keep my mouth shut. But he knew I would try to talk him out of this ridiculous sham of a marriage.”
Hattie’s heart sank. The two brothers were close. Could Leo, even now, derail what Luc and Hattie had set in motion?
She set down her cup so he wouldn’t see her hand shaking. “Why would you do that? If you’re worried about the money, or the company…you needn’t be. I’ve already signed a prenup.”
Leo snorted. “You may be a lot of things, Hattie, but even I know you’re not a gold digger.”
“Then why is this any of your business?” She heard the snap in her own voice and didn’t care. What did Leo Cavallo have to gain by sticking his big Roman nose into her affairs?
He pulled his chair closer to the table, his knees almost touching hers beneath the glass. His accusatory mood made her want to run, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. He spoke softly, with menace. “Ten years ago, you almost destroyed my brother. You let him fall in love with you, encouraged it even. And then when he proposed, the first and only time he’s ever done that by the way, you shut him down. A man has his pride, Hattie. You let things go too far. If you weren’t going to love him back, why in the hell did you sleep with him? Why did you let him think you were his girl, his future?”
She bent her head, staring down at the crumbs on her plate. “That’s just it, Leo. I did love him. I was sick with loving him.”
“That’s bull.” He lifted her chin, his gaze boring into hers. “Women in love don’t do what you did to Luc.”
“That’s not true,” she cried. “We never would have worked out in the long term. I wasn’t the right person to be his wife. I did the right thing by breaking it off. You know I did.”
He let go of her and sat back, brooding, surly. “Then how do you explain this?” He waved a hand. “You damn sure appear to be enjoying the fancy house and the hired help.”
“Don’t be hateful.”
“Not hateful, honey. Just stating the facts.”
“This is all temporary.”
“Does Luc know that?”
“Of course he does. When enough time has passed to make our marriage appear to be the real thing, we’ll separate quietly. And I’ll raise Deedee on my own.”
“And what happens when my softhearted baby brother falls in love with the little girl sleeping upstairs? Will you tear his heart out again by taking her away?”
Hattie closed her eyes, regret raking her with sharp claws. “That won’t happen,” she said weakly.
“How do you know?” Leo asked quietly. “And how do you know he won’t fall in love with you again?”
She laughed without amusement. “I can assure you that is not a possibility. Luc’s helping me because he’s a good man. But he’s made it very clear that this is strictly business.”
“And you believe him?”
“Why would he lie?”
“To protect himself perhaps?”
“From what?”
“The correct answer is from whom. You, Hattie. A man never forgets his first love. Why else would he turn his entire life upside down in a matter of days?”
“I think he’s hoping for some payback, if you want to know the truth. I know I hurt him. I’m not stupid. This is his chance to be in control. To make me fall in line, not in love.”
“How so?”
“He made it very clear that he has no feelings for me anymore.”
Leo shook his head. “You don’t know anything at all about men, sweetheart. If that’s what he said, he’s kidding himself. He sounds like a man who knows his own limits and is covering his ass.”
* * *
Hattie mulled over Leo’s words, torn between embarrassment and hope.
She was on the bed playing with Deedee when the master of the house came home. It surprised her that he sought her out. They had barely spoken a dozen words in the last week.
He looked tired. Not for the first time, she pondered the unfairness of what she had asked him to do. But what choice did she have? On her own, Eddie’s family would have eaten her alive. And Luc had jumped at the opportunity to throw his weight around. So why did she feel guilty?
He sat down on the corner of the bed and grinned at Deedee. She wriggled her way across the mattress toward him in a sort of commando crawl. He scooped her up and held her toward the ceiling. “Hey, kiddo. What mischief have you been up to today?”
Deedee squealed with laughter, her round cheeks pink with exertion. Luc nuzzled her tummy and lowered her to blow raspberries against her belly button.
Hattie watched them, her heart warmed by the budding connection man and infant shared. “She really likes you.”
Luc glanced at Hattie. “The feeling is mutual.”
His obvious enjoyment of something as simple as playing with a baby brought Leo’s words rushing back. In all the time Hattie had thought about what would happen when the marriage ended, she had never considered the toll on Luc and her niece. Deedee would still be young. She wouldn’t even remember Luc after a few months. But would Luc grieve?
Damn Leo for planting doubts.
Luc let the baby loose to roam the mattress again. Hattie had surrounded the edge with pillows, so Deedee couldn’t go far. When the child latched on to one of her favorite toys, Luc finally spoke directly to Hattie. “How was your day?”
The prosaic question surprised her somehow. She leaned back on her elbows. “They delivered the nursery furniture early this morning. Deedee has already napped twice in the new bed and pronounced it quite satisfactory.”
“Good.” Long awkward silence. “Are you ready for the weekend? Do you need anything?”
She sat up. “I’m pretty much packed. Ana has been helping me.”
“And the dress?”
“I finally found what I wanted yesterday. I hope it will be appropriate.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
Hattie sighed inwardly. Next thing you know, they’d be discussing the weather. She grabbed Deedee’s ankle and pulled her toward the center of the bed. “Leo came by today.”
That got Luc’s attention. His eyes narrowed. “What did he want?”
“Well, apparently you neglected to mention that you were marrying me…or that I came with a baby. He wasn’t happy.”
Luc shrugged, his expression dangerous. “I don’t make decisions based on Leo’s likes and dislikes. If he doesn’t want to come to the wedding,
