“I don’t regret meeting you, Rebecca. If there is anything I regret then it’s that we didn’t meet before.”

Before Antonio.

The words hung between them, unspoken yet clear all the same. Becky felt her heart pound when she looked into his eyes and saw the expression they held. There was regret in them, but it was mingled with another emotion that made her body burn with a sudden intense heat. To know that Felipe still wanted her that morning, as he had wanted her the night before, made her feel as though the bottom had just dropped out of her world.

It was a relief when he abruptly left the room, because she had no idea what she might have said. Her head seemed to be whirling. Felipe had admitted that his opinion of her had undergone a complete reversal, but so, too, had her opinion of him. The idea terrified her.

If he was no longer her enemy, then how much more difficult was it going to be to keep her secret from him?

Dear Reader,

Love is the most complex of all human emotions because it takes so many different forms. In His Brother’s Son I had the opportunity to explore some of its many facets.

Felipe Valdez had loved his younger brother, Antonio, very much so it is understandable that he should harbor bitter feelings toward Rebecca Williams, the woman whom he believes hastened Antonio’s death. The trouble is that Rebecca isn’t anything like what he had imagined her to be. She is warm and caring and obviously adores little Josh, his brother’s son. No wonder Felipe is confused about his feelings for her.

Rebecca had loved Antonio as a dear friend and has never regretted her promise to take care of his son. She adores Josh and will do anything in the world to make sure that the child is safe and happy, even if it means denying her growing attraction to Felipe Valdez.

With such massive obstacles in their way, it seems that Felipe and Rebecca will never be able to admit how they really feel about each other, but true love between a man and a woman is the most powerful force of all.

I hope you enjoy reading how Felipe and Rebecca find lasting happiness as much as I enjoyed telling their story.

Best wishes,

Jennifer

His Brother’s Son

Jennifer Taylor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

Cover

Dear Reader

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

IT STILL wasn’t too late to change her mind. All she had to do was ask the taxi-driver to take her back to the airport. She might be able to catch an earlier flight back to London and…

And what? The situation hadn’t changed. She was in exactly the same position as she had been in that morning when she’d set out to Mallorca. No matter how much the idea terrified her she had to accept that she needed Felipe Valdez’s help.

‘Senñorita?’

Rebecca Williams started when the taxi-driver turned to her. She looked up in surprise, feeling her stomach churn with nerves when she realised they had stopped. Her grey eyes widened as she looked out of the window and got her first glimpse of the Clinica Valdez.

It was so much bigger than she’d expected. Maybe it was the word ‘clinic’ that had misled her because she’d never imagined it would be so imposing. As her gaze swept over the elegant, whitewashed building set in the midst of several acres of manicured lawns she could feel her heart racing.

Antonio had told her that his brother had founded the clinic two years previously, but she hadn’t realised before exactly what an achievement that had been. Just raising the finance for such a venture must have needed a great deal of determination, plus a ruthless will to succeed. Added to what she already knew about Felipe Valdez, it wasn’t encouraging.

Was he really the kind of man who would be prepared to help her financially without expecting something in return?

Becky bit her lip as a wave of panic threatened to engulf her. She could be making a big mistake…a huge mistake…if she went in there and asked to see Valdez when she had no idea how he would react to what she had to tell him. Announcing that his brother had had a son would be bound to come as a shock to him. Then there were the circumstances surrounding Josh’s birth.

Whilst Felipe Valdez might accept that his brother had been right to protect his unborn child, would he approve of her role in the baby’s life? What if he decided to use his money and influence to take Josh away from her?

It might not be enough that she was Josh’s legal guardian. The courts would need to take account of all sorts of issues if there was a battle for custody. She barely earned enough to meet their bills, and the fact that she had needed to return to full-time work at St Leonard’s Hospital might also go against her. What chance would she really have of keeping the little boy when she wasn’t his natural mother…?

‘Senñorita! Por favor!’

Becky jumped when the taxi driver spoke sharply to her. It was obvious that he was impatient for her to get out so that he could find another fare. She quickly pulled some money out of her bag and paid him, thinking that she may as well get out now that she was here.

She just needed a little more time to think everything through properly. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake. She had to be sure that she was making the right decision—for Josh’s sake.

Felipe Valdez sighed as he got up from his desk. He’d spent the best part of the morning dealing with paperwork. It was an aspect of his job which he particularly loathed but there was no way to avoid it.

As director of the Clinica Valdez, his say-so was needed before any decisions could be taken. Oh, he had some excellent people working for him, but he preferred to keep his finger very firmly on the pulse. He knew that his staff considered him to be something of a control freak, but they didn’t understand. The Clinica Valdez was not only his greatest achievement—it was the main focus of his life. He had worked too hard and made too many sacrifices to take a chance on anything going wrong.

A frown drew his thick, black brows together because that thought had caused him more than a little pain. He tried not to think about the mistakes he had made in his life, but sometimes it wasn’t easy to block them out. Now, as he looked out of the window at the sunlit grounds of the private hospital, he felt a familiar ache settle in his heart as he thought about his brother Antonio.

If he hadn’t been so busy opening the clinic, he might have realised that something was wrong with Antonio. Maybe he would have been able to make his brother understand that he had to continue to receive proper medical care. Antonio should never have been allowed to leave hospital when he’d been so ill. With the right kind of treatment he could have lived for another six months at least.

Not that he blamed Antonio, of course. He had been too ill to realise what he’d been doing, too ill and too much under the influence of that woman. No, if anyone was to blame for Antonio’s premature death, it was Rebecca Williams!

Felipe’s mouth thinned. With his austerely handsome features he looked even more forbidding as he stared out of the window. He tried not to think about Rebecca Williams very often because it was pointless getting upset. However, sometimes he found himself wishing that he’d gone to see her in London after Antonio’s funeral and told her exactly what he thought about her.

Only close family and friends had attended the service in Mallorca. Rebecca Williams certainly hadn’t been invited so they’d never met. He had seen a photograph of her, however, and even though he’d torn it up he could still recall every detail, from the long blonde hair falling softly around her oval face to those huge grey eyes. She had looked like every man’s vision of a ministering angel, but he knew how misleading appearances could be. Was it any wonder that poor Antonio had been deceived?

A woman suddenly walked along the path beneath his window and Felipe blinked. Just for a moment he felt his mind spin as he stared at her. Her blonde hair was caught up into a knot on the top of her head and her face was in profile, but there was something strangely familiar about her…

His heart began to pound as he turned and strode to the door. He wrenched it open, startling his secretary who had been about to knock. Felipe shook his head when she opened her mouth to speak.

‘Later!’ he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

He hurried into the corridor, taking the stairs two at a time as he raced down to the ground floor. There was a queue of people in Reception but he didn’t pause as he made his way to the entrance. His heart was pounding, the blood drumming painfully in his ears, the need to check if he’d been right urging him on. If it had been Rebecca Williams walking past his window just now then, by God, he didn’t intend to let her escape!

She was sitting on a bench outside the main doors. Felipe ground to a halt, feeling his breath coming in laboured spurts. There was something almost tragic about the way she sat there so still, so alone. When a wisp of pale blonde hair blew across her face, he was shocked when he saw how her hand trembled as she tucked it behind her ear.

He was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of compassion that stunned him because it was the last thing he’d expected to feel if they ever met. She looked so sad, so lonely, so deeply unhappy that his heart was immediately touched before he forced himself to remember who and what she was.

This was the woman who had hastened Antonio’s death because of her own greed for his money. Did he really have any sympathy to spare for someone like her?

He must have made some small sound of disgust because she suddenly glanced round and he saw the colour drain from her face. She rose to her feet and he could see the tremor that passed through her slender body and was pleased. He had no idea why she had come to see him but it didn’t really matter. It was enough that he would have the chance to tell her what he thought of her at last.

‘You’re Antonio’s brother, aren’t you?’

Her voice was low and surprisingly sweet. He frowned because it surprised him that he should have noticed a thing like that.

‘I am Felipe Valdez,’ he said harshly, and saw her flinch. He took a few quick steps and stopped in front of her, surprised once again when he realised how tiny she was. For some reason he’d imagined that she would be much taller and far less fragile-looking, so it threw him off balance for a moment to realise that the image he’d formed of her hadn’t been wholly accurate.

‘You probably don’t know who I am,’ she began in that low, sweet voice, but he curtly interrupted her, irritated that his mind should start running off at tangents at a time like this.

