The Baby Dilemma Read online

  “Obviously Honore had phoned my mother and she told him where I was. He obtained Madame’s permission for me to leave before I even knew about it.”

  Something flashed in the dark recesses of his eyes. “Is this the truth?”

  “Smell my hands.”

  When she lifted them, he grabbed hold of her wrists and inhaled. She saw him stare at her ringless fingers before relinquishing them. What she’d give to be wearing his wedding ring again.

  “Why, Kellie?” he whispered, still incredulous.

  “Because I don’t feel that Washington is my home anymore. I love Switzerland. I thought if I could find a place where you would never have to see me or know I was around, it would be all right.” It was impossible to swallow. “Are you very angry?”

  “Mon Dieu, what a question!”

  She averted her eyes. “You weren’t supposed to find out. The thing is, Lucie, the other cook, is teaching me Swiss cuisine. It’s an invaluable experience. As for the girls, they’re wonderful and my French is improving every day.

  “However, my job at Beau Lac is only temporary. I was planning to leave there when school is out. But if Nyon is too close for you, I’ll tell Madame and find employment farther away.”

  His hands had gone to his hips in a totally masculine stance. With such an incredibly attractive husband, it was hard to concentrate on anything but him.

  “If we’re going to be a credible couple throughout this custody suit, we’ll be too busy for you to work.”

  “Has Analise let you keep Jean-Luc all this time?”

  He seemed to be concentrating on her mouth. For the first time since she’d returned from Washington, she felt he was actually looking at her and not through her.

  “No. When we met at the hospital, she said she’d contacted the man Yvette had been dating before she left on her ski trip. The moment she asked him if could have been the father of her baby, he said yes and asked to see Jean-Luc.

  “Analise hadn’t expected that response. Once he visited her apartment, he went for a DNA test. She felt it might be better for everyone if there was no visitation until we knew the results.”

  “I’m sorry, Philippe. That couldn’t have been easy.”

  “It wasn’t. Now things are worse because he knows he’s the father. He says he wants his son.”

  “Does Analise feel he’s sincere?”

  “She doesn’t know what to think. He’s not married and is struggling to get his career going. But he is Jean-Luc’s rightful father. I’m not sure I have a case.”

  “As long as there’s any chance at all, we have to take it!” Her declaration bounced off the walls.

  “Then you’ll have to give up your job.”

  “How soon do you want me to tell Madame Simoness?”

  “Tonight.”

  Much as she hated to put out the headmistress, this was Kellie’s husband asking for her help. It was her last chance to try and save their marriage.

  “I’ll phone her now.”

  “Tell her we’re going house hunting this weekend.”

  “We are?” Maybe she was dreaming.

  “The court will send out someone from social services to see what kind of a home we can provide for Jean-Luc. The company apartment is no place to rear a child. We’ll need to find a property with separate living quarters in anticipation of the day we break in a nanny.”

  Kellie turned away from him in desolation.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  PHILIPPE had changed during the three weeks Kellie had worked at Beau Lac. All that bitter anger and contempt for her seemed to be missing.

  In their place a new Philippe had been resurrected. He treated her with courtesy and respect, the way he would an acquaintance or a client visiting the show room. But it was as if he had no emotions beneath the surface.

  After two days of looking at houses with him, she thought she preferred the first version. At least his rage had meant he was alive with feelings.

  She darted him a sideward glance. He appeared relaxed as he drove them from one property to another where the realtor waited for them each time. Watching him walk up and down stairs, climb in and out of the car, shift gears, you’d never know he’d suffered a knee injury, thank heaven.

  To her chagrin he caught her looking at him. “What did you think of the last place?”

  She wondered what kind of reaction she’d get if she told him any one of the twenty plus chalet-type houses they’d seen was fine with her. Nothing mattered when she knew he was counting the days until they broke in a nanny and he no longer needed Kellie in his life.

  “It was lovely. They all are. If you have strong feelings about one of them, that will be fine with me.” The choice of house didn’t matter because she didn’t dare get attached to anything.

  If he lost the suit—a possibility they had to face—she’d be out on her own again much sooner anyway. Hopefully before she began to show.

  Though her clothes were starting to fit tighter around the waist, she didn’t think she’d start to look pregnant for another couple of months.

  She was grateful that she didn’t suffer from morning sickness. Except for being more tired than usual, she felt fine and had gotten her eating habits under control.

  If she were careful to wear loose fitting outfits, Philippe wouldn’t notice the difference. For that to happen he would have to be intimate with her to detect the changes to her body. To her devastation, sending him those divorce papers had killed his desire for her.

  “There’s one more house on the list the realtor wants to show us. After that we’ll stop for an early dinner somewhere and make a firm decision on one of them.”

  She noticed he’d headed for the lake road. After a few minutes they passed the private entrance to the fabulous Château D’Arillac where she’d stayed with Raoul and Lee part of the day.

  Kellie would have loved to see them again. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen, either. Philippe might not bring it up, but he would never forgive her for using the Mertiers to help her reunite with him at their chalet in Zermatt.

