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“Come on, Pete. I’ll help you build something,” Elizabeth coaxed, seating herself in the place her mother had previously occupied.
Pete cast a backward look at Nina.
“Run along,” she said, this time sternly.
Still looking unhappy, he obeyed.
Following Nina, Alex glanced back over his shoulder to see Elizabeth and Pete sitting on the floor together, but neither was building. Both were watching him suspiciously. Tommy was studying him, as well, the worried expression on his face causing the circles under his eyes to seem even deeper. Alex gave them an encouraging smile, but the three pairs of eyes continued to cause a prickling sensation on the back of his neck as he entered the kitchen.
Inside the small room, Nina wished she’d had an alternative. It was barely large enough for two people to move around in, and Alex Bennett seemed to dominate what space there was. “Now, what is this favor you want to hire me for?”
“I need a fiancée for a short while.”
Nina stared in disbelief. “A fiancée? Me?” Anger replaced her disbelief. “Look, Mr. Bennett, I’m having a rough time right now. I’m not interested in playing any game or being the brunt of some joke one of your high-society friends has cooked up. What is it? Some kind of scavenger hunt…find the most unsuitable match?”
The woman has fire. Alex blocked her attempt to exit. “This is not a scavenger hunt. I told you, it involves my grandfather. He’s dying. I want him to leave this world in peace, and he says the only way he can do that is to know I’ve found a wife.”
Nina continued to regard him skeptically. “Why me?” she asked again. “I’m sure you have plenty of sophisticated women friends who would gladly pose as your fiancée.”
“You come fairly close to matching the description I gave him.” Alex refused to admit he’d described her. That could give her ideas, and he wasn’t seeking to get involved with her. Admittedly, if she’d been the type to have an affair he might have considered pursuing a short liaison—he still didn’t think he’d ever seen a more kissable pair of lips. But she didn’t strike him as a woman who would be interested in casual sex. If she was, she wouldn’t have fled the night of the storm. No, Mrs. Lindstrom was more the “wedding ring first” type. “And I figured we’d both be doing each other a favor. You pretend to be my fiancée and I’ll pay for your son to have the very best medical care money can buy, plus living expenses until you find a permanent job.”
“You want me to help you fool a dying man?”
Alex scowled at the disapproval in her voice. “Better I find a fake fiancée than marry on his whim and end up with an expensive divorce and a lot of bitter feelings.”
“You have a point,” she conceded.
“I spoke to Dr. Genkins after you left. He wouldn’t discuss Tommy’s case specifically, but we talked theoretically. There’s a gifted neurosurgeon in Denver. He’s one of the best in the world.”
“Denver?” Nina paled. “I thought someone here…”
Time for the hard sell, Alex decided. “There is a surgeon here who can perform the operation, and if you don’t accept my offer, you can stay here and he’ll probably do an adequate job. But I’m sure you want the best for your son. You want him to have every chance of a full recovery. I’m offering you that opportunity.” Alex knew, even as he attempted using her son to blackmail her into agreeing to his scheme, that no matter what she said, he would pay for the boy to go to Denver. But life would be a lot easier if she would play along. Otherwise, he’d have to find someone else who matched her description.
In her mind’s eye, Nina saw her son lying on the couch. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t even considered how she was going to pay for his surgery. He trusted her to take care of him. Besides, what harm could playing along with Alex Bennett’s scheme cause? “All right. You’ve got yourself a fiancée.”
Triumph flowed through Alex. “Shake on it?”
As his hand closed around hers, heat traveled up Nina’s arm. It had a curiously sensual feel to it and wove through her until it reached her toes. Inside her shoes, they curled with pleasure. Immediately, Tom’s image popped into her mind and she experienced a rush of guilt.
Tom’s gone, a little voice reminded her. She recalled her ringless finger. A year ago she’d removed her wedding band because she’d decided it was time she started getting on with her life. Still, her body tensed. She wasn’t entirely ready to tie Tom’s memory up with pink ribbons and store it away. Besides, even if she was, Alex Bennett wasn’t an option. He would never consider her a real possibility for a wife, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less.
