The Baby Dilemma

by Rebecca Winters

  “What about you, Monsieur Didier? Have you been around babies?”

  “Yes. I’ve diapered, fed and tended every one of my nieces and nephews, but as my wife said, it’s the doing throughout the years that gives you the experience.”

  “I expect with your resources you’ll be hiring a nanny.”

  The question caused Kellie’s heart to pound so hard, she thought it would jump right out of its cavity. Could he feel it against the hand that was rubbing her back?

  “Should we be lucky enough to win custody of Jean-Luc, we plan to invite his grandmother to live with us. There’s a private apartment for her.”

  So Analise was going to be the nanny?

  The other woman frowned. “Has she already agreed?”

  “No. She doesn’t know that’s what we have in mind.”

  “You’ve never suggested it?”

  “My husband wouldn’t resort to bribery in the hope of swaying her or the judge,” Kellie defended.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” the social worker murmured. “I think those are all the questions I have. According to my information, your court date is set for next week. Good luck to you. I’ll see myself out.”

  Philippe’s hand slid away. He moved quickly to open the front door for her. Kellie followed.

  When Madame Frouneau had gone, he shut it. This time when he turned to Kellie, she saw a look of solemnity in his eyes. What was running through his mind now? Was he upset with her?

  “I was going to wait until the judge made a decision before showing you the extent of my appreciation for all your help.”

  Showing me?

  “But your unflinching honesty with the social worker has prompted me to do it now. You were very fierce when you sprang to my defense, by the way. For that you deserve a reward. Come out in back with me.”

  Kellie couldn’t imagine what he was talking about.

  “You don’t have to do anything for me!” she cried as she ran through the house after him.

  He’d opened the French doors off the kitchen. When she caught up to him, he said, “There’s a reason why I haven’t talked to you about the greenhouse.”

  “I know. The grounds are your department.”

  “Not any longer.”

  She blinked. “What do you mean?”

  Her husband regarded her for a breathless moment. “You said you wanted to live in Switzerland for the rest of your life. When you give the word, an architect I’ve hired will transform it into a restaurant where you can cook your French cuisine to your heart’s content. It will be a small, exclusive establishment.

  “There’s plenty of parking, a garden which can be replanted, a charming château to provide the backdrop and create an atmosphere you couldn’t duplicate anywhere else.”

  She’d heard what he’d said, but she still didn’t comprehend it.

  “This is your home.”

  He shook his attractive head. “Only if I win custody of Jean-Luc. In that case, I’ll ask Analise to live in the house with me. The tower will be yours. You’ll be able to run your restaurant without problem.”

  “Even though we’d be divorced?”

  He gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. “Why not?”

  To live next door to your ex-spouse and not care—that meant her husband had to have lost all feeling for her.

  She groaned inwardly. Why didn’t he just run her through with a sword and be done with it?

  “If I lose custody,” he went on talking as if he were discussing the weather, “I’ll live at the apartment and give you this property in its entirety. In that case you might even want to turn the château into an inn.”

  What?

  “All you’d need to do is put different locks on the bedroom doors. You could transform the garage into an office. The setup is perfect to make this a showplace that will put you on the map.”

  His guilt over not being able to take her back into his mind and heart was responsible for this extravagant gift which, in reality, was her honorable husband’s version of alimony.

  Of course she didn’t intend to take advantage of such generosity. But for the time being, she would play along and let him think she was thrilled.

  When the custody fight was over, she’d inform him of his impending fatherhood and tell him she had no intention of holding him to his fabulous offer.

  “I’m overwhelmed, Philippe.” She was overwhelmed. Only Philippe could have come up with something like this. Her love for him just kept growing deeper.

  “You’ve presented me with a dream beyond my comprehension. I always knew you were a selfless man. If you’re sure this is what you really want to do, then I accept your magnificent present and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  “Good. I’m glad you’re pleased.”

  He sounded relieved, as if some great burden he’d been carrying had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

  That’s what she’d been. A burden.

  “What would you think if I moved my things from the apartment to the tower this evening?”

  One black brow dipped lower than the other. “You don’t want to stay in the château now that we can sleep here tonight?”

  “You know me,” she flashed him her brightest smile. “I fell in love with the tower. It’s so exciting to think it’s going to be mine. I can invite that architect over and we’ll start planning out my fantasy restaurant. It will give me something I can sink my teeth into while we wait to go to court. What did you say his name was?”

  “It’s a woman,” he muttered in a sober tone. “Michelle Viret.”

  A new love interest for him? Kellie’s wounds continued to bleed.

  “I’m looking forward to meeting her.” She rubbed her palms against her jeans, anxious to get away from him before she revealed her anguish. “Is there anything more you want to do here?” It was already quarter to six.

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Then let’s go back to the apartment for dinner. I’ll fix us an omelette before you get together with your friends. While you’re gone, I’ll bring another load of my belongings back here.”

  “Did I say I was going over to Raoul’s?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  Uh-oh.

  “No. The other day in the boat when he extended the invitation, I just assumed you’d want to watch your old climbing videos with them.”