  She feared it would make no difference to Philippe that at Raoul’s urging, Lee had flown all the way to Washington to take Kellie back to Switzerland. He would blame her for not finding another way to approach him once she’d arrived in Neuchâtel. One that didn’t involve his friends.

  The idea that there might be a possible rift between Philippe and Raoul because he’d helped Kellie only added to her pain.

  Grieving for all that might have been if she hadn’t deserted Philippe at the hospital, she didn’t realize they’d arrived at the next property until he’d stopped the car. The realtor had arrived ahead of them.

  One look through the chestnut trees shading a small, charming nineteenth century château and Kellie let out a cry of uninhibited delight.

  “Finally a reaction,” Philippe murmured before getting out of the car to help her.

  “It’s looks like something right out of the Loire Valley.”

  During her stay with the Didiers in Paris, Philippe had taken her to visit the French château country. It had been a time of pure enchantment.

  Their realtor checked his watch. “I have some phone calls to make. Why don’t I let you two take a look around. I’ll be right here if you want to go inside.”

  Kellie was glad he’d offered to leave them alone for a change.

  When they walked to the front part facing the lake, she came to a standstill. “Oh, look! There’s a tower on the end. I can just see Jean-Luc and his friends using it to play knights.”

  A trace of a smile hovered around her husband’s lips. His reaction spoke volumes. For over a month Philippe had believed Jean-Luc was his little boy.

  If you think you love him, my darling, wait until our own little child makes its arrival.

  “Let’s keep walking, shall we?”

  She agreed to his suggestion, not needing any urging.

  Lawn covered a portion of the grounds. But most
ly it was woodsy. Through the trees she saw a dock for Philippe’s boat.

  When they reached the back, another surprise greeted her. There was a plot of ground which had once been a garden. Next to it stood an empty greenhouse.

  With all the overgrown foliage, it was evident this part of the property had been neglected for years. In her mind’s eye she could imagine how beautiful everything would have looked in its prime.

  There was a gravel driveway leading to the greenhouse. They followed it around to the area where they’d parked the car. Tucked off in the trees, almost out of sight, was a garage.

  “Do you want to go inside the château?” Philippe asked in a quiet aside.

  “If you would,” she whispered back, trying not to show her excitement.

  He nodded to the agent who let them in through the front door. There was a large entrance hall with a graceful, curving stairway. It led to the second floor where there were five bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms.

  The main floor contained a living room, a smaller sitting room, another room that could be a library or a music room, a dining room, kitchen, bathroom, pantry and wine cellar.

  Kellie adored the interior on sight because of the many windows and the amount of light they let in.

  “This is a very gracious château, built on a small scale so as not to be unmanageable for the modern day family. The tower is its own apartment.”

  One mention of it and Kellie suffered more anguish knowing Philippe would be willing to buy it for that aspect alone.

  She could see dollar signs in the realtor’s eyes. No doubt this property had been on the market for a while. It would take a fortune to renovate.

  Only someone with Philippe’s kind of money could afford to purchase such an estate and the realtor knew it. Kellie wasn’t going to let the man get away with robbery if she could help it.

  “It is charming, but the place has been neglected and needs a lot of work.” The outside more than the interior, but he didn’t need to know that. “Thank you so much for your time, Monsieur Penot.” She turned to Philippe. “I’ll see you at the car.”

  On that note she left the house. It wasn’t long before both men followed. She heard her husband say goodbye to the realtor before he opened the door and climbed in the driver’s seat.

  When he joined her, he didn’t immediately start the engine. “You loved this house the minute you saw it, so what was all that about?”

  “I didn’t want the realtor to think I preferred it over the others for fear he’d charge you an even more exorbitant price.”

  An amused expression crossed over his face. She hadn’t seen that look for so long she thought maybe she needed glasses.

  “I appreciate your being mindful of my interests. As it happens, I’m very taken with this place myself. It appears we’ve come to the end of our search.”

  With that separate apartment, Kellie knew why!

  “Under the circumstances I think we’ll let Monsieur Penot worry about making a sale until tomorrow, then I’ll call him with an offer. If your tactics worked, he won’t counter.”

  On that note he started the car. “Where would you like to eat?”

  Their honeymoon marriage had been over for weeks. She couldn’t bear to go out in public with him and pretend they were a happy couple when in reality he would be getting rid of her at the first opportunity.

  “Why don’t you call one of your friends and enjoy dinner out while I drive to Nyon? Madame Simoness was very gracious about everything over the phone, but I’d like to say a proper goodbye to her and pick up my things.”

  The amused look faded. “I’d intended to drive you there on another day and give her my personal thanks as well. If you’re that anxious to see her, we’ll go together now.”

  He put the car in gear and they were off. En route he stopped at a corner market and came back out loaded with meat pies, a baguette, cheese, chocolate and her favorite grape juice drink.

  It was like the old days when they went for rides through the Swiss countryside. Except that he was no longer her lover. She didn’t feed him while he drove. She didn’t laugh with lovelight in her eyes when he pretended to nibble on her fingers.

