Mother's Day Babies (Holiday Babies Series) Read online

  Mother’s Day Babies

  Holiday Babies Series, Book 3

  (Book 1 Christmas Babies)

  (Book 2 Valentine Babies)

  Contemporary Romance

  by

  Mona Risk

  Praise for the author…

  “Risk’s writing is easy to read and engages the reader right away.” ~Sally Pink Reviews

  “Keeping the reader entertained with the twists and turns in the plot.” ~Got Romance!

  “The writing sweeps you into the story and keeps you turning the pages.” ~The Long & The Short Reviews

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  Copyright Information

  Mother’s Day Babies

  Thank you for Reading

  Other Books by Mona Risk

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  Kindle Edition

  Mother’s Day Babies, Copyright April 2013 - Mona Risk

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Special thanks to: Helen Scott-Taylor for her invaluable input.

  Chapter One

  “I can’t go to Paris with that gorgeous man.” Barbara Ramsey scowled at the full length mirror in her bedroom, turned around, and glanced over her shoulder at her reflection. “This dress looks even worse from the back.”

  “Nonsense, Mom, I hope I look that great at your age.” Standing in the master bedroom beside a gaping suitcase, Heather rolled her eyes. “After raising five daughters, one would expect a little extra flesh here and there. No big deal. A nice outfit will camouflage the bulges. Madelyn, hand me that black thing.”

  Her lips pinched, her eldest held out the long silk dress. “Too old-fashioned. Mom, you need a new evening gown.” Madelyn extracted two velvet sweat suits from the closet and shook her head. “Definitely not good for Paris. We need to go shopping.”

  “Why would anyone expect me to play the dating game at fifty-five with forty extra pounds on my hips?” Barbara pinched her side. Yep, definitely more than two inches there. Not that she usually cared about her weight, but under the circumstances…

  Instead of commiserating, the two young women burst out laughing. If Roxanne, Claire and Tiffany were here too, the five of them would have a swell time ganging up on her with comments and advice.

  “Mom, you’re beautiful.” Heather grabbed her mother’s shoulders and spun her back toward the mirror. “Look at your pretty face. You have almost no lines. How many people had told you that you look like our big sister?”

  “You’re too kind, sweetheart.” Barbara patted Heather’s cheek. Her daughter lived on a farm, stayed home to raise her four little boys, and didn’t have a mean bone in her petite frame. “So what if I have good genes. I still can’t go to Paris with your sister’s boss.”

  “Mom, let’s put things in the right perspective. You’re not going to Paris as Lou Roland’s date. Roxanne and her family will be there too.” Madelyn threw aside the outfits she’d been holding and rubbed her mother’s back.

  “You’re just accompanying Roxy on a business trip to France for two weeks,” Heather added. “How often have you mentioned you wished she could take you on one of her work assignments? I think it was very kind of Mr. Roland to invite you to go along with the KNR TV crew to France and to reserve a room for you at the prestigious George V hotel. Why do you assume he has an ulterior motive?”

  “I don’t assume anything. I just don’t know him very well. It’s been two months since we met at Roxy’s friends’ wedding and I haven’t seen him since.”

  Madelyn planted her fists on her hips. “Lou calls you several times a week. You told me you chat and laugh for hours. You even called him your best buddy.”

  Heather chuckled, her blond ponytail bouncing on her back, and tapped her sister on the shoulder. “I bet you’re not aware that she even sent him a box of her famous cookies.”

  “No way!” Madelyn’s censorious look annoyed the heck out of her mother. “Well, well, if your friendship with Lou has reached that level, I don’t see the problem. It’s about time you started living again.”

  “My life is busy and perfect as is.” As perfect and smooth as the satin bedspread. Her mouth twitched and she automatically reached to readjust the golden cover’s corners.

  She had a beautiful house, the same one where she’d lived with her late husband David for thirty years, and she still attended the same church where they were married. What more could she wish for?

