Passionately Ever After Read online

  Giving up, Maria sat up in bed and turned on the lamp. She looked over at the nightstand and eyed the telephone. Maybe if she could talk to Karen, she wouldn’t feel so lonely and restless, she reasoned, and glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock, she noted with disappointment. Too late to call her cousin Karen outside Boston, where it’d be midnight. She and Ash were probably in bed. If not because her cousin and the sexy sheikh were still practically newlyweds, then because Karen’s pregnancy no doubt exhausted her.

  But thoughts of her long-lost cousin’s romance and marriage with the sheikh only made her feel more depressed. While she was truly happy that things had worked out for the pair, Maria couldn’t help feel a pang of envy. If only there was some way that her relationship with Steven could have a similar happy ending, she thought. But what chance did they have when both their families deemed them to be enemies from birth?

  A wave of sadness rolled through her with the force of a blizzard, leaving her feeling more miserable and alone. She had to snap out of this, Maria told herself. Knowing she’d be unable to sleep, she plumped up her pillows and retrieved the thriller she’d wanted to read from the edge of the nightstand.

  But ten minutes later, despite the author’s skill in crafting a riveting story, Maria closed the book and set it aside. She simply couldn’t appreciate the drama unfolding on the pages when the drama of her own life was foremost in her mind. She looked at the telephone again and despite the hour, she punched in Karen’s phone number.

  The phone was answered on the third ring. “Hello,” her cousin answered.

  “Hi, Karen. It’s Maria.”

  “Maria,” Karen exclaimed. “You must be psychic. I was just telling Ash that I needed to talk to you. I was planning on calling you in the morning.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called so late,” Maria said, wishing she hadn’t made the phone call after all. “It’s nothing important. Why don’t I just give you a call back later.”

  “Maria, don’t you dare hang up,” Karen commanded. “I told you I wanted to talk to you, too.”

  Maria hesitated. “You’re sure I’m not catching you and Ash at a bad time?”

  “I’m positive,” Karen assured her. “We were just sitting in bed arguing over names for the baby.”

  “We were discussing names for the baby,” Ash called out.

  Maria smiled at the sound of her new cousin-in-law’s response because she knew that early in their relationship Karen had shied away from the formidable sheikh because she’d feared he would prove too controlling.

  “What do you think of Ashley?” Karen asked, breaking into Maria’s thoughts.

  “It’s a pretty name,” Maria replied.

  “I think so, too. And it would work whether the baby is a boy or a girl.”

  “Our son is not going to go through life with the name of a girl,” Ash declared in the background. “It would scar him for life.”

  But Maria hadn’t missed the note of happiness and pride in his voice. Hearing the pair banter so easily about a name for their baby made Maria long to share such moments with Steven. It also brought home the fact that any such scenario happening between herself and Steven wasn’t likely.

  “Men,” her cousin replied a few seconds later after she’d dispatched her husband to fetch her some ice cream. “Speaking of men, is Steven still in Silver Valley?” Karen asked.

  “Yes. I thought once I made it clear that I wasn’t going to marry him that he’d go back to Boston. Instead he’s practically become a member of the Calderone family,” Maria said in frustration. “Magdalene and Louis adore him. He’s here all the time, helping Louis around the ranch, charming Magdalene.”

  “And driving you crazy?”

  “Yes. But not in the way you think. I mean, he’s not pressuring me to marry him like he did that first day,” she explained. “But just his being here, talking about us and the baby as though we’re already a family…it’s made things…more difficult,” she finally said, unable to find the words to explain that Steven was making her want what she knew she couldn’t have.

  “Have you given any more thought about what you’re going to do?”

  “It’s all I think about,” Maria informed her.

  “And?”

  “And what I want to do and what I think I should do are two different things. I love Steven and I want to marry him.”

  “But…” Karen prompted.

  “But I’m afraid of what will happen if I do.”

  “I seem to remember feeling the same way not very long ago. And a wise and wonderful woman told me that I shouldn’t squander a chance to be with the man I loved.”

