Unbreak My Heart (Childhood Sweethearts Reunited) (5 page)

The woman in red stood at the top of the terrace steps, staring down at Kate with ill concealed annoyance. "So, this is the mystery houseguest you've been worried about. Is that a baby? Gracious, Andre, it's not yours, is it?"

"It's a long story, Liz. One for another time. Kate's tired from travelling. I want to take her home now. I'll introduce you on Saturday evening. Tell your grandfather I hope he feels better tomorrow, and we're looking forward to the party. See you in a few days."

Andre turned Kate around, grabbed her hand and led her back the way she'd come. As soon as they were out of sight of the hotel he released her and sighed deeply. "I have a problem."

"So, who was the predatory woman in red?" she asked, her emotions fluctuating between relief that Andre was at her side and confusion over the kiss.

"Elizabeth Delacroix, advocate for boxing in the oak paneling."

"Oh, God. That was her? She's not seriously trying to persuade you to do that?" Kate asked.

"No. I told her to come up with another idea. But her ideas are not the problem." The sound of a sports car engine revving made them both pause and look toward the manor house. Tires squealed, and the double beam of headlights flew along the drive. "Thank goodness she's gone," Andre said.

"So she fancies you and you're not interested," Kate guessed.

"Got it in one."

A tingle of relief shot down Kate's spine. Silly when Andre had made it clear years ago he didn't want her either. "So what's the matter with her? She's the type of woman your father dated."

Andre gave her an oblique look. "I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. Another strike against her."

"Surely that's the sort of woman Andre Le Court, successful hotel owner, should date," Kate said although inside she was thrilled by his comment.

"I guess you're right." Andre halted and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just really want to avoid turning out like my father."

They continued along the path and Kate touched his arm. "Your father wouldn't have taken me in this afternoon; he'd have thrown me to the wolves."

Andre barked a laugh. "My father would certainly have lost his cool if you'd turned up with your entourage on his watch." She left her hand on his arm and walked beside him in companionable silence for a few minutes. "The problem with Liz," Andre continued, "is simply that she irritates me. I don't know why, and I'm sure it's my fault not hers, but there it is. Unfortunately her grandfather is one of my best friends and supporters on the island."

"So you're between a rock and a hard place."

"Yes."

"I suppose you can't tell him you don't like his granddaughter."

"Not if I want his support when I stand for chair of the Hoteliers Association next year."

"So what are you going to do?"

Andre looked down at her in the darkness and squeezed her hand. "That, Kat, is where you come in."

Chapter Three

"Okay, I think you need to explain." Kate squinted to gauge his expression in the dark. The cool night air stirred the tiny hairs on her arms and raised goose flesh on her skin. She cuddled her baby close, pleased to be heading back.

The security light outside Andre's cottage blinked on and illuminated his face. He cast her a guarded look as he opened the door. She slipped past him and he followed her in. "It's not easy to explain," he said. "We'll talk tomorrow when you're rested."

Kate's heart bumped where she pressed Keiko against her chest. "I won't be able to relax until you tell me what you're cooking up. Come on, Andre, spill."

"Before we discuss that, tell me, was there a reason you came looking for me? I expected you to be tucked in bed by now."

"I saw a light in the woods and it spooked me. I thought it might be one of the photographers sneaking around."

"I asked my security guard to keep an eye on the cottage. I expect it was him."

"I guess that explains it, but I wish you'd told me." Kate sat on the sofa and reached back to release the clip on Keiko's baby carrier.

Andre came to help her, his warm fingers brushing her neck as he unfastened the straps. Her eyelids fell at the sensation. This was crazy, having feelings like this for him after all these years. She settled Keiko in her arms and smiled as her baby nuzzled hopefully at her chest. "Are you hungry again, sweet pea," she whispered against her downy hair.

Andre fetched two glasses of water, left hers beside the sofa and turned toward the stairs.

"Hang on, Andre. I want to know what this plan of yours involves."

"Okay." He dropped into the easy chair to her right and sipped his water. "God, I'm weary. Liz bombarded me with her ideas for the Caspian all evening. She hasn't a clue what I'm after. It's like she's on a different planet." Andre closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the cushions. "Her grandfather was supposed to come to dinner as well, but he was conveniently ill. I'm sure it was a setup. What I don't know is if Edmund is in cahoots with her. I can't risk upsetting him. I don't want to, anyway. He's a decent guy and he's been there for me when nobody else was."

Guilt flickered through Kate. Andre had left college without completing his studies because his grandfather died. At twenty he'd unexpectedly inherited two hotels and, bitter at being cut out, his father hadn't even come to the funeral. She should have done more than send a card. Even though things had gone wrong between them, she should have attended the funeral for old time's sake.

Keiko nuzzled her, hungry and fretful. Kate glanced at Andre to check he wasn't watching, lifted her blouse and latched Keiko on to feed. She arranged her clothes to hide her shabby maternity bra.

Comfortably settled, she glanced up and her gaze collided with Andre's dark, brooding perusal. A shock of awareness made blood rush to her face, leaving her hot and lightheaded.

What on earth was the matter with her? She'd fed her baby in Andre's office earlier and hadn't given it a thought. The dark slits of his eyes seemed to burn with intensity under the low lighting. Kate caught her lip between her teeth. She'd give a lot to know his thoughts right now.

He brushed the hair back from his forehead and glanced away. "Do you remember Edmund Delacroix? He was often here when we were young. He was Grandpa's best friend."

"Maybe I'll recognize him if I see him."

