Pregnant—

Surely she hadn’t heard Raul correctly!

“Don’t you realize with all the stress you’ve been under, you could have endangered your baby?”

“I’m not having a baby.” Heather laughed nervously. “Don’t be absurd!”

“Heather—we ran the test twice.”

Beneath his exasperated tone, Raul looked and sounded tormented. “I understand your fear of not wanting to tell your father, but there’s no point in lying to me.”

“Raul—” she cried, gripping his hand. “I’m not lying!”

His eyes impaled her like lasers before his hand slid away from her stomach with seeming reluctance. “How could you not be aware of the changes in your body?”

She blinked. “I’m really pregnant?”

She was going to have Raul’s child.

What happens when you suddenly discover your happy twosome is about to be turned into a…family?

Do you panic?

Do you laugh?

Do you cry?

Or…do you get married?

The answer is all of the above—and plenty more!

Share the laughter and the tears as these unsuspecting couples are plunged into parenthood!

When parenthood takes you by surprise!

Look out in December for

Her Hired Husband #3682

by Renee Roszel

Claiming His Baby
Rebecca Winters

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ONE

“HONEY? Do you have any idea how proud I am of your accomplishments? To think my daughter has established herself as a concert pianist. It’s what your mother lived for…”

Groaning inwardly, Heather Sanders bowed her head. “D-do you want another cup of coffee?”

“No, thank you. You’ve waited on me enough this morning. In fact you’ve spoiled me during this visit when it should have been the other way around.”

“I’m happiest when I’m home with you.”

“You’re just saying those kind words to make your old man happy.”

“No, Daddy. It’s the truth. Please, don’t rush off yet.” I need to talk to you. I have to talk to you.

“I’m sorry, honey, but an early start on hospital rounds means I can finish up the day ahead of schedule so I can be with you. I’d like to believe your mother will be watching and listening to you play with the symphony tonight,” came his tremulous whisper.

“I want to believe that, too. In case she is, I’ll try to do Tchaikovsky justice.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. “Your performance will be flawless, just as it always is. You’re so much like her, honey.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Heather averted her eyes and finished the rest of her orange juice.

“I want you to know I’ve already made travel arrangements so that I can fly over for the performances on your tour. I’ll only be able to stay a couple of days each time, but it will be worth it. Lyle Curtis has the different dates marked off to cover for me.”

“I’m so glad!” She slid out of her chair to throw her arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”

Dr. John Sanders was everyone’s favorite obstetrician. He worked long hours and had literally buried himself in his practice since her mother had died. For him to take so much time away from his patients to be with her was some kind of miracle.

Yet thrilled as she was by his news, deep down the thought of carving out a career as a concert pianist had always been daunting to her. Though she loved the piano, the idea of devoting her life to the performance of music was already starting to hold less and less appeal. The sooner she admitted this to her father who’d sacrificed everything for her, the better.

“What are you going to do today besides practice?” he asked after standing up to give her a hug.

“I’ve got a lot of packing to do before I leave for New York tomorrow. Phyllis called and offered to drive me over to the concert hall early so I can warm up on the Steinway.”

“Wonderful! After my last appointment, I’ll come straight home and change, then join you backstage before the performance.”

She flashed him a smile. “I’d love that, but I won’t hold my breath. In case things get busy at the office, remember that tonight I don’t play until after the intermission.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. In a solemn voice he said, “Do you honestly think I’d miss the debut of my daughter’s entry into the world of Rubenstein and Ashkenazy?”

“Daddy—” She shook her head. “They’re legendary. Only a few pianists will ever be in their league.”

“You have greatness in you, honey. This is what your mother and I dreamed of.”

He kissed her forehead before leaving the dining room.

Immobilized by the growing conflict inside her, Heather stood there clinging to the chair long after she heard her father back down the driveway and leave for the hospital.

With incurious eyes, Dr. Raul Cardenas glanced out the window of the plane as it made its descent toward Salt Lake International airport. Though it was mid-June, there were still pockets of snow clinging to the highest peaks of the rugged Rocky Mountains. The sight reminded him of the Andes, and should have brought him a modicum of excitement.

But to his chagrin nothing seemed to dispel the growing discontentment he’d been feeling lately, not even the thought of seeing Evan and Phyllis again.

Urgent business had prompted this emergency visit. He needed to consult with an expert. Evan Dorney, the renowned heart surgeon who had been Raul’s mentor during the last year of his surgeon’s residency at University Hospital in Salt Lake, was that person.

The men had formed a fast friendship. Raul had been aware the older doctor had wanted him to stay in Salt Lake and become a partner in his thriving medical practice.

Though humbled and flattered by Evan’s offer, Raul’s roots tugged at him. He couldn’t turn his back on his own country where doctors were desperately needed any more than he could abandon the aging aunt and uncle who’d raised him from the age of nine. Their fondest hope had been that he follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become an attorney.

In the end Raul chose to be a doctor and practice medicine in the Gran Chaco of Argentina where he felt he could make the greatest contribution, thereby thwarting his uncle’s dreams and disappointing Evan.

Except for missing him and his exceptional wife, Phyllis, Raul had never regretted his decision. Determined to keep up their friendship, he’d remained close to them through phone calls and letters.

Over the intervening years the Dorneys had made four trips to Buenos Aires. Together the three of them had spent their vacations in the Andes and Patagonia. Finally Raul was coming to visit them.

Alarmed because this reunion should have generated more excitement inside of him, he was relieved when the plane had touched down so he wouldn’t have to be a prisoner of his own disturbing thoughts for a while.

Unbuckling the seat belt, he shrugged into the jacket of his lightweight tan suit before starting down the aisle. The first-class section emptied fairly fast. He paused at the doorway of the waiting area to scan the crowd, then came face-to-face with a familiar pair of intelligent hazel eyes.

Except for more gray in his hair, Evan didn’t seem to have changed at all. He stood tall, and his lopsided smile was still in evidence. The two men embraced.

“Evan,” Raul murmured, feeling a sudden rush of emotion as a plethora of memories assailed him. This man exuded all the warmth missing in the uncle who’d done his best to take over after Raul’s parents had been killed.

“You have no idea how delighted I was when you told me you were coming,” the older doctor responded with heartfelt sincerity.

“Even if I’m here to ask you an enormous favor?”

“I don’t care about the reason. You’re here!” he cried. “That’s all that matters.”

“He’s right,” his redheaded wife spoke up as Raul caught sight of her. She held out her arms for a hug, which he readily reciprocated.

“You’re beautiful as ever, Phyllis.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’ve aged and I know it. But you—just look how handsome you are! I can’t believe you’re not married yet.”

