With that fluttery sense of anticipation every time Tris came near, Rachel reached for her purse and handed Natalie the key.
“Thanks.” She dashed off.
More people had congregated outside the café, but Tris’s handsome features and tall physique stood out in the crowd. He looked attractive in anything, but never more so than in the well-worn, thigh-molding jeans and T-shirt he was wearing.
A too familiar ache passed through her body—the resonant sign that the fire on her part had never been completely extinguished. To fan it now might create an inferno that would devour her. She wasn’t sure it was wise to stay in Switzerland much longer.
In a few more days Natalie would feel so at home here, Rachel could leave for Concord and let her daughter enjoy the time alone with her father until school started. After that, they could work out a reasonable visitation schedule that would be best for everyone concerned, especially Alain.
Natalie could come again at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Looking ahead to next year, she could fly over and stay for spring break. Much as Rachel despised the thought of visitation, it was the only solution. Hundreds of thousands of families in the world managed to deal with it.
Tris didn’t really want to build a hotel in New Hampshire, let alone live there. His life was here. He had a receptionist he was interested in, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought up the other woman in conversation.
The thing he should do was bring Alain to Concord with him on the odd weekend. Somehow it would all work out. It had to.
With that decision made, Rachel summoned the waiter and ordered sandwiches and fries. In a few minutes the kids and Tris joined her. There were other dark haired males in the café, but only one turned every feminine head as he made his way through the lunch crowd.
Rachel purposely greeted Alain without looking at Tris. “Did you catch any trout?”
“No,” he said glumly before sitting down in the chair on her left. “Uncle Tris thinks they’ll start biting later in the day when there are more insects out.”
What she didn’t hear Alain say was that he wished more than anything he and his uncle could have fished all day. The thought gave Rachel an idea.
“I haven’t been fishing in years. Maybe after lunch we could go back to your favorite spot and see if we can catch enough for dinner.” She turned to her daughter. “What do you say, Natalie?”
“That would be fun.” She sounded like she meant it. Whether it was because of their prior conversation, or the fact that she was open to any suggestion because she was with her father, Rachel was thankful for Natalie’s positive response.
“Good. Then let’s do it.” Turning her head for Alain’s approval, she accidentally ran into Tris’s veiled gaze.
“Maybe tomorrow,” he murmured.
Right now Tris didn’t seem to be looking at her as friend or foe, rather something in between. It was a subtle improvement from his initial rage. If only it would last until she left Switzerland…
The garcon appeared at that moment to serve them. “Bon appetit.”
Natalie stared at her plate, then at Rachel. “What is it?”
“A croque-monsieur,” Tris informed her.
Their daughter tried to repeat the words, but made a hash of it.
Both Rachel and Tris chuckled. Their eyes met again. This time her heart turned over. Just then she was back on the ship enjoying one of the many private moments with him that had caused her to fall so deeply in love.
“What’s in it, Dad?”
“Ham and cheese,” her father murmured, still looking at Rachel.
“Hey, they have French fries here.” Natalie ate one. “Um. They’re good.”
“They should be, honey. The Swiss invented them.”
Her brown eyes widened. “Honest?”
“Ask your father if you don’t believe me. He’s the one who told me.”
Tris’s mouth broke into an engaging smile, stealing all the air from her lungs. “I’m almost afraid to find out what other unsubstantiated facts I told you in order to impress you while we were on the ship.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Again she had the sensation of déjà vu.
On their first day at sea he’d continually flirted with her. He’d made up some of the most outrageous statements just to make her laugh. Something would flicker in the recesses of his dark eyes, the way it was happening now—exciting her, thrilling her until she didn’t know where to go with all her emotions.
“I don’t want a sandwich. Can I order pizza?”
Alain’s question shattered the moment, reminding Rachel she wasn’t alone with Tris.
“Pizza?” Natalie sounded shocked.
“It’s not exactly like ours, honey.”
“Since we have another place to be in a little while, Alain, we’d better eat what Rachel ordered so we won’t be late.” Tris tucked into his food with obvious relish.
“Where are we going, Dad?”
“That’s for me to know, and you to find out,” he teased.
Natalie giggled, but Alain only toyed with his meal. Clearly he was upset at not being able to manipulate the situation. Rachel understood the reason behind his behavior, but she admired the gentle yet firm way Tris handled his nephew by not giving in to him on every issue. How else would the boy learn to cope?
Within fifteen minutes they left the café and walked around the corner to the car. Tris was behaving very mysteriously. Rachel had to admit she was as curious as Natalie about their destination.
Natalie climbed in the back seat with Rachel. It left Alain to get in front with his uncle, thereby averting a minor crisis. She reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. Natalie squeezed back.
Rachel had never loved this kindhearted daughter of hers more than right now. Judging by the look in Tris’s eyes as he glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror, he was aware of Natalie’s unselfish gesture, too.
