Having the Frenchman's Baby

“I like Jean-Marc, too. He seems to be a good match for her. Watching him today I can understand why he’d like to be number one with you.”

“Why is that?” She had Luc’s full attention now.

“It’s obvious Giselle adores you. He wants to measure up in every way.”

Luc stroked her cheek with his thumb. “He lit up around you, just like Giles does. You have that effect on men.”

“But not on your mother.”

His chest rose and fell visibly. “I promise by the time our baby arrives, she’ll come around. She’s really a wonderful person.”

“I know that, Luc. Otherwise you wouldn’t be the kind of man you are.”

He was the only man Rachel wanted to light up. But for that to happen, she needed to have come into his life before he’d ever met Paulette.

While she stood there wishing she could get his mind off of his sadness for a little while, an idea came to her.

“Wait here. I’ve got something to show you.”

His sensuous mouth lifted at one corner. “Another surprise?”

“In a way.”

“If you’re after another bottle of wine you’ve got tucked away, I can save you the trouble. My cellar is fully stocked.”

“That’s nice to know now that the doctor has taken me off alcohol.” While he was still chuckling she added, “Actually I have something else in mind, but it’s related.”

“Now you’ve got me curious.”

“Good. I’ll be right back.”

She hurried to the bedroom where she’d noticed her laptop on one of the chairs.

After finding the adapter in her purse, she carried everything back to the kitchen and plugged the cord into the wall outlet behind the bistro table.

She felt Luc’s dark eyes watching her. “Come over here. This could take some time.”

She set her computer on the tabletop and pulled up the file so he could view the screen.

Luc sat down opposite her. “What’s this?”

“Read it and find out.”

“‘Alsace: God’s Vineyard’,” he read aloud.

His raised his head. This time when he looked at her, she could tell this was something that had caught his interest. “That’s a perfect title. Whose article is this?”

It was a lot more than an article. She’d already written three chapters of a twenty-chapter book she hoped to get published one day. She’d done a mock-up of the pictures she’d already taken to illustrate the passages. There were dozens of photographs that demonstrated everything from the various kinds and sizes of Chartier vineyards to the varieties of grapes that went into their wines. Giles happened to be in several of them.

“Keep on reading and you’ll find out.”

When she could see he was fully engrossed, she brought the tray in from the living room and cleaned up the kitchen. The whole time she worked, she realized she was holding her breath waiting for his response.

The next time he raised his head, he stared at her as if he’d never seen her before.

“Are you upset with me for the liberties I’ve taken?” she asked in a nervous voice.

After studying her for a moment, he got up from the table and walked over to her.