“I never found anyone who measured up to you, that’s why.”

“With all those gorgeous South American beauties?”

Raul had had several relationships with women, but he’d never been so carried away that he’d proposed marriage to any of them, much to his aunt and uncle’s chagrin. Living in a city like Buenos Aires was one thing. Surviving in a tiny bush settlement like Zocheetl was something else…

“Phyllis, as I’ve told you on numerous other occasions, I would have to feel something earthshaking, and that hasn’t happened yet.”

Though busier than he’d ever been in his life, there was an aridness in his soul that nothing seemed to fill. He’d hoped a change of scene with the Dorneys might help cure what was ailing him.

“It’s because you live in isolation too much of the time. If you would stay a few months in Salt—”

“Phyllis—” her husband warned. “Leave the poor man alone. He just got here after a horrendously long flight. Come on, let’s grab your bags and take you home.

“I can’t get there fast enough.”

Within an hour he was ensconced in the Dorneys’s elegant, traditional two-story house, which had been his home away from home during his residency in Salt Lake. They’d prepared his old room for him.

As soon as he’d freshened up in the en suite bathroom, he joined them downstairs in the living room. To his surprise Phyllis had changed into a blue chiffon evening gown.

“You look lovely. Where are you going all dressed up?”

“To the symphony. You’ve heard us speak of the Sanders—”

“Of course. They’re your best friends. She’s the one who died of cancer a couple of years ago, leaving a daughter.”

“That’s right. Last week Heather won the international Gina Bacchauer piano competition. Tonight she’s performing her winning program with the Utah Symphony. I promised I’d drive over to symphony hall and be with her until she goes onstage.

“Normally I would never leave you when you’ve just arrived. But Heather’s my goddaughter and needs me. Besides, I happen to know Evan can’t wait to talk to you alone.”

“I’ve heard of the Bacchauer,” Raul interjected. “If she’s that good, I’d like to attend the performance.”

Evan smiled. “That’s very noble of you, but if you’re only in town for three days, I want to make the most of our time together.”

Raul knew this event must be important to Evan as well as Phyllis. “I really would like to go to the symphony. As you both know, music is as necessary to me as breathing.” He could credit his aunt and uncle for a life that included beautiful music and good books. “In fact it’s probably my favorite way to enjoy an evening.”

Because he spoke the truth, his voice carried the ring of conviction. Certainly the look of pleasure on their faces told its own story.

With the decision made, everyone was galvanized into action. After Phyllis placed fried chicken and potato salad on the breakfast room table, she left for the Sanders’s home in her car.

Over their meal Evan urged Raul to tell him what was so important, it had caused him to leave his beloved bush.

“There’s a little seven-year-old Indian boy with a strange heart condition. He’s too sick to be moved from the bush hospital. I’ve brought his X rays with me.

“I may have done some heart surgeries because there was no one else, but I don’t dare tackle anything this complicated. You’ll understand when you look at the film. The parents have no money, of course. I thought that if—”

“Say no more.” Evan broke in with a smile. “I’ll do it. Just give me three weeks to clear my calendar.”

Raul’s eyes smarted. “You don’t know how grateful I am. I’ll pay you for the operation.”

“Don’t be absurd! What has life come to if we can’t help people without worrying about money? I’d like to do it as long as you assist me. Phyllis will want to come, too. We’ve both been curious about the bush. Now will be our chance to really see it.”

“I’ll have a bungalow waiting for you. In the meantime you’ll need to get some booster shots.”

Evan nodded. “It will be like old times, operating with you. I’ll have you know I’ve never worked with a resident as brilliant as Dr. Raul Cardenas.”

Raul cleared his throat and got up from the table. “If we’re going to make the symphony, I need to get showered.”

“Go ahead. I’ll clean up down here and then change. Bring those X rays with you. We’ll stop at the office after the symphony and I’ll take a look at them.”

Raul clapped him on the shoulder. “Bless you, Evan.”

A half hour later they were dressed in formal attire and headed to symphony hall in Evan’s car. Once inside the crowded building, an usher handed them programs and they found their seats.

“Where’s Phyllis?”

“She’ll probably stay backstage with Heather until John arrives.”

Raul opened his program and began to read. He discovered that the second and third place winners of the piano competition would be performing before the intermission.

Soon the house lights dimmed and he sat back to enjoy the Israeli man’s performance. He played the Beethoven superbly, then pleased the crowd with a George Gershwin selection. Then came the Russian contestant who did an excellent job with Chopin’s Nocturne in E.

“Just wait till you hear Heather play,” Evan whispered.

The corner of Raul’s mouth lifted at his friend’s obvious bias. When the Russian left the stage, Phyllis joined them at their seats. While the two of them conversed in private, Raul finished reading the notes about each finalist. Just before the lights dimmed after the intermission, he turned to the last page.

There he gazed on the exquisite face of Heather Sanders for the first time…

A hush fell over the audience, causing Raul to look up from his program. Everyone’s concentration had centered on the winner of the Bacchauer—a young woman in black whose femininity made an impact even at the back of the hall.

She moved across the stage with a consummate grace that was stunning to watch. His gaze dropped to the program once more. The picture didn’t do justice to her Nordic coloring. She seated herself at the concert grand and began her performance with a little known work of Rachmaninoff, which was one of Raul’s favorite pieces.

The haunting composition was technically difficult and incredibly beautiful. Raul was secretly thrilled she’d chosen that particular work. He knew the music intimately and found himself listening for certain passages.

Her interpretation was marvelous. He felt her passion. She was doing everything right. It sent chills up his spine. Again he consulted the program.

Madre de Dios. A twenty-five-year old piano student from Juilliard and she could play like that!

She would only have been fifteen years old when he was finishing up his residency.

Evan handed him the opera glasses he and Phyllis had been sharing. Raul lifted them to his eyes. The moment the young pianist had made her appearance onstage he’d been inordinately curious about her, wondering if he’d imagined the perfection of her face and figure.

Perhaps it was a trick of light and the long black dress she was wearing, but her shoulder-length hair looked like a spray of gossamer, as if it had an inherent ability to shimmer.

Her well-shaped head was bent over the keyboard so he could only perceive small glimpses of the total person—the hint of high cheekbones, a generous mouth and softly rounded chin.

Moving lower, he noticed her hand span was not excessive because she wasn’t a tall woman. But her fingers were strong, her touch, eloquent. He didn’t want to give up the glasses when Phyllis reached for them again.

She began her second number, Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto, a lesser known work than the First. So many pianists failed at this particular piece, but she revealed a depth of emotion and power that transcended the mere mechanics and ended up giving a sterling performance. Raul found himself holding his breath.