‘You’re Rebecca Williams. My brother’s girlfriend, for want of a better description.’ He smiled thinly when he saw her surprise. ‘Antonio sent me a photograph of you. He said that he wanted me to see the most important person in his life.’

‘I didn’t know…He never told me…’ Her grey eyes filled with tears and she turned away while she hunted a tissue out of her bag.

Felipe’s hands clenched because the urge to touch her then was so very strong. It shocked him to the depths of his being that he should feel such a need to comfort her, shocked and angered him because wasn’t it an indication of her power? If he could be manipulated like this, how much easier must it have been for her to persuade Antonio to do what she’d wanted?

The thought was just what he needed. Placing his hand under her elbow, he briskly steered her away from the main entrance, ignoring her murmured protest as he led her along the path until they reached a sheltered spot well away from any prying eyes. He had no idea what she wanted but he preferred to keep their dealings private if possible.

He had never spoken of his feelings about this woman to anyone, and certainly hadn’t shared the contempt he felt for her with any of his colleagues. He preferred to keep his own counsel when something affected him deeply. Only once in his life had he ever opened his heart to anyone, and look how badly that had turned out.

He was surprised when that thought crossed his mind because it had been years since he’d thought about his engagement to Teresa and how it had ended. He had no time to dwell on it, however, as Rebecca Williams wrenched her arm out of his grasp. There was a touch of colour in her face and a glint in her grey eyes that told him she was angry about the way he’d behaved towards her, but she had forfeited her right to be treated with courtesy after what she had done to Antonio.

‘I don’t know what you think you’re doing—’ she began hotly, but he brusquely interrupted her once more.

‘What precisely do you want, Miss Williams?’ He smiled sardonically when she fell silent and stared warily at him. ‘You must have had a reason for coming here, so why don’t you tell me what it is? What is that wonderful phrase you use in England? Ah, yes, beating about the bush. I can see no point in us beating about the bush. Sí?’

‘Who said that I wanted anything?’ She walked a little way across the grass then turned to face him. ‘I might have come here purely and simply because I wanted to meet you.’

‘You might, but I don’t think so.’ Felipe folded his arms and studied her closely, knowing that all the contempt he felt must be clear to see in his sherry-brown eyes.

She was beautiful, all right, with that silky, pale hair, those delicate features, that air of innocence, but he wasn’t fool enough to be taken in. Rebecca Williams was a cold-hearted, mercenary gold-digger, and it broke his heart to know that his brother had fallen into her clutches when he’d been at his most vulnerable.

Anger burned hotly inside him but he’d learned a long time ago how to use it to its best effect. He continued to study her, watching the play of emotions that crossed her face before her head suddenly bowed. When she spoke this time her voice echoed with a pain that sounded almost real—if he’d been foolish enough to believe that a woman like her was capable of any genuine emotions.

‘You hate me, don’t you? I can hear it in your voice, see it in your eyes.’

She suddenly looked up and Felipe felt his stomach clench when he saw the bewilderment in her beautiful grey eyes. ‘Why? I don’t understand why you should feel like that. I’ve never done anything to hurt you. We hadn’t even met until today. So why do you…you loathe me like this?’

‘Why do you think, Miss Williams? The answer isn’t all that difficult, surely?’

He closed his mind to the swift stab of guilt that had speared through him. Rebecca Williams was a consummate actress. She must be if she’d managed to fool Antonio for all that time. How long had it been that she and his brother had lived together?

He was rather hazy about the details because it had been a while before Antonio had written to tell him the address where he was staying in England, and even then all he’d said in the letter had been that he’d met someone and that they were living together in London. Felipe hadn’t heard from him again for many months, not until after Antonio had signed himself out of hospital after refusing further treatment. By the time that letter had reached him, his brother had been dead.

‘Because of Antonio, you mean? But why? I don’t understand. I never did anything to harm your brother. All I ever wanted was to help him!’

He pushed the memory to the back of his mind because he couldn’t deal with it right then. Rebecca Williams was staring at him, and if he’d been gullible enough he might have believed that she really was as shocked as she was making herself out to be.

‘Really? How touching.’ He treated her to a contemptuous smile and saw her flinch. ‘So you had Antonio’s welfare at heart, did you?’

‘Of course! I don’t know why you need to ask me that. Everything I did was aimed purely and simply at making his life more…more bearable.’

Her voice broke and she looked away. Felipe’s hands clenched because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake her or hug her at that moment. She’d sounded so sincere and yet how could he believe a word she said when he had indisputable evidence to the contrary?

It shocked him that he should feel this strange mixture of emotions when the situation was so clear cut. He knew what she’d done so maybe it was time he let her know that rather than allow the situation to turn into a complete farce.

‘And the fact that you managed to greatly improve the quality of your own life was your reward for making my brother’s last few weeks on this earth bearable? Is that what you are saying, Miss Williams?’

‘I don’t know what you mean…’ she began, then suddenly stopped. He saw her take a deep breath that made her small breasts rise and fall beneath the soft cotton of her blue dress, but her voice sounded strangely thin when she continued, as though the accusation had sucked all the strength out of her. Maybe it was difficult to be forced to admit the truth, even for a woman like her.

‘You’re talking about Antonio’s will, aren’t you? And the fact that he left me all that money?’

Becky could feel the tremor that was working its way through her body but she made herself stand rigidly still. Felipe Valdez was watching her and the contempt in his eyes should have hurt or angered her, but in a funny sort of way she suddenly felt detached from what was happening. It was as though she had stepped outside herself and was watching the scene that was being played out in the sunlit grounds of the hospital.

There she stood in her best dress—the one she had chosen especially because she’d hoped it would make the right impression—and there was Felipe standing so tall and straight, his mouth curled into that arrogant smile which a moment ago had seemed to chill her soul.

She found herself wondering what would happen if she blinked—if she would open her eyes and find herself back in the flat in London, waking to the sound of Josh’s noisy shouts as he clamoured for her to lift him out of his cot…

She closed her eyes then opened them again, but the scene was just the same. The only difference was that Felipe was now speaking. It was an effort to make sense of what he was saying.

‘I see we have made a breakthrough at last. This reluctance to talk about money is so very English. But why pretend that it means nothing when we both know that it is the driving force behind so much that people do?’

He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly beneath the fine wool of his dark grey suit. It was obviously expensive, Becky thought inconsequentially, because it fitted him to perfection, the jacket tailored to accommodate the width of his shoulders and chest, the trimness of his waist.

Her gaze swept lower, taking stock of the long trouser-clad legs, the polished black shoes on his feet. They were handmade, from the look of them, and cut from the softest leather—luxurious, costly. Felipe Valdez obviously saw no reason not to indulge himself and yet he’d seen fit to query what Antonio had done with his inheritance, to question whether his brother had had the right to spend it as he’d wished. Was that what all this antagonism was about—money?

Her eyes rose to his face and she made no attempt to hide her scorn. ‘Your brother knew exactly what he wanted to do with his inheritance, Dr Valdez. It was his decision.’

‘And you’re prepared to swear that you didn’t try to influence him in any way? That you didn’t take advantage of the fact that he was sick? That you never, ever, thought to yourself how wonderful it would be to have all that money at your disposal?’

He laughed when she gasped, deliberately closing his mind to how shocked she looked because he didn’t want to have to consider whether or not he was hurting her. ‘Or that it would be so much better if Antonio died sooner rather than later so that you wouldn’t have to wait quite so long to get your hands on it?’

‘No! I can’t believe you’re saying such things. I never wanted Antonio’s money! I never tried to influence him to name me in his will. It was his decision, and his alone!’

Becky could feel the bile rushing into her throat and turned away when she realised that she was going to be sick. Stumbling to the flower-bed, she bent over and retched, but she’d had nothing to eat since the previous night so her stomach was mercifully empty.

‘Here.’

A tanned hand suddenly appeared, offering her a clean white handkerchief, but she shook her head. She wanted nothing from this man, nothing at all. What a fool she’d been to consider asking him for help. Hadn’t Antonio told her that everything had to be on Felipe’s terms, that he always had to be in control? Was she really prepared to run the risk of him taking charge of Josh, taking Josh away from her?

The thought steadied her and she stood up straight. Felipe Valdez was watching her and she saw the oddest expression cross his face before the mask of indifference slid back into place.