  Maria heard her own words being quoted back to her. “My situation is different,” she defended.

  “Is it? I was afraid of being rejected by Ash, that he only wanted to marry me so that he could control me. But you were the one who convinced me I’d be crazy not to take a chance. Maybe you should follow your own advice. Why not take a chance? Accept Steven’s marriage proposal and then tell the family about him and the baby.”

  Oh, how she wished she could, Maria thought. But what if both families rejected them? And what if by her actions, her unborn baby paid the price of the curse just as her grandmother once had? “I can’t,” she whispered. “It’ll destroy my parents and God knows how Steven’s family would react. No, I can’t do it. I can’t take that risk.”

  “People change, Maria.”

  “Not that much. You know how bad things have been lately. Just mention the name Conti at Baronessa and everyone’s blood pressure skyrockets. Can you imagine how they’d react if I told them that Steven and I were getting married? That I was going to have a Conti’s baby?”

  “They might surprise you,” Karen offered.

  “More than likely, they’ll disown me and never want to see or speak to me again.” And the thought of that happening had Maria’s throat growing tight with tears.

  “You’re going to have to tell them sooner or later,” her cousin pointed out. “Everyone keeps asking where you are and when you’re coming back.”

  Maria frowned, detecting in Karen’s voice that something was wrong. “Is there a problem at Baronessa?”

  “No. No new problems at least. Mimi’s doing a great job holding down things at the gelateria, and the FBI is still trying to locate Derrick and Bianca Conti. But I’m afraid it’s looking more and more like Derrick might be the one behind his and Bianca’s kidnapping and the ransom demand.”

  “I was hoping we were wrong about Derrick.” While she hadn’t wanted to believe her cousin capable of such a thing, Maria knew that Derrick had always perceived himself as being slighted by the rest of the family. Though it wasn’t true, he’d claimed his contributions to the business had been undervalued and he’d deeply resented it when he’d been put in charge of quality control at the plant and not in the corporate offices or even named as manager of Baronessa Gelateria. Maria shook her head. “I just wish I could understand why he would put our family through this.”

  “Whatever his reasons are, it’s been hard on Emily.”

  “Poor Emily,” Maria said, referring to Derrick’s younger sister. “Do you think it would help if I called her?”

  “I think she’d like that.” Karen paused. “You might also want to call your parents.”

  Maria’s heartbeat quickened. “My parents? Is something wrong? Has something happened to them?”

  “No. No,” Karen said quickly. “It’s nothing like that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Your father ran into Lucia Conti yesterday,” Karen said.

  Maria nearly groaned. “How bad was it?”

  “Bad enough, I guess. I’m told Lucia accused the Barones of knowing where Derrick was holding Bianca. Some ugly words were exchanged.”

  She could hardly blame either of them, Maria thought. Her father would resent having a Barone accused of such a crime, and Lucia Conti would be frantic and angry over the disappearan
ce of her niece. Which only brought home the impossibility of either family’s acceptance of her and Steven together. She sighed. “Is that the reason you were going to call me? To tell me about my father’s argument with Lucia?”

  “It was one of the reasons, but not the only one. Aunt Moira and Uncle Carlo came to see me earlier this evening. That’s how I found out about what happened with Lucia Conti.”

  “But why would my parents come to see you?” Maria began. But before Karen could answer, she said, “To find out from you where I am.”

  “Yes,” Karen confirmed. “They’re worried about you, Maria. They’re not buying the line about you wanting to recharge your batteries or that you’ve been keeping an eye out for new outlets for Baronessa. They’ve figured out that you were involved with someone in Boston before you left. And they think you left because the relationship ended badly.”

  “Do they know it was Steven?”

  “No. And I didn’t tell them where you were. I explained that I’d given you my word, but I assured them that you were safe.”

  “Thanks,” Maria said. The last thing she wanted was to have her parents show up in Silver Valley while Steven was here.