  “Come on, Mom.” Heather threw her hands in the air. “All you do is spend your days in the kitchen, cooking or baking for your grandchildren and church events.”

  “And probably tasting your delicious food,” Madelyn added. “No wonder you’re putting on weight. It’s time to do something different and discover what the world looks like outside of Lexington, KY.”

  “I regularly travel to Florida and—”

  “Mom, visiting with my family and baking for the kids is not what I’d call a real vacation.” Madelyn shook her practical crop of blond curls.

  Panic struck Barbara’s chest. Oh David, why have you left me? She unzipped the dress and pulled on her normal clothes as her daughters jabbered on with more advice. With a shooing motion to push them out of her bedroom, she switched off the light and hurried down the stairs to her kitchen and safe haven.

  “Leave me in peace, you two. I’m a mother and a grandmother. Not a glamorous thirty-something bimbo like the women your sister’s boss usually dates.”

  A Midwestern girl at heart, she’d often gathered her late husband’s partners and their friendly wives for cozy dinners. But that was nothing in comparison to Lou Roland’s Television Network international affairs. Lou had specified they’d attend several receptions in Paris. She’d tried to imagine herself conversing with his VIP acquaintances. And failed big time.

  A cold sweat broke on her forehead. To think her daughter, Roxanne, navigated that stressful environment like a fish in the water.

  “Mom, you’re not going alone with Lou Roland. You’ll have Roxanne and Greg, and their little girls with you. Definitely more chaperones than any man needs to keep him in line, if that’s what worries you,” Madelyn added with a chuckle.

  “How could I betray David?” Barbara blinked back a surge of tears. Guilt speared her every time Lou paid her a compliment. Although, to be honest, part of her reveled in his admiration. “Your poor Dad.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Mom, be realistic.” Madelyn shook her head. “We all loved Dad, but he’s been gone for seven years now.”

  “We’re here to help you get ready. Physically and mentally.” Heather wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Is that hazelnut coffee I smell?” She sniffed around with an ecstatic flourish. “Ah, I love its aroma. Let’s have a good cup of coffee and a cookie. You’ll be able to think more clearly.”

  If Barbara wasn’t so frazzled, she would have chuckled at Heather’s use of her universal remedy for stress.

  In the kitchen, Madelyn poured the coffee and handed her a cup of black.

  “Honey, you forgot to add two sugars and cream for me.” Barbara held back her cup.
<
br />   Madelyn arched a chastising eyebrow. “No sugar and cream, and no cookies for you, Mom. From now on, you watch your calories. Not because of Lou and his Paris trip, but because your blood pressure and cholesterol were too high when I checked them three weeks ago. I’m putting you on a diet. And strict exercise.” How like her eldest daughter to be the cool and rational doctor, even with her mother.

  “And in three weeks you’ll be slim, relaxed, and ready to have a great time in Paris.” Her sweet Heather couldn’t stand to see her mom anxious.

  Her number one and number three daughters were like night and day, one always too strict and the other too easygoing. Yet they never gave her half of the problems, their number two sister, Roxanne, excelled at throwing in her mother’s path.

  “Don’t fool yourself, girls.” Barbara shrugged, determined to regain the upper hand. Thirty years of married life with a lawyer had taught her to analyze people’s motives and behavior. “I think Lou just wants a reliable babysitter for Roxanne’s twins. Your sister is his best reporter, but she refuses to travel overseas without her family. Her husband would be stuck in the hotel with his two toddlers. No fun for him. To keep Greg and Roxanne happy, the wily boss invited me to go along. Voila.”

  “Mom, you’re not serious,” Madelyn protested. “The man couldn’t take his eyes off you during Steve and Leila’s wedding.”

  “Lou definitely likes you the way you are,” Heather added with a knowing smile. “Or he wouldn’t have invited you to Paris.”