When the last note had been played, there was a reverent pause before the audience burst into applause. Raul got to his feet along with Phyllis and Evan. The clapping reached a crescendo with shouts of bravo. It didn’t end despite the several graceful bows she made.

Someone thrust a bouquet of flowers in her arms. The conductor held her hand high for the audience. Another thunderous ovation continued for several more minutes. Even without the benefit of opera glasses, he felt the radiance of her smile.

“Give me your keys,” Raul murmured to Evan who was plainly ecstatic over his goddaughter’s performance. “While you go backstage to congratulate her, I’ll bring the car around in front of the concert hall and pick you up.”

“Come with us.”

Raul shook his head. “Not this time. Take as long as you want.”

Evan dropped the keys in his outstretched hand. “Thank you,” he said in a thick-toned voice and hurried down the aisle after his wife.

This was one time Raul didn’t want to intrude on their private moment. In truth, he had no desire to meet Heather Sanders for the simple reason that she was the embodiment of everything he found attractive in a woman, not only physically, but emotionally.

That kind of complication he didn’t need in his life. Coming to Salt Lake had been a necessity. On Monday he’d be flying back to South America. The sooner he left, the better.

But in his heart of hearts, he couldn’t deny that something of tremendous significance had happened to him during her performance. Though it had only been a moment out of time, he was already feeling unmistakable stirrings. The type that needed to be repressed at all costs.

Heather heard her dad’s beeper go off while they were in the car driving home from the symphony. As soon as he started talking on the cell phone, she knew it was a patient who’d gone into labor. Before he clicked off, he told the woman to meet him at the hospital.

There went any hope of spending her last evening with him for at least a month. Being an obstetrician’s daughter, she was used to him leaving for the hospital at a moment’s notice. But tonight she needed him.

Despite her performance, which she felt was the best she’d ever given, she felt emotionally drained. She wanted to talk to him about her life and her concerns. Yet at the same time she was nervous because she didn’t know how he would react. The last thing she would ever want to do was hurt him or cause him grief.

“Honey?”

His voice jerked her from her torturous thoughts. She turned her head in his direction. “I know. You have a patient who needs you.”

“I’m sorry. Hopefully I won’t be long. You heard Phyllis. She asked us to come over, so I’ll drive you there right now and join you later. I don’t want you to be alone, not after the fabulous performance you gave tonight.”

Heather didn’t know what she wanted.

“It was a good thing I stayed in the wings,” he continued, unaware of her turmoil. “I was able to break down without anyone noticing that your old dad was the proudest father on the planet. A lot of important people were there tonight. Everyone gave you rave reviews. I could have told them you’re an incredible daughter as well as a pianist.”

“The feeling’s mutual, Daddy. I don’t know how I was lucky enough to be born to you and Mom. You both gave me a beautiful life.” Her voice trembled.

He reached across to pat her hand. “Honey—you sound like everything’s over when it’s only just begun. That must be your exhaustion talking.”

Maybe it was.

Maybe that was what was wrong with her.

She needed sleep and lots of it.

Now that the pressure of performing in her own home city was over, she would probably be able to let go of her anxiety.

“Heather?” her father prodded.

“You’re right, Daddy. I am tired.”

“Tell Phyllis you need to lie down and put your feet up.”

“That sounds divine.”

A few minutes later he turned into the Dorneys’s driveway. She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Hurry back.”

“You know I will.”

She got out of the car and dashed up the steps of the house. Phyllis already had the door open and drew Heather inside.

“Oh, no!” she cried when she saw the car drive off.

“There was an emergency. Daddy said he wouldn’t be long.”

“How many times have we heard that?”

They smiled at each other in total understanding before Phyllis shut the door. “So—what does the newest and brightest star on the concert stage want to do first?”

“Would you mind terribly if I just lie down for a while?”

Phyllis eyed her with concern. “Do you even have to ask? Can I bring you something?”

“No. Nothing. But thank you so much anyway. Where’s Evan?”

“He had to stop by the office to look over some X rays, but he’ll be here shortly. You go on in the study and make yourself comfortable on the couch.”

“Thank you, Phyllis. You’ve been wonderful to me.”

“You’re like the daughter I never had. I’m the one who’s lucky.”

Fighting tears, Heather gave her a hug, then headed for the study. As at home in the Dorney house as her own, she wandered into the book-lined den where she’d often practiced on their piano. Stepping out of her black high-heeled sandals, she placed a cushion at one end of the sofa, then lay down and closed her eyes.

She was always tired after a performance, but it was her troubled mental and emotional state that made her body feel like it weighed a thousand pounds.

When Raul opened the French doors of the study looking for the newspaper, he was stunned to discover Heather Sanders lying full-length on the long green velvet couch still wearing her floor-length black dress. Talk about Sleeping Beauty…

The noise brought her awake because her eyelids fluttered open. But she gazed at him for so long without saying anything, he realized she’d been in a deep sleep for quite some time.

He stood a few feet away from her, yet he was close enough to be fascinated by a pair of electrifying blue eyes watching him out of inky black lashes.

There were lakes high in the Andes their exact color. Raul had camped along their shores, mesmerized by the brilliant hue of those still, deep waters. Combined with her northern European blond coloring, the contrast took his breath.

“Ms. Sanders? I didn’t know anyone was in here or I would never have disturbed you.”

A red blush crept up her neck and face as she came to a sitting position and swung her feet to the floor. The imprint of the hand upon which she’d been lying was still visible on her velvety cheek, like a young child’s. Yet there was a womanly thrust of curves revealed beneath the material draping her gorgeous figure.

“I didn’t know you were a houseguest,” came her quiet response. Phyllis hadn’t said a word to her about Dr. Cardenas being in Salt Lake. Why? “My father dropped me off here on his way to the hospital. I only meant to rest for a minute.”

Her eyes darted to the clock on the table. “I can’t believe it’s almost one o’clock.”

“After the events of this evening, your fatigue is perfectly understandable,” he murmured. His gaze returned to the white-gold of her hair. Earlier he hadn’t been able to get a good enough look at her from his seat in the symphony hall.

With some disgust he realized that part of the reason he’d been prowling around the Dorney house for something to read stemmed from the fact that her image had been haunting him since she’d made her appearance onstage.

He didn’t particularly care if his intimate perusal embarrassed her. The combination of those sapphire orbs against the creamy richness of such smooth skin drew his attention until he couldn’t look anywhere else. He had the overwhelming urge to put his lips to the hollow of her throat where a pulse throbbed.