‘Are you feeling better?’

‘I’m fine.’ She turned and walked towards the path, but he stepped in front of her, putting out a detaining hand when she tried to step around him.

Becky shivered when she felt his cool fingers fastening around her wrist, but she refused to let him think she was afraid by snatching her hand away. She looked up at him with steady eyes and was surprised when she saw a thin line of colour run along his angular cheekbones.

‘It would be better if you came into the clinic and rested for a while,’ he said shortly.

‘I’m fine,’ she repeated. She tilted her head so that she could look him straight in the eyes. ‘Thank you for the offer, but I have a plane to catch. I shall go straight to the airport. I apologise for disrupting your morning, Dr Valdez.’

She gently withdrew her arm and this time he made no attempt to stop her. Becky walked back along the path and she could feel him watching her every step of the way. She paused when she reached the corner, but the desire to look back was too strong to resist.

He was standing exactly where she’d left him and she felt her heart curl up when she saw the expression on his face. Even from that distance she could see the contempt in his eyes, the disdain.

Her eyes filled with tears but she refused to let him see that he’d upset her. She raised her hand in a mocking salute then carried on, waiting until she was out of sight before finding a tissue and wiping her eyes.

As luck would have it there was a taxi dropping off a fare outside the clinic. Becky flagged it down and asked the driver to take her to the airport. She caught a glimpse of Felipe Valdez as the taxi headed back down the drive, and quickly averted her eyes when he glanced her way.

This would be the first and the last time they ever met because she certainly wouldn’t come here again after what had happened today. She was only grateful that she hadn’t made the mistake of telling him why she’d come.

Becky sighed as she thought back to that dreadful day when Antonio had told her that his former girlfriend, Tara Lewis, was pregnant with his child and that she intended to get rid of it. It had been a shock for her as well as for him.

Antonio’s affair with Tara had been over for some time by then, and he had made no secret of the fact that he regretted having got involved with her. Becky had been a little concerned that he might have been rushing into their own relationship too soon, and had insisted on them taking things slowly at first.

Antonio had had no such reservations, however. He had told Becky that he loved her and that he hoped one day that she might grow to love him in return. Becky had appreciated the fact that he hadn’t tried to rush her. She had sensed that she’d been falling in love with him and that all it had needed was a little more time for her own feelings to become clear. Then, just six weeks after they’d started going out together, Antonio had discovered that he had cancer and everything had changed. Time had been the one thing they’d no longer had.

Becky had known from the outset that she wanted to be there for him and had never once wavered in her decision. Antonio had been the sweetest, gentlest man she’d ever known and she’d loved him dearly. When Tara had dropped her bombshell it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Antonio had just been told that the treatment he’d needed so desperately would make him sterile, and there Tara had been, telling him that she wanted to abort his child.

He had been close to despair as he’d poured out the whole story to Becky, and that had been when she’d come up with the plan to pay Tara to have the baby. Antonio had inherited a large sum of money on his birthday, so she’d suggested that he use some of that. And then she’d told him that, no matter what happened, she would always take care of the child. It had been that which had convinced him to go ahead.

He and Tara had struck a deal. He would pay her fifty thousand pounds immediately with another fifty thousand when the baby was born, plus an allowance of five thousand pounds each month she was pregnant. If Tara had only stuck to their bargain there wouldn’t have been a problem, but there had been constant demands for more money. Becky had hoped that once Tara had received her final payment, that would have been the end of it. But two weeks earlier Tara had turned up at her flat and demanded a further twenty thousand pounds.

Becky simply didn’t have that kind of money and had told her so, but Tara had refused to believe her. She’d issued Becky with an ultimatum—either find the money or she would take her to court and claim that she’d been coerced into signing over custody of the baby.

Horrified by the thought of what might happen, Becky had tried to make her see sense. However, Tara had just laughed and told Becky that the courts would probably take Josh into care and then neither one of them would end up with custody of him. As Tara had pointed out, she didn’t care what happened to him. She never had. She’d only agreed to give birth to him because Antonio had paid her not to have an abortion.

Becky took a deep breath. She had promised Antonio she would take care of Josh and she wouldn’t let him down. Somehow, some way she would find the money she needed without asking Felipe Valdez for help.

‘Everything looks fine, Miss Prentice. There will be some tenderness for a few days, but once the drainage tube has been removed I am confident that you won’t have any further problems.’

Felipe stepped back as a nurse drew the sheet over the young woman. Lisa Prentice had been rushed into the Clinica Valdez with a seriously inflamed appendix. Felipe’s colleague, Silvia Ramirez, had performed the operation, and now he turned to her.

‘An excellent job, Dr Ramirez, performed under very difficult circumstances. I believe the appendix was ready to burst.’

‘That’s correct, sir,’ Silvia replied, smiling with pleasure at the compliment. She was an attractive brunette in her thirties, engaged to be married to another doctor on the surgical team which Felipe headed. He appreciated the fact that neither of them had allowed their relationship to intrude into their work, although he would have had no hesitation in doing something about it if it had. The welfare of the patients they treated at the Clinica Valdez came first and foremost, and always would.

‘Another half-hour and the outcome might not have been quite so fortunate. Sí?’ He turned to the young woman in the bed once again and frowned.

‘Did you have no indication that there might be something wrong before you set out on your holiday, Miss Prentice? I find it strange that you experienced no discomfort.’

Lisa flushed when she heard the scepticism in his voice. She was a pretty girl in her teens and had come on holiday to Mallorca with a group of her friends. Felipe couldn’t fail to see how uncomfortable she looked about having to answer the question.

‘I did have a few twinges the night before we were due to fly over here,’ she muttered. ‘I just hoped it was indigestion or something.’

‘I see.’ His black brows swooped upwards as he regarded her with cool, brown eyes. ‘It never occurred to you that it might be something more serious and that perhaps you should visit your doctor before you set off on your holiday?’

‘Not really. I mean, if Mum had found out that I wasn’t feeling too good she might have stopped me going…’ She tailed off uncertainly.

Felipe bit back a sigh. The young woman had preferred to run the risk of being seriously ill rather than cancel her holiday. It would take more than the promise of two weeks in the sun to get him on a plane if he were feeling under the weather.

That thought reminded him of what had happened earlier in the day, and he frowned. Had Rebecca Williams been feeling ill before she’d come to see him or had it been what he’d said that had had such disastrous consequences? Even the most consummate actress couldn’t have faked that bout of sickness, and it troubled him to know that he might have been responsible for it, troubled him more than it should, too. Why should he care about the wretched woman after the way she had used his brother?

His brows drew even further together and he saw Silvia glance rather nervously at him. She was obviously wondering if she’d done something to cause his displeasure so he quickly smoothed his features into their customary bland mask.

‘May I suggest that the next time you go on holiday you are a little more sensible, Miss Prentice? As it is you will not get to enjoy very much of your stay on the island, I’m afraid. We shall keep you here for the next two to three days then I shall recommend to your insurance company that you should be flown home immediately.’

‘Oh! I didn’t realise I would have to go home.’ Tears filled the girl’s eyes. ‘I thought I would be able to join my friends. We’ve been saving up for this holiday for months, you see, and now I won’t have a chance to enjoy any of it.’

Felipe sighed, although he couldn’t help wondering why the sight of the girl’s tears should have moved him. He wasn’t uncaring about the people he treated, but he’d learned a long time ago to distance himself. It puzzled him that he didn’t seem able to do so right then…

Unless it was that meeting with Rebecca Williams which had allowed his emotions to surface?

It was a deeply disquieting thought and he ruthlessly drove it out of his mind. ‘I feel that it would be far more sensible if you returned home as soon as you are discharged from the clinic, Miss Prentice. However…’ He held up his hand when Lisa started to say something and was unsurprised when she fell silent. Few people stood up to him, he’d found, although whether that was a good thing was open to question. Maybe he would be a better person if occasionally he had to bow to another person’s will? He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had contradicted him—apart from Rebecca Williams, of course.

It was an effort to hide his dismay as that thought slid into his mind, but hiding his feelings was something he was particularly good at. ‘However, I am prepared to review your case in a few days’ time.’

He shrugged when he heard the young woman’s gasp of delight, clamping down on the urge to smile at her because it wouldn’t be right to let her think that his agreement was a foregone conclusion. ‘If you continue making such excellent progress it might be possible to allow you to carry on with your holiday—with certain provisos, of course.’