  There were no stolen kisses or whispers of endearment. No intimacy. He didn’t run his hand through her hair or caress her thigh as a prelude to making love.

  Those days were gone.

  How foolish of her to have turned down dinner. She’d thought going out with him would be too painful. But being in the close confines of the car with him like this brought back too many haunting memories. It was torture not being able to kiss him and touch him whenever she felt like it.

  They arrived at Beau Lac in record time. While Kellie dashed off to get the few things she’d left in her room, Philippe talked privately with the headmistress.

  Afterward she joined them to give the older woman an affectionate hug goodbye. With the promise that she’d stay in touch, Kellie went out to the car with Philippe. He stashed her belongings in the back seat.

  “Would you like to hear what she had to say about you?” he asked once they’d started down the driveway.

  “Madame Simoness isn’t that crazy about Americans, so I can imagine.”

  “After the untimely death of her husband forty years ago, she started the school. Since then she has seen dozens of excellent cooks come and go, but none of them ever served meals like yours, or made such a favorable impact on the girls.”

  Kellie’s face went hot at the unexpected compliment. “That was very nice of her. I’m sure she was exaggerating.”

  He flashed her a dark, penetrating glance. “On the contrary. She didn’t want to let you go. Before you came back to the office, she had just guaranteed you a salary they’re paying world class chefs these days if you would consider staying on.”

  “I’m very flattered,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Madame Simoness was kindness itself. She knew about Kellie’s plight. It was her way of letting Kellie know she could have a permanent position with her after the baby was born. If Beau Lac were located in Neuchâtel, Kellie would take her up on it in a heart beat. But the baby’s happiness had to come above all other considerations.

  The problems of arranging visitation were bad enough when divorced parents lived in the same city. To have to travel for an hour to be with your child was ludicrous. She couldn’t do that to Philippe or their baby.

  “I told you what she said because I think it only fair to warn you I’ll probably lose the custody suit. Since you told me you wanted to stay in Switzerland, I would hate to see you pass up such a rare opportunity. Beau Lac is this country’s most prestigious private school.”

  At his words, her heart almost failed her.

  Was he so anxious to get rid of her, he was willing to forego the court battle? But how could that be when he’d just decided on a house in which to raise Jean-Luc if he won?

  Philippe, my love— What’s going on inside of you?

  “I—I agree it’s a generous offer. But I’m committed to helping you. When the time comes for me to look for work again, I’ll find something else I like.”

  “Why don’t you sleep on it.”

  “I don’t need to!” she fired back, crushed by his eagerness to see the last of her.

  “That sounded final.”

  Again she thought she heard an element of levity in his tone. She simply didn’t understand him.

  “It was final.”

  “Because you’d rather run your own restaurant.”

  “Well, yes…someday.” But with a baby coming, she couldn’t see that dream coming to fruition in the near future. Maybe never.

  They rode the rest of the distance to the apartment in silence. Philippe’s thoughts seemed to be as ponderous as hers. Glad that they had arrived, she disappeared into the guest room like a good little girl and got ready for bed.

  After brushing her teeth, she reached for the bottle of prenatal vitamins Dr. Cutler had given her. She�
��d kept it hidden in a satin hose bag in her drawer so Philippe wouldn’t find it.

  To her shock she discovered there were only five pills left. She needed to make an appointment with an obstetrician right away. Maybe Lee knew someone who could recommend a good one.

  After Philippe left for work in the morning, she’d give her a call. Close to a month had gone by without hearing a word from her or Raoul. Kellie desperately needed a good friend to talk to in private. Someone she could trust.

  No one filled that role better than the princess, a new bride who had left her real-life prince right after their honeymoon to help reunite Philippe and Kellie. That kind of selflessness was humbling. She owed them so much.

  Depending on Lee’s schedule, maybe she’d be able to come to the apartment for lunch. On the plane Kellie had learned that Lee loved authentic Mexican food. It was the one thing she missed about living in Europe.

  If Kellie got busy shopping early, she could surprise her with homemade chili verde burritos, guacamole and refried beans.

  Hoping against hope Lee would be home in the morning, Kellie turned out the light and slid beneath the covers. After so much agony of spirit, a visit with her would be a high point.

  She’d just closed her eyes when she heard a rap on the door. “Kellie?”

  Her pulse went crazy. “I—I’m awake. Come in.”

  As he pushed it open, she saw his silhouette outlined by the hall light. He was wearing his favorite blue robe. More often than not she’d ended up putting it on to bring him breakfast in bed after a night of making love.

  If he’d worn it to torture her with what might have been if she hadn’t destroyed their marriage, it was a cruel trick.

  “I’ve just told Marcel I’m taking the next two weeks off from work so we can get the house ready to move in. As soon as I phone Monsieur Penot in the morning and get the keys, I thought we’d spend the day out there. We’ll need to make a list of things that need doing immediately.”

  A whole day with Philippe at their future home, no matter how temporary, filled her with too much excitement. Inviting Lee for lunch would have to be put off for a while longer, but she would still need to call her about a doctor.