"You'll get the chance on Saturday night. We're invited to a party at his house in St.
Saviour
." He slouched deeper in the chair and stretched out his legs. "Edmund is Chairman of the Hoteliers Association. When he retires next year, he's going to recommend me for the position. That's mainly why I can't afford to alienate him over Liz. She graduated last year and Edmund asked me to let her submit a proposal for the Caspian. God knows what she studied, though. I can't believe it was graphic design."

Kate understood his antipathy. Elizabeth didn't respect the Caspian's unique beauty. In Andre's eyes, she'd done the equivalent of telling him his baby was ugly. "Can't you explain to Edmund that her proposals aren't suitable? He's a businessman. Surely, he'll understand."

"I could try, but I know from experience Edmund thinks the sun shines out of Liz's whatnot. Now I have the added complication of the matchmaking." He passed a hand over his face and yawned. "I'm sure you'll come up with a usable idea for promoting the Caspian, but it's going to be damn difficult to dump Liz in favor of you, so to speak."

"What have you got in mind?"

Andre put down his glass and sat up to face her. "Hear me out before you say anything. First, you'll need to be convincing. If Edmund thinks you work for a reputable ad agency, he's more likely to accept my decision to use you. Second, Edmund's big on family. He supports Liz, but it cuts both ways. It also means he'll understand me choosing to work with my fiancée."

"Your what? You didn't tell me you were getting married." She stared at him wide-eyed. It took a few breaths for her brain to catch up. "You mean me, don't you?"

Andre winced. "Liz drove me crazy over dinner, and I got a little carried away. I planned to say you were an old girlfriend who worked for an ad agency in London. But she's so damn pushy I ended up going a step further."

"Andre! You told her we're engaged?" Nausea churned in her stomach.

"Isn't that what I just said?"

She touched her tiger's eye ring, her throat tight. Once, long ago he'd proposed to her for real. He might have only been sixteen, but he'd meant it then. It made this farce all the more painful. She averted her face and pressed her lips to Keiko's head. "I can't believe you told her we're engaged," she whispered. Did he not realize how inappropriate it was considering their history?

"Sorry, Kat. I really didn't plan to go this far. But now I've told her, I can't take it back."

Kate closed her eyes and breathed in Keiko's soft baby smell. She had no way out of this. She could hardly storm off in a huff when she had nowhere else to go. And if she refused to cooperate, she would make life difficult for him. After the way he'd taken her in, he deserved her help.

"I'm really not sure about this," she said, glancing up to find him watching her. She smoothed down her shirt, checking that her boob was covered. This was not a conversation she wanted to have while breast-feeding. But she had been the one to press him to talk tonight, so she could hardly complain.

"It'll be fine, Kat. And just think, if the paparazzi see us together maybe they'll decide I'm Keiko's father and leave you alone." The intense stab of pain took her by surprise. How could he talk so casually about something she had dreamed of, something so important? She hoped he never discovered how much she wished he was Keiko's daddy. If he'd wanted to torture her, he couldn't have come up with a better way.

"I won't be convincing as your fiancée. It's me, remember. The wrong sort of girl."

"You're not the wrong sort of girl, Kat. You don't believe those spiteful things my father said, do you?" It wasn't what Robert Le Court said but Andre's rejection that convinced her she wasn't good enough for him.

"Won't Edmund think it's strange you didn't ask me to do the work from the start?"

"We'll just say you were busy, but now you have time."

He had an answer for everything, or almost everything. "How are you going to explain Keiko?"

Andre rubbed his face and hissed out a breath between his teeth. "That's a tricky one. Let's just play it by ear."

"And what will you tell Edmund when I disappear in a few weeks’ time?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"That sounds very vague, but it's your life, I guess." She shrugged. "Okay, then. But don't blame me if I do or say the wrong thing and embarrass you."

"You won't. I'll be at your side, and it'll all work out perfectly." Kate wasn't so sure, but she was too tired and dispirited to worry tonight.

She cradled Keiko. Andre jumped up and supported her elbow as she rose from the sofa. Her heart raced at the idea of playing his fiancée. It would be like old times—being together. But what if she enjoyed being with him too much and couldn't bear to leave again?

Pushing aside her conflicting thoughts, she decided to play the whole thing down. He smiled and followed her up the stairs. "I'm so glad you said yes, my little cat girl. I don't know what I'd have done if you'd said no." Kate smiled, warmed by his childish endearment. "Sleep well. Tomorrow we'll transform you into my sophisticated, London-designer fiancée."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't do sophisticated, Andre. You should realize that by now."

They stopped outside her bedroom door. Andre reached out and ran a finger across the golden fluff on Keiko's head, a whimsical expression on his face. "We'll see. I have plans."

Kate smiled ruefully as she entered the bedroom. Andre always had plans and, just as she had when she was a child, she would tag along beside him and do what he wanted.

***

Andre waited until Kate closed her door. He leaned his forehead against the wood and let the soft cadence of her voice flow through him as she cooed to her baby. All the emotions and illicit yearnings he'd had at sixteen flooded back. Only she wasn't fourteen and out of bounds any more. She was a beautiful woman, a woman he still desired like no other.

But what he planned was wrong. He should knock on her door right now and tell her he'd made a mistake, and she didn't have to take part in this charade. He would have to come clean with Elizabeth and lose face, but he was being unfair to Kate, expecting too much of her. Yet he desperately wanted her by his side. A few short hours in her company had twisted his emotions in knots. He longed to return to how they used to be, a couple so devoted to each other nothing his father said or did could break them apart.

But in the end, it had been Andre who destroyed what they had. How he wished he could turn back time. Impossible, of course, but he could do the next best thing, make her his in the present.

If he persuaded her to change, become more conventional, she would fit in his world. He'd stupidly pushed her away once, and by the time he came to his senses, Daniel bloody Crowther had stolen her. Whatever he had to do, he would not lose her again.