Chapter 3

The next day.

Bella had spent every last cent of her savings on one final attempt to find the man who could give her what she needed so badly.

Her heart pounded desperately in her chest, and she felt her hands sweat as she slid the tape into the VCR she’d bought for ten dollars at the secondhand store. She poured herself a glass of the wine she usually used for cooking.

She poured the love she would have given a child into creating exotic dishes, even if there was no one to share them with in her small apartment. She took three quick sips to steady her nerves and pressed the button, stepping back from the screen with the cheap glass clutched in both hands.

The man on the screen was breathtakingly handsome.

There had to be some mistake!

Bella took the tape out of the VCR, inspected the label, and reread the cover letter.

No, everything seemed to be in order. His name was Alex Bennett, just as the woman on the phone had said. He lived in Tucson, Arizona, west of Houston, where she lived. That was good. She felt better knowing they both lived in the Southwest.

She put the tape back in and played it again.

She sat down and hugged her knees, holding her breath while the fabulous man on the screen answered a list of questions posed by the interviewer.

“What do you do, Mr. Bennett?”

“Construction.”

Ah, Bella thought. That’s why he had those muscles and well-developed shoulders. From using picks and shovels to hauling lumber and sacks of cement. Even though he wore a suit, you could tell he had a great build.

“And your hobbies?”

“Not many.”

“Name two, please.”

“I—uh—well, I like the outdoors.”

Oh, that’s great! Children should play outside a lot. She wasn’t very athletic, so it would be wonderful for their father to take them hiking, fishing, playing ball.

“Is marriage a priority for you, Mr. Bennett?”

“Of course it is,” he answered solemnly, his gray eyes unblinking.

A little cry of joy escaped Bella’s lips.

She took a sip of wine and let out a giggle. And this man had liked her tape!

“And children?”

“Yes, there will definitely be children in my marriage.”

She couldn’t believe it! Perhaps these were the reasons Alex Bennett had found her tape appealing.

It was obvious he wanted a family as much as she did. He was a man who could see beyond her appearance and her nervous reactions to recognize more important practical matters.

A future that could be good for both of them.

But there was one thing that bothered her. She had learned not to trust handsome men. A man who’s too handsome is usually aware of it and uses it to his advantage.

Alex Bennett must have had more women than he could handle. There had to be something wrong with the man.

Bella watched the interview to the end, rewound the tape, and watched it three more times, accompanying it with three more glasses of wine. Instead of revealing flaws, Alex improved with each replay and each glass. He seemed to be looking straight into her eyes through the camera. Just at her. His gaze was direct, intelligent, and sometimes playful.

He was a man who, even if she didn’t like him, she could at least appreciate. He was a man who made her feel strange things inside, like tickles.

She turned off the TV and picked up the letter that came with the tape. She pressed the glass to her forehead to cool her feverish skin. She thought about possibilities, about dreams, about a future. And the risks.

The letter said that she was the one who had to contact Mr. Bennett if she wanted to meet him. He hadn’t given his address or phone number, in case she decided not to accept his invitation to call.

“It’s not a real date, it’s more casual,” she told herself.

“Call it what you will, this may be my last chance.”

Alex was prepared for the worst when he arrived early and parked in front of the restaurant, just north of Westheimer.

The modern Houston restaurant was surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens.

Along the lawn that sloped down toward the bayou, the famous peacocks courted tourists for photos.

He parked the car near the main entrance, waiting to see Bella come.

If she was so awful that he couldn’t possibly marry her, he would try to keep the meal to a minimum and send flowers to her home the next day.

The polite note that accompanied them would thank her for her lovely company and explain that he was very sorry, but they weren’t the match he’d hoped for.

Even so, as he sat fidgeting in the Lincoln Continental he’d rented that morning at the airport, he doubted the six months left until his birthday would offer better prospects.

He waited nervously, trying to remember Bella’s good points. She seemed educated, good-natured, genuinely fond of children and housework. When they spoke on the phone two days after Alex saw her on the video, she mentioned twice that she liked to cook. He supposed that in time she would be so busy with the children and her own interests that he wouldn’t have to worry about changing his lifestyle. If Bella raised any objection to the hours he spent working, he’d make her understand, and she—who seemed like a timid little mouse—surely wouldn’t insist. Something told him she wouldn’t demand much in bed, either.

Maybe she was quiet by nature.

Her voice on the phone had been as soft and shy as on the tape.

He had started to wonder about her sexual past, which seemed like a logical question between two people who were thinking of having children together.

But she had gotten so nervous that he had dropped the subject immediately and decided to wait until they could talk it over face to face.

Alex looked at his hands, which were gripping the steering wheel as if he had been driving at high speed. Deliberately, he let go. Women never made him nervous, so why should this frightened little mouse?

Finally, an old red car pulled up hesitantly in front of the restaurant entrance. The driver seemed confused as the doorman tried to open the door for her. Alex couldn’t help but smile.

After several minutes of lively conversation, the man managed to convince her to get out of the car.

The young woman stood on the sidewalk, staring at her vehicle as if she would never see it again.

It had to be Bella Parker.

Her lovely naïveté went straight to Alex’s heart.

He decided he couldn’t let her go into the restaurant and deal with Jean Paul alone. The Frenchman’s cold manner would make her run for her life immediately.

Quickly, Alex got out of the car and hurried across the street, pressing the electronic key at the same time to lock the car automatically.

He reached the door just as Bella was extending her trembling hand to open it.

“Let me do that,” he said as he stepped past her to open the door.

Bella held her breath, as if she hadn’t realized someone was behind her.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, looking at Alex with frightened eyes, and he noticed again the subtle change in the color of her pupils.

“Are you Mr. Bennett?”

“Alex,” he replied, placing a hand at the small of her back and guiding her into the restaurant.

“Oh—good, good,” she managed to say.

“Let me take your coat,” Alex said.

It was a bit chilly for March in Texas. The Southwest had had an unusually cold winter.

People were wearing wool coats and scarves they hadn’t pulled from their closets in years.

“Thanks,” she murmured again, glancing up at him before walking with him through the restaurant lobby.

It was designed to look like a Roman cave: bare stones, green shrubs growing between rough gray rocks.

A waterfall fell softly at the back, near the dining room. He had chosen this restaurant because it was his style. Rough and refined at the same time.

Sophisticated, quiet, intimate. He had brought girls to Houston for the weekend because he didn’t want the whole city to know whom the most sought-after bachelor in town was dating.

The restaurant’s atmosphere was tinged with elegant seduction.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were there earlier,” Bella said softly. “I was looking to see if I could spot any Arizona license plates on the street.”

“I rented a car at the airport,” he explained.

“You flew all the way here? Oh, that must have cost a fortune!”

“I was very busy at work and I didn’t want to…” Alex paused before saying “waste time”… “I didn’t want to be away for long.”

“I understand.” She looked at him with a smile, as if impressed by his strong work ethic. “I know exactly what that’s like. I hate leaving a job half done.” Her eyes went wide as a woman walked by in a crêpe dress with a slit up to the thigh. She wore a diamond ankle bracelet. Glancing awkwardly at her own skirt and the simple sweater and matching wool jacket, she winced.

“I don’t think I’m dressed right for this place.”

“You look good,” Alex said, shaking his head.

Bella looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decide whether he meant it or was just trying to make her feel better. His face was unreadable. With a sigh, she changed the subject.

“You work in construction? What exactly do you do? Do you operate heavy machinery?” she scolded herself internally—she was nervous, blurting out random questions.

“Not usually,” he laughed. “But I can do both.”

Juan Pablo arrived at that moment, saving him from an explanation Alex didn’t want to give just then. He had deliberately avoided giving details about his work and his family—such as the fact that the Bennetts were the richest and most influential citizens in southern Arizona. He wanted to see Bella’s reaction before revealing that he would make her a wealthy woman.

Once they were seated, he ordered the wine and suggested two house specialties. The waiter brought them a white Merlot, pouring a little first for Alex to taste, and once he approved it, he filled both glasses. Finally, they were alone.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said.

“There’s not much to tell,” Bella said, lifting her glass to her lips for a cautious sip. “It was almost all on the tape I gave Cupid’s Arrow.” She took another sip and smiled like a child given candy between meals.

The guilty sparkle in her eyes struck him as adorable. It awakened a mischievous streak in him that made him think how fun it would be to surprise her and make those mesmerizing multicolored eyes light up. He made an attempt to undress her with his mind, but the conservative outfit she wore didn’t give wings to his imagination.

“Oh wow, how delicious. I sometimes treat myself to a glass of wine after work. But a bottle lasts me a month, and it’s never been as good as this,” Bella said, lifting the glass for another delicate sip. She narrowed her eyes and tipped her head back as she swallowed.

Her elegant neck was quite tempting, and suddenly, Alex felt the urge…