Alex was a little surprised by the strength of her hand. He was used to women whose grasp was delicate, as if they were too fragile to participate in a real handshake. In the past, he’d considered that light touch seductive. Now it seemed insipid. The firm contact spread through him, reminding him of how good she’d felt in his arms. He had to fight the urge to pull her to him. Reminding himself that he’d already determined that she was the marrying kind, he released her. “I’ll go with you to see Dr. Genkins tomorrow, and we can begin making the arrangements to take Tommy to Denver.”
Nina nodded.
“We’ll need to make arrangements for your other children as well.”
“They can stay here with their grandparents.”
Alex breathed an inner sigh of relief that the problem was solved so easily. “That’s probably for the best. Three instant great-grandchildren might be a little too much for my grandfather to take at one time. In fact, it might be best if he was led to believe you only have the one child.”
Nina scowled at him. “I will not deny my children.”
“I’m not asking you to deny having them. I’m merely saying that if the subject doesn’t come up, we don’t have to bring it up.”
They were playing this charade to ease his grandfather’s mind, she reminded herself. “You have a point,” she agreed stiffly. “He could think you were taking on too much paternal responsibility.”
Alex caught the cynical edge in her voice, suggesting he wasn’t capable of carrying so great a load. He chose to ignore it. “And what will you tell your parents about us?”
“My parents are dead. It’s Tom’s parents, and I’ll tell them the truth. I don’t like the idea of lying to them. They’re good people and I trust them.”
Alex wasn’t happy about too many people knowing of his ploy, but he could tell she had her mind set on this. “What about your children? What will you tell them?”
“I’ll tell them that you’re a friend who’s going to help me see that Tommy gets well.”
“Since they’ll have no contact with my grandfather, that should work just fine. What time is our appointment with the doctor tomorrow?”
“One o’clock,” Nina replied, already feeling uneasy about the bargain she’d made.
Alex read her nervousness. “We’re both doing the right thing.”
Again she thought of Tommy. “I suppose.”
Exiting the kitchen, Alex intended to leave, call one of the available women he knew, then have a quiet dinner and an intimate evening. But as he entered the living room to find himself the focus of three worried gazes, he heard himself saying, “How about if I treat you to some pizzas and soda for dinner?”
“That really isn’t necessary,” Nina said quickly, wanting some time on her own to get used to the idea of the arrangement she’d agreed to.
Alex had noticed a gleam of excitement in the children’s eyes at the mention of pizza. Now he saw them look to their mother with a plea on their faces.
Her uneasiness about the arrangement was replaced by embarrassment. Takeout pizza and soda was a treat she couldn’t afford very often. And from her children’s reaction, she knew Alex Bennett had guessed that. Her shoulders straightened with pride.
Watching her, Alex realized that Nina Lindstrom didn’t like accepting anything she considered charity. “All of us should spend some time together,” he said before she could refuse his offer. “My grandfather will expect me to know some details about you and Tommy.” That he found himself honestly wanting to stay and spend the evening in the company of three children, rather than having a romantic tryst, surprised him. He told himself that he was doing this for William and to test his own feelings about fatherhood.
“Mom?” Elizabeth said hopefully.
He was right, Nina conceded. Besides, she was going to have to get used to having him around. “All right. Sure.”
Alex had to admit to feeling insulted by her less-than-enthusiastic acceptance of his company. Generally women enjoyed his presence. As before, he found himself thinking that when he came back to Grand Springs in search of Nina, this was not the woman he’d expected to find or anything even remotely resembling the situation he’d expected to find himself in.
Elizabeth was studying him with interest now, her mouth pursed into a thoughtful pout. “Tommy said he thinks he saw you at the hospital, but he’s not sure. He says it could have been a dream. Are you a doctor?”
“No, I’m not a doctor. But I was at the hospital.”
A haunted look came over Tommy’s features. “That machine was scary. They put me way up inside.” His voice trembled. “It was loud, too.”
He’d barely spoken since she’d brought him home. Now Nina realized he’d been so afraid, it had taken this long for him to be able to voice his trauma. “But the machine didn’t hurt you,” she said soothingly, hurrying to him and drawing him into her arms. “In fact, it helped the doctors. Now they know how to make you feel better.”
“I don’t want to do it again,” he pleaded, crying quietly into her shoulder.
