role. Courtney lived in Bridgette’s old flat, paid a minimal rent and had been working hard in every area of her life. Although Bridgette was unsure about this job, she was also worried how Courtney would take it if she was turned down when she had such high hopes.
‘We’re about to find out,’ Dominic said, and she looked up as Courtney made her way over.
‘How did you go?’ Bridgette asked.
‘I didn’t get it,’ Courtney said, which seemed contrary to her smile as she kissed her little boy. ‘They don’t think I’m quite ready to work with addicts yet. I need more time sorting out myself and they said that there was another course I should think about, but—’ she gave a very wide smile ‘—they were very impressed with me. Apparently there is a position as a domestic. The patients do a lot of the cleaning work, but I would be in charge of the kitchen, sort of overseeing things.’ She pulled a face. ‘And I have to do the toilets and bathrooms. It’s three days a week for now and some weekends, but they’ll also pay me to do the course.’ She gave a nervous swallow. ‘Really, it’s like a full-time job.’
‘Oh, my!’ Bridgette beamed. ‘It sounds perfect.’ Then laughed. ‘Except I can’t really imagine you keeping things clean.’
‘She’s such a bossy landlady, isn’t she, Harry?’ Courtney said, and Bridgette admitted that, yes, maybe at times she was. ‘I have to go to the uniform room and then down to HR. I’d better get him back.’
‘We’ll take Harry back to daycare,’ Dominic said, rather than offered, because Harry was still eating. ‘That way he can finish his lunch.’
He was very firm with Courtney, didn’t play games with her, didn’t bend to any to her whims, and he didn’t let Bridgette bend too far either.
Courtney breezed off and Dominic rolled his eyes. ‘She’s doing great and everything, but she’s still the most self-absorbed person that I’ve ever met.’ He let out a wry laugh. ‘She didn’t even wish you luck for your scan.’
‘That’s Courtney.’
With Harry’s lunch finished, they headed back to daycare but at the last minute, as he handed Harry over to Mary, it was Dominic who changed his mind. ‘Should we bring him?’
‘To the ultrasound?’ Bridgette frowned at Mary. ‘Won’t it upset him?’
‘It might be a wonderful way to get him used to the idea,’ Mary said. ‘After all he’s going to be like a big brother.’
‘I guess,’ Bridgette said, because Harry was going to be a brother to this baby, even if not in the conventional way…And that just about summed them up entirely. It was as if Harry had three parents. Even if Courtney was doing brilliantly, it hadn’t been the smoothest of rides, and it was an ongoing journey. As Dominic had once pointed out, Harry deserved the extra ration of love and he got it, over and over—from his mum, from his aunt and her husband, from his grandparents too, who made a far more regular fuss of him.
So as Dominic held Harry, Bridgette lay on the bed and the ultrasound started. ‘Are we going to find out?’ She still couldn’t decide if she wanted to know the sex or wanted the surprise.
‘I am,’ Dominic said, studying the screen closely, and she felt sorry for the sonographer with this brusque paediatrician in the room. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let on.’ He wouldn’t; Bridgette knew that much. He was the best in the world at keeping it all in. It had taken ages to work him out and she was still doing it, would be doing it for the rest of her life no doubt—but it was the most pleasurable job in the world.
She heard the clicks and the measurements being taken and felt the probe moving over her stomach. She looked over to where Dominic and Harry were closely observing the screen and then she laughed because there he was doing somersaults, a little cousin for Harry, and a nephew for Chris, who would be the most devoted uncle in the world.
‘Everything looks normal.’ The sonographer smiled and then she spoke to Dominic. ‘Did you want to have a look?’
She saw him hover, could almost hear the ten million questions whizzing around that brilliant brain, knew he wanted to take the probe and check and check again that everything was perfect, that everything was just so, but with supreme effort Dominic gave a small shake of his head.
‘“Normal” sounds pretty good,’ he said, ‘and it’s not as if we’ll be sending it back.’
Already their family was perfect.
* * * * *
Captive but Forbidden
Unnoticed and Untouched
Revelations of the Night Before
Lynn Raye Harris
USA TODAY bestselling author LYNN RAYE HARRIS burst on to the scene when she won a writing contest held by Mills & Boon. The prize was an editor for a year—but only six months later Lynn sold her first novel. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome husband and two crazy cats. Her stories have been called ‘exceptional and emotional’, ‘intense’ and ‘sizzling’. You can visit her at www.lynnrayeharris.com.
Lynn Raye Harris
Late November, London
THE President of Aliz was hiding in the ladies’ room.
Veronica St. Germaine lifted her head, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. She really should go back out there, but she was tired of smiling, tired of shaking hands and making small talk, tired of feeling desperate and overwhelmed and so very out of her element.
Yet she knew she had a job to do.
For Aliz. Her people needed her, and she would not fail them. They’d entrusted her with their welfare and she would not return empty-handed.
She couldn’t.
Momentarily, she would go back to the hotel ballroom and paste on a smile. Just as soon as she regained her center of calm.
She couldn’t quite say what had triggered her need to escape. Perhaps it was the huge crush of curious faces, the suggestive looks from some of the men, or even the knowledge that she was surrounded by men in black suits who would dog her every step for the next two years of her life.
That was what she hated most of all—the loss of her