  “Aunt Moira and Uncle Carlo have been very kind to me. I didn’t like seeing them so worried.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry I’ve put you in this position,” Maria said and truly meant it. “I’ll call them tomorrow and let them know I’m all right.”

  “You need to come home, Maria. It’s time. And you’ve got to tell your parents about the baby.”

  “I know.”

  “You need to do it soon.”

  “I will,” Maria assured her. “Soon. I promise I’ll do it soon. I’ll come home and tell them everything.”

  “What are you going to do about Steven? He wants you, and from what little I know of him, he doesn’t strike me as a man who gives up easily.”

  “You’re right about that,” Maria replied. “He doesn’t. And now that he knows about the baby, he’s even more determined for us to get married.”

  “Maybe you should consider it, then. After all, he is the baby’s father and whether you marry him or not, he has a right to be a part of the child’s life. I hate to keep throwing your words back at you, but you’re the one who told me not to squander a chance to be with the man I love. Maybe you should take your own advice.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Maria promised.

  “Steven, can you help Maria put that popcorn string on that high branch near the top of the tree?” Magdalene asked two afternoons later as the four of them decorated the Calderones’ Christmas tree.

  “Sure,” Steven said, knowing full well that the tree decorating and all the other little chores Magdalene had cooked up for them since the ill-fated dinner were an effort to throw him and Maria together. He moved behind Maria, brushed up against her back as he took the stringed popcorn and draped it on the branch.

  “Thanks,” Maria said, her voice a soft hush.

  “No problem.” Reluctant to move away, he remained close, inhaled her scent, noted the glow of her skin.

  “I’d better get another string for the tree,” she told him and Steven stepped back.

  “Who wants eggnog?” Louis asked as he entered the den carrying a tray with Christmas mugs and a pitcher.

  “I’ll take a cup,” Steven replied.

  “Me, too,” Maria said.

  Dressed in a western shirt, worn jeans and boots and holding the dainty-looking tray, the older man made an amusing picture, Steven thought. But there was nothing amusing about the pride that shone in his eyes as he watched his wife pour the eggnog. Steven had never been one to envy others, but he couldn’t help feeling a touch of envy now. While his life in Boston was filled with the riches of a successful career, Louis’s simple life on the ranch with the woman he loved made him by far the wealthier man. Steven wanted a life with Maria. Somehow, someway, he had to convince her.

  “Here you go, Steven,” Magdalene said as she handed him his eggnog.

  “Thanks.” Taking the cup, he took a taste. “Delicious,” he told Magdalene.

  “It’s wonderful, Magdalene,” Maria said. “I hope you’ll share the recipe with me. I’d love to make some for my family at Christmas.”

  “You have decided to go home for Christmas, then?” Magdalene asked as she refilled her husband’s cup.

  “I…I’m not sure,” she informed her. “Maybe.”

  At least she was thinking about returning to Boston, Steven told himself and tried to take that as a positive sign. While he wanted to press her, insist she allow him to take her home and tell their families about the baby, he remained silent.

  Maria set down her cup. “Well, I guess we better finish trimming this tree or else we’ll be late for Lamaze class,” Maria told Magdalene.

  “Oh my heavens,” Magdalene exclaimed. “Maria, pequeña, I forgot to tell you. I cannot go with you to the Lamaze class tonight. There is a meeting tonight for the church’s holiday decorating committee and I’m the chairperson. So I have to go. I’m so sorry. I meant to tell you, but with everything going on, it slipped my mind.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Maria said.

  “But you cannot go alone. You need a partner,” Magdalene insisted.

  “I’ll just skip class this week.”

  “You mustn’t do that. It is important that you go. The instructor said this last trimester is the most important.”

  “Why don’t I go with you?” Steven offered.

  “An excellent idea,” Magdalene said.

  He knew from Maria’s closed expression that she didn’t feel the same way. But deciding to take the opening Magdalene had created and run with it, he said, “Since I’m the baby’s father and I plan to be with you during the delivery, it only makes sense that I’m the one who goes with you.”

