The Mills & Boon Stars Collection. Cathy Williams

that’s it?’ he demanded.

      Again, she hesitated, but she knew she couldn’t admit that she’d been intimidated by his girlfriend. And by the very fact that he had one. ‘That’s it.’ She turned her face up to his and stumbled out his name. ‘Oh, Paulo!’ she sighed. ‘Whatever have I done?’

      The choked little words stabbed at him, and he gave her hand one final squeeze. ‘There’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve been unlucky, that’s all—’

      ‘No, please don’t say that.’ She kept her voice low. ‘This is a baby we’re talking about! Not a piece of bad luck!’

      ‘That’s not what I meant. You took a risk—and you’ve paid the ultimate price for that risk.’ He gave a bitter laugh. ‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you, Bella, that there’s no such thing as safe sex?’

      But he found that his words produced unwanted images—images of Isabella being intimate with another man, her dark hair spread in a shining fan across a stranger’s pillow and a bitter taste began to taint his mouth. He put his napkin down on the table and threw her a look of dark challenge. ‘I just hope it was worth it, querida.’

      Worth it? Isabella stared down at her plate, but all she could see was a blur of tears. If only he knew, she thought. If only he knew.

       CHAPTER FOUR

      IT WAS getting on for nine o’clock when Paulo drew up in the quiet, tree-lined crescent. It was a cold, clear night and moonlight washed over the tall town houses, making them silvery-pale and ghost-like.

      ‘Will Eduardo be asleep?’ whispered Isabella, sleepy herself after the meal which she had surprised herself—and him—by almost finishing.

      ‘You obviously have idealistic views on children’s bedtime,’ he answered drily as he put his key in the lock. ‘He’ll be playing on his computer, I imagine.’ He opened the front door and ushered her inside, dumping Isabella’s bag on the floor just inside the hall. ‘Hello!’ he called softly.

      There was the sound of dishes being stacked somewhere, and then a woman of about fifty appeared, wiping her damp hands down the sides of her trousers. She had short, curly red hair which was flecked with grey and a freckled face which was completely bare of make-up. Her navy trousers and navy polo-shirt were so neat and well-pressed that they looked like a uniform. She gave Isabella’s suitcase a brief, curious look before smiling at Paulo.

      ‘Ah, good! You’re back just in time to read your son a story!’

      ‘But he says he’s too old for stories,’ objected Paulo, with a smile.

      ‘Yes, I know he does—unless his Papa is telling them. You’re the exception who proves the rule, Paulo! As always.’ Her gaze moved back to Isabella and she gave her a friendly smile. ‘Hello!’

      ‘Jessie, I’d like you to meet Isabella Fernandes—who is a very old family friend.’

      ‘Yes, I know—Eddie’s talked about you a lot,’ said Jessie, still smiling.

      ‘And, Isabella—this is Jessie Taylor, who’s so much more than a housekeeper! How would you describe yourself Jessie?’

      ‘As your willing slave, Paulo, how else? Nice to meet you, Isabella.’ Jessie held her hand out. ‘Your father owns that amazing cattle ranch, doesn’t he?’

      ‘The very same.’ Isabella nodded.

      ‘Don’t you miss Brazil terribly?’

      ‘Only in the winter!’ Isabella pulled her raincoat closer and gave a mock-shiver, grateful for Jessie’s tact in not drawing attention to the baby.

      ‘Isabella is going to be staying here with us for the time being,’ said Paulo.

      ‘Oh. Right.’ Jessie nodded. ‘That’s in the spare room, is it?’ she questioned delicately.

      Paulo’s eyes narrowed. Did Jessie honestly think that he’d brought a woman back here in the latter stages of her pregnancy for nights of mad, passionate sex?

      He stared at Isabella’s pink cheeks and guessed that she’d picked up on it, too.

      ‘Yes, of course,’ he said deliberately. ‘In the spare room. Is the bed made up?’

      ‘No,’ said Jessie briskly. ‘But I can do that now, before I go.’

      ‘Oh, please don’t worry,’ said Isabella quickly. ‘I’m not helpless—I can do it myself. Really!’

      But Jessie shook her head. ‘Good heavens, no—I wouldn’t dream of letting you! You look dead on your feet. Why don’t you sit down, my dear?’

      Isabella hesitated.

      ‘Go on, sit down,’ ordered Paulo softly. ‘Make yourself at home.’

      She was too tired to argue with him, thinking how easy and how pleasurable it was to have Paulo make the decisions.

      She sank down onto one of the two vast sofas which dominated the room, and gingerly removed the shoes from her swollen feet. She glanced up to find him watching her, his brow criss-crossed with little lines of concern, and she produced a faint smile. ‘You did tell me to make myself at home.’

      ‘So I did. I guess I was just expecting you to argue back,’ he observed drily. ‘I had no idea you could be quite so stubborn.’

      ‘And I had no idea you could be quite so domineering!’

      ‘Didn’t you?’ he mocked softly and, when she didn’t answer, he smiled. ‘Stay there—I’m going in to say goodnight to Eddie.’

      He found his son tucked up underneath the duvet, his eyes heavy with sleep.

      ‘Hello, Papa,’ Eddie yawned.

      ‘Hello, son,’ smiled Paulo softly. ‘Did you get my note?’

      ‘Uh-huh.’ Eddie jammed a fist in his eye and rubbed it, giving another yawn. ‘How’s Bella?’

      ‘She’s…tired. And she’s going to be staying with us.’

      The child’s face lit up. ‘Is she? That’s fantastic! How long for?’

      ‘I don’t know yet.’ Paulo paused as he tried to work out how to explain the complications of a very adult situation to a ten-year-old. But children dealt with simple truth best. ‘She’s going to have a baby, you see.’

      Eddie removed the fist and blinked up at his father. ‘Wow! When?’

      Paulo smiled. ‘Soon. Very soon.’

      Eddie sat bolt upright in bed. ‘And will the baby come and live here, too?’

      ‘I doubt it,’ said Paulo gently. ‘They’ll probably go back home to Brazil once it’s been born.’

      ‘Oh,’ said Eddie disappointedly, and snuggled back down under the duvet. ‘Judy rang.’

      ‘Did she?’ Paulo frowned. He had always been completely straight with the women in his life. From the start he told them that he wasn’t looking for love, or a life-partner, or a substitute mother for his son. Judy had assured him that she could accept that—but time had proved otherwise and her behaviour over Isabella had only confirmed his suspicions. But Judy was tenacious and Paulo too much of a gentleman to curtail the occasional maudlin phone-call.

      ‘Did she want anything in particular?’ he asked carefully.

      Eddie pulled a face. ‘Just the usual thing. She wanted to know where you were and I told her. But she went all quiet when I mentioned Bella.’

      ‘Oh, did she?’ questioned Paulo evenly.

      ‘Mmm.’ Eddie