A case in point was her own arrival in Thann on her first visit to Alsace. He’d taken her on a personal tour of his vineyards after normal working hours.
Her body throbbed just thinking about her intense attraction to him. It was an experience she would never forget in more ways than one.
That night had led to another magical night, followed by a month so black, she was surprised she was still alive. And pregnant…
She needed to tell Luc in person that she was nurturing their baby.
But if he didn’t call her tomorrow, then the next best thing she could do was write him a letter. If she posted it from Colmar, he would realize she’d tried to see him in person before returning to the States.
As she got in bed and began composing it in her mind, she heard a distinct knock on her door.
“Rachel?”
Her heart gave a great leap.
Luc! He was here? Now?
“I—I didn’t expect you tonight.” But she should have known he’d come. He possessed that sixth sense necesssary to a successful vintner. Once he’d seen the hotel’s phone number on his caller ID, he’d put two and two together.
“You said it was urgent. Let me in,” he insisted in that deep voice that brooked no argument.
“Just a minute.”
She’d thought he’d caused her enough pain that her feelings for him had been burned out of her.
Not so.
The thrill of hearing his voice overwhelmed her. But following that reaction she felt apprehension. Now that the moment was here, she had no idea how he would react to the news that he was going to be a father. Again.
Rebecca had advised her to just tell him the truth, and the rest would take care of itself. But Rachel knew it wasn’t that simple. He was still waiting for Paulette to wake up so he could try to put their marriage back together.
Rachel threw off her nightgown and slipped into jeans and a top.
“Shall I open it for you?”
“No—I’m coming.”
Rachel was all thumbs as she unlocked the door. At the sound of the click, he pushed it open.
The first thing she noticed was his formal attire. He was in a black suit and tie, she’d never seen him look more devastatingly handsome. But when she stared up at his face, she noticed he was leaner and wore a hunted expression. The lines around his mouth were more pronounced.
Her hand went to her throat in alarm. “When I told you it was urgent, I didn’t mean you had to tear yourself away from an important dinner party.”
His veiled gaze assessed her features with unsettling intensity before he moved into the room. She backed away to keep distance between them, sensing there was something vitally different about him.
He shut the door, still keeping his eyes leveled on her.
“There was a funeral today. Paulette died on the eighth.”
Rachel stood there like a victim of shellshock.
“W-what took her?”
“Pneumonia. Her family buried her this afternoon. I had just left their house to go home when I checked my messages.”
“Luc—” she cried, utterly horrified that she’d intruded on the most painful day of his life.
She shook her head. “I had no way of knowing.”