  “I don’t understand.” Madelyn crossed her arms and peered at Barbara as if she was lying on an examination table. “Are you upset because you wonder if Lou wants you in Paris to babysit Roxy’s kids? Or because you fear he wants to flirt with you?”

  All of the above and much more. God, she was so confused with all these mixed feelings and didn’t know what to think.

  The telephone ring saved her from an embarrassing discussion.

  Madelyn picked up the phone. “Hi sis, you couldn’t choose a better time to call. We were talking about your upcoming trip to Paris. Mom, it’s Roxy.”

  “Put her on loud speaker,” Barbara ordered.

  “Hi Mom, I’m in Atlanta at KNR headquarters. I had a meeting with my boss to finalize the details for my interviews in Paris. Imagine he asked me if I could have our friends, Elias and Marie Diab take care of my twins while we’re in France.”

  “That’s wonderful, honey.”

  “He’s organizing a memorable visit of Paris. Specially for you.”

  All Barbara’s uncertainties rushed back. She wasn’t ready for this—a vacation with a man she hardly knew. Even though she liked Lou. “Oh God, Roxy, I was telling your sisters I can’t go.”

  “Why? Are you sick?” Her daughter’s tone cooled by ten degrees.

  “No. I just don’t think I can make it.”

  “Mom is having cold feet,” Heather quipped.

  “She’s panicking because she’s put on a few extra pounds,” Madelyn explained. “And because she’s not thirty or forty anymore; because she thinks she’s betraying Dad’s memory, and because she thought your boss wants her in Paris to babysit while you’re busy with your interviews. Did I cover everything, Mom?”

  If Madelyn were a little girl Barbara would have grounded her to teach her not to be so fresh with her mother.

  “Mom, you can’t do that to me,” Roxy snapped. “Not after being so enthusiastic about visiting Paris when Lou mentioned my next assignment. Remember, Lou is my boss.”

  “So? What has your job got to do with my going to France or not?” Marriage had not repressed Roxanne’s impulse to run around the world. Only now she dragged her whole family with her.

  “Lou is going out of his way to make it a comfortable and fun trip for you.”

  Barbara’s pulse raced. “Why?”

  “Uh… he’ll explain it himself. He just walked into my office and wants to talk to you. Get off the loud speaker.”

  “Oh dear.” Barbara rubbed her neck to loosen the lump stuck there. She usually enjoyed chatting with Lou, but not with her inquisitive daughters looking on.

  Madelyn immediately complied with a sideways smile and handed her mother the phone. A hand on her mouth, Barbara cleared her throat and steadied her nerves.

  “Barbara.” Lou’s charismatic voice never failed to sprout goose bumps on her arms, even if he’d only uttered one word.

  His image popped into her mind. The way she’d seen him at the wedding where they met. Tall and handsome in his navy blue suit, with silvery hair at his temples and a darker strand falling on his forehead and shadowing piercing gray eyes.

  Stifling a sigh, she smiled as if Lou could see her. “How are you doing, Lou?”

  “Not bad. I have to apologize for not calling in the last few days. So many problems to handle at the office and elsewhere. Imagine that SOB from a competitive channel tried to steal one of our stories. A big hit…” Lou related the problem and grumbled about the backstabbers. His Southern drawl endeared him to her as much as his trust.

  “I understand.” She’d been used to listening to her late husband and daughters complain about stress at work. “Unfortunately, I can’t offer you a cup of coffee and a cookie.”

  “Your cookies are the best, Barbara. I’ve already finished the box you sent me.” A bone-melting chuckle reached her through the line. “Meanwhile I’m planning our visit to Paris and counting the days until we take a break and relax.”

  “Our visit to Paris,” she repeated absentmindedly. The implication of the first word prickled her with unease. Why had the powerful KNR News Director invited her when he could have any woman he set his eyes on?

  “My secretary already booked the hotel. I insisted she reserves a room with a view on the Eiffel Tower for you.”

  “Thank you, Lou.”

