The Army Doc's Baby Secret

‘Would you prefer that we all left so that you and your wife could become a little less estranged?’ Zane murmured, catching Zeke off guard. ‘Perhaps I should warn the guys that you might not make it out into the training village tomorrow.’

‘Bull,’ Zeke gritted out. ‘There’s nothing between Tia and me. I’ll be there.’

But his tone was too thick and too dark; it revealed far too much.

‘Yes, I can tell that by the way you’re both taking great pains to look anywhere but at each other.’ Zane’s eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘To talk to every other person at this table but one another. Fascinating.’

‘Sod off,’ Zeke grumbled.

But it was too late. There was something taking flight within him.

Hope.

Forget all his vows to himself that he wasn’t going near Tia again. All he wanted was for his business partner and the instructors to be gone so that he could be alone with her.

‘I’ve been toying with a potential new business venture,’ he growled. ‘We can discuss it in my study after the meal.’

‘That desperate to keep your distance from her, huh?’ Zane grinned. ‘Man, you must have it bad.’

It took everything Zeke had not to let his eyes slide to Tia.

‘You’re clutching, mate. We’ll have a drink and talk business tactics.’

‘Can’t.’ Zane sloshed down a mouthful of red wine. ‘I have a cheeky little rendezvous lined up for later. I’ve been chasing this one for weeks.’

‘Bloody hell, Zane. Not one of the staff? I can’t lose another one who can’t bear to stay around here and see you with another woman.’

‘Once, that’s happened once.’

‘Twice.’ Zeke raised an eyebrow.

‘Fine, twice. But I always tell them no strings.’

‘And they always think they can change you into marriage and kids. Thing is, Zane, one day one of them will, and you won’t know what’s hit you.’

‘True.’ Zane eyed Tia speculatively. ‘But now I’ve seen you two together, and heard you talk about your kid non-stop practically all night, I’m beginning to see why you’ve never once been tempted by the fluttering girls who’ve thrown themselves at you over the past few years.’

‘The two are mutually exclusive,’ Zeke growled, only for his buddy to snort loudly.

‘Yeah, sure. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it.’

And then, Zane was boldly making his excuses, citing an early start and swaggering out of the room, leaving Zeke to mull over his buddy’s revelations. Lost in his thoughts, he barely registered the evening drawing to a close until he found himself, finally, alone again with Tia.

‘I... I should get Seth and head for bed.’ She hovered across the room from him.

He ought to encourage her to go.

‘If you’re happy to leave Seth a little longer, let me give you that tour.’

She eyed him from under lowered lashes, as though she couldn’t decide whether she was going to accompany him or not.

‘He’s still with Mme Leroy. His sleep this afternoon meant he wasn’t ready for bed at the usual time,’ she murmured at length. ‘Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to find my way around the place. It is rather expansive.’

Zeke resisted the urge to take her hand and lead her out. Just.

He started with the rooms closest to where they were, forcing himself to impart a few of the interesting facts that Mme Leroy had insisted on telling him, enjoying the way she laughed, encouraged when she couldn’t curb her curiosity about the history of the place any longer and started to ask her own questions.

They moved around the building, slowly warming up to each other again. The thaw that had begun over the last couple of days now accelerating. For a moment, here and there, he could swear they both forgot what had brought them here.