Nina was tempted to lie but knew that would shake his faith in her. “I can’t promise you that.”
“If you do have to do it again, it’ll be easier the next time,” Alex said confidently. “You’ll know what to expect.”
Tommy stopped crying and lifted his head from his mother’s shoulder to look at the man. “It was really loud.”
“But the noise can’t hurt you,” Alex replied.
Tommy drew in a long breath, then asked, “Can I have pepperoni on my pizza?”
“Sure,” Alex said, startled by the child’s sudden change in subject. Then he recalled some proud parent he’d been cornered by at a party talking about how a child’s mind could jump from one thing to another. Clearly the boy had decided to forget the machine and concentrate on a more pleasant subject.
“Pete likes plain cheese,” Elizabeth spoke up.
“And what do you like?” Alex asked, looking her way.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Hamburger, I guess.”
Alex turned to Nina with a questioning look. “What about you?”
“Anything but onions and green peppers,” she replied, amazed by how calm his words had made Tommy. She was certain that if she’d said the same thing, her son would still be sobbing on her shoulder. She frowned. It had to be one of those male bonding kind of things…if a man says it, then it must be true.
“I’ll be back soon,” Alex promised, heading for the door.
Watching him stride out, Nina wondered if he was having second thoughts. That he’d chosen to go get the pizzas, instead of having them delivered, suggested he wanted to escape. Her children had behaved well. Both Elizabeth and Pete seemed to sense Tommy’s trauma acutely and were more subdued than usual. But they had stared, and a crying child usually made most men nervous. She half expected him to send the pizzas back with a messenger and a note saying some important business concern had come up. However, in the event that he did return, she needed to make the atmosphere a little more comfortable. “Mr. Bennett is a friend. He’s going to be around a lot for a while, so I don’t want you staring at him as if he has an eye in the middle of his forehead.”
“Is he a boyfriend?” Elizabeth asked.
Nina bit back an emphatic no. “He’s a friend,” she said firmly, hating to lie to the children. She doubted that she and Alex Bennett would ever be anything other than passing acquaintances. But she’d agreed to this charade for Tommy’s sake, and for him, she’d see it through. Wanting to end this discussion, she headed into the kitchen to get the plates.
Alex used his car phone to call his favorite Italian restaurant and order an assortment of pizzas. He added some ravioli and pasta to the order, as well. Seeing a bakery ahead, he stopped and bought a cake. At a quick-stop shop he purchased sodas.
He had expected to feel relieved to be out of that apartment with its bevy of children. Instead, he was anxious to return with his gathered goodies. Must be that Good Samaritan syndrome or maybe some primitive instinct that being the male, it makes me feel good to be bringing dinner home to someone, he mused sarcastically.
A little later, when Nina opened the door for him, her eyes rounded in surprise. “You got takeout from Fredrico’s?”
Her amazement pleased him. Carrying the boxes of hot food inside, he paused only long enough to put them on the table, then headed back to the door. “There’s a few more things in the car,” he said over his shoulder.
Nina began to frown as she opened the containers. He’d bought enough for days, and knowing the prices Fredrico’s charged, she guessed he’d spent nearly as much on this one meal as she budgeted for food for a month.
When he entered carrying the bakery box and a case of sodas, her pride again bubbled to the surface. She followed him into the kitchen, closing the door behind her. “We’re not a charity case,” she said in lowered tones so that her children would not hear. “You don’t have to feel you have to feed us as if we haven’t eaten in days. I have managed to keep food on the table.”
Alex scowled. “That wasn’t why I bought all of this. I thought you deserved a treat. You’ve obviously been through a rough time lately. And to be honest, I have no idea how much children eat.” He thought of the woman he’d met the night of the storm. That she had disappeared so completely bothered him. “I was hoping to make you smile. As I recall, you have a very nice smile.”
Nina drew a harsh breath. She’d overreacted. She should consider him Tommy’s guardian angel; instead, she seemed to be trying to find fault in everything he did. “I’m sorry. My pride can get a little out of hand at times.” She smiled a crooked, embarrassed smile. “Thank you. This was very kind.”
Alex glimpsed the woman from the night of the storm and smiled back, hoping to encourage her to emerge further. “You’re welcome.”
