though Luc had never looked better than he did right now. Barefoot in a pair of old jeans, unshaven with his thick, wavy hair damp and clinging to his stubble, powerful torso clad in a faded tee shirt that had definitely seen better days, he could play the role of gypsy king to perfection. A very handsome, rugged, and extremely virile gypsy king, she amended as their stares clashed and locked.
‘You’ve changed,’ he said, frowning.
‘For the better, I hope?’
‘Hmm. I can’t quite put my finger on it.’
But she could. He was right saying she’d changed. She’d changed more than he knew. She was late and she was never late. And there was more evidence that she might be pregnant, though this was something that other people might find hard to believe. Call it instinct, but she felt very different in a deep and fundamental way. She was as sure as she could be that she was no longer alone in her body, but was the nurturing home of a new young life. Her heart had expanded to embrace this new love, though where she went from here remained a mystery. She could only be confident about one thing, and that was that she would approach everything as she always did, head-on. She didn’t sit on those thoughts, but came straight out with them. ‘What if I seem different to you because I’m pregnant?’
Lucas stilled. ‘I’m sorry? What did you say?’
‘What if I’m pregnant?’ she repeated. ‘What if I’m having your baby?’
‘That isn’t possible.’ Luc shook his head confidently. ‘I made sure of it.’
‘No one can make absolutely sure of that, not even you, Luc.’
‘All right,’ he conceded grudgingly. ‘So how can you be absolutely sure that you are pregnant without undergoing the usual tests?’
‘I’m as sure as I can be. It can happen the first time you make love.’
Luc frowned. ‘Barcelona?’
‘Almost a month ago,’ she confirmed.
Thoughts flickered fast behind his eyes, and she was sure those thoughts said that a child didn’t figure on Luc’s agenda. He didn’t even think of her long-term, let alone a child. So? So she’d manage on her own. She’d done it before and she’d do it again. She wouldn’t be the only single mother in the world. And one thing was certain, no baby of hers would suffer rejection as she had. It would be loved unconditionally. A career and motherhood were compatible. It would take some organising, but she was good at that—
‘Stacey? You do know we can’t leave this here?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Then…?’
‘May I make a suggestion?’
‘Of course.’
They had both turned stiff and businesslike. Pushing away regret and every other emotion, she concentrated on the facts. ‘Let’s wait until we’re no longer snowbound and I can have a test. Then get the party out of the way before we discuss the particulars.’
‘The particulars?’ Lucas drew his head back with surprise. ‘We are still talking about a child?’
Stacey’s face flamed red. Of course they were. The expression in Luc’s eyes shamed her. It was that of a man who had only ever known love from his parents, and who couldn’t fathom Stacey’s deeply held fear. Not having known her own mother, she worried that she might know nothing about mothering and mess up. It wouldn’t be for want of trying. Now the seed of suspicion was planted in her brain, she wanted to be pregnant, already loved the thought of a child with all her heart.
‘We’re discussing the most precious gift in the world,’ she stated firmly. Whatever else he thought of her, she couldn’t bear to have Luc think she took after her father.
‘Come here,’ he murmured.
She hesitated, knowing that with each show of affection it was harder to accept that they couldn’t do this together. Luc had no reason to change his life. Just as she wouldn’t be the first single mother, he wouldn’t be the first man with a love child, but that didn’t mean they would become a family.
But she did go to him. And they did kiss. Enveloping her in a tender bear hug as if she were suddenly made of rice paper, he whispered against her hair, ‘I shouldn’t have let you dig the snow.’
She gazed up. ‘I might be pregnant, but I’m not sick, and I’d like to have seen you stop me.’
‘Still,’ he said in a serious tone, pulling back to stare into her face. ‘Take it easy from now on until you know.’
When people cared for her it brought tears to her eyes. Having Luc care for her was catastrophic, and these were tears she could do without, so she turned away before he’d seen them, in case he thought her weak.
‘I’ve not finished with you yet,’ he murmured.
The tone of his voice made her look at him. He pulled her close. Their mouths collided. They kissed as if tomorrow would never come.
Luc took some time for reflection alone in his study while Maria prepared a light lunch for him and Stacey. His experience of family life had been positive until the accident, when he had vowed never to risk his heart again. The pain of losing his parents had been indescribable. It still was. The wound cut deep and he had thought himself incapable of loving again.
A child changed everything.
Now he’d have to risk his heart. Anticipation and dread fought inside him at the thought. Where was he supposed to find time in his busy schedule for a child? Would he be any use as a father? He’d been lucky enough to have brilliant parents. Love had been in full supply, though their grasp of life and economics had been sadly lacking, as he had discovered when he took over the responsibility of running the family home. These days he could mastermind the biggest deals, and buy anything he wanted, but he still remembered the restrictions placed on him when he was caring for his brothers and sisters. It was a responsibility he’d taken on gladly, but he couldn’t deny it was a relief when they were old enough to make their own way in life. Of course, they didn’t know yet if Stacey was pregnant, but if she was, with her background, she’d need support too. He’d make time, Luc concluded.
First things first. For Stacey’s peace of mind, he had to get her down to the village where she could take a pregnancy test, see a doctor, and get up to speed with the arrangements for the party. She’d start climbing the walls if she couldn’t do that soon. With transport to the village suspended there was only one way to get her down safely, and he was confident he could do it. He wouldn’t take risks with Stacey. The thought of anything happening to her—
Nothing would happen to her. He must put the past behind him. There were more important things to consider. His parents’ death had been a tragic accident. That was what the police had told him afterwards, and only he knew the truth. Nothing Stacey could say or do would deter him from caring for her. And, if she proved to be pregnant, caring for their child. It was a surprise, but a good surprise, he reflected with a smile. They had certainly put enough work into it! He’d taken precautions, but precautions were never guaranteed one hundred