‘Oh, thank you, Dr Valdez, and you, too, Dr Ramirez. That’s just brilliant news!’

Lisa was beaming when they moved away from her bed. Felipe sensed that Silvia was looking at him and glanced at her. ‘You disagree with my decision, Dr Ramirez? Please, feel free to say so if you do.’

‘Not at all,’ she said quickly. He saw a little colour touch her cheeks and sighed when it struck him what was wrong. Silvia was surprised because he’d changed his mind. Frankly, it was unheard of for him to go back on a decision once he had made it.

It made him wonder what was wrong with him that day and why he seemed to be acting so out of character. He had changed his mind about sending Lisa home once she was discharged and now he found himself wishing that he’d discovered what Rebecca Williams had wanted. It had seemed enough at the time that he’d been able to tell her what he thought of her, but all of a sudden he was beset by curiosity.

Why had she come to see him? He’d heard her telling the taxi-driver to take her to the airport so had it been a sudden whim that had made her spend her last few hours on the island visiting him, or had there been another reason behind it?

The question nagged at him for the rest of the day so that by the time he left the hospital he was tired of thinking about it. He made his way from the main building and followed the path through the trees until he came to a pink-washed villa. It was almost seven and the sun was sinking low in the sky, casting a burnished haze across the bay.

Felipe paused as he always did to admire the view, but that evening it didn’t soothe him. He felt too on edge and keyed up, a feeling of tension making his nerves hum. It had been years since he’d felt that way. The last time had been when he’d found out that his fiancée had been cheating on him.

He’d solved that problem by ending the engagement and hadn’t made the mistake of getting involved with anyone ever since. Any relationships he’d had in the intervening years had meant little to him apart from physically. If only he could apply the same objectivity to what had happened that day, but wondering what Rebecca Williams had wanted was eating away at him.

He let himself into the villa, bypassing the dining-room where his housekeeper had left his supper in the heated serving trolley. Usually he enjoyed her cooking but that night the smell of meat and vegetables made him feel sick, although not as sick as Rebecca had been that morning.

‘Madre de Dios!’ He slammed his hand against the study door, feeling pain shoot through his palm when it connected with the ornately carved wood. It stunned him to feel it and know that he was capable of such anger when he had always—always—been able to control his emotions before.

But this was different. This all had to do with Antonio, and there were too many emotions churning inside him. He felt guilt and anger, grief and pain, all laced with a deep contempt for the way that woman had used his brother when he had been so vulnerable.

Antonio hadn’t deserved to be treated like that!

Tears stung Felipe’s eyes but he blinked them away. In his heart he knew that he might be making a mistake, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to sort this out once and for all, bring everything to its rightful conclusion. Rebecca Williams must be made to pay.

He went to his desk and picked up the phone, his hand was rock steady when he dialled the number. It was the usual push-button service but he obeyed each command without experiencing his usual irritation until, finally, he was connected to an operator.

‘I wish to book a seat on the next flight to London. My name? Valdez, Dr Felipe Valdez.’

CHAPTER TWO

‘YOU’VE not got much of a suntan, I must say. Don’t tell me it was raining in Mallorca?’

Becky glanced round as her friend, Karen Hardy, came into the staffroom where she’d been making a cup of coffee. It had been a hectic morning on the paediatric intensive care unit of St Leonard’s Hospital, where she worked, and it was the first opportunity she’d had to take a break. She automatically reached for the jar of coffee and made Karen a drink as well.

‘It wasn’t raining, but I didn’t get much chance to enjoy the sun,’ she explained, handing her friend the mug.

She picked up her own cup, hoping that the hot coffee would help to warm away the chill which seemed to have invaded her since the previous day. She’d felt cold ever since she had got back from Mallorca despite the fact that the weather in London was surprisingly warm for the time of year. But maybe the chill she felt owed itself less to the outside temperature than to the frosty reception she had received at the Clinica Valdez.

Her grey eyes clouded as she recalled what Felipe Valdez had said to her. She had spent the night going over and over every cruel word, but nothing seemed to take the sting out of them. He honestly believed that she had used Antonio for her own ends. The thought still made her feel ill.

‘Hey, are you OK? You look as though you’d just swallowed something nasty.’ Karen sniffed her coffee suspiciously. ‘The milk isn’t off again, is it?’

‘No, it’s fine. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to poison you,’ Becky quickly assured her. ‘Here have one of these.’

She offered Karen the packet of chocolate biscuits which one of the doctors on the unit had given her in the hope that it would distract her from asking anything else. Karen was a good friend but Becky had deemed it wiser not to tell anyone too much since she’d taken the job at St Leonard’s. People would have been bound to gossip if the truth had got out, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

She’d told everyone the story that she and Antonio had decided upon—that she was a single mother, bringing up her nine-month-old son on her own. Whenever anyone asked about Josh’s father, she answered quite truthfully that he had died not long after the baby had been born.

Everyone had accepted it without question, and although she occasionally felt guilty about having to deceive them she felt she didn’t have a choice. She wouldn’t take any risks where Josh was concerned.

‘Thanks.’ Karen took a biscuit and carried on talking through a mouthful of crumbs. ‘So why didn’t you get much chance to enjoy the sun while you were in Mallorca?’

‘Oh, it was just a flying visit. I was there and back within a day.’

‘Really?’ Karen made no attempt to hide her surprise. Her blue eyes gleamed with curiosity as she stared at Becky. ‘You must have had a very good reason for not stopping. I mean, it’s a long way to go just for a few hours, isn’t it?’

Becky sighed as she realised her mistake. She shouldn’t have said that because her friend wouldn’t have been any the wiser if she’d let her believe that she had stayed in Mallorca. She’d had five days’ leave owing to her and had planned the trip to coincide with them. Not for the first time she rued the fact that being deceitful didn’t come naturally to her. Even when speaking to Felipe Valdez she had needed to watch every word she’d said.

‘I had something to sort out,’ she replied quickly, not wanting to dwell on the previous day’s events. Recalling the contempt on Felipe’s face still had the power to upset her, even though she didn’t understand why his opinion should carry any weight. So long as Josh was safe, nothing else mattered. And once she found the money she needed to pay Tara, her biggest problem would have been solved.

‘Something to do with Josh, do you mean?’ Karen guessed astutely. ‘You mentioned something about his father coming from Mallorca—did you go there to see his family?’

‘That’s right.’ Becky shrugged. ‘As I said, it was just a flying visit—that’s why I didn’t stay very long. Anyway, I wanted to get home to Josh.’

‘You didn’t take him with you?’

She groaned when she heard the surprise in Karen’s voice. What was that saying about the tangled webs we weave? One lie seemed to lead to another and if she wasn’t careful she would start tripping herself up.

‘He had an ear infection so I didn’t think it would be wise to take him on the plane. He stayed with the childminder so he was perfectly happy.’

She could tell that Karen was going to ask her something else so it was a relief when their new trainee nurse, Debbie Rothwell, put her head round the door.

‘I’m awfully sorry, Becky, but can you come? Holly is crying and I’ve no idea what’s wrong with her. All the monitor readings are fine. I’ve double-checked.’

Becky put her cup on the draining-board and smiled at the younger woman. Debbie was still very nervous about the responsibility involved with working in the IC unit and rarely trusted her instincts where the children were concerned. Whilst the monitoring equipment was invaluable it didn’t supply all the answers.

‘Have you tried asking her what’s wrong?’

‘Well, no, I haven’t, actually,’ Debbie admitted, looking even more flustered. ‘I suppose I should have thought of that first.’

‘Don’t worry. It takes a while to slot into the routine here,’ Becky said kindly, going to the door. ‘Let’s go and have a look at Holly and see if we can find out what’s the matter with her. She’s due to be transferred to a ward once Mr Watts has seen her, so there’s no need to be overly concerned. She’s well on the mend, I’m glad to say.’

They made their way into the IC unit and went straight to Holly Benson’s bed. The four year-old had been admitted the previous week after suffering a stroke. She had been gravely ill at the time and the prognosis hadn’t been good. However, dedicated nursing care, plus the child’s own will to survive, had pulled her through.

The good news was that young children were known to make an excellent recovery after they’d suffered a stroke. Nobody was exactly sure how it worked, but it had been proved that other parts of the brain took over the tasks performed by any damaged areas. With a bit of luck, little Holly would lead a full and active life.