She was at a distinct disadvantage because her high heels lay next to the piano and her toes were curling in distress from his scrutiny. This reaction pleased him no end.

During the concert she’d been in total possession of herself. He liked the idea that he’d caught her off balance. The corners of his mouth lifted as he reached down and handed them to her.

“Your shoes, Ms. Sanders. Put them on if it will make you feel less vulnerable. But if you want my opinion, I prefer you just the way you are.”

The bloom on her cheeks turned to flame. “Thank you, Dr. Cardenas.” She took the heels from him. With a dignity he admired, she slipped her well-shaped feet into them.

“You’re welcome.

His smile widened as she stood up. He could sense she wanted to arrange her hair and make sure her dress was in place. All those little things women do to feel at their best.

But she did neither. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. That tiny spark of defiance intrigued him.

“Since we both appear to know each other without having been formally introduced, let’s dispense with last names, shall we, Heather?” he suggested in a silky voice.

Her chin lifted. “Since you haven’t been to Salt Lake for a decade, and probably won’t return for another, I can’t see that it’s of consequence either way.”

The conversation had taken an odd twist. He was no longer amused. “Why do I have the feeling there was something personal in your remark?”

She had the grace to blush, and finally deigned to look at him. “I’m sorry. That was very rude of me.” He watched her take a little breath. “It’s just that you must have made Evan so happy by finally coming to visit, it will seem cruel when you have to go away again. The stretches between their vacations with you have been hard on him.”

Her honesty was sobering. “I regret that it took me so long. My seeming indifference to the Dorneys in the past has obviously condemned me. But I assure you that were it not for a very sick patient, nothing could drag me away now.”

Once again he found himself studying the contrast of dark brows and lashes against her extreme fairness.

She shook her head. “It’s none of my business. The important thing is, you did come. Evan will be a new man.”

His dark brows furrowed. “I don’t think I understand.”

“I’m not certain I do.” A sad smile came and went. “But for reasons best known to Evan, he has always wanted you to live in Salt Lake, maybe go into practice with him.” She bit her lip, drawing Raul’s attention to the enticing mouth he desired to taste for himself.

“Apparently he wanted to be a kind of surrogate father to you.” She rushed on. “It really devastated him when you chose to go back to South America.”

Raul was incredulous at her frank speaking. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gazed at her through veiled eyes.

“Thank you, Heather. You’ve given me new insight into his feelings. Be assured mine run every bit as deeply. But I couldn’t turn my back on the aunt and uncle who took care of me after my parents died in an earthquake.”

She moaned. “How devastating for you.”

“It was. I won’t lie about that. But the experience highlighted my country’s need for more doctors. There weren’t enough to take care of all the injured. That’s when I determined to become a doctor and make a contribution. Those are the reasons I couldn’t accept Evan’s offer, however much I might have wanted to at the time.”

Her eyes searched his with an intensity that held him spellbound. “You’re not at all what I expected,” she blurted as if she couldn’t help herself.

CHAPTER TWO

RAUL’S head reared back. “You’re totally unexpected.”

Her intrusion into his carefully planned life had come as a tremendous shock. “You deserved to win the Bacchauer. I would have given you my vote on the strength of the Rachmaninoff alone.”

“Thank you,” she responded with a warm smile.

Dios. Her charm fell over him like an invisible cloak, enveloping him so completely, he was helpless to throw it off.

“It’s a difficult piece of music. Mother was my first teacher. She told me if I could learn to play it the way it should be played, then I would be ready to contemplate a career on the concert stage.”

He nodded his dark head. “She was right. An amateur shouldn’t touch it. In truth, it’s one of my favorite compositions. Would it offend you to learn that when you first sat down to play, I didn’t expect to hear genius?”

“Hardly that. But I’m glad you enjoyed the concert, and I think it tells me you’re an authentic music lover. Do you play?”

“Let’s just say I learned the fundamentals a long time ago. I prefer to sit back and listen to the experts. Your performance tonight was flawless. I could listen to you indefinitely.”

I could do many things to you indefinitely…

“You’re very kind.” A mischievous expression made her remarkable eyes sparkle. “I, too, have a confession. When you said you were in the audience tonight, I imagined your appearance was more in the line of duty to make Evan and Phyllis happy.”

Raul’s lips twitched. “It’s gratifying to realize you don’t know every thing about me yet. Someone once told me I had no heart. Perhaps it’s true. But whatever beats there responded completely to the music I heard tonight. Music has been known to tame the wild beast.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call you a wild beast.”

One black brow quirked. “If I told you some of the thoughts that have passed through my mind since your performance, you’d be forced to take those words back.”

A puzzled look crossed over her expressive face. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s my way of saying that I’m attracted to you. To be frank, attracted is a very mild word. If I were being totally honest, I would tell you that I’d like to take you away to some isolated haven where I could make love to you for weeks on end.”

For once the telltale blush didn’t appear. Quite the opposite in fact. Slowly she turned away from him without saying anything. Anticipating her instinct to flee from a predator, he moved directly behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from leaving the room altogether.

He could feel her tremble. “I’ve shocked you, Heather. I’m sorry.”

There was a long silence. “No, you’re not,” she whispered at last.

At her candor, he sucked in his breath. “You’re right. I’m not.”

Suppressing the urge to slide his arms around her waist and draw the voluptuous warmth of her body against his, he removed his hands and stepped away.

“Whether you believe me or not, I’ve never said that to another woman. Not on a first meeting or otherwise.” He raked a hand through his hair. “This seems to be a night for honesty on both our parts.”

His comment brought her blond head around. The stunned look on her lovely face let him know she was equally aware of the powerful chemistry between them.

“How long are you going to be in Salt Lake?”

“For two more days. When are you returning to New York?”

She smoothed a silky strand of hair away from her heated cheek. “Noon tomorrow.”

He shifted his weight. “The timing couldn’t be worse.”

Their gazes locked. To her credit, she didn’t try to pretend that she’d misunderstood. “You’re flying back to Argentina?”

“Yes.”

“To the bush.”

“That’s where I live and head a small hospital.”

“Were you born there?”

“No. Buenos Aires.”

Her chest rose and fell sharply. “What is it really like?”

Raul took his time answering. “It’s a godforsaken wilderness of disease, heat and humidity.”

“But you love it,” she murmured.

He nodded. “The same way you love the piano.”

There was a perceptible hardening of her delicate jaw. “The two aren’t comparable.”

Folding his arms he said, “I think they are. Music is your life. The bush is mine.”

Raul wasn’t destined to hear her response because Evan walked in on them.