  His eyes were half-veiled. “After I get us settled, I might drop in.”

  Didn’t he know his friends were dying to be with him again?

  “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

  For the next two hours she was the one who felt compelled to make conversation. Her taciturn husband could only be described as out-of-sorts. She attributed it to the fact that he’d been pushing himself too long and hard physically to get everything done at the château. Unfortunately they still needed to bring more things from their apartment.

  Tomorrow he was going to put in a full day at the office. He probably couldn’t wait to be back at the helm.

  Once her car was packed, she left the apartment first and made a detour to a lumber yard for a bundle of wood. As soon as she pulled up to the château, she was determined to get a fire going before she did anything else. They’d had the chimneys cleaned. Everything was ready.

  She balled up some old newspaper and put the kindling on the top. In minutes shadows from the flames danced against the round wall. There was a nice draw. The heat felt good against the cold outside.

  Two trips to the car and she’d brought all her clothes in. She laid them on the bed and pulled the couch up to the hearth, too tired to do any more work tonight.

  When Philippe walked in without knocking, she was lying on the cushions warming herself. The lady of the castle.

  “Why didn’t you wait for me to help you?”

  Her handsome knight had gone from out-of-sorts, to angry. She couldn’t deal with it. Not tonight.

  “Because I don’t expect you to wait on me.”

>   His mouth tightened into a thin line before he started hanging her clothes in the closet.

  Kellie must have been more exhausted than she thought. Oblivion took over. She didn’t remember anything else until she discovered she was lying on top of the sheets of her bed without her shoes or socks.

  Disoriented, she murmured, “Philippe?”

  The room was dark except for some dying embers in the grate. Through bleary eyes she could barely discern his masculine features. He was close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek. An explosion of desire shot through her pregnant body.

  “Let me help you off with this sweater, then you can go back to sleep.” His hands started to tug it over her head.

  In an instant she was wide-awake.

  “No!” she cried out in absolute panic. Rolling away from him, she clawed at her sweater in an effort to hide the thickening at her waist.

  She felt the mattress give. His hand slid up her back to her neck. He massaged the soft skin beneath her hair.

  “Kellie—” His voice sounded ragged. He began kneading her shoulder with gentle insistence. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I only wanted to help you get more comfortable.”

  His touch made her tremble. Hopefully he’d think it was from the cold. “T-thank you, but I’m fine just the way I am. My sweater feels good. You go on to Raoul’s. I’ll see you in the morning before you leave for the office.”

  “I’ve decided I’m too tired to do anything more than stretch out on your couch. Do you mind?”

  For him to want to stay in the tower meant he’d probably put too much stress on his knee and it was hurting again. Naturally he couldn’t face trying to climb the château stairs. No wonder he’d taken the trouble to carry her to the bed. But now he was paying the price.

  “No. Of course not. My grandmother’s quilt is on the top shelf of the closet. Use that to put over you.”

  His hand remained on her shoulder for a breathless moment. She wanted him so badly she was waiting for him to turn her around and crush his mouth against hers. When he drew the covers to her shoulders instead, she had to bury her face in the pillow to stifle her protest.

  While she lay there aching for him, her eyelids grew heavy once more. It took a ray of sunshine invading the tower to bring her back to consciousness. With it came a remembrance of the night before.

  Philippe!

  She sat up in the bed to see if he was still asleep on the couch. All that remained was the white quilt which he’d folded over the end.

  Devastated he’d gone, Kellie knew she should be feeling exactly the opposite! Last night had been too close a call. What if he’d discovered the truth?

  Under no circumstances did she want to do anything to provoke Philippe’s wrath, not when their court date was only six days away. He would tell her to get out as he’d done once before. Then he’d lose the slim chance he had to get custody of Jean-Luc.

  The trick was to spend the rest of the week working with the architect he’d hired. At least that way Kellie would know the woman wasn’t spending her time with Philippe!

  As for her husband, he could go back to earning a living.

  By some miracle, photographers and journalists had been banned from Neuchâtel’s hall of justice. It wasn’t until she and Philippe were riding in the tinted limousine Raoul had provided for them that she learned he’d used his influence with the judge to keep the closed door proceedings private.

  The debt she and her husband owed the Mertiers continued to grow.

  Honore met them at the entrance and escorted them inside the near-empty courtroom.

  Analise nodded to them from her seat in the audience. Jean-Luc wasn’t with her. She must have found a neighbor to baby-sit.

  They sat down at the table with Honore who always looked very distinguished and professional. Across the aisle from them sat Jean-Luc’s birthfather.

  He was dark, reasonably nice looking. Probably not six feet. Kellie noticed right away he had a stocky build. The baby bore a strong resemblance to him.

  His whole attention seemed to be focused on Philippe even though his attorney was talking to him.

  Philippe had never looked more dashing to Kellie. Formally dressed in a midnight blue, hand-tailored suit, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

  Other than a bailiff standing near a set of double doors, that represented the full complement of people assembled.