‘Now then, sweetheart, what’s the matter? Does your head hurt or do you have a pain anywhere?’ she asked gently, bending down beside the child’s bed.

Although Holly had been removed from most of the monitoring equipment, she was still attached to the machine that was checking her blood pressure and heart rate. Becky saw the child pluck at the leads attached to her, and gently moved Holly’s hand away so that she couldn’t dislodge them.

‘Want to get up,’ the little girl said, her lower lip pouting. ‘Want to play!’

‘Oh, I see!’

She laughed as she kissed the little girl’s cheek, thinking what a good sign that was. When a child was fretting because she wanted to get out of bed, she had to be on the mend.

‘I’m afraid you can’t get up just yet, poppet. The doctor has to see how you are first.’

She turned to Debbie and grinned when she saw the relief on the young nurse’s face. ‘Panic over. How do you fancy reading Holly a story while we wait for Mr Watts to make his appearance? I wouldn’t like him to think that we don’t keep our patients happy while they’re with us.’

She moved away from the bed after both Holly and Debbie had agreed that it sounded like the perfect solution and made her way down the ward, automatically checking each child as she passed. There were ten beds in the paediatric intensive care unit and every one of them was in use. She had no doubt that the minute Holly was transferred to the medical ward, another young patient would arrive.

St Leonard’s was the only paediatric intensive care unit in that area of London, and beds there were always at a premium. It meant that her role as a staff nurse was a demanding one, but she’d never regretted her decision to work there. The fact that she’d been able to choose to work permanent days had been a real bonus because she didn’t know how she would have managed to look after Josh if she’d had to work shifts.

A smile softened her mouth as she thought about the little boy. Even though it was a huge responsibility, she had never regretted offering to take care of him. Josh was Antonio’s son and doubly precious because of that. She couldn’t have loved any child more than she loved him.

Becky left the ward and went to the office. Sister Reece was on holiday that week so Becky was in charge in her absence and there was a stack of paperwork to catch up with. She opened the office door then froze when she caught sight of the man standing by the window. For one horrible moment she thought she was going to faint as the floor seemed to rush up to meet her.

She saw him turn, saw the concern that crossed his face, saw him take a step towards her—and it was that which steadied her. The thought of Felipe Valdez actually touching her was more than she could bear.

‘Don’t!’

Felipe froze when he heard the total rejection in Rebecca’s voice. Frankly, he wasn’t sure what to do. She looked as though she was ready to keel over, yet the expression on her face dared him to go to her assistance.

He took a deep breath while he tried to think, but it was surprisingly difficult to assess the situation. Knowing that he was the object of all those waves of antipathy that were flowing across the room had thrown him off course. He could no longer take a rational view of what was happening and it shocked him to realise that he was in danger of acting instinctively and without thought.

‘What do you want?’

Her voice sounded cold and sharp, as though all the warmth and sweetness had been drained from it, and he frowned because it was strangely distressing to know that he was responsible for the change. He found himself wondering if he should apologise for what he had done before common sense reasserted itself. If there was any apologising to be done, it needed to come from her, not him.

‘I want to know why you came to see me yesterday.’

He saw her slender body stiffen but he refused to let himself be swayed by this act she was putting on. He had known that she was a nurse because Antonio had told him that in his last letter, but it had been a shock to discover that she worked in one of the most demanding departments in any hospital.

When he’d called at the house where she lived, a neighbour had told him that Rebecca worked in the paediatric intensive care unit of St Leonard’s Hospital. He had taken a taxi there, trying to reconcile himself to the thought of her doing such a demanding job. Yet why should he have been so surprised? Who better than Rebecca Williams to deal with sick children when she was incapable of feeling any genuine emotion? The thought made his heart ache for some reason.

‘You must have had a very good reason for coming to see me, Miss Williams, and I want to know what it was. Although maybe I could make an educated guess.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said quickly, but he could see the fear that had darkened her eyes. ‘I told you that I just wanted to meet you—’

‘And it was a lie.’

He smiled sardonically when she fell silent, wondering why he couldn’t seem to derive any pleasure from her discomfort. It felt on a par with pulling the wings off a butterfly to stand there and mock her, but he couldn’t afford to weaken, wouldn’t allow himself to forget what had driven him to come. He just had to think about Antonio and anything…anything…was justified!

‘Please, don’t insult my intelligence, Miss Williams. We both know that you wanted something from me. Was it money that you were after, by any chance?’

He glanced around the room, fighting the feeling of sickness that was welling inside him because he knew his suspicions had been correct. She had come to see him to ask for money and the proof of that was the way she stood there without making any attempt to deny the accusation.

It was an effort to look at her again because he didn’t think he had ever felt more angry than he did at that moment. ‘Have you spent what Antonio left you already? Is that why you’re working here when you should be living in the lap of luxury?’

He shook his head reprovingly, determined not to let her know how much it disturbed him to see her looking so shocked. Why should he care about her feelings when she’d cared so little about Antonio’s? It didn’t make sense.

‘I’m not sure exactly how much my brother left you. Our parents put two hundred thousand pounds in a trust fund for Antonio, for when he reached the age of twenty-five. I doubt he had the time to spend very much of it before he died, so you must have received quite a considerable sum. Yet you have managed to spend it all in a few short months, apparently.’

He smiled thinly, wondering why she didn’t try to justify her actions, although maybe she knew how pointless it would be to try and play on his sympathy. It might have worked in the past because he could understand that many men must have been taken in by her beauty. Even he was aware of it and could feel himself responding on a purely physical level.

No man could look at Rebecca Williams and not want her. Even though he despised everything she stood for, he could feel a stirring in his blood. Her delicate beauty and that air of vulnerability she projected was a potent mixture and he could understand how his brother had been fooled by it. However, that was where he and Antonio differed. He knew that beneath the beautiful outer shell was a woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. And what she wanted most of all was money.

‘I almost feel sorry for you, because I’m sure that working for your living wasn’t part of your plan.’ His voice grated because the thought seemed to sear right through him. All she’d ever wanted from Antonio had been his money!

‘Nevertheless, I’m very much afraid that I shall have to disappoint you even further because you won’t get a penny out of me. I am not my brother. I am not as gullible as poor Antonio was!’

He brushed past her, feeling the tremor that coursed through his body when his arm brushed her shoulder. Revulsion, he told himself as he went to the door, simple revulsion—if anything to do with this woman could be classed as simple. He had no idea how she’d hoped to extract money from him, but he couldn’t bear to question her further. Finding out more about Rebecca Williams’s sordid life certainly wouldn’t make him feel any better.

‘Becky, can you come—? Oops, sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.’

Felipe ground to a halt when a nurse suddenly appeared. He saw her look curiously at him before she turned to Rebecca and spoke more formally this time.

‘Mr Watts is on his way. I thought I’d better warn you because he’s in a rush. Something about having to go to Leeds to give a lecture this evening, or so Simon said.’

‘Thank you, Karen. I’ll be right there.’

Felipe flinched when she spoke, wondering what had caused that ripple to run through him. He shot her an uneasy glance over his shoulder but she wasn’t looking at him. She took a stack of folders off the desk and went to the door, all the time avoiding eye contact with him.

She smiled as she handed the notes to the nurse, but Felipe could tell the effort it cost her to act as though nothing was wrong. All of a sudden, he wished that he hadn’t come because he’d achieved nothing from his visit. He’d simply upset himself and upset Rebecca, too.

Oddly, that last thought was the most disturbing of all. Hurting Rebecca hadn’t given him any satisfaction, as he’d hoped it would. It was an effort to hide his dismay when Rebecca addressed the other woman in a cool little voice that told him just how difficult she had found the past few minutes.

‘Check that all the obs are up to date, will you, Karen? You know how Mr Watts hates it if everything isn’t spot on.’

‘Do I ever!’ The nurse took the bundle then looked worriedly at Rebecca. ‘You will be there when he arrives? I don’t think I’m up to coping with one of his high-speed ward rounds.’

‘Of course. Dr Valdez was just leaving so I won’t be long.’

‘Valdez! Oh, I didn’t realise.’ The young nurse laughed as she turned to him. ‘What an idiot I am! I should have known the minute I saw you.’

She gave him a considering look. ‘Yes, I can see the resemblance now, especially around the eyes. Josh has exactly the same colour eyes as you have. Isn’t it amazing how something like eye colour can be passed on through a family?’

