Mother's Day Babies (Holiday Babies Series) Read Online Free Page A

lips. Good Lord, she hadn’t paid attention to a
man for years. Not in that way .
    “Merci, Monsieur. Thank you,
sir.” Lou freed her to retrieve his camera. “Let’s go take the tickets.”
    She nodded and followed him. Her
pace unsure, she tried to analyze the unsettling feeling that had overwhelmed
her a moment ago. Why make a big deal out of it? Many men liked to put their
arms around the woman at their sides in photographs. David did it all the time.
    Yeah, but David had been her
husband. No one else had ever dared take such liberties with her. His jealous
streak often on alert, David would have objected. After his death, her male
friends still thought of her as David’s wife and treated her that way.
    “I have the tickets.” A frown
revealed Lou’s disappointment. “Barbara, what’s wrong? You’re miles away.”
    “On the contrary.” Trust me. I
was here. Much too close to you . “I’m trying to memorize every minute. I’ll
have so much to tell my daughters.” She plastered a lively smile on her lips
and met his gaze. Little stars sparkled in his gray eyes.
    “I’m glad you’re enjoying your
visit. And it’s only the beginning.” His hand flattened on her back, guiding
her toward the elevators.
    Her senses spiked in awareness. It’s
only the beginning?
    Of what?

 
     
     
    Chapter Three
    Lou suppressed a smile at the
wary glance Barbara cast at the huge Eiffel Tower elevator.
    “Is this machine safe?” Her face
paled and her eyes widened as they started the ascension.
    “Very safe. They test it
regularly.” To reassure her, he encircled her back. They soon exited on the
first floor and toured the displays showing the memorable moments of the Tower’s
history.
    On the second floor, Lou directed
her to a wide circular gallery from which she could spot all the Paris sites
and monuments. Not wanting to waste time, she refused to have lunch at the
expensive restaurant but bought tee-shirts for her grandchildren at the souvenir
shops.
    Lou insisted on more pictures
with various views of Paris in the background. While Barbara eased out of his
arm after each picture, she was the one who grasped his hand when they started
the ascension to the third floor in a glass elevator.
    Although she almost broke his
fingers, he stifled a smile and didn’t utter a word. If that calmed her fear,
he wasn’t one to complain.
    At the top floor, the magnificent
view of Paris unfolding at their feet enthralled her. She forgot her panic and
squealed with delight. “We really need pictures here, Lou.”
    “Absolutely.” Her enthusiasm delighted
him. To think he’d forgotten about work in the last three hours. His gaze roved
over her graceful figure. Molded in a black and white printed jersey dress and
a black little jacket on top, she looked like a French aristocrat. A row of
pearls at her neck and clips on her ears added an elegant touch to her outfit.
    A gasp escaped her as they edged
near the rail and she glanced down. “Good God, it’s really high.”
    Lou chuckled. “One thousand and
fifty feet high, same height as an eighty-one story building.”
    “Oh.” She grasped his fingers
tighter.
    He solicited a security guard and
asked him to photograph them together. This time she didn’t stiffen when he slipped
his arm around her back. He was the one who almost closed his eyes as her
perfume enveloped him. After a series of shots, the man handed him back his
camera but Lou didn’t let go of Barbara. They visited the little museum of Gustave
Eiffel, an office with wax models of the famous engineer and his illustrious
guest, Thomas Edison, sitting at a desk and conversing.
    The descent proved to be easier
on Barbara’s nerves if her relaxed smile was any indication. Too bad she’d
stopped squirming closer to him. Still she released a sigh of relief when they
exited the lift.
    “Happy to be back on solid
ground?” He chuckled and ushered her toward the magnificent park extending at
the foot of the Eiffel