“Go on home to your wife and take the day off tomorrow. You deserve it.”
Félix blinked, which wasn’t surprising. Raoul had never been in love until now. The feelings he was experiencing now defied description and his secretary sensed it.
Raoul left the domaine headquarters for home. Since the deaths of his wife and child, he’d moved out of the grand château to a small, vacant cottage on the property he’d had renovated to suit him. He liked the distance it gave him from the family. It had allowed him to grieve in private for losing his daughter and for not loving his wife the way he should have.
From the day he’d married her, his emotions had been raw with regret for their marriage, which should never have taken place. It had torn him apart. Yet the guilt he’d always felt because he’d never wanted Angélique, hadn’t stopped him from bringing Abby here now. It seemed a betrayal, but he couldn’t suppress his desire to be with her as he hurried to the cottage to shower and change for dinner.
Of course word had gotten out that he was back. While he was dressing in a silky sport shirt and trousers, he had four phone calls. One from his parents, one from his sister, plus two others from his Aunt Abeline and her son, Gilles. He knew exactly what the latter two wanted. This was one time he decided to have it out with his cousin.
“Bonsoir, Gilles.”
“Sorry to bother you when you just got back, but Maman wants to know what’s happened to the Floraison property.”
Abeline wasn’t the only one interested. Gilles, divorced and low on funds, wanted it for himself. Once he got it, he’d sell it and gamble away the money. “I’m afraid it’s been sold.”
“What? When she hears that, she won’t stand for it.”
Gilles was as transparent as glass. “She’ll have to.”
“Then she’ll get an attorney and fight you.”
“It won’t matter. The attorney of record followed Auguste’s will to the letter. No member of the Decorvet family can be the new buyer. I only went to Switzerland to arrange for a few of Auguste’s things to be shipped back to the estate. Tell her that when you talk to her. Since I’m in a hurry, it will save my having to call her back. Au revoir, Gilles.”
The calls to his parents and Josette could wait. Since he’d become a widower, the one thing on their minds was to force him into a marriage with Solange. With the help of her father, they all assumed it was a fait accompli in the making. How little they knew what went on inside Raoul...
Without hesitation, he rang Abby who answered on the second ring. “Raoul?”
“Sorry I’ve been longer than an hour.”
“It’s all right. I realize you’ve come home to business.”
“I’m through dealing with the emergencies. If you’re ready, I’ll pick you up in front of your accommodations.”
“Not there—I took a walk past some of the vineyards beyond the pond while I was waiting. I’m starting back now and will watch for you on the main drive.”
“I’ll find you. What kind of dinner are you in the mood for?”
“Surprise me with the type of local food you enjoy.”
He’d never met a woman with a nature like hers. Abby was charming, educated, bright, funny and so damn attractive. But she was planning to fly to Italy after she’d seen the notebook.
The thought of her going anywhere was anathema to him. But he needed to be careful. He knew she didn’t trust him completely yet. The sooner she saw what she’d come to see, the sooner he could carry out his plans for them to explore what could be between them.
After hanging up, he left the cottage and walked around the back to get in his ten-year-old black Jaguar. He preferred to take the convertible on trips, but used his older car around the village for business.
When he caught up to her, Abby had walked quite a distance on her long, slender legs. Though the sky had clouded over, she stood out from her surroundings. Raoul’s gaze took in the sheen of her silky blond hair, which the breeze had disheveled. His eyes couldn’t help but follow her womanly shape clothed in a sundress that looked made for her.
He slowed down when he reached her. At first she stared at the car without recognition. “Have you changed your mind about dinner?”
Then her eyes, green and alive, met his. In that moment he knew she was excited to see him.
“Oh—it’s you!” She hurried around and got in the car, bringing the scent of her strawberry shampoo fragrance with her. “I didn’t know you had another car. I love the British pronunciation of this one. Jag-u-ar. You must think I’m crazy. I don’t know why I like the sounds of certain words. It’s a quirk of mine.”
Raoul didn’t think she was crazy. “I like your quirks.” He turned the car around and they drove out of the estate beyond the gate to the road that would take them into the village. It was then he heard a sigh from her that sounded troubled. “What’s wrong?”
“Not wrong, but there’s something I should tell you.”
He knew it. The last twenty-four hours had been too good to be true. “I presume you had a phone call from your friends. They think I’ve preyed on you and now you believe it.”
“That’s not it,” she muttered.
He pulled over to the side of the road. “Can you look me in the eye and tell me you never once wondered if I’d been lying to you?”
She moistened her lips nervously. “No. I believed you.”
“Then let’s start again. Something’s bothering you. Have you decided you don’t want to stay here after all?”
Her head turned in his direction. “Anyone who didn’t want to stay here would