“It looks as if you two are already acquainted.” He glanced first at Raul, then Heather. “Your dad just pulled up in the driveway. Phyllis sent me to tell you she has a postmidnight snack waiting in the dining room.”

“I’m glad he’s back. I’ll go help her put everything on.” She left the room in a hurry. Raul followed Evan out of the study, but his eyes remained on her retreating figure.

In the hallway Evan introduced Raul to Heather’s father. One glance at John Sanders and Raul realized he’d bequeathed his good looks and coloring to his daughter. It was Heather’s mother who had endowed her with such an amazing musical talent.

The three men moved through the house to the kitchen. Phyllis had prepared a veritable feast of salads, cold cuts and French bread. Evan told everyone to be seated. Soon they were helping themselves to the delicious food.

“What are your plans after you return to New York?” Raul watched Heather over the rim of his coffee cup, waiting for the answer to the question that had been burning him alive.

“She’s scheduled to go on tour,” John spoke up unexpectedly.

Phyllis eyed Raul. “It’s a shame she can’t stay home for a while and play on the new concert grand she was given as her prize for winning the Bacchauer.”

“That sounds like the perfect gift for you, Heather.”

She put down her fork. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to enjoy it for a long time.”

Her father frowned. “Why ever not? I plan to ship it to New York.”

“I’m leaving it at home.”

“Nonsense.

“Daddy—I already told you I’m giving you that piano in honor of all you and mother did for me. The Knabe in New York serves me perfectly well when I’m there. Have you forgotten I’ll be staying with Franz at his summer home to get ready for the tour?”

“Who’s Franz?” Raul wanted to know, experiencing an irrational dislike of any man who would be on such an intimate basis with her.

“My teacher.”

“Where does he live?”

“In Vienna. I’ll be flying there next week.”

The need to do something physical with his negative energy had Raul reaching for another piece of bread.

“Franz has arranged for her concert tour,” John revealed with visible pride. “So far he’s lined up London, Brussels, Paris, Rom—”

“R-Rome’s not confirmed yet,” Heather stammered before pushing herself away from the table. “Excuse me for a minute please.” As she disappeared into the kitchen, Raul saw John flash Phyllis a bewildered look.

“What was that all about?”

“She was so tired after the performance, she literally collapsed on the couch. But I admit she’s not reacting in her normal way.

“I noticed that, too.” Evan wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “I guess we’ll never understand the kind of pressure she’s been under.” Suddenly his gaze found Raul’s. “She reminds me of someone with a mild case of shock.”

No doubt Evan had felt the tension in the study when he’d walked in on the two of them a little while ago. With that inquiring mind of his, it was only natural he would speculate over what had gone on between Heather and his newly arrived houseguest in his absence.

Raul could have enlightened everyone about her mental state. He’d been deeply disturbed by their encounter and suffered the same reaction, but could do nothing about it. She was leaving for the East Coast in less than ten hours. By next week she would be in Austria. Dios.

“Phyllis? I can’t thank you enough for watching out for Heather, let alone preparing this wonderful meal. But now it’s late for everyone, and I need to take my daughter home if she’s going to get any more sleep and still make it to the airport on time.”

If Raul were a wise man, he would avoid temptation by saying good-night to Dr. Sanders, then plead fatigue and disappear upstairs. But he’d never felt less like sleeping.

In all honesty, he’d never felt so out of control in his life. It was a feeling totally foreign to him.

Gathering some of the dishes, he headed for the kitchen where he found Heather at the sink swallowing a couple of painkillers with a glass of water.

When he put the plates on the counter, their eyes met in a long, unsmiling regard.

“Your father’s ready to take you home.”

“Daddy’s dead on his feet and should have been in bed ages ago. After your long flight, I’m sure you’re exhausted, too. For the Dorneys’ sake, I’m glad you came,” she said in a shaky voice.

Her remark brought him up short. “But not for your sake.”

She looked away. “I—I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“Then what did you mean?” he demanded.

“Nothing,” she whispered. “I guess this is goodbye. Good luck to you, Dr. Cardenas. I hope you find all is well when you return home.”

If she’d had a lifetime to prepare what to say to him, she couldn’t have come up with anything as calculated to destroy the last vestiges of his peace of mind, because Raul had the gut feeling he would never find contentment at home again. Not now that he knew a certain woman with hot blue eyes and gossamer hair existed somewhere else on the planet…

“I don’t need to wish you luck. You’re very gifted, Heather. If you play every concert the way you played tonight, you’ll be a world sensation.”

“Thank you,” she answered woodenly.

As if on cue, her father opened the door connecting the dining room and the kitchen. Gut instinct told Raul that Dr. Sanders didn’t like him.

“Ready, honey?”

“I’m coming.”

“Dr. Cardenas—” Her father nodded to him as he put an arm around Heather’s shoulders. “It was very nice making your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Dr. Sanders.”

“Enjoy this time with Evan and Phyllis.”

But don’t get any ideas about seeing my daughter again?

Raul could read the other man’s mind.

“I already am. Goodbye.”

His eyes swept over Heather’s unforgettable face one more time before she was whisked from the kitchen and his life.

When they’d gone, an emptiness stole through him. In the past few hours he’d felt more emotion than he had since he was nine years old. But the pain of losing his parents was completely different than the kind of pain he was suffering now.

This was agony in a dimension he couldn’t begin to describe. In truth, the intensity of the loss he was feeling staggered him.

Dios.

After thirty-seven years it was finally happening.

“Heather? Wait up!”

No. Not Todd.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. If she pretended she hadn’t heard him, she might just get away with losing him once she’d entered the practice hall.

“Hey—” The blond pianist from Michigan caught up to her inside the doors. “I’ve been waiting to congratulate you on winning the Bacchauer. Everyone’s talking about it. You’re famous!”

“I don’t think so, Todd, but it’s very nice of you to say so.” She continued walking down the hall to the cubicle where she practiced. He kept up with her.

“Later on tonight I’d like to take you out for a spaghetti dinner to celebrate. Do you have plans?”

She pulled the keys out of her purse and unlocked the door, then looked over at him. “I’m afraid I do. It’s already three o’clock, and I need to put in at least six hours of work, but I appreciate the thought.”

He rocked back on his heels with his hands in his pockets. “Tomorrow night then?” His hopeful expression increased her guilt.

Heather had only been with Todd in group situations. She’d never had a romantic interest in him or any other man. It had taken the trip to Salt Lake for her to finally understand why.

Something earthshaking had happened to her there. Something she couldn’t talk about to anyone.

“I can’t, Todd. I’m sorry. Day after tomorrow I leave for Vienna and need to get in as much practice as possible before I go. Thank you anyway, though.” She went inside and shut the door, locking it to make sure no one else bothered her.