Felipe didn’t know what to say. He knew that she was waiting for him to answer, but there was no way that he could have formed even the simplest sentence.

He turned to Rebecca and this time she was looking straight at him—staring at him, to be precise. Her eyes seemed to be riveted to his face and the expression in them made his heart race. He had never seen such fear in anyone’s eyes before.

He heard the door close as the nurse hurriedly left, and almost laughed out loud. It was obvious that she was trying to be tactful because she’d sensed that she might have said something wrong, but it was far too late for that now. With a few unguarded words his life had been turned on its head.

‘Who is Josh?’

He didn’t realise the question had come from his lips at first because it hadn’t sounded like his voice. It had sounded too strained, too raw, too full of emotion to be the voice of Felipe Valdez. He saw Rebecca swallow, watched her mouth open and struggled to concentrate because it was vitally important that he heard what she said.

‘Josh is my son.’

She paused and he knew that he was holding his breath as he waited for her to continue. ‘He’s Antonio’s son, too.’

Becky could feel her heart beating, but it felt as though time had suddenly come to a halt. Felipe was standing stock still and the expression of shock on his face would have made her laugh if there had been anything remotely funny about the situation.

She saw him swallow and tried to prepare herself for what he would ask her. He would be bound to have questions—dozens of them—and she needed to decide what to tell him. But it was hard to think when her brain felt as though it had seized up.

‘My…my brother had a child…a son?’

Her heart ached with a sudden, fierce pain when she heard the bewilderment in his voice. For some reason she wanted to make this as easy as possible for him, even though she knew how dangerous it was to consider his feelings. One small slip, one unguarded word and the situation could spiral out of control.

‘Yes. His name is Josh and he’s nine months old,’ she told him quietly. ‘He looks very like Antonio and you, too, I suppose.’

She gave him a tentative smile, watching the rapid play of emotions that crossed his face as he struggled to make sense of what she was saying. ‘He definitely has your colour eyes, as Karen just mentioned. Antonio’s eyes were a lot darker.’

‘Antonio took after our mother,’ he said roughly. ‘I favour my father’s side of the family.’

‘But there’s still a strong resemblance between you both.’ She felt her heart catch because until then she really hadn’t been aware of the similarities between the two brothers. Now it scared her to realise how alike they were. The last thing she could afford was to look at Felipe and see Antonio. She had to remember that they were two very different people.

It was a relief when there was a knock on the door because she desperately needed some time to think about what had happened. She hurried to answer it, shaking her head when Debbie apologised for the interruption.

‘It’s fine, really. Don’t worry. Has Mr Watts arrived?’

‘Yes. Karen sent me to tell you.’ Debbie shot a curious glance at Felipe then lowered her voice. ‘He’s none too pleased because you weren’t there to meet him, I’m afraid, Becky.’

‘I’ll be straight there,’ she assured her.

She closed the door then felt her heart skip a beat when she turned and found Felipe standing right behind her. He was so close that she could smell the tangy scent of his aftershave, feel the heat of his body, and all of a sudden it felt as though her senses were being swamped by him.

‘I have to go,’ she explained, quickly moving away. She went to the desk and picked up a pen, trying her best not to let him see how nervous she was all of a sudden. She had never felt like this around Antonio, never once felt so deeply aware of him as she was of his brother. The idea worried her for a moment until it struck her that it was because Antonio had never presented a threat to her, like Felipe did.

‘I have to get back to work,’ she said more calmly, relieved to have found such a simple explanation.

‘But we need to talk, Rebecca. That is obvious. Sí?’

He had phrased it as a question, but Becky knew there wasn’t the slightest chance that he would let her refuse. He wanted to know all about Josh, and who could blame him?

Finding out that he was an uncle had come as a shock to him, but it was what happened from here on that frightened her most. She was under no illusions as to how Felipe felt about her. He might be struggling to come to terms with what had happened at the moment, but it wouldn’t be long before the implications of it hit him.

How would he feel about her being Josh’s mother? Maybe he would have to accept it while he believed that Josh really was her child, but if the truth ever emerged it would be a very different story. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Felipe would waste no time trying to remove her from his nephew’s life.

She bit her lip as the irony of the situation struck her. A few days ago she had seen Felipe Valdez as her only hope to stop Josh being taken away from her. Now he presented as big a threat as Tara did.

It was an effort to contain her panic, but she couldn’t afford to give in to it. She carefully wiped all expression from her face when Felipe spoke.

‘This is the address and telephone number of the hotel where I am staying. I shall expect you to call me as soon as you are free.’ He took a notebook from his jacket pocket and wrote down the details then tore off the sheet and handed it to her. ‘We need to arrange a time this evening when we can meet.’

‘But I don’t finish work until six,’ she protested, knowing that she needed more time to work out what she should tell him.

‘Six o’clock will be fine. I shall expect you to call me then. To be perfectly blunt, Miss Williams, I am not prepared to wait while you choose a time that is more convenient for you.’

He didn’t say anything else before he left. Becky heard his footsteps echoing along the corridor and shuddered as reaction set in. She took a deep breath, but the feeling of panic was getting worse.

Maybe it was understandable that he should want to know all about his brother’s child, but she didn’t dare think about how difficult it was going to be, explaining everything to him. How much could she really afford to tell him?

It was an effort to put that thought out of her mind as she hurried into the ward. James Watts, the consultant in charge of the IC unit, was waiting by the door with his party, and he greeted her with noticeable coolness.

‘Ah, there you are, Staff. Good of you to join us. If we’re all here at last, shall we get started? I have to be in Sheffield by five, and the last thing I need are any more delays.’

Becky hastily apologised, feeling suitably rebuked. They went straight to Danny Epstein’s bed and she handed James the boy’s notes. Danny had been admitted a few days earlier with severe endocarditis—inflammation of the internal lining of the heart—and he was still giving them cause for concern.

She waited by the bed while James read through the night staff’s report in his usual thorough fashion. Although the consultant had brought several students with him that morning, as well as his two registrars, it was very quiet. Nobody dared to interrupt him or they would suffer the consequences.

Becky found her thoughts drifting back to what had happened in the office as the silence lengthened. What would be the best way to handle this coming meeting with Felipe? He was bound to have a lot of questions and she had to find a way to answer them without arousing his suspicions—

‘We’ll continue the high-dose antibiotics and hope that they’ll clear things up eventually…Staff?’

She blinked as James Watts paused and peered at her over the top of his spectacles. A wash of colour ran up her face when she saw Simon Montague, the senior registrar, treat her to a conspiratorial grin. It must have been obvious to everyone that she hadn’t been paying attention, and it alarmed her that she had allowed her own problems to intrude on her work.

‘I’ll mark that down on Danny’s card,’ she said, hurriedly thinking back over what the consultant had said. ‘Is the cardio team planning on replacing the damaged heart valves soon?’

‘Once we have the infection under control,’ James replied shortly, making sure she knew that he didn’t appreciate it when members of his staff failed to give him their undivided attention.

Becky breathed a sigh of relief when James turned to the students and began to outline the boy’s case history. She’d got off pretty lightly, bearing in mind that she’d already provoked the consultant’s wrath once that day.

‘This young fellow caught an infection whilst having a tooth extracted,’ James explained. He paused, the students hanging on his every word. ‘Lo and behold, a few days later he came down with endocarditis. We know for certain that two of the valves have been damaged, but we shall have to wait and see how badly the rest have been affected.’

Becky gathered together the notes as the students exclaimed in amazement. They were in their first year at medical school and it was obvious they’d never realised that having a tooth out could be such a risky procedure. James had played up the dangers for dramatic effect, but at least it had helped to restore his good humour when his audience had responded as he’d hoped.

‘OK, so what’s wrong? You look as though you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders.’ Simon hung back to talk to her as the others moved to the next bed.

Becky sighed inwardly when she saw the concern on his face. Simon was really nice and if it had been anything else worrying her she might have been tempted to unburden herself. However, there was no way that she could tell him what was wrong that day.

‘Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine,’ she began, then looked round when James coughed. She flushed again when he treated her to another frosty stare.

‘I would like to finish this round some time today, Staff. So if you and Dr Montague would be kind enough to join us, I shall be eternally grateful.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ she said, hurrying over to join him. She could tell that Simon hadn’t believed her, but she decided that it would be simpler to let the subject drop. Although she wouldn’t like to offend Simon, he really wasn’t her priority at the moment.

