Falling For Her French Tycoon (Escape To Provence 1)

He took a look at it. “She?

??s very attractive, but I’ve never seen this woman in my life.”

A hand went to her throat. “This whole situation is hopeless.”

Dominic’s heart almost failed him. Exasperated, he said, “Nathalie? Why didn’t you just come out and ask me the first time we were alone?”

She shook her head. “How could I have dared do that when you were a perfect stranger? After Paul told me that you and Etienne were both members of the Fontesquieu family, not mere employees, that made my fear worse. Then I met Raoul. In my own way I did infiltrate, and you knew something was off.”

“True, but you could have handed me this picture. I could have asked them if they’d seen her or knew her without telling them my reasons.”

“You’re right. But to tell you the whole truth would have seemed like an accusation, especially if you and the others were innocent of being with her. You could have lied to protect yourselves. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

Her reasoning made a bizarre kind of sense.

“I thought... Oh, what does it matter? All this time I’ve been functioning under a premise that’s way off. I’m so sorry.”

“Nathalie—” he said, but she interrupted him because she was beyond listening.

“My mother wanted me to leave everything alone, but I was so certain I was right. You must think I’m a fool.” She opened the car door.

“Wait—”

“It’s no good. We still don’t have answers and I’m not going to ask Etienne or Raoul anything. That’s why I stopped picking grapes. This has to be goodbye, Dominic.”

Before he could credit it, she slid out while he was still holding the photo, and ran toward the house. Dominic didn’t try to stop her. Tonight it was more important he get answers. Whatever the outcome, his whole life and hers were going to change.

He left for Vence and drove straight to his office. Theo had already gone home. Dominic phoned Etienne.

“We need to talk. Can you come to the office now?” Dominic had decided to question his brother first.

“Give me a half hour.”

“You’ve got it.”

They clicked off. If by any chance Etienne had been with the woman in this picture, then his brother needed to know. Dominic had been in Paris and wouldn’t have known if his brother had gotten involved with Nathalie’s stepsister.

While he waited, he took care of some business Theo had left for him. Before long Etienne walked in. “What’s going on? You sounded ultraserious.”

“That’s because it could be. I have something to show you. Maybe you should sit down.”

“That bad?” Etienne remained standing with his hands on his hips.

“Have you ever seen or known this woman?” Dominic handed him the two-by-three colored photo.

Etienne’s dark brows furrowed before he studied it, then shook his head. “She’s a beauty, but I never saw her in my life. Who is she?” He handed the photo back to him.

For his brother’s sake and his own, relief swamped Dominic. “You’re not going to believe what I have to tell you.” For the next little while he related everything Nathalie had said, right down to the birthmarks.

His brother whistled. “Mademoiselle Fournier believes her stepsister got pregnant by a Fontesquieu?”

Dominic nodded. “She swears the boy could belong to any one of the three of us.”

“You’ve seen him?”

“She showed me a picture. It could have been one of us when we were that age.”

They stared at each other. “Well, it isn’t you, and isn’t me. When was this supposed to have happened?”