This was the only place she could be alone. She shared a room at the residence hall with another female student, but there was no peace in the dorm, especially since the news had gotten around about her winning the competition.

Everyone had been wonderful to her, and their praise meant a great deal. Yet the continual talk about her promising future on the concert circuit was choking her.

Free to give in to her emotions where no one was witness, she sank down on the piano bench and buried her face in her hands. Today was Monday. He was in the air now, winging his way back to South America. She could hardly bear it.

Ever since he’d walked into the Dorneys’ study, she’d been haunted by his image, the sensation of his hands on her shoulders. She’d never be able to forget what he’d said to her, not when she’d felt the same way about him.

I’m attracted to you. To be frank attracted is a mild word. To be totally honest, I’d like to take you away to some isolated haven where I could make love to you for weeks on end.

“I’ve got to get you out of my mind, Raul,” she whispered in agony to the empty room. “I’ve got to. Otherwise, I don’t know how I’ll be able to go on living.”

Wiping the moisture from her eyes with the backs of her hands, she plunged into her scales, ferociously attacking them in an effort to drive one Dr. Cardenas from her consciousness.

The cubicles of Juilliard’s practice hall seemed to be full of students. As Raul entered the building, music surrounded him at every step. He looked on the placards outside each door, but some of them didn’t have names. So far he hadn’t found the one he was searching for.

If he didn’t make contact with Heather, no one would be the wiser. It was probably just as well. She represented forbidden fruit. Any kind of relationship with her would be vetoed by her father. Raul had already been warned off by Dr. Sanders’ behavior in Evan’s kitchen.

As for Heather, he couldn’t imagine what kind of reception he’d get if they met again, not after certain things he’d said to her in private. Those words had poured from his psyche without his volition, shocking him as much as they’d immobilized her.

When he didn’t see her name anywhere, he decided he’d made a mistake in coming here. Living on campus at Lincoln Center in the heart of New York, she could be in a dozen different places. At this point it would be wisest to head back to the airport where he would wait to board his flight to Buenos Aires.

But as he turned to walk back the way he’d come, he spotted a blond male dressed in shirtsleeves and shorts leaning over a drinking fountain. Obviously he was a student here. On impulse, Raul approached him.

“Excuse me, but I’m looking for a pianist named Heather Sanders. She’s a gilt blond with blue eyes. Do you know her?”

The younger man lifted his head. As he stared hard at Raul, the glint of hostility flashed in his eyes. “Who are you?”

The guy was so painfully obvious, Raul had to fight back a few choice retorts. But on another level he was relieved the younger man was watching out for her. A stranger up to no good could be loitering around here, lying in wait for a woman like Heather. Possibly that was the reason she hadn’t put a sign outside her door.

“My name is Dr. Cardenas. I’m an acquaintance of hers from Salt Lake. Do you know if she’s in the building?”

The words “Salt Lake” must have done the trick. After a short pause, “That’s her practice room,” the guy said, inclining his head toward the door opposite them. “But I wouldn’t disturb her right now if I were you.”

Raul’s pulse rate tripled. Heather was here. His eyes closed tightly for a moment.

“She’s getting ready to go on tour,” the man continued to inform Raul as if he were Heather’s personal press secretary and watchdog rolled into one. “The best thing to do would be to leave a message. I’ll see that she gets it.”

I’ll just bet you will. “I appreciate that, but my plane leaves too soon to wait for her to contact me. Thank you for the information.”

Ignoring the younger man’s glower, Raul walked across the hall to the door and listened. She was working on the Brahms Piano Concerto Number One, another favorite of his. Feelings stirred inside him. He knocked.

If Heather had thought she could exorcise Raul Cardenas from her thoughts with a grueling practice schedule, she was very much mistaken. To her consternation, the increased isolation in the cubicle tended to make her concentrate on him to the exclusion of anything or anyone else.

When a knock came at the door, she ignored it. Hopefully the person on the other side would go away and leave her alone. Surely Todd had gotten the message and wouldn’t dare bother her now.

The knocking persisted.

Almost angrily she pounded out the last set of chords and jumped up from the piano bench, pulling her T-shirt down over her shorts. With the light of battle in her eyes, she undid the lock and opened the door.

There was instant stillness as she gazed up into the sun-bronzed face and midnight eyes that had scorched her with their intimate perusal in Evan’s study three nights ago.

Without her high heels, his six-foot-two physique seemed even taller, his black hair curlier in the humidity. He was the most gorgeous male she’d ever beheld.

Heather held on to the door. She was afraid that if she let go, she would sink to the carpeted floor. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, she couldn’t think of one. Fear that he’d sought her out because of some family crisis prevented her from saying anything at all.

Raul was still trying to recover his breath. He’d been living with the image of her in the long black dress she’d worn to play with the symphony. He wasn’t prepared for this side of her in a ponytail and bare legs. She wore no makeup, and looked utterly desirable.

“Your bodyguard out here in the hall seems to think you wouldn’t want to be disturbed. Is that true?” he inquired silkily.

Bodyguard? Her delicate brows frowned. “Oh—y-you must mean Todd,” she said when she could finally manage to talk. Beyond Raul’s broad shoulder she could see him glaring at the two of them from across the hall. “He’s just another student here.”

Raul stared at her through shuttered eyes. “He doesn’t seem to think so.”

Heather was still incredulous that instead of being halfway to South America by now, Raul was standing outside her practice room.

“Has something happened to my father or the Dorneys? Is that why you’re here?” she asked anxiously.

He rested one hand against the doorjamb. “The problem is a little closer to home, Ms. Sanders. I’m afraid something’s happened to me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“What would you say if I told you I changed my flight because I expressly wanted to see you again?”

Warmth started from Heather’s toes and crept up her body to her face until she felt white-hot.

“I—I thought you were on your way to Argentina.”

“I am. I have about twenty minutes before I must leave for the airport.”

No!

Smothering a groan she cried, “Then why did you bother to come at all?”

She heard him take a deep breath. “Maybe to find out if you were merely a figment of my fertile imagination.”

Feeling light-headed, Heather didn’t know where to look. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“You’re right.” His voice grated. “But for once in my life I did something totally against my better judgment.”

She moistened her lips in a nervous gesture. “Th-this is too soon after Salt Lake.”

Her honesty was as disarming now as it was the night they met. Raul bit out an epithet before raking an unsteady hand through his hair. He straightened to his full, intimidating height.

“Shall I let you get back to your practicing?”

“No—” she blurted, absolutely frantic he would walk away and leave her more desolate than ever.