She purposely drove all thoughts of Felipe Valdez out of her head while they completed the round then hurried to the office and busied herself with phoning through an order to the supplies department so that she could avoid having to speak to Simon again. He poked his head round the door and mouthed that he would catch her later then hurried away.

Becky sighed as she hung up. What was she going to do? Felipe now knew about Josh even though he wasn’t in possession of all the facts. But exactly how much should she tell him?

It was impossible to answer that question because so much depended on what Felipe intended to do. However, it did make her see how foolish it would be not to phone him as soon as she got home from work. Felipe Valdez wasn’t the kind of man who would simply disappear from her life because she wanted him to.

She frowned. Was that really what she wanted, though? Did she honestly wish that she would never have to see him again?

The answer should have been a resounding yes. Felipe was undoubtedly a threat to her and Josh, but her feelings towards him weren’t as clear-cut as they should have been.

Felipe couldn’t relax. For the past three hours he’d done nothing but pace his hotel room. Everything he’d learned kept whirling around inside his head and he couldn’t make sense of it.

Antonio had had a child with Rebecca Williams. A son. Was it true? Or was it another one of her schemes, another lie to add to the web of deceit that surrounded her?

He sank onto a chair and picked up the phone then sat and stared at it. He knew the number of the hospital by heart, but should he phone her or wait until she phoned him? He had to decide what he intended to ask her first. If she still maintained that the child—Josh, she’d called him—was Antonio’s son, surely he needed proof. Who knew how many men Rebecca Williams might have slept with? Any one of them could be the child’s father…

Only he had a gut feeling that wasn’t the case. Rebecca’s son was also his brother’s child, the only thing left on this earth that could provide a tangible link to Antonio. By heaven, he wasn’t going to sit there and phone her or wait for her to contact him. He was going to see her again, and this time he intended to find out exactly what was going on.

A thin smile curved his mouth. He only hoped that Rebecca wouldn’t try to lie to him because it would be a mistake.

Becky was late leaving the hospital because there had been a crisis when Danny Epstein had arrested. It had taken the combined efforts of the whole team to stabilise him and he had now been sent to Theatre to have two badly damaged heart valves replaced.

Whether he would survive the operation in his weakened state was in the lap of the gods, but it was his only chance and she applauded his parents’ decision to take it. It wasn’t easy being a parent, as she had discovered.

A smile tilted her lips as she hurried out of the main doors. She loved collecting Josh at the end of the day because he was always so happy to see her. The little boy had a wonderfully sunny nature, which had made him rather a pet of the child-minder who looked after him while she was at work. It was reassuring to know that he was being well cared for when she couldn’t be with him.

‘Miss Williams.’

She stopped dead when she recognised the voice that had called her name. She’d known that Felipe wouldn’t rest until he’d got to the bottom of this situation, but she’d hoped to have a little more time before she spoke to him again. Now, when she turned and saw the uncompromising expression on his face, she felt her heart start to race.

Would she be able to stop him finding out that she wasn’t Josh’s real mother? Everything hinged on her doing that.

CHAPTER THREE

‘I NEED to speak to you, Miss Williams. There’s a bar across the road—maybe we can go there.’

‘I can’t.’

Felipe frowned when he heard the anxiety in Rebecca’s voice. Although he understood how stressful this situation must be for her he couldn’t understand why she sounded so scared.

Once again the idea that she might have been telling him a pack of lies about the child being Antonio’s son filled his mind. After all, why hadn’t Antonio written and told him that he’d become a father? Despite that row they’d had before Antonio had left Mallorca, his brother had never been the kind of person to harbour a grudge. There was something about this situation which didn’t add up.

‘Can’t or won’t?’ he said tersely. ‘I’m having a great deal of difficulty understanding what is going on, Miss Williams. A few hours ago you told me that you and my brother had had a son and now you refuse to talk to me about the child.’

Her lids lowered, effectively hiding her eyes from view. ‘I’m not refusing to talk to you, Dr Valdez.’ She shrugged, but he wasn’t blind to the strain that was etched on her face when she glanced up. ‘However, I thought we’d agreed that I would telephone you and arrange a time when we could meet.’

‘We did, but I can see no reason why we cannot talk now and get this all sorted out.’ He went to slide his hand under her elbow, but she stepped smartly out of reach.

‘I’ve just told you that I can’t talk to you now. I have to collect Josh. I’m late as it is because we had an emergency, and the childminder will be wondering where I am.’

She started hurrying down the path, but if she thought that he was prepared to let her walk away, she was mistaken. Who knew what she might be planning? She claimed that she’d intended to phone him, but could he trust her? What if she took Josh and disappeared? How would he feel if his brother’s only child was left in the care of a woman like her?

He strode after her, his long legs swiftly bringing him level with her. He saw her glance round, saw her pretty mouth compress, but she didn’t say a word. They walked in silence down the path and across the busy London street. It was the middle of the rush hour and the traffic was horrendous, car after car belching out fumes.

He suddenly wished that he was back home in Mallorca, breathing in the fresh, salt-laden air as it blew in from the bay. Had Antonio really preferred to exchange all that beauty for this?

‘Antonio used to love the rush hour. He spent a lot of time looking out of the window when…when he became too weak to go out.’

He heard the catch in her voice and felt his heart ache. He had tried many times to imagine how his brother must have felt, knowing that he was dying. Suddenly, he needed to know how Antonio had dealt with it.

‘How was he toward the end?’ He heard the roughness in his voice and knew that she had heard it, too, but, oddly, he didn’t feel embarrassed. He cleared his throat, deeply disturbed by the thought. ‘It must have been difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that he was dying.’

‘I think by that time he had come to accept what was going to happen.’ She smiled gently. ‘He told me that he didn’t want to waste his last few weeks on earth by feeling bitter. And, of course, having Josh helped tremendously. Knowing that a little bit of him would live on after his death gave him strength.’

‘Did he see the child, then?’ Felipe asked, keeping his gaze averted because he was deeply moved by what she had said. He wasn’t embarrassed, but he was too private a person to feel completely comfortable about exposing his feelings.

The problem was that it was so hard to think about Antonio at the end of his life; he kept having flashbacks to when he’d been born. Felipe had been fifteen when his brother had arrived in the world. His parents had been shocked at first when they’d discovered they were having another child and delighted later when the baby had been born.

Antonio had brought great joy to his parent’s lives, great joy to his own life as well. After their parents had been killed in a car accident when Antonio was ten, Felipe had willingly taken over the task of raising him.

He had done his best to guide Antonio, but maybe he’d been too strict. If he hadn’t been so set on making Antonio do as he’d wanted him to, his brother might never have left Mallorca and certainly wouldn’t have ended up having a child with Rebecca Williams. How strange it was the way everything had worked out.

‘Oh, yes. Josh was born a few weeks before…well, before Antonio died. He was in a lot of pain by then and his medication had been increased because of it. He used to sleep most of the time, but once I brought Josh home from hospital Antonio refused to take more than the barest minimum of pain relief.’

He saw her dash her hand across her eyes and could hear how her voice had thickened with tears. ‘He said that he didn’t want to miss a single minute he had left with Josh. He used to hold him all day long. My one abiding memory of Antonio is seeing him sitting by the window, cradling his son in his arms.’

Her voice broke on a sob and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to take her in his arms and hold her while she cried. In his heart, Felipe knew that he was probably making a mistake, but he couldn’t stop himself wanting to comfort her.

He drew her closer, amazed by the sense of helplessness he felt. He couldn’t assuage her grief and for some reason it hurt to know that she was crying for his brother and that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

He smoothed his hand over her hair, feeling the silky strands snagging against his palm. Her hair felt like gossamer, so light, so soft, so sensuous. He found himself staring at it in wonderment, watching the play of light and shadow as the pale gold strands rippled beneath his fingers. All of a sudden he wished that this moment could last for ever, that he could keep her here in his arms and never let her go. She would be safe then, because he would be able to protect her from any more pain.

A shiver ran through him and he stiffened, shocked that he should be thinking thoughts like that. This was Rebecca Williams in his arms, not some woman with whom he was thinking of having an affair. It was a relief when she abruptly stepped back so that he was forced to release her.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that,’ she said softly, her voice quavering, although whether it was from embarrassment or pleasure at him having held her he couldn’t decide.