  “All right. The class is at seven-thirty in the community center next to the hospital,” Maria informed him.

  Steven nodded. He’d seen the hospital during his trips into Silver Valley proper. He glanced at his watch, calculated the driving time. “Because of the snowfall this afternoon, we probably should leave a little early.”

  “You two go ahead,” Magdalene said. “Louis and I will finish up the tree.”

  “All right,” Maria said and put her cup down on the tray. “I just need to freshen up and get my coat.”

  “I’ll go start the car so that it’s nice and warm for you when you’re ready to go.”

  He had always had a healthy respect for women, Steven thought as the film on childbirth came to an end and the lights in the community center room came on. It was hard for him not to respect the female of the species. After all, he had grown up in a house with three of them—his mother, Aunt Lucia and his sister, Bianca. Although they were individuals with varied talents and interests, all three women were strong and intelligent. His association with other women over the years and his observation of Maria during this past year had only reinforced his belief that the term “weaker sex” was an inaccurate one. That particular belief had been reinforced after he viewed the film on natural childbirth. Of one thing he was certain—the person who had coined the ridiculous term “weaker sex” had obviously never seen a woman giving birth.

  Were he given the option of losing an arm or having a baby, he’d probably opt to lose the arm. Steven glanced around the room at the other men in attendance. From the ashen looks on most of their faces, he wasn’t the only one who’d been blown away by the ordeal on film.

  “Enlightening, wasn’t it?” Maria asked from her seat beside him.

  “To say the least.” Enlightening, hell. The thing had scared him spitless. And just the idea of Maria having to go through that same experience in two months time shook him to the core.

  The Lamaze class instructor, who had introduced herself as Nurse Carol, clapped her hands. “All right, Moms, get your mats and then find a place on the floor for you and your coach.”

  Somewhe
re in her mid-fifties, the lady was nearly six feet tall and he guessed her weight to be around a hundred sixty pounds. She didn’t fit his image of a soft-spoken angel of mercy. Instead she reminded him of his third-grade teacher, Mrs. Boris—a woman he had personally believed would have made a good army drill sergeant.

  Nurse Carol clapped her hands again. “Come on, class, the fun part is over. Now it’s time to get to work.”

  The fun part?

  The woman must have a screw loose, Steven decided, because there hadn’t been anything remotely “fun” about the agony the woman in the film had gone through to have that baby.

  “There’s a spot right over there near the wall,” Maria said, pointing to an empty section on the far side of the floor. When he didn’t move, she asked, “Steven, are you all right? You look…strange.”

  He swiped a hand down his face. “I was just thinking about that film. If that’s what a woman has to go through to have a baby, it’s a miracle that I’m not an only child.”

  Maria chuckled. “I’m one of eight,” she reminded him.

  Wincing, he said, “Then your poor mother must be a saint.”

  Her smile faded. Worry lines creased her brow. “In a lot of ways she is a saint. I just hope I’ll be half as good a mother to my baby as she’s been to me.”

  “You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” he assured her.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m always right,” he teased and was pleased to see those worry lines soften. “Come on. Nurse Carol’s giving us the eye. We better get situated.”

  Picking up the mat, he followed Maria across the room to the spot she’d indicated earlier. Taking a cue from the other men present, he unrolled the mat onto the floor. Then he offered her his hand.

  “Thanks,” she murmured as she took his hand and lowered herself to the mat. She stretched out her legs in front of her.

  Steven knelt beside her, but the images of the woman giving birth in the film continued to linger in his mind. He stared at Maria, noted the fit of the green slacks and the bright green, red and white maternity sweater she wore. She was small, nearly a foot shorter than his own six foot three inches. And despite the fact that she was nearly seven months pregnant, her arms and legs remained slim, almost willowy. Were it not for the bulge in her belly, no one would even know she was pregnant. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine her small body going through the agony of giving birth.