Nina’s smile stiffened. She knew now why she’d been so guarded with Alex Bennett. She was afraid of him. When he turned on his charm, he stirred emotions within her she didn’t want to feel toward him. They would only lead to trouble.
Seeing the woman from the storm disappearing again behind shuttered eyes, Alex frowned. “I get the feeling you’re fighting very hard not to like me.”
“I don’t dislike you. I just don’t see us remaining friends after this arrangement is over. You’ll go back to being a guest at parties, and I’ll go back to being one of the serving people. I figure it’s best if we both remember our places and stay in them.”
Alex had never thought of himself as a snob, and he didn’t like the picture she painted of him as one. “You’re overly class conscious.”
“I’m realistic. Just wait and see.”
What he saw was that her resolve was firm. He’d already determined that keeping a distance between them was the right thing to do, he reminded himself. “Have it your way,” he said without further argument.
“Mom, when can we eat?” Elizabeth called from the other side of the door.
“Right now,” Nina replied, exiting the kitchen. She waved the children toward the table. “You can all sit down, and Mr. Bennett can help you get what you want while I get the drinks.”
“Alex,” he corrected her. Then, in lowered tones for her ears only, he added, “My grandfather is never going to believe you’re my fiancée if you keep addressing me as Mr. Bennett.”
“Alex,” she conceded, fighting to ignore the erotic effect his warm breath on her neck was having on her senses.
Ordering himself to forget how much he’d wanted to nip her earlobe, Alex joined the children at the table. Pete was reaching for a slice of pizza, and he quickly helped the child get it onto his plate. Immediately the boy began to eat, ignoring all the others.
“My mother says you’re a friend,” Elizabeth said, regarding him speculatively as he dished her up a slice of pizza and some ravioli.
“That’s right,” he acknowledged, marveling at how much more intense a child’s gaze could be than an adult’s.
“Are you going to ask her on a date?” Elizabeth persisted.
“As a matter of fact, I consider this our first one,” he replied, wondering if the girl was going to object.
Elizabeth smiled with satisfaction. “Grandma will be happy to know Mommy is dating. Our dad’s been in heaven a long time. Pete doesn’t even remember him. He was only one. I don’t remember him real well, but Grandma says I take after him. He had blue eyes and blond hair, too.”
Alex realized she didn’t expect any response, as she abruptly stopped talking and turned her full attention to her food. Children, he mused. They simply say what’s on their minds, then move on to other topics. No small talk for them. Turning his attention to Tommy, he saw the boy sitting, his chin propped in his hands. “How about a piece of pepperoni pizza,” he offered, putting one on the boy’s plate.
Tommy forced a tired smile but continued to remain leaning into his hands. Concern for the boy flowed through Alex. “You need to eat,” he said.
“In a minute,” Tommy replied.
Nina brought in the drinks, and Alex saw the worried look on her face when she saw her eldest son staring lethargically at the food he’d been looking forward to having. “Try to eat a little,” she encouraged.
Tommy picked up the slice and began to nibble at it.
Concern for the boy foremost on his mind, Alex joined her in coaxing Tommy to eat. By the time the meal was over, he thought he’d never had so exhausting an experience.
After a couple of bites, Tommy had turned pale and looked as if he was going to be sick. Nina had carried him to the couch and laid him down. Alex’s worry that the boy was in much more immediate danger than the doctor had led them to believe increased.
Pete, clearly having inherited his mother’s bold independence, wanted to serve himself. The others had all tried to keep an eye on him, so that when he suddenly stood in his chair and made an attempt to reach something outside of his grasp, they were there to help. But none had been quick enough when he made a grab for another slice of pizza and spilled his soda.
Although Elizabeth was polite and ladylike at all times, Alex felt her watching him. He’d been sized-up by some very powerful men in his time and many a calculating female. None of those inspections unnerved him the way the little blonde’s did.
Helping Nina clear the table, he wondered how she’d had the energy to care for three children and hold down a job. It was a heavy load for such a delicate set of shoulders, he thought admiringly. He’d considered leaving soon after the meal. But the tiredness and the strain on her face brought out a protectiveness in him. He would stay awhile longer and help with the children, he decided.