He took a deep breath and deliberately rid himself of that foolish notion before it had a chance to take hold. Rebecca was wiping her eyes with a tissue and there was a strangely touching dignity about the way she stood up straighter once she had finished.

All of a sudden it struck him that she possessed certain qualities he had never expected, and it worried him to realise that he might have misjudged her when he’d been so sure that he knew everything that he needed to know. Was Rebecca really the scheming, self-serving woman he’d believed her to be? Or had he been wrong about her?

Suddenly, it seemed equally important that he find out the answer to those questions, too.

Becky took a deep breath, but she felt such a fool for breaking down. She shot a wary glance at Felipe but, surprisingly, there was no sign of the contempt which she had expected to see on his face.

Her heart gave a painful lurch as she recalled how good it had felt when he’d held her in his arms. His body had felt so strong as he’d cradled her against him. She’d had an overwhelming urge to lean on him and keep on leaning. The past year had been so hard and it would be wonderful to be able to share this burden…

But dangerous.

What would Felipe do if he found out the truth about Josh? Antonio had signed a document appointing her as the child’s legal guardian, and had got Tara to sign it, too, but would it hold up in a court of law?

That had been her fear all along, that her claim on Josh might be overruled. Antonio’s solicitor had warned them that there was always a chance of that happening, that nothing—not even a legal document—was guaranteed in this kind of a situation.

That was why she’d panicked when Tara had threatened her, yet the thought that, unwittingly, she might have put herself and Josh in even more danger filled her with dread. No matter how wonderful it had felt to have him comfort her, she had to remember that Felipe was her enemy.

‘I don’t usually go to pieces like that,’ she said stiffly. She didn’t want to think of him as her enemy, although she wasn’t sure why. She felt a ripple of alarm scurry through her when she saw his eyes suddenly narrow.

‘I don’t imagine that you usually find yourself in a position like this, Miss Williams, so, please, don’t apologise. Unfortunately, we cannot always predict how we will react.’

She wasn’t sure what he had meant by that, and frowned. Was Felipe admitting that he had reacted strangely by taking her in his arms and trying to comfort her perhaps?

Now she thought about it, it was a strange thing for him to have done. Maybe she had difficulty thinking of him as her enemy, but surely he didn’t have any problems with the idea? And yet he had held her with such tenderness, such gentleness that it hadn’t felt as though he hated her.

The thought bothered her probably more than it should have done. She tried to put it out of her head as she started walking again, trying to quell the noisy beating of her heart when he immediately followed her. It was obvious that he didn’t intend to let her out of his sight, so she decided that it would be best if she accepted that. There was no point trying to fight the inevitable when she might need her strength for more important battles.

The traffic congestion eased after a little while. This part of London was in a state of limbo, she always thought, not quite fashionable but not totally run-down. However, from the look of disdain on Felipe’s handsome face as he studied the long row of Victorian terraced houses, it could have been a slum.

He frowned when she stopped outside one of the houses and rang the bell. ‘This is where my brother’s son spends his days? Surely you could have found somewhere more suitable, a nursery where he would be properly cared for?’

‘Josh is very happy here,’ she said shortly, stung by the criticism. ‘Doreen—that’s the childminder—is marvellous with all the children; she loves them as if they were her own. Anyway, I can’t afford a nursery place for him. It costs a fortune in London to put a child into a private nursery.’

She realised her mistake the moment she saw his mouth thin into that tight line she was starting to recognise only too well. She was already preparing herself for the next onslaught before he spoke, but nothing could stem the quiver that ran through her when she heard the biting contempt in his voice.

‘But my brother left you a considerable sum, didn’t he? You were named in his will as the sole beneficiary of his estate. Sí?’

‘Yes.’ She rang the bell a second time, praying that Doreen would answer it soon. She didn’t know how she could explain what had happened to the money Antonio had left without giving everything away.

Tara had received most of it as her final payment for having Josh. The little bit that had been left over had been swallowed up by bills in the first few months when she’d been unable to work because she had been looking after the baby. She could account for every single penny if she had to, but it would mean her admitting that she wasn’t Josh’s real mother and that was something she desperately wanted to avoid.

‘So was it too much to expect that you might spend some of that money on making sure that Antonio’s son was properly cared for? Did it never cross your mind that you had no right to spend it all on yourself?’

She could hear the anger in his voice and her heart ran wild as she struggled to explain without telling him the truth. ‘There were expenses—’

‘Expenses? Come, Miss Williams, you must have been enjoying a very lavish lifestyle if you managed to spend all that money in less than a year!’ he shot back, glaring at her.

‘It wasn’t like that. You don’t understand,’ she said desperately, hurt beyond belief by the way he was looking at her. ‘I didn’t spend—’

The door suddenly opened and she stopped when Doreen appeared, holding Josh. Becky automatically reached out and took the child as he lunged towards her. She snuggled him close, breathing in his wonderful baby smell while she tried to calm down.

If Doreen hadn’t opened the door then she would have blurted it all out and told him that nearly every penny of Antonio’s inheritance had gone on buying his son. How would Felipe feel about that? Would he blame her for what had happened because it had been her idea?

Felipe felt his anger disappear the moment he looked at the baby in Rebecca’s arms.

The little boy was the image of Antonio!

From his shiny black curls to his chubby little feet, he was a miniature replica of his father. In that instant any doubts he’d had about the child’s parentage disappeared. This was Antonio’s son, his own flesh and blood.

He wasn’t aware of what he was doing as he held out his arms. The little boy gurgled happily as Rebecca silently handed him over. He could feel the weight of the child’s sturdy little body in his arms and had to make a conscious effort not to hold him too tightly.

He wanted to press him to his heart and keep him there, pretend, even if it was only for a moment, that he had Antonio back and that he could keep him safe from harm. It was all he had ever wanted to do and he had failed, but he wouldn’t fail this child, his brother’s son.

It was a moment which Felipe knew he would remember all his life, a moment of such pain and such joy that he found it hard to comprehend what he was feeling. It was as though all of a sudden a key had turned and the door to his heart had been flung wide open. It was a relief when the baby suddenly grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged it hard, because he wasn’t used to dealing with so much emotion.

A smile tugged at the corners of Felipe’s mouth as he gently unfurled the baby’s fingers. ‘I shall have no hair left if you keep that up, young man,’ he told him in Spanish. ‘Your uncle will be bald.’

‘He’s a devil for pulling your hair,’ Becky said softly. ‘It’s a wonder I’m not bald as well the way he tugs my hair.’

Felipe’s black brows rose in surprise. ‘You speak Spanish?’

‘Yes. I’m not very fluent, but I can get by.’ She gave him a sad little smile that made his heart ache all over again. ‘Antonio offered to give me Spanish lessons in exchange for a favour I did him. That’s how we became friends.’

She looked at the baby and sighed. ‘I’ve tried to keep it up so that I can teach Josh when he’s old enough. It seemed important that he should be able to speak his father’s language.’

Felipe was deeply moved, so much so that he didn’t dare show how much it had affected him. He passed the baby back to her, trying to put what he had learned into context. It was probably just some wonderful story that she had dreamed up to impress him…

Only he didn’t believe that.

He went back down the steps while she had a final word with the childminder. It was obvious that the woman was asking who he was, but he didn’t feel inclined to join in the conversation. He needed to clear his mind so that he could focus on what he intended to do.

Josh was Antonio’s son. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about that. Obviously, he would need to take that into account before he made any decisions.

He took a deep breath but the tension that had been building inside him all day was suddenly worse than ever. Rebecca was the child’s mother. He would need to take account of that as well.

Doreen had been intrigued to learn that Felipe was Josh’s uncle. Becky kept trying to edge away but the woman kept asking her more questions. Becky glanced over her shoulder and sighed when she saw Felipe standing by the kerb.

It was obvious that he was impatient to leave, even though he was making an effort not to show it. However, the number of times Felipe had needed to wait for anyone had to be few and far between. He was the kind of man who was accustomed to people jumping to obey his every command.

The thought was a little disquieting, but Becky refused to let him see how on edge she felt as she finally took her leave of the childminder. Josh was gurgling away, trying to tell her what he had done during the day. They usually played a game on the way home: she asked him questions about his day and pretended she understood what he was saying to her. However, that day she felt far too self-conscious with Felipe being there. It would hardly improve his opinion of her to know that she held in-depth conversations with a nine-month-old baby!

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