His black eyes narrowed on her mouth. “Where can we go and be alone, Heather?”

Though they weren’t touching, he could feel her tremble.

“Right here.”

She’d finally whispered the words he’d been desperate to hear. Raul knew that if he went into that room, his whole life was going to change. He had the gut feeling she knew it, too. It was as if they could read each other’s minds.

He hesitated, giving her a chance. For what, he didn’t know exactly. She simply stood there, waiting…

Unable to help himself, he moved inside, taking the irreversible step. As he closed the door behind him, he noted the stunned expression on the young man’s face.

Raul fastened the lock, then turned to her. “You know what I want to do.”

“Yes,” came the aching reply. “It’s all I’ve been able to think about.”

“Then come here to me, muchacha,” Raul begged.

She stepped slowly into his arms, raising her mouth blindly for his kiss. He lifted her off the floor to mold her beautiful body to his, but nothing in his imagination had prepared him for the experience of touching and tasting Heather Sanders.

Her overwhelming response swept away all barriers, leaving Raul the one who was trembling from the passion she’d aroused. He’d heard it in her music, had spent sleepless nights dreaming of unleashing it in his arms. The reality was beyond his comprehension.

Together they began to move and breathe as one flesh.

He wanted to know all there was to know about her, and could no more stop what was happening than she could.

Heather had never experienced this kind of ecstasy before. The few kisses she’d exchanged with the boys she’d dated had nothing to do with this mindless rapture. Raul had awakened an insatiable hunger in her. She never wanted this giving and taking to end.

She moaned aloud when he tore his lips from hers and buried his face in the silken sheen of her hair. His breathing had grown shallow.

“Madre de Dios. I want you, Heather. I want you so badly I could swallow you alive.” He crushed her closer. “How am I going to walk away from you, amorada?”

Still caught up in a state of sensual euphoria, his question didn’t register all at once. But when it did, it might as well have been a dagger plunged to the very core of her being. Through sheer strength of will she stopped raining kisses on his face and pulled completely out of his arms.

Shaking like a leaf in the wind she cried, “How can you tell me you want me, and then ask me that question in the same breath?”

His features hardened, making him look older. “How can I not? We have no future. I had no right to touch you. If your father had any idea I had come here—”

Heather grasped the corner of the piano for support. “I—I think you’d better go now.” She forced the words from lips swollen by his kisses. “You’ll miss your plane.”

He felt as if he’d been running for miles and couldn’t catch his breath. “I made a grave mistake in coming.”

Her proud chin lifted. “If you’re worried on my account, please don’t be. We’ve both satisfied a craving. Th-that’s all it was.”

Raul shook his head. “That’s the first dishonest thing you’ve said since I met you.” His face darkened with lines. “I wish to God it were the truth.”

Heather held her ground. “In time we’ll work each other out of our systems. Living on different continents will help.”

His black eyes glittered dangerously. “You don’t believe that any more than I do.”

“I won’t have an affair with you.”

There was a long pause. “You have a lot to learn about me, Heather. The only way I’d take you is in holy wedlock and that possibility is out of the question.”

Another stab wound.

Naturally a thirty-seven-year old doctor who’d lived in the bush without a wife all this time had no plans to acquire one at this late date. Heather didn’t want to hear anymore.

“Please go, Raul.”

“You know you don’t want me to.”

“Now what are you saying?” she cried out in abject frustration.

His hands balled into fists. “So help me, I wish I knew. My life is not a conventional one. Your career on the concert stage is just beginning. You’ve a glorious future ahead of you. A normal courtship is out of the question for reasons too obvious to bother discussing.

“An affair with a weekend here or there every couple of months couldn’t possibly satisfy either one of us. The only solution to our problem would be to get married at some point, or never see each other again.

“If I asked you to be my wife, you would have to walk away from the concert stage and never look back. After certain things Evan shared with me, I don’t even want to think about what it would do to your father.

“I’ll tell you right now, I’m a possessive man. I couldn’t share you with anything or anyone. If you and I were to marry, I’d want you with me every night.”

At this juncture Heather couldn’t take it all in, and sank down on the piano bench.

“My life’s work is in the bush. You would have to come to my world. There could be no compromise. In other words, Heather, I’d be doing all the taking, and you’d end up hating me.

“The environment is so hostile, it’s difficult to find health workers from my own country willing to work in the bush hospital. Someone like you would never survive there.”

She jumped up from the bench. “You don’t know that!”

“The hell I don’t!” His chest heaved. “Much as I might want you for my wife, I couldn’t risk robbing you of the life you were meant to live. You have a unique gift to give to the world. I would never ask you to make such a sacrifice.”

Before she could comprehend it, he’d undone the lock and turned the handle of the door.

“Forgive the intrusion. It will never happen again.”

He meant what he said. In about one second he was going to walk away from her and she really would have seen the last of him. She couldn’t let that happen.

“Don’t go, Raul!”

He wheeled around, grim-faced.

“Stay until tomorrow,” she begged. “If this is all we can ever have of each other, then let’s at least spend this one night together.”

His powerful body tautened. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, then you don’t have any idea what you’re inviting. I know in my gut you’ve never been with a man before.”

“Are you going to use the fact that I’m a virgin against me?” came her angry cry. “A few minutes ago you told me you wanted me.”

She felt his smoldering gaze.

“More than you could possibly imagine.”

“I want you, too,” she declared from her soul. “Please, Raul. Make love to me tonight. I’ve been aching for you.”

He seemed to pale beneath his tan. “You’ll regret it tomorrow.”

“If I can’t be with you tonight, then the rest of my tomorrows will never have the same meaning for me again.”

“Don’t say that,” he ground out.

“Why?” she fired at him. “Because you know it’s true?”

She could sense the battle going on inside of him.

“You’re an innocent, Heather.”

“Give me some credit, Dr. Cardenas. I’ll be twenty-six next month. Every close friend of mine is already married. In some cases they’ve started families. Since marriage doesn’t seem to be in my future any more than yours, I guess in your eyes that’s supposed to preclude my having a personal life at all.”

She turned sharply away from him, fearing he would see her tears. “Just go—”

Miraculously she felt his arms slide around her hips from behind. His touch dissolved her bones.

“You want this night together?” he murmured against the side of her neck. “So do I, amorada. Let’s not waste another second of it destroying each other. I know a place an hour from here where I can love you in total comfort and privacy.”

Raul— Her heart leaped for joy as she twisted around to meet his descending mouth.

CHAPTER THREE

WHILE Dr. Sanders and Franz sat talking in the suite her father had booked for them, Heather looked out the hotel window. The rain in Brussels hadn’t let up for three days.

Apparently this was typical for mid-September, but she hated the dark sky. Inclement weather made everything so somber. It all went to deepen the depression she’d been in throughout her concert tour of Europe. Franz hadn’t said a word, but she was her own harshest critic and hadn’t been pleased with her playing.

Since the unforgettable night she’d spent in Raul’s arms, she’d waited for a phone call or a letter asking her to meet him somewhere. Anything to let her know he couldn’t live without her and wanted her to join him in the bush. Secretly she’d been preparing for that eventuality.

But after three months of quiet on his end, she feared that no matter how much pleasure they’d given each other, he’d stuck to his original decision to never see her again.

The silence was killing her. She couldn’t fathom a future without him. Now that she’d performed her last concert for the season, she was fast reaching a crisis state because nothing sounded good to her anymore. If she couldn’t be with Raul, she didn’t want anything else.

No longer associated with Juilliard, if she chose to use New York as a base between tours her agent was in the midst of planning for her, that meant finding an apartment. Her father was eager to help her. But New York had never felt like home to her. It never would.

Once again Franz and his wife, who lived in Linz, had offered their summer house in Vienna as a semipermanent residence. She was welcome to stay there for the next year or two while she was on the concert circuit.

Neither option appealed. She would prefer to return to Salt Lake and live with her father. More than anything she wanted to stop playing concerts altogether and give music lessons while she took care of him. But he would never understand, which was why she was afraid to broach the subject.

“Honey? Come finish your breakfast and tell us what you’ve decided to do. The limousine will be taking me to the airport before long.”

She returned to the sitting area and reached for a cup of tea, the only thing she felt wouldn’t make her sick right now. Ten weeks ago the doctor had started her immunization shots including yellow fever, and she’d begun taking antimalaria pills. Throughout that time she’d had periods of nausea, which had robbed her of an appetite.

“If it’s all right with you, Franz, I’d like to stay in Vienna, at least for the time being.”

He slapped his hands on his knees before jumping to his feet. “Excellent! I have dozens of invitations for you to perform recitals around Salzburg and Innsbruck. They will boost your career much faster if you stay in Europe as I had hoped. We’ll talk everything over at the end of the week when I’m in Vienna.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more business to take care of. John? A safe flight home.” He shook her father’s hand, then turned to Heather.

“As for you, young lady, you’ve already been given a key to the apartment. The housekeeper will be expecting you and have your room ready.”

“Thank you, Franz.” They hugged each other before he left the suite.

“I’m glad that’s settled,” her father murmured after Heather’s teacher had disappeared. “I’ll sleep better knowing he and his wife will be keeping an eye on you.”

He went into the other room for his suitcase. She followed him. “Daddy?”

“Yes, honey?”

“You were with mother constantly toward the end. What did she say exactly a-about my future?”

“That she hated leaving you at such a vulnerable time in your life. I promised her I would see to it every dream was fulfilled. Somewhere in heaven she’s smiling down at her beautiful daughter who is bringing pleasure to so many thousands of people. Last night’s performance of the Beethoven was a case in point.”

He shrugged into his top coat. “There. I’m ready. Come on and walk me downstairs to the limo.” They left the hotel room arm in arm.

“You never did tell me why Phyllis and Evan didn’t join you for this last concert. I thought they were going to come.”

“They would have, but the young boy Evan had operated on at the bush hospital several months ago developed complications. He had to fly down there a few weeks back to do another operation, so he couldn’t take any more time off.”

Evan had been with Raul again? Why hadn’t her father mentioned a word of it to her?

Her heart began to hammer. “H-how is Dr. Cardenas?”

“I’m sure I have no idea. Why do you ask?”

Heat swamped her cheeks. “Evan’s very fond of him.”

“Phyllis and Evan should have adopted a child as soon as they were married. I don’t know of another couple who would have made finer parents. Age wouldn’t have mattered. Look how they’ve doted on you.”

He was deliberately avoiding any talk of Raul.

“I know. They’re wonderful.”

“Thank goodness your mother and I had you. I’m going to miss you, honey. Keep in close touch. You’re flying home for Thanksgiving?”

“Of course.” A wave of tenderness for her father swept over her. “Please take good care of yourself, Daddy. Don’t work too hard. I love you.”

“Forget about me. It’s the piano that’s the important thing.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks because it was so impossible to talk to him.

They hugged one more time before he walked out to the limo with his suitcase. After she’d waved him off, she dashed back to the room realizing she couldn’t go on this way any longer.

The last time she and Raul had been together, it was because he’d made a surprise visit. Now that she’d taken the necessary health precautions and had received her visa, she could venture into his world.

Surely the bush wasn’t as inhospitable as he’d made it out to be. He needed to know she would follow him to the ends of the earth. She had to see him again.

Reaching for the phone, she called the travel agency that scheduled her itineraries and booked a night flight to New York, followed by two more flights to Buenos Aires, then Formosa in the northeast region of Argentina. From there she would charter a bush plane to take her to Zocheetl.

That gave her about eight hours to prepare. First of all she needed to inform Franz’s housekeeper that she’d decided to take a small vacation before arriving in Vienna.

It was after midnight. Since Raul’s interlude with Heather three months ago, he’d developed a serious case of insomnia. Lately he dreaded going to bed unless he knew he would fall asleep from exhaustion the second his head hit the pillow.

Tonight he realized that wasn’t going to happen. The alternative was to stay in his office and tackle the ever-present mass of paperwork and correspondence.

He opened the last of the day’s mail and read the path report on the Toba tribesman sent from Formosa Province Hospital. Another death due to arsenic poisoning from the river!

Furious over a deplorable, ongoing situation, he left his office to find Dr. Avilar, one of two other resident doctors who rotated shifts with him. She was about to go off duty and be relieved by Marcos.

“Elana, could I see you in my office, please?”

“I’ll be right there.”

Raul nodded to Juan, the efficient nurse who flew in from Formosa three days a week to help staff the tiny government hospital. The rotation system Raul had worked out with several dozen nurses, lab technicians, and kitchen help from Formosa had been working well.

Daily cargo flights brought the mail and much needed blood plasma. Money from private donors who were family friends in Buenos Aires continued to roll in, making it possible for him to have new huts built for the staff, and to replace old equipment the government couldn’t or wouldn’t cover. All in all, he couldn’t complain about the world under his immediate control.

It was a group of men who held themselves above the law Raul wanted to strangle with his bare hands. The criminals owned a mine that dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic pollutants into the Yana Machi river, which fed the Pilcomayo river bordering the chaco of Argentina. Not only fish, but the local tribespeople themselves were becoming victims!

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