  Honore leaned over to kiss her on both cheeks. “Did I tell you how stunning you look?”

  She’d chosen to wear a new two-piece black wool suit that hid her fuller figure. Deciding to wear her hair back, she tied it at the nape with a black print scarf.

  Philippe heard the aside and turned his head toward her. His dark eyes seemed to take in every detail of her face and figure. “Black’s always been your best color.”

  Heat filled her cheeks. “Thank you. Both of you.”

  “Nervous?” Honore smiled.

  “Do you have to ask?”

  “Just follow my lead.”

  For some reason Philippe seemed to be the calm one today. He actually sat there in a relaxed position as if he knew something the rest of them didn’t know. As if he were a mere spectator.

  The bailiff told them to rise.

  Kellie watched as the sixtyish-looking judge entered through the double doors. He took his seat before them, put on his glasses and acknowledged the two solicitors present. The proceedings were being held in French. Every canton had their own individual court procedure. This one seemed quite informal.

  The judge reviewed the facts of the case aloud and then called on Honore to present his client for questioning.

  Kellie clasped her hands beneath the table to hide their trembling. She said a little prayer as she followed Philippe’s progress to the witness chair. Once he was sworn in, Honore approached him.

  “Monsieur Didier—the court has reviewed all the particulars in this case. It has been proved conclusively that you are not the birthfather of Jean-Luc, yet you are petitioning for custody. Will you explain before this bench why you’re pursuing such an action?”

  Philippe sat forward. “When Yvette came to my office to tell me she was having my baby, she was eight months pregnant. The time frame coincided with my trip to Chamonix where I had spent part of a night with her. No matter how unlikely, I accepted the fact that I could have been the father.

  “From the time of our car accident on, she had me fairly well convinced I was responsible for her pregnancy. Because she was so ill, I didn’t pursue the DNA testing at the time. For one thing, I was still recovering from a knee operation, and she needed comforting.

  “I didn’t realize until Jean-Luc was born two weeks later that I had bonded with the child in my mind and heart. The last time I ever spoke to Yvette, she begged me to love him. Perhaps she had a presentiment that she was going to die.”

  The way Philippe’s voice shook just then caused Kellie’s throat to close up.

  “I never did hold the baby or see him up close until several weeks later when his grandmother allowed my wife and I a night’s visitation. I think I knew when I looked at him that he couldn’t be my son, but it didn’t matter. I loved him and felt the longing to be a father to him.

  “When the DNA test didn’t result in a match, that didn’t matter to me either. As my wife said, he’s an innocent child who only wants love. That’s why we’re here today, hoping to become his parents.”

  “Thank you, monsieur. That’s all for now.”

  Kellie lowered her head, fighting for control over her emotions. As Philippe sat down at their table, Jean-Luc’s father was sworn in, but she was too distracted to pay much attention.

  The need to touch her husband was so powerful, she reached for his hand. He gripped it for a long moment before letting it go.

  The opposing counsel got to his feet. “Dr. Bruchard? The court has read your statement that you were in love with Yvette Boiteux. Tell us about that relationship.”

&nb
sp; “Yvette was already working at the veterinary clinic when I bought into the corporation. We began spending more and more time together at my apartment after hours. I fell in love with her. At one point I told her I wanted to get married and start a family. I didn’t have a lot of money, but I could support her if she didn’t want to work.

  “She said she’d give me her answer after she got home from her ski trip to Chamonix. I begged her not to take her vacation at that time because I hadn’t been working at the clinic long enough to take time off to go with her. I promised her a ski honeymoon if she’d wait.

  “But she said she’d had it planned before I’d ever joined the clinic. Skiing was her passion. Before she left, she told me she loved me. She asked me to be patient with her.

  “What else could I do but say yes? I loved her. But when she came back from her trip, she’d returned a changed person. She told me she’d met a man who’d transformed her life.”

  Kellie could relate to Yvette’s feelings. Oh, how she could relate.

  “She said that if she couldn’t marry him, she wouldn’t marry anyone.”

  By this time the heartbroken vet was so choked up, he couldn’t talk. The man wasn’t acting. Kellie felt his pain. He’d truly loved Yvette. The judge, everyone in the room knew it.

  She bowed her head. His testimony had to be so hard on Philippe. Again she reached for his hand. This time he held on and didn’t let go.

  “Yvette cut me off so completely I was shattered. I never saw her again. Months later an acquaintance told me she’d died. I never even had the opportunity to go to her funeral.

  “When Yvette’s mother called me and told me about the baby, I went to her apartment at once. One look at Jean-Luc and I knew he was our son, my flesh and blood. I want to raise my own boy, your honor.”

  As the man broke down sobbing, Philippe’s hand almost cut off the circulation in hers. When he finally released it, he pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote something on a piece of paper.

  Reaching behind her back, he handed it to Honore. After the other man read it, he stared at Philippe for a moment, then gave him an almost imperceptible smile.

  After the vet had been told he could leave the witness seat, Honore asked the judge if his client could say a few more words. The judge nodded and told Philippe to stand where he was.