.” His quiet rage was more terrifying than if he’d shoved her body against the wall. “I’ll give you ten minutes to leave the chalet. That’s nine minutes and thirty seconds more than you gave me in the E.R.”

Every word cut her like a knife before he jerked away from her. What happened next was like something out of a ghastly nightmare.

Tossing his cane aside, he started up the back staircase two steps at a time, the way he would have done before the accident.

“No!” she screamed, chasing after him, but he was too fast for her. As he reached the top, she saw him trip. He fell against the floor groaning in agony.

“Darling!” She flew the rest of the distance and knelt at his side where he was half-sitting half-lying there holding his bad leg. As much as she wanted to touch him, comfort him, she didn’t dare. “Don’t move. I’ll call for help.”

Already she could see perspiration beading his hair-line. Pain had drawn the color from his complexion.

He flashed her a withering glance. “I told you to get out!”

No way.

“This isn’t your house, Philippe. I have as much right to be here as you do. Right now you need medical help.”

Without waiting to take anymore of his cruel rejection, she hurried back down the stairs to her room. Raoul had left his cell phone number on the end table next to the guest phone.

She grabbed the receiver and punched the digits. To her relief he responded on the second ring.

“Raoul— I’m so glad you answered!”

“Kellie? I haven’t even reached Roger’s yet. What’s wrong? You sound out of breath.” There was alarm in his voice.

“Philippe has hurt his leg.” In the next few seconds she related what had happened.

“Your magic worked even faster than I thought it would. There’ll be no climbing for him in the foreseeable future, thank God. I’ll bring the doctor.”

“All right. Please hurry. He’s in pain.”

“That’s good. It means he’s feeling again,” Raoul murmured before clicking off.

Pondering that comment, Kellie hurried into the kitchen to fashion a makeshift ice bag.

As she rummaged around in the drawers for some plastic bags, it dawned on her once again how fortunate they were to be Raoul’s guests. In fact she agreed with their host that this latest accident was a blessing in disguise.

But when a stream of bitter French invective penetrated to the hall, it didn’t prevent her from shivering all the way to the loft to rejoin her husband.

By the time she reached him, he’d dragged himself to the nearest bed and had collapsed on top of it. If she hadn’t had the advantage for the moment, his withering regard would have paralyzed her.

She walked past him to pull a pillow from each of the other three beds. “Here. Let’s get these under your knee.”

The fact that he let her arrange the pillows to elevate his trousered leg indicated his degree of agony. She followed that action with the ice bag which she placed over his knee.

Without asking his permission, she unlaced his boot and carefully pulled it off. She repeated the process with his other boot. To be able to take care of him again in any capacity filled her with inexpressible joy.

It was an automatic gesture to put the back of her hand to his forehead. “You’re hot, darling. Let me help you off with this sweater.”

Because he hadn’t tried to interfere with her ministrations, she didn’t think he would fight her for taking this liberty, too.

That’s where she was wrong.

As she started to ease it from his hips, his right hand seized her wrist in a viselike grip, hurting her. She’d forgotten he had muscles of whipcord strength.

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