The trip through the mountains was one of enchantment. Rachel felt as if she were seeing the bucolic Swiss countryside for the first time. Twelve years ago there’d been too much pain. That wasn’t the case today. Being with Tris had made her euphoric, the most dangerous state of mind for her.
They drove through several Alpine villages including Gruyeres where the world famous cheese was made. When Natalie asked if they were going to stop, Tris informed her they would come another day.
“Right now I’m craving dessert. I thought we’d get some further on in Broc.”
“Broc? You’re in for the treat of your life,” Rachel couldn’t help commenting.
Natalie’s head jerked around. “You know where Dad’s taking us?”
“I do now. You’ll think you died and went to heaven.” Again Rachel’s eyes encountered Tris’s gaze through the mirror. She recognized his excitement. On the ship he’d told her about this place. Now he was eager to show Natalie his world.
If only Rachel could have found the courage to contact Tris’s family in the beginning…
But it hadn’t happened.
Somehow she had to stop allowing herself to be riddled by regrets and what if’s. The important thing here was to be thankful that Natalie and her father had found each other. Tris would be there to help guide her through the ups and downs of her teenage years when a girl needed her father so badly.
Rachel’s eyes strayed to Alain. The poor thing. Opening that letter had been like letting the genie out of the bottle. She wished she could put her arms around him, not only to thank him, but to comfort him. He’d lost his parents at the same age Natalie was now.
The dynamics of the situation were incredibly precarious. Before there could be any kind of satisfactory resolution, Rachel had a premonition things would grow a lot more difficult for everyone involved.
“How can we have dessert here?”
Natalie’s voice brought Rachel back to her surroundings. Tris had pulled up in front of a sprawling old building. He shut off the motor.
; “Step outside the car, petite, and you’ll figure it out.”
She undid her seat belt and scrambled from the back seat. Tris came around to help. Rachel’s body went hot as his gaze made a thorough inventory of her face and figure. It was exactly the way he used to look at her when she would open her cabin door to him, be it morning or night.
“Oh my gosh—I can smell chocolate!”
“That’s the aroma of the cocoa beans roasting,” Tris said though he was still staring at Rachel. “This is where they manufacture chocolate bars. You’re going to see the process from start to finish.”
A squealing sound came out of Natalie, but her cousin made no move to join them.
“Come on, Alain.” Tris opened the front passenger door.
“I’ve been here before. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Rachel couldn’t bear it that he was hurting. “You know what, Alain? I’ve had the tour, too.”
She turned to Tris, imploring him with her eyes to understand. “Give me the keys. We’ll drive into the village and walk around until you and Natalie are through. As I recall, the tour takes about an hour.”
There was no point in everyone being miserable. Tris needed time alone with his daughter. This was the perfect opportunity.
Rachel could sense his hesitation. She held her breath before he finally handed her the keys.
“I’ll try not to get lost,” she said in a deadpan face.
Under other circumstances she might have gotten an amused smile from him.
“Have fun,” she called to Natalie, then went around to the driver’s seat and got behind the wheel.
Once she started the car and they’d driven out to the main road, she looked over at Alain.
“After we get you a pizza, let’s find a tackle shop. When Tris and I were on the ship, he told me how much he loved your father. It was Bernard this and Bernard that. Among other things I found out your dad was the expert fly fisherman in the family.
“Why don’t we buy some hand-tied flies that are guaranteed to work in the gorge? Your uncle said we could go fishing tomorrow. It’ll be fun to surprise him by catching lots of fish, don’t you think?”
He slanted her a contemplative glance. “I guess.”
At least it wasn’t a flat no. If her prayers were answered, Alain would have success tomorrow. The praise from Tris would do him a world of good. Holding only the best thoughts, she headed for the center of the village.
They came to a tiny café and ordered two individual pizzas to go. The serveuse behind the counter told them where to find the sporting goods store. Rachel was still full from her sandwich, but she started to eat her pizza anyway. Soon Alain copied her. They ate as they walked along the quaint street.
She was glad to see his appetite had improved. By the time they’d entered the shop, he’d finished his off.
“My French isn’t up to telling the man what we want. You’ll have to do it.”
Alain nodded and approached him.
While the two of them got into a discussion, Rachel found a waste basket and deposited the other half of her pizza. Then she joined them at the rear of the store. The flies were visible in containers beneath the counter. She pulled out her packet of travelers cheques and signed one to pay for everything.
With their transaction completed, they headed for the car. She opened the trunk. Before Alain put the flies away in his tackle box, she asked him to show her what he’d bought.
He’d purchased a half dozen flies with brown and white bodies streaked by a red line. “The man told me most trout don’t see a lot of flies in the brushiest part of the gorge. But he said if I swing one of these streamers into the pools behind the rocks, I’ll catch some.”
“I guess if I were a fish, these would look yummy.”
Alain gave her an extra long glance before hiding the sack. Then they retraced the route to the chocolate factory on the outskirts of the village. For the moment he was tolerating her presence, but no one knew how long it would last.
While Tris was talking to Guy, he heard footsteps behind him. He looked around, hoping it was Rachel. After today’s incident at the factory, she needed to be told that Alain was Tris’s problem. He would deal with that situation from here on out.
As if thinking about him conjured him up, his nephew had appeared in the kitchen wearing his pajamas.
Tris told Guy he would have to call him later, and hung up.
“Looks like you’re ready for bed.” At least Alain hadn’t asked to go back to his grandparents to sleep.
“Can we leave to go fishing at the same time in the morning?”
Fishing? Tris had all but forgotten about it, but it was obvious Alain had been counting on it. “Of course. I’ll let Rachel and Natalie know so they’ll be ready.”
“Do they have to come?”
Tris rubbed his jaw in frustration. “As I recall, it was Rachel’s idea because she knew how disappointed you were to cut things short today.”
His nephew lowered his eyes and turned to leave, but Tris wouldn’t let him go without giving him a hug. “See you down here at six. I love you.”
Alain ran off without saying the same thing back. It was a first for him.
Tris stood there in a quandary. These were early days. In time Alain would learn to accept Natalie and adjust to the situation. But the niggling thought continued to torture him that Alain might not adjust. Couldn’t.
Unwilling to let things deteriorate any further, Tris decided to go after him. He’d almost reached the door, when Rachel unexpectedly entered the kitchen. She was still dressed in the leaf green top and white pants she’d worn earlier. It was difficult to keep his eyes from straying over the curving mold of her body.
“Here.” She handed him what looked like a yogurt carton with tiny holes in the top.
“What’s this?”
“Put it in the microwave for thirty seconds and you’ll find out.”
She’d mimicked what he’d said to Natalie earlier in the day. Intrigued, he did her bidding. At fifteen seconds he could smell chocolate. He shot her a questioning glance, feeling a strong pull on his senses that had nothing to do with food.
“When Alain and I got back to the factory, you were still on the tour. I asked the woman in reception if she would do me a favor. It’s my gift to you for making our daughter so happy.”
He opened the carton. Melted dark chocolate. His favorite kind.
“On the ship you told me how good it was fresh from the vat.”
“Let’s test it and find out, shall we?” He put his index finger into the warm, delicious looking goo and held it up to her mouth. “You first.”
As he watched her take a hesitant, dainty bite with her lips, his heart hammered against his ribs. He’d kissed those enticing lips before. Many, many times, with her full permission. The proof lay in the pictures tucked away in his drawer, but he had no memory of the experience.
“I think it’s time to make one,” he muttered indistinctly.
“W-what did you say?”
For an answer, he pressed his lips to her chocolate covered mouth, needing to taste what had been offered so provocatively without her realizing it.
Driven by a need that had been growing since he’d first laid eyes on her at the townhouse, he trapped her against the counter and started to deepen their kiss.
“No, Tris—” She pushed him away and spun around to turn on the tap. She needed to clean the chocolate off her mouth.
While Tris waited for his breathing to return to normal, he watched her wash any residue chocolate off her face. Rachel could deny it all she wanted, but for that infinitesimal second before she’d cried out, he’d felt her respond. It ignited sensations inside him he feared weren’t going to go away.
He put the carton on the counter. “If I hadn’t had that accident, this is exactly what we would have ended up doing. Thank you for the gift. You and I now share one living memory from the past.”
She clung to the si
nk without looking at him. “I hope that’s the last of the surprises. Natalie or Alain could have walked in just now.”
The mention of his nephew had the effect of cooling his ardor.
“I’m sorry he was difficult today.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault.” Her voice shook. She finally turned around to face him. “But he’s in pain.”
“I agree. Still—at this point we need to lay some ground rules. Natalie’s never going to go away. The sooner he faces that fact, the better off he’ll be. I need your cooperation.”
Her face closed up. “I refuse to apologize for trying to make him feel better today. One look in his eyes and—”
“I’m not asking for an apology, Rachel. Your kindness to him was a revelation. But if you interfere, I can’t discipline him no matter how well intentioned.”
“I’m the intruder here.”
“Wrong,” he fired back. “I brought you and Natalie home to stay. It’s a fait accompli. What I need is your promise that from now on you’ll respond the way you would if he were my son. In other words, let me handle him.”
“I’ll try, but that’ll be difficult to do.”
“Nothing’s going to change the situation except time.”
“What if nothing changes?” she blurted. Her question echoed his fears.
“It will,” he said with more certainty than he felt. “Natalie will win him over. I’m just thankful we have a sensitive daughter whose ability to love everyone is rare. I’ve been around you long enough to realize the credit goes to you for cultivating those strengths.”
“No, Tris. She came that way. Alain has that same sweetness. I could tell it over the phone when he first called me. His only concern was to help you overcome your headaches. It’s obvious he worships you to the point he doesn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Alain worries too much.”
She studied him pensively. “After your accident, was the surgery extensive?”
“No. The only thing the doctor could do was relieve pressure on the brain. The rest was up to my body to restore itself.”
Their New-Found Family Page 9