  “Roxanne and Greg are staying on a lower floor with the KNR crew,” he said before she even asked. “I hope you’ve started packing.”

  “Not yet. Madelyn came from Florida for the weekend to help me, and Heather is here too.” In fact, she could use all of her five daughters’ support at the moment.

  “Someone is buzzing me. I have to go. Thanks for listening, Barbara. You’re such a good friend. You always manage to help me forget the stress. I wish I’d met you years ago. Talk to you soon, dear.”

  The connection cut and Barbara stared at the phone, an uncertain smile hovering over her lips.

  He really wanted her with him. He even needed her.

  There was nothing in the world she liked more than to be needed. Unfortunately, her daughters had become way too independent and rarely asked for her help—except for babysitting.

  “You’re smiling. Does that mean we can start planning your packing?” Heather asked.

  “Yes, I’m going. What have I got to lose? Lou Roland has plenty of girlfriends at his beck and call. Now he needs a good friend to help him cope with his stress, if only for a short time. I’m a patient listener. That’s all there is to it.” She’d go to Paris, help Roxy with the twins, and enjoy Lou’s friendship. Happy tremors fluttered up her spine, but a strange reluctance squeezed her gut.

  Was she letting herself in for more than she could handle?

  ****

  Lou rushed to the airport departure gate and scanned the crowded area, hoping the storm hadn’t delayed the plane of his traveling companions too. He caught a glimpse of Roxanne and her husband, each rolling a stroller back and forth, and next to them a striking blonde woman in black pantsuit and lemon blouse. He froze in his tracks, staring from far.

  Damn, but she was gorgeous. His gaze riveted on her lovely face framed by a sleek blond bob with wide bangs covering half of her forehead, and roved over her perfect figure. Had she lost weight? In person, Barbara Ramsay by far eclipsed the fading image he’d kept in his memory.

  Recovering his cool, he grinned widely and sauntered toward her. “Hi there. Glad you made it safely and on time.”

  He hugged
her. She stiffened.

  Unable to resist her natural appeal, he deposited a chaste kiss on her cheek and released her—though not quickly enough to prevent her perfume from enfolding him and numbing his gray matter more effectively than a magical charm.

  “Hi Lou.” She smiled and he breathed better. “We were worried about you. The TV reported a bad storm in Atlanta.”

  Her anxious tone delighted him. Usually people didn’t worry about him. They feared him and avoided him, which never bothered him. He commanded respect and preferred to be obeyed than liked. But Barbara had thrown him off axis and he didn’t mind.

  “It would have been awfully bad luck if I’d missed our connection.”

  She laughed. “Imagine, us in Paris and you stuck in New York.”

  “God forbid.” Not a man to be thwarted, he’d have raised hell. But the sound of her laughter reminded him of musical pipes and he made an effort to share her hilarity. “I don’t want to think about it. Although I know I’d have booked the very first plane to follow you.”

  Her smile faded. He realized the double meaning in the words he’d just said. How far would he go to follow her?

  He captured her bewildered gaze. Those huge turquoise eyes shimmered with surprise, uncertainty, and joy.

  “We’ll have a great time in France.”

  A child’s wailing answered him. He flinched, spun to the right, and caught Roxanne’s sarcastic smile. Darn, he’d forgotten all about his employee and her family. Was she criticizing him? A frown reminded her to stay out of his business and keep her thoughts to herself—even if said business centered on her mother.

  Except that Roxanne had never let anyone intimidate her. Not even her boss. He shook hands with Greg. “Ready for the family trip?”

  “I’m always ready for an exciting job,” Roxanne quipped before her husband could answer. “But the girls are getting tired in their strollers.”

  “I’ll take Lucia.” Barbara lifted her granddaughter and cooed at her. “Big hug, cutie pie.” The little girl kissed her grandmother’s cheek and snuggled against her neck.

  “Charming, she’s adorable.” And you too. Lou smiled at the scene